Uber-generic indie music. Gods, I don't even know where to start with it. I suppose, first would be the fact that they all sound alike. Every week, I'm having to listen to a dozen different groups who fancy themselves as "indie" and I'll be damned if I can tell one group from another. It's called 'nuance!' I suggest you look it up!
Then there are the singers. Truely gifted vocalists are hard to come by, I understand that. But most people can carry a tune to some degree. So why is it that most of the lead "singers" in this genre are these hacks who can't go beyond a range of half an octave and insist on performing in this bullshit not-quite-singing-not-quite-spoken-word style? All it does is prove that they should march back into obscurity and back into their day-jobs where they belong. Now that I think about it, the same goes for the guitarists, bassists, and drummers. They too can't seem to pull more than a few basic chords even after nearly a dozen tracks.
Which brings me to the thing that grinds my gears most of all; the people that listen to them. Not only that, but listen to them and are convinced that their musical tastes are refined because of it. Just because most of these groups are (rightly) unsigned doesn't mean the rest of the class should be subjected to your skewed preferences during working hours! Keep that shit on your f**king Ipod and let the rest of us work in peace.![]()
I remember that summer Stone Temple Pilots came out, in pure blatant imitation of Pearl Jam - right down to the vocal inflections and intervals. But nowhere near the intensity. I was downright pissed, and annoyed at people who dug them. But, that was also the summer that Beck had "Loser". The music biz is always looking for sound-alikes that are a step or two above Generic Indie, but I think the real deal always has a shot. Especially today. Back then, there was very little high speed internet, CD burners were still pricey, and music labels were (and still are) gigantic Ivory Towers where very few ever had a prayer of being heard.
Ooh, I'll add one that ticks me off. When people think that STP sounds like Pearl Jam. I love both bands, they aren't all that similar with the exception of one song.