Minneapolis' Tapes 'n Tapes is a good example. Photo: Stereogum.
Tim Walker of Britain's The Independent asks the above question in a scathing piece about the contemporary homogenization of the UK's indie rock scene.
These days the term 'indie' is little more than a generic sonic description for any band that plays guitars and probably wears skinny ties, skinny jeans, and skinny cardigans. [Andrew] Collins, a former NME writer and ex-editor of Q, says now: "'Indie' has become a meaningless term. It just covers guitar bands. But it was never meant to be about a type of music, it was a spirit and an attitude. When I glance around the bands that are supposedly 'indie' today, I don't see any attitude. I don't see any content in their records, any political interest in the band members. They're a terrible generation, unfortunately, but they're becoming famous overnight and selling a lot of records. I've heard them called 'mortgage indie'. It's a career path–a way of making a lot of money very quickly.
Valid points or old farts complaining because they don't get it anymore? Decide for yourself.
[Thanks to "5"er Robert Julian for the heads up.]
