‘… This little ukulele tells the truth’: indie pop and kitsch authenticity

Abstract

Indie pop, like rock and other independent genres more generally, has had a complicated relationship with mass culture. It both depends upon and simultaneously deconstructs notions of authenticity and truth. Independent genres have invited scholarly analysis and critique that often seek to unmask indie as ‘elite’ or to show the extent to which indie musics are, ironically, defined and shaped by consumer capitalism. Using songwriter Stephin Merritt's music and career as a case study, this essay explores the kinds of authenticities at work in indie pop. Indie pop, I argue, is a genre especially adept at generating ‘personal authenticity’. It is useful to turn to the concept of kitsch, understood here as an aesthetic and not a synonym for ‘bad’. Kitsch functions to cultivate personal attachment in the face of impersonal mass culture; it is this aesthetic, I argue, that indie pop has cultivated through its lo-fi and often nostalgic sound world and through its dissemination, which has relied upon dedicated collectors. The ‘honesty’ of this music does not arise from an illusion of unmediated communication, but instead from the emphasis on the process of mediation, which stresses the materiality of the music and the actual experience of listening.

The effect of authenticity in music on the subjective theories and aesthetical evaluation of listeners: A randomized experiment

“…Perpetuation of tradition and copying canonical works as exactly as possible (C. Jones, Anand, & Alvarez, 2005) Creating a special personality (Edidin, 1998), style and originality (Kivy, 1995), uniqueness (Kahf, 2007) Remain true to the intention of the composer concerning the performance of the composition (Edidin, 1998) To be original and to offer a distinct approach (C. Jones et al, 2005) Historically correct, exactly as in the original social context (Schippers, 2006) Artistic freedom (Dolan, 2010) Coming from the right country or source (Schippers, 2006) Avoidance of commerce and trends (Keightley, 2001) Avoidance of modernity, e.g., synthesizers (Johnson, 2000) To be sincere, honest and to remain true to oneself (Schippers, 2006) Musical artistry of the artist (Edidin, 1998) individual style (Hargreaves & North, 1999). Subjective theories can also address the effect of music on the listener or other listeners (Behne, 1987;Zillmann & Gan, 1997).…”

Identificaciones y vinculaciones: una propuesta de intersección para analizar la música “indie” de la ciudad de La Plata en los años 2000

“…La literatura especializada suele focalizarse en la conexión del indie en tanto fenómeno musical y estético con grupos sociales que la producen y usan, en la búsqueda de definir estilos de vida diferenciados y discursos de autenticidad (Cornejo-Hernández, 2008;Dolan, 2010;Hesmondhalgh y Meier, 2015), generalmente asociados a la juventud urbana de clase media. En este marco, varios trabajos coinciden en una perspectiva bourdesiana para decir que el indie, al mismo tiempo que marca la conciencia de una nueva estética, satisface también un deseo de diferenciación social en ciertos grupos, operando como un recurso de distinción (Hibbet, 2005;Newman, 2009;Peña Boerio, 2011).…”

Listening for the hiss: lo-fi liner notes as curatorial practices

“…‘Lo-fi’ music is generally defined in opposition to hi-fi, state-of-the-art recording equipment, and is characterised by the deliberate presence of a ‘low signal-to-noise ratio’ (Kromhout 2012) and a ‘rough and ragged sound quality, often failing to mask hum, static, tape hiss, and other noises endemic to the very process of recording’ (Grajeda 2003, p. 357). The category of lo-fi has come to encompass not only an approach to recording (which will be the focus of this paper), but also to performance, such as ‘the use of simplistic forms, odd instruments, (…) and amateur performances’ (Dolan 2010, p. 464), as well as ‘amateurish playing (often on minimal instrumentation), off-key singing, and a certain casualness in delivery’ (Grajeda 2003, p. 357). The term is most commonly associated with indie and alternative music scenes starting in the 1990s, spearheaded by bands such as Sebadoh and Guided by Voices (Grajeda 2003).…”

“…The term is most commonly associated with indie and alternative music scenes starting in the 1990s, spearheaded by bands such as Sebadoh and Guided by Voices (Grajeda 2003). Since then, ‘lo-fi sound’ has become an important element of the aesthetics of indie pop (Dolan 2010), indie rock (Hibbett 2005) and new folk (Encarnacao 2013).…”