The 20 Worst Hipster Band (LA Weekly)

[beantownbubba]

This is funny. It's a version of "emo is just indie you don't like." One person's hipster awfulness is another's next great thing. Don't know where to go w/ that except i still think the writing sucked and not only sucked but was totally hipsterish in its pretensions and condescension.

[kendix]

Horrifyingly terrible article not even worth having a discussion about. I'm sorry I gave those click trolls exactly what they were looking for. The shrill debates about what is bad are as tiresome as the word "hipster."

[Duke Silver]

buncha hipsters in this thread, too hip to use the word hipster.

[one belt loop]

Death Cab and Arcade Fire are both pretty decent bands once you get past the hipsterness.

The Arcade Fire is the most boring, pretentious band I've ever tried to give a fair shake.

Only the Decemberists even come close. I saw a video of them covering Crazy on You that was embarrassing. The women in the band cannot sing. Not very many singers can do what the Wilson sisters do, anyway...but this was just sad.

[one belt loop]

i am not hip nor a hipster.
but i get tired of all the dissing of "hipsters". it is just a label on people who supposedly label others.
boring.
i like about 8 of the 20 bands listed. most of the other 12, i have never heard their music.
i would not put bon iver, tyotr, the black keys and arcade fire in the same categories. except that i like them.


and as for the national and emperor's new clothes???!!!
one belt loop, i am shocked!
maybe even more pissed about that statement and ideology than clams calling the new will j. boring.

I tried, joelle, I really tried. I listened and listened and listened. I think I have three of their albums and I gave them a lot of time, many commutes. And they're just dull as fucking dishwater. At some point, I stopped trying and really haven't even thought of them again.

[Zip City]

The love for The National still escapes me, especially considering the other musical tastes of those who like them.

[RevMatt]

The only band from this article whose cd's I own is The Black Keys. The rest I've heard a bit here and there. None ever moved me. I guess there is an entire genre of music I don't know.

What makes a band "hipster"? Is it a certain type of songwriting? Way they dress?

I don't really chase genres. Just turn me onto something great. It can be death metal, country, german oompah music. As long as it is good.

[UncleFrank23]

I was surprised Okkervil River didn't make the list. Don't get me wrong, I really like them, but they seem to fit the definition of a hipster band.

[Beebs]

I got this far

"whereas Jack White can actually play, Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach is more concerned with beard grooming and disheveling his hair"

where I decided posting something snarky on 3dd was a better use of my time than finishing the article

[Zip City]

I was surprised Okkervil River didn't make the list. Don't get me wrong, I really like them, but they seem to fit the definition of a hipster band.

No to mention Pitchfork favs like Animal Collective, Hot Chip, M83, Destroyer, etc.

[Duke Silver]

What makes a band "hipster"? Is it a certain type of songwriting? Way they dress?

haircuts, mostly

[dime in the gutter]

The love for The National still escapes me, especially considering the other musical tastes of those who like them.

i dig the national. gotta be in the right headspace, but it does me proper. still can't figure out what dude is going on about, but i love his weird vox. musically, lots of cool crevices and crannies explored. strange musical moments riffed from all over the rarely used rock map. and then there is drummer boy. bro can play. and strings. kinda washes all over my brain.

or some shit like that.

[Zip City]

I like their energy in the live clips I've seen. The studio stuff just seems to be awash in 17 layers of misery

[Slipkid42]

I like The National, Arcade Fire, The Hold Steady, TV On The Radio, Black Keys & Death Cab every now & then. But I like damn near everything, so don't go by me. Didn't realize I was so hip. Oh & I kinda liked the sarcastic critiques too. I mean if you're gonna call this stuff shitty (when after all, what sounds good is highly subjective), then you may as well embellish a little.

[RevMatt]

What makes a band "hipster"? Is it a certain type of songwriting? Way they dress?

haircuts, mostly

So, it is kind of like "New Wave".

[scotto]

What makes a band "hipster"? Is it a certain type of songwriting? Way they dress?

haircuts, mostly

So, it is kind of like "New Wave".

Or "first wave (British Invasion)," for that matter.

[Smitty]

the worse thing than bitching about hipsters are people bitching about people bitching about hipsters.

[joelle]

the worse than bitching about hipsters are people bitching about people bitching about hipsters.

beebs called:
said " you're a hipster."

[Smitty]

the worse *thing than bitching about hipsters are people bitching about people bitching about hipsters.

beebs called:
said " you're a hipster."

you're a beebs.

[shuffle]

so that's a pretty useless article haha. i like about half of those bands. whoever decided that fun. is a hipster band needs to do some serious research though...

[LuthierJustin]

[tinnitus photography]

No Alabama Shakes?

ftfy

[RolanK]

I like The National, Arcade Fire, The Hold Steady, TV On The Radio, Black Keys & Death Cab every now & then. But I like damn near everything, so don't go by me. Didn't realize I was so hip. Oh & I kinda liked the sarcastic critiques too. I mean if you're gonna call this stuff shitty (when after all, what sounds good is highly subjective), then you may as well embellish a little.

I have albums from:
Black Keys
Arcade Fire
Bon Iver
TV On The Radio
MGMT

This is me


I have one of these hanging on the wall in my little loft.

[RevMatt]

OK, I get it now.

Hipsters are basically white 20 or 30 somethings with a decidedly self-conscious underground taste in music and culture who, due to their careers or grad student status do not have to succumb to pressures to dress more mainstream. They like a certain type of underground/alternative music that is also self-consciously non-mainstream. Irony is a part of hipsterism. Generally, they are the sort of people who land gigs as teaching assistants in English or other liberal arts departments while working on a masters or PhD. Some of them are in the computer field.

I am not a hipster. Actually, I haven't really felt comfortable around those sort of people. Not during my times as a musician nor during my years as a grad student. Here is why.

My aesthetic makes little distinction between whether something is popular with the mainstream. I would love it if my favorite bands, including Drive By Truckers, were huge with the masses. Yes, I would lose something by not being able to go to Athens and holding the annual Homecoming shows at the Georgia Dome would take something away from it. But playing in a cover band at a biker bar and having people shout out "Women Without Whiskey" or "Ronnie and Neil" the same way they shout out "Freebird" would more than make up for the loss of intimacy. My personal connection is with the songs, records and live shows. I wish I could share this with more people and would be willing to lose the intimacy and approachability of my favorite band in exchange for saying to someone sitting next to me at Madison Square Garden, "I used to see these guys at small clubs."

My fave bands from the indie rock glory days included groups like The Replacements. Most of those bands were not trying to be self-consciously underground, ironic or clever. Actually, most would have loved more mainstream attention and, when the major labels came calling, signed contracts that promised bigger budgets for recording, tour support and opportunities to expand their audience. We had a punk/indie underground because our bands were locked out of the commercial radio and other mainstream avenues. But we always contended that if given a chance underground groups would find mainstream success. We were proven right when bands like REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction and Nirvana had hit records.

The current crop of so-called hipster bands don't really move me. I much prefer the blatant stoopidity of a band like The Texas Hippie Coalition (THC), stoner metal, death metal, the soul stylings of Alabama Shakes and Amy Winehouse, regular authentic country like Jamey Johnson and the full balls out rockshow of Drive By Truckers.

Screw hipsterism! Good music is good music no matter where it comes from. Force the mainstream to hear underground music. And force the hipsters to stand at the rail at a Texas Hippie Coalition show. It's all good!

[Beebs]

OK, I get it now.

Hipsters are basically white 20 or 30 somethings with a decidedly self-conscious underground taste in music and culture who, due to their careers or grad student status do not have to succumb to pressures to dress more mainstream. They like a certain type of underground/alternative music that is also self-consciously non-mainstream. Irony is a part of hipsterism. Generally, they are the sort of people who land gigs as teaching assistants in English or other liberal arts departments while working on a masters or PhD. Some of them are in the computer field.

I am not a hipster. Actually, I haven't really felt comfortable around those sort of people. Not during my times as a musician nor during my years as a grad student. Here is why.

My aesthetic makes little distinction between whether something is popular with the mainstream. I would love it if my favorite bands, including Drive By Truckers, were huge with the masses. Yes, I would lose something by not being able to go to Athens and holding the annual Homecoming shows at the Georgia Dome would take something away from it. But playing in a cover band at a biker bar and having people shout out "Women Without Whiskey" or "Ronnie and Neil" the same way they shout out "Freebird" would more than make up for the loss of intimacy. My personal connection is with the songs, records and live shows. I wish I could share this with more people and would be willing to lose the intimacy and approachability of my favorite band in exchange for saying to someone sitting next to me at Madison Square Garden, "I used to see these guys at small clubs."

My fave bands from the indie rock glory days included groups like The Replacements. Most of those bands were not trying to be self-consciously underground, ironic or clever. Actually, most would have loved more mainstream attention and, when the major labels came calling, signed contracts that promised bigger budgets for recording, tour support and opportunities to expand their audience. We had a punk/indie underground because our bands were locked out of the commercial radio and other mainstream avenues. But we always contended that if given a chance underground groups would find mainstream success. We were proven right when bands like REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction and Nirvana had hit records.

The current crop of so-called hipster bands don't really move me. I much prefer the blatant stoopidity of a band like The Texas Hippie Coalition (THC), stoner metal, death metal, the soul stylings of Alabama Shakes and Amy Winehouse, regular authentic country like Jamey Johnson and the full balls out rockshow of Drive By Truckers.

Screw hipsterism! Good music is good music no matter where it comes from. Force the mainstream to hear underground music. And force the hipsters to stand at the rail at a Texas Hippie Coalition show. It's all good!

You think too hard Rev.

The answer is:

Ironic mustache

Fixie bike

Pitchfork

[Smitty]

You think too hard Rev.

The answer is:

Ironic mustache

Fixie bike

Pitchfork

Do they still ironically wear trucker hats and drink PBR? Or have they moved on to ultra-obscure microbrews and flat billed caps?

[RevMatt]

I have a mullet but it is not ironic. It is part of my stage getup for the bar bands I play in but I can tie it up in a pony tail and put on a suit when I have to take care of business.

[Iowan]

I'm conflicted. Pretension and condescension just ooze from every line, making the article close to unreadable. But many of their choices are spot on

This is exactly how I feel. I hate most of those bands, but the writer comes off as a huge tool.

I like the Black Keys, and the Decemberists are ok (I really enjoyed their last record). There are a couple Death Cab songs that are ok, but I have to be in the right mood. The Arcade Fire is fucking awful, and Bon Iver is boring as shit. Connor Oberst is probably the most overrated artist I've encountered in recent years. Bright Eyes is beyond awful. I think they have one good song. He's not a new Bob Dylan. His songs are hipster drivel dogshit. And I'm usually a total honk for Midwestern musicians.

[Iowan]

No Hold Steady?

The writer makes it pretty clear that he values music that consists of loud, angry riffs and lyrics devoted to excessive drug consumption and fornication.

That's the Hold Steady in a nutshell.

[RevMatt]

Ok, I went to Pitchfork. I've probably been there dozens of times following links but this is the first time I consciously went to that site and checked it out. I looked at their People's List of the best albums and damn near puked. Not that every album in the top twenty sucked. On the contrary. But taken collectively those top 50 albums are the reason why I took a decade long hiatus from following music. If for two hours the only music I could hear on the radio was Radiohead, Wilco, Animal Collective, Kanye West, Modest Mouse, Beck and Vampire Weekend I'd puke. No, I have nothing against Wilco. I kind of like them the same way I liked New Order back in the day. I also dig The Flaming Lips. I just don't want to hear them alongside all that other crap! Wilco is great when played next to The Truckers, The Bottle Rockets, Alabama Shakes, Steve Earle, Jamey Johnson, Lucinda Williams, The Burrito Brothers, Marshall Tucker and Lynyrd Skynyrd. But in the same set as crap like The Strokes and Vampire Weekend?!?! No way. The Flaming Lips? Play them alongside The Doors, Echo and The Bunnymen, Kyuss and some old school prog rock.

They call it The People's List but there is not metal, no real country music, no Amy Winehouse, no hard rock. No music that will make a big gal with big hair get out on the dance floor and shake that thing. If I was on a desert island and the only music I had was the Pitchfork top 100 I would throw the damn thing into the ocean and make a drum out of a hollow log and an animal skin.

After checking out Pitchfork I have decided to start my own music and culture blog. Is it easy to start a blog?