Pitchfork on Dawson’s Creek – no, no, flame off, it’s a good piece! A very interesting bit of behind-the-scenes research by Chris Dahlen on how up-and-coming indie bands are getting their songs on Creek which exposes along the way the changing, conflicting attitudes to “selling out” on the underground.
The ‘why’ of indie music on DC is obvious – even the bestest-scrubbed teens have their angsty moments and this show is little but. What’s fascinating is how Choo Choo La Rouge – the band in question – handle their deal with the corporate devil. They take the money, no problem, but their attitude to marketing this opportunity borders on the phobic – they won’t even play the featured song live in case punters think it was “on purpose”. The article illuminates, though doesn’t stress, the way diffidence and shyness plays as much of a part as principle in keeping the underground that way. Good stuff.