A&E it Bigmouth Strikes Again: Bigmouth Strikes Back Sefjen Stevens Kevin Lalonde, OP Columnist It’s been said that indie music geeks are pretty snobby. And it’s true. In fact, there are varying degrees of indie-rock snobbery. Personally, coming from the North, ’m a particularly vitriolic snob. Having been fed crap rock my entire life because of where I came from (sure, it’s a bad excuse, but it’s all I got), I can’t stand when people justify the fun- ness of pop-punkers like Simple Plan, or the fame of Nickelback; they play the same three goddamn chords all the freaking time. Why can’t you assholes take some music lessons? I’m like a guy who bitterly hates all canines because once, when he was 12, he was bitten by a dog. No forgiveness! Fortunately, not all indie geeks are like this though. Regardless, followers of the indie genre are accused of widespread snobbery just as vehemently as people like me attack Default. What grounds do I have for saying that I’m right about my music, and you're wrong? Top-40 people, as fans of mainstream music are often called, tend to suggest that popular music is fun, often easy to listen to, and usually danceable. They think that indie music lacks many if not all of those characteristics. In turn, indie scenesters say that most mainstream music lacks creativity, origi- nality, and personality, both in the lyrics and in the music. Again, any monkey (or Other Press contribu- tor) can crunch out the same three power chords in succession like any Puddle Theory of a NickelFault guitarist can. And the lyrics, oh Christ save me, is Saturday REALLY alright for fighting? Get a life! Ok, bring it back Lalondo, you don’t want to alienate the poor Top-40 girls out there. And it’s true, we don’t. We like you. You’re cute, and clever, you can dance, and you’re often very nice. We want you to join us so we can dance to Mass Romantic together. Really. So why should you start showing up at shows at Richard’s, or rocking it up at the Media Club? Because indie music is all the things you love about your precious mainstream crap, only it isn’t crappy! You say you like fun, danceable, easy to listen to, and maybe even *shudder* inspiring or emotion- ally charged tunes. That’s cool. If you want fun and danceable pop, you should try Of Montreal’s latest LP The Sunlandic Twins, with its super-fun guitar and synth that makes you shake your bum, like, all the time! Or how about Canadian indie-pop poster children Stars, who just played the Commodore last week, or Metric, or the New Pornographers, all of who play exciting, energetic pop-rock for you. If you like hip-hop, try some M.LA., or any of the Peanuts and Corn collective projects (McEnroe and Birdapres’ latest effort Nothing is Coo/is, undoubtedly, totally cool). Incidentally, the new Sage Francis is pretty great too, and features tons of guest musicians like Will Oldham of Bonnie “Prince” Billy fame. Want the rock? Check out the new Constantines album, Tournament of Hearts, or even those heroes of last year, The Walkmen. The psychedelic stylings of Vancouver's own Black Mountain is unmistakably punchy and catchy as anything you listen to now. Finally, if you tend to turn on your stereo when youre feeling sad, or want to feel happy, there’s plenty of room for you in our world. Sufjan Ste- vens’ new album I//nois is probably the most breath- taking musical endeavour of the last year. Scotland’s famed chamber-pop collective Belle & Sebastian have made some of the most beautiful and mellow pop music in the last decade. And if you try anything new this year, you must listen to Sam Beam’s proj- ect, Iron & Wine, his last EP Woman King in particu- lar. The simple guitar and piano will positively make you cry. I guarantee it. The question is: Why is this stuff any better than what you hear on the Fox every night? Frankly, it’s actually creative, and never sounds like the last ten bands you just heard. I really, really mean it. If you don’t believe me, come to the OP office and I’ll make you a mix CD. And you'll love it. SG o = < ° = — Oo The Constantines