One of the many happy side effects of spending so much time with Jose is that I’m now familiar with all sorts of indie music. He really loves music, and on top of that, he loves spending time finding good music. This is very convenient, since all I have to do is just listen to his stuff, say “oh, I like that” and then he burns me a copy. Why bother trying to find it on my own when he is so good at it?
Now that I know the bands and the songs, I recognize them in commercials. (Yes, despite owning a Tivo, I still watch a lot of commercials because I still watch live TV. Also, I actually sort of like commercials.) The following examples come to mind:
+ The M&Ms commercial that showed the candies in kaleidoscope-like patterns to the tune of Iron and Wine’s “Such Great Heights” (itself a cover of The Postal Service’s original)
+ Morningwood’s “Nth Degree” playing in the background of a Mercury(?) car ad
+ Peter Bjorn and John’s “Up Against the Wall” playing on the Levis jeans ad in which the guy pulls up his jeans and along with it, the city crashes into his apartment
+ The Outback Steakhouse commercial that not only licensed Of Montreal’s “Wraith Pinned To The Mist And Other Games” but rewrote the lyrics: “Let’s go Outback tonight, life will still be there tomorrow…”
+ The Friskies cat food commercial that I saw last night with a very familiar soundtrack that turned out to be Lemon Jelly’s “Spacewalk”
Those are only five of many examples, and I guess you could argue that indie bands are “selling out.” After all, aren’t they indie because they’re not supposed to care about the mainstream, or the corporate, or the popular?
But I don’t know if I agree with that idea. It doesn’t really bother me to hear their songs in a commercial. I figure it means that more people will be exposed to their music and if they like it, well, they probably would’ve liked it regardless. They don’t like it just because it’s in a commercial; they just discovered it that way. Not to mention that I’m sure the bands are willing to sell their songs because it earns them quite a bit of money. One online article quoted Of Montreal as saying that selling their song to Outback gave them the money to go on tour.
Jose, on the other hand, still thinks it’s a little bit of a sell out. Mainstream music, he says, is like fast food: it’s tasty enough, but overall it’s bad for you.
I probably don’t have enough “indie cred” to be entitled to an opinion anyway. Heh.
Pony says
Hey, ask Jose if the group that sings the theme song to the tv show Psych has any albums out…I think they’re called The Friendly Indians or something close to that. I really like their sound!
JustJunebug says
as someone who agrees with what Jose says about mainstream music and it being bad for you…cause God knows how I loathe cheesy, made for playing 100 times on the radio type of music with absolutely NO lyrical content whatsoever..and myself following ‘indie’ music for years.
However I do find it a bit um..how do I say? I guess I dont agree with burning of music. Especially when it comes to indie artists. If people didnt burn their cd’s and actually bought them, they might not have to sell out to go on tour. I dont know, I would rather put money in the pockets of artists that I really dig.
just my .02
txrunnergirl says
Ahhh, once upon a time, I was really into small bands and music. 🙂 I saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers before they wore clothes, Green Day when they had crowds of less than 20, Blue October a decade ago, etc. Now, my music consists of what will entertain the kiddo – sadly, it’s The Wiggles, Laurie Berkner and Veggie Tales. LOL!
Me says
You make a good point, June. I do have to admit to burning copies of some music, but often I do buy the album myself as well. Not all the time though. Shame on me.
Jen says
There’s always been somewhat of a prejudice towrards the starving artist as an example of being true to your art. However, being a starving artist isn’t much fun, and I don’t blame anyone for wanting to sell their stuff so that they can afford to eat out every once and a while.
Speaking of music from commercials, you know what’s driving me nuts? That Fox Sports commercial with the guy bouncing the soccer ball on his head that they’re always playing during Astros games. What’s that song? I have the feeling it’s an older song and somewhat of a standard, but I can’t find the title anywhere and it’s in my head ALL THE TIME!