Monday, November 30, 2009
Moving Pictures Indie Rock Band Music Video: Bombshell Crush's 'Broken Down'
Posted by Adam Gold on Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 2:30 PM
As many of you know, being an enthusiast of what is colloquially known as "indie rock" requires a healthy amount of proactive ear-to-the-groundness. For followers of the genre and practitioners of the "indie" counter-culture it's crucial to always be ahead of the curve and have that handful of coveted bands that only YOU know about. Bands like The Mewlies, Perfume (the band), The Gay Republicans, Mark-O Pole-O, The Its & The Acts. If you don't have these far-flung references in your back pocket at all times then you're bringing nothing to the table besides your suave haircut and best argument for why Dune IS the best David Lynch movie.
You may think you've heard of all the local nuggets our hometown indie scene has to offer. Well think again, because I'm fairly certain that you've yet to come across local "indie" roustabouts Bombshell Crush. Not only are they obscure, but defunct as well. Yahtzee! Having released only one proper LP and just reissued an older EP, BC are the epitome of a good find, if only they were what they say they are.
The Scene's esteemed music editor Steve Haruch stumbled across the video above while trolling Vimeo looking for something new and exciting. While it meets neither criteria, the video--titled "Indie Rock Band Music Video"--is either a hysterical example of false advertising or an epic failure of simple vocabulary. It probably should have been called "Active Rock Band Viral Eye-Gouge." According to the "about" section of their MySpace page:
The world famous, now defunct, Bombshell Crush is back with a vengeance to sell you some KICK-ASS merchandise!!! Check out the store to pick up the only full-length record that Bombshell Crush ever released! You can also pick up a copy of their never-before released EP that contains 5 "new" tunes along with the stellar version of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time"!! There are also cool ass t-shirts available in a variety of styles and sizes. So be sure to check out the store!!
There's just nothing like a band that is simultaneously "defunct" and "back with a vengeance." Now, either I've long misunderstood the term "indie," or indie as a genre is a big tent that includes bands who--like Bombshell Crush--count "Aerosmith and Guns 'N Roses, as well as more contemporary artists like Stone Temple Pilots and Audioslave" among their primary influences. Considering that their label status on MySpace is "unsigned" I'm ruling out that they consider themselves indie by default of being on an independent label. So either the obligatory '80s cover makes them an indie band, or they're masters at veiling the Sebadoh influence.
If you're wondering whether or not this post has a point then you're on the right track: It doesn't, aside from pointing out that the term "indie"--while being a little silly--actually does represent a sub-genre. It seems like a serial offense. In and around Nashville, artists give themselves the "indie" label without actually considering what it's supposed to convey. To them it's as if "indie" is a just another synonym for not having made it...yet. I've heard starving pop-country singers refer to themselves as "indie." It's inept and hilarious. Has anyone else noticed this?
Comments (29)
Showing 1-29 of 29
yeah. definitely noticed this... but.
it's like, you can either complain that major label bands like Death Cab for Cutie are globally accepted as "indie rock" or bitch that any band that's not signed to a major is "indie" as well.
i have the same problem with the film industry. movies like Juno and Little Miss Sunshine are "indie" in terms of genre, but also feature big stars and major studio distribution. so it suffers from the same cliches and pitfalls of any given label, while folks out there making truly independent, self-financed movies are forced to come up with a new word with which to identify themselves.
it's just an inevitable part of capitalism's role in pop culture. counter culture usually only counters for so long before it falls into the wrong hands and is sold back to you as a slicker, more palatable version.
everyone wants to be the underrated underdog with the scrappy little DIY image without the risk of whether or not it'll make any money.
like
dislike
I want to be in the most indie band ever, making the most indie music ever. So indie that when someone tells me about the record, I've never heard of it.
I use the term "independent" to mean exactly what it means: independently released music. People have been using the term for decades and applying it to a variety of configurations. It just took the past 15 years for broad-pop music genres to so die out commercially that all the alterna-bands flocked/coalesced to "indie" labels and the genre name simply became appropriated as a brand. I've felt for a while the term will die out as a genre description and go on being used as its literal meaning.... whether it's Merge Records or Bombshell Crush.... whom I actually have heard of because I randomly met the singer in a bar one time and he was saying how they were playing Starwood (now defunct as well). For being self described as "indie" they sure sound pretty "commercial."
indie rock = a type of music. these days 80% of it has direct lineage to death cab, arcade fire or some horrible interpretation of freak folk. narrow it down via this easy rule of thumb: any band that does not have decent guitar solos is indie rock.
the indies = independent labels. then again, many independent labels are distributed by companies owned by one of the four major music groups. and some labels with major distribution aren't owned by a major but still technically count as indies. i consider an indie label to be any label not distributed by wea, sony, emm or umvd.
independent = unsigned, do-it-yourself artists. they're truly independent. they sell at digital retail through the likes of tunecore or cd baby.
indie = a state of mind.
i hope some bands bring back terms like "collge rock" or "post-modern rock." heck, somebody should bring back "alternative," which used to be the equivalent of "indie rock" way back when.
but the term "indie" could die off one of these days. it's not a standard genre in music retailers' and services' databases. itunes has an "alternative" category (although it does have "indie spotlight" for actual indie label titles). lala uses "alternative" ("indie folk" and "indie rock" are two of its subgenres). so does spotify. imeem, however, has an "indie" genre. cage the elephant is currently the #2 indie artist, so imeem is getting it wrong on both distribution and sound.
Glenn, are you saying Dinosaur Jr. and Built to Spill don't have decent guitar solos?
Gold brings up a fine point. And that's a dumb rule of thumb. By that logic, Michael Buble is indie rock. So is Miley Cyrus. So is Jay-Z. No decent guitar solos in the bunch. Explosions In The Sky is indie across the board (small indie label with bad distribution, book all shows themselves via myspace, they don't even have a passable website) and they're completely instrumental, rocking some pretty sweet electric guitar goodness.
Alternative has TOTALLY lost all meaning. I remember seeing The White Stripes and 50 Cent both listed as "alternative" on iTunes a couple years ago. I think that says a whole lot.
Almost everyone I know slept with that dude's wife while they were married. . . Myself included.
this is mega dorky, buuuuuuttt
here are some really great books on how capitalist media taints it taint until you faint
Guy Debord The Society of the Spectacle
Raoul Vanetgem The Revolution of Everyday Life
and wikipedia the situationist international
talking points!
Wait a second. Did the above comment by "very anonymous" go completely unnoticed?
VERY anonymous
that's the best comment posted on this board to date. mission complete. AHAHAHAHAHAHA. you just made me geek the fuck out.
@Sean: I don't know even know! It's a terrible term, and it's never really meant anything to me. I was born in '91, you tell me.
@VERYanonymous: that's gross.
dude that was just funny as hell to post. sorry if it wasa rough night, not often do people come forward and say "hey my whole crew ran through than dudes wife once"....hahahahahah...i got a twisted sense of humor.
Pujol, sorry, but we're talking about some dudes fucking some other dude's wife on here, not freshman political science.
Wow. I made a video 5 years ago and it prompts someone to write. I think that's great. I was just hipped to this blog by a friend. I'm the director of the video and have NO argument with the article at all but I do want to clarify that I, not the band, chose to title the video that way on Vimeo. I specifically chose to write "indie" as short for "independent"-ly produced, which it was, and "rock band" as...well, they're a rock band--An indie rock band. I wasn't trying to make a point on style or genre. I'm merely trying to get people to still check out my work, created in town by Nashvillians. I chose a title with the best chance of coming up in a search...and I guess it worked.
I only read the original post but I just wanted to set the record straight on that side of things. Thanks.
Are you like me searching for some cool, trendy and happening stuff (clothes, shoes, accessories – bags, necklace or even books / magazines etc.). Great! Then I am sure the link I am going to share with you – You are simply going to love it.
http://www.smartpunk.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=bundle
sorry ryan, i thought machiavellian power posts about fucking famous wives WAS freshman political science.
however, from a utilitarian standpoint, the discussion of fucking said wife, could serve the common good better by causing the MOST pleasure on this message board, where my stoic post in regards to capitalist media theory would serve the LEAST amount of overall pleasure or the common good. So my Intro to Political Theory textbook says your right.
but, I am having troubling grasping the concept of anonymously boning someone's wife that I know in real life.
glenn danzig's tonight $5.
Hey You Guys
While I find the bit about the wife and her, some might say, questionable judgement somewhat enlightening, I want to chime in with Chris!
I shot that BombShell Crush video with Chris and I am very proud of the work. When the video first went up on my website it got so many hits that it took my site down on more that one occasion.
Chris is a talented guy. I also had a great crew, and that is a very big part of the look that you see in that clip. I am pleased to have been a part of it.
ANYWAY
Back To You Regularly Scheduled Rant!
CRIMES AGAINST POSTERITY
SWINE FLU SWINDLE
SWINES FLEW IN TOP HATS
Glaxo is just a marketing hand
so who sold that vacc to the whole world carrying seeds of the next pandemic?
What state, what monster?
When failed, getting away to try again?
Like Oklahoma
your comment must be approved by
OH YEAH?
guess where all the internet monitoring flows to and you guessed where that vaccine maker sits
According to a list compiled by Dr. Patricia Doyle at rense.com, a host of strange ingredients are used to make up Hoffman-La Roche's anti-flu drug Tamiflu, which has recently been connected with bizarre behavior,
Patients using Tamiflu -- which many nations are stocking up on as a way to combat a possible pandemic of the deadly H5N1 bird flu -- reported delirium, hallucinations, delusions, convulsions, disturbed consciousness and abnormal behavior. The FDA reports that side effects reported with Tamiflu include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bronchitis, stomach pain, dizziness and headache.
ANTI-MONOPOLISTS VERY QUIET ON JUST ONE FIRM ''SERVING'' THE WHOLE WORLD
COMING SOON FROM THE SAME CREEPS: CARBON SIN RELIC INDULGENCES, PAYABLE GUESS TO WHOM.
Hint 1, it never was the Pope.
Hint 2, when exposed with biggest fake relics collection ever, the perpetrators protest laudest and become The Reformation Crowd.
Hint 3, See Barnum's Humbugs of all times 1860 book, chapter on Moon Hoax
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