Research Post #3 - New Media and Captain Obvious

In the time I have spent considering the indie subculture within this course, the connection between it and trends in new media has become increasingly difficult to ignore. At the Okkervil River gig I attended and reported for this blog, my opinion that the Apple iPhone had become an accessory for many in the subculture was pretty well cemented. Though there were some unlikely figures at the concert (for example, the two late-30-somethings positioned near us, whose dark attire, long hair and permanently sombre expressions brought to mind members of the heavy metal subculture), I spotted more iPhones than I could count on both hands and the fingers of their owners were moving across the screens at regular intervals. The sense of like-minded community I have mentioned within the indie subculture (or indeed any subculture, I suppose) also appears to have been heavily augmented by recent trends in online social networking. Mixed-media, short-form blogging platforms like Tumblr, which favour the posting of photography and music, has attracted a large community of users. As I saw someone remark online, Tumblr is “an eclectic community. It's like going to hang out with the indie kids. You know it is going to be different”; I hope I’ve made clear by now that the indie subculture thrives on and is driven by attempts at difference. The micro-blogging service Twitter seems to be achieving a similar status with many of the indie crowd. At least three acquaintances standing near me, who freely identify themselves as part of the subculture, were ‘Tweeting’ the show from their iPhones, and I have to admit this really annoyed me at the time. All I could think was, “why couldn’t they have just posted about how great the gig was when they got home?” But when I think about it now, in relation to how much the subculture emphasizes self-expression, creating a community of listeners who see themselves as loving a genuine music all of their own, it starts to make a bit more sense. This exploitation of new media is just another way for members to connect one another or the artists themselves, many of whom use blogging platforms of their own. Technology like the iPhone, particularly with its social networking and music features, just makes this all the more possible, and easier.

In the same vein of new media, I was last week hearing friends who are fans of Canadian indie fivesome Sunset Rubdown talk about how they simply couldn’t wait for their new LP, Dragonslayer, to ‘leak’ online before its June 23rd release date (I can only imagine the outpouring of gratitude bestowed upon whichever person uploaded the early-release mp3s onto torrent sites, obtained because they pre-ordered the CD). Similarly baited breath could be discerned online, on music blogs of the indie persuasion. These blogs, which vary from discussing and reviewing the music, to providing you with individual mp3s or full album streams almost as soon as the music has hit shelves, add yet another dimension to the indie experience. The work of indie bands becomes much more accessible to both new and established audiences something something here. One such blog, and the one I will be discussing herein, is Captain Obvious. Conceived in 2007, the site is described thusly:

Captain Obvious is just a guy and a handful of his talented friends writing about the things that they are passionate about, whether it be music, films, books, or just random topics.

While Captain Obvious still occasionally provides reviews of films, books and whatever else, these days the blog focuses most heavily on music. A self-dubbed ‘indie-folk blog’, it features album reviews, mp3s and the occasional artist interview and music video. Posts are divided into categories. The most frequent posts are those headed ‘new wax’ or ‘you should know’. The former is a review of a new indie release. The latter sees Captain obvious attempting to make the reader aware of an indie band or solo artist, existing below the larger musical radar, that he believes to be worthy of greater attention. Each of these types of posts comes with two free mp3s that the reader can download, which Captain Obvious believes to be standout tracks from the album or artist. In addition to this, he regularly posts seven-track mp3 ‘mixtapes’. These are generally categorized either by theme (such as covers) or month (for example, a ‘February mixtape’ comprises the songs released that month that he most enjoyed). The site’s disclaimer states that “all audio content is provided strictly for evaluation purposes and to promote the artist. If you like what you hear, please support the artist(s) by buying their albums/merch and going to their shows”. This is not uncommon to blogs of this type. While I don’t believe members of the indie subculture feel any less inclined to acquire their music by, shall we say, questionable means, there is still very much an emphasis on the support of musicians. If my recent ethnographic observations of the subculture are anything to go by, many members pride themselves on their CD collections. The emphasis on a near-spiritual connection with music that is so central to the culture means that is not unusual for a listener to possess both an actual album and downloaded tracks. In man ways, Captain Obvious is just a fan himself, providing indie listeners with greater access to and knowledge of music they love. I visit it quite regularly and have discovered new and now much-loved artists as a result.

Something regularly cited in all corners of media is the increasing shift of what is known as ‘indie’ toward the mainstream. I don’t believe this can just be attributed to bands moving from independent labels to major ones. In this age of new media, the Internet has made it possible for lesser-known groups to achieve the status of their major label peers and boundaries between ‘independent’ and ‘mainstream’ are becoming increasingly blurred. I would argue that websites like Captain Obvious obscure them even further. He was one of many reviewers who heaped praise upon Bon Iver, the solo project of Wisconsin folk musician Justin Vernon, and his self-released debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago (on a shallow note, I believe quite deservedly). Such critical praise spread rapidly online and Vernon wound up signing with indie label Jagjaguwar. As a result, the album was re-released in 2008 on a much wider scale and reaching an even larger audience. Now, Vernon’s songs can be heard on the radio, he was in the US Billboard Top 100 and it’s ‘cool’ to like him, largely as a result of people like Captain Obvious. So even though he is still signed to an independent label, can he still be viewed as ‘indie’? Does being willing to accept the accessibility and financing that a label can provide make him mainstream instead?

Examples like these are one of the main reasons why defining ‘indie’ is so troublesome and I suppose why I have avoided trying to explicitly do so in my previous entries. To me, it is becoming clearer and clearer that the concept cannot be identified simply by a relationship with an independent record company, nor can a definition exclude bands that achieved greater popularity. In the past, I have leant towards a definition that includes artists who possess a distinct sound, characterized by unconventional vocals and instruments, with multi-layered lyrics, but there are problems with this, also. There are so many subcategories under the indie umbrella that applying a consistent idea of indie ‘sound’ becomes difficult and even illogical. This problem with definition, and increasing state of evolution, is something I will attempt to examine in more detail as part of my final essay.


You can check out Captain Obvious at http://www.thankscaptainobvious.net/. The image I have posted is property of the site and has been reproduced for illustrative purposes only.