The New Lo-Fi
Indie music is a strange beast.
Sometimes its intricacies are revered and sometimes they’re reviled.
I present you with two examples;
Vivian Girls – Lake House
Wavves – So Bored
Both bands are touring, have tons of fans, press, and are arguably at the forefront of a growing movement: Lo-Fi.
Lo-fi is a style of music/production where artists discard slick production values (or occasionally any production values) in favor of a raw recordings that strive to capture a feeling, and the aural texture of a piece of music.
In ways indie music has always been like this. Pavement, a genre defining indie band always had a lo-fi feel to their music. But it in recent years the lo-fi movement has become less of a necessity and arguably an artform in itself; where the songs are the most important part of the equation.
I would not consider lo-fi a genre, because I think the influence of this movement will be bigger then a single genre.
Because lo-fi artists don’t hide behind slick production, they must communicate with the most basic production values; and because they communicate so well with their audience, the audience’s view on what is acceptable recorded quality, changes. Follow me?
The audience now does not need, nor even expect “professional” production quality on their music. Thus making the song the most important part, and proving yet again that you don’t need to have a super awesome recording to make an impact. You just need a great song.
Of course if you have both, that is where things really start to shine.
Take Control of Your Music
Voyno
Sign Up For The New Rockstar Philosophy RSS Feed
Subscribe to The New Rockstar Philosophy by Email
Category: Digital Music, Music Business Commentary, Music Production, Songwriting
Could it be an even deeper issue than the song though? I mean, is ‘Tell the World” really a good song? I think it’s joke of a song but there is something authentic, honest and real that resonates with people through it. Could it be a ‘vibe’ actually can transcend what could be considered a technically crappy or at the very least juvenile song and still connect?
Interesting thoughts Keith. There def is a killer vibe on the tracks.
We’re on board . . . check out some of our mix tapes at thenewlofi.com