What is bearded hipster music?

Time to retire the hipster moniker. I nominate Scene conscious Garbage People as its replacement.

 

Oh, I've listened to all those. Unless you're suggesting that we listen to music that we don't like.
When I hear new music for the first time, there's a checklist of things that I like and that I don't like. It never fails that I start checking off the things that I don't like.

 

That is a nice sweater.

 

I think their last album was a good example of something that could've used an outside producer and songwriters to get it over the hump into top-40 territory. A song like "Leave A Trace" isn't far away from a mainstream radio at all, but those last refinements are where the Max Martins of the world make their money. There's no way Taylor Swift waits until more than a minute into the song before the chorus first appears, for example.

 

I'm not saying that you or any other particular forum member is commenting without listening. But as I am sure you can tell when you read posts attacking indie music, many commenters actually seem unfamiliar with much modern indie.

 

As far as I'm concerned, hipster music is a term used by older people to describe music predemonitnaly enjoyed by younger people, that they don't like or understand. What does bother me, though, is the elitism/pretentious attitudes some of these "hipsters" have. Namely, I've got a buddy who's into the alt scene and claims the music is so much better than commercial stuff (going as far as to be condescending to people who listen to pop radio), yet of the artists he likes some of his favs are Imagine Dragons, Grimes, and Fitz and the Tantrums. I honestly think a lot of that stuff is just as disposable and vapid as what's on the top 40.

 

The Decemberists

Great band...but the fans at the shows are a hipster bonanza.

 

Yeah I was exposed to Imagine Dragons by my 7-year-old daughter. They're horrible. I had no idea there was anything "hip" about them...

 

There isn't. No one has ever considered Imagine Dragons hip. If they did, they would be doing "hip" very very wrong.

I still just think it's funny that so many people think that "hipsters" are listening to folky-strummy la-la stuff, as if it's still 2012 when those bands were actually popular.

 

You nailed it.

 

No self respecting hipster would ever listen to Imagine Dragons.

 

the lumineers or whatever the hell they're called.

 

Imagine dragons and X ambassadors are the bearded hipsters new Beatles and stones...sad but partly true.

 

I have a different vision of what hipsters are. I don't think it is specific to any age demographic, but I guess if I had to narrow it down it would be 25-40 (which I fall into). There is definitely a condescesion there. It's the idea that if you are into any music more obscure than the top 40 - excluding hip hop, which hipsters tend to have the most pop taste in - you have some sort of high ground, and your taste is refined and worthy of respect and credit. And their collection of brand new, unplayed vinyl shows some sort of depth of personality or worldiness.

There's also some irony run amok, with people eventually becoming unaware of whether their vocal adoration and praise for Hall & Oates as one of the greatest bands off all time is serious or not. Lines get blurred lol.