Indie-rock has always been too much of an umbrella term to refer to just one particular sound, but if there was one style that defined the genre in 2009 it was experimental pop, a trend that began in January with a shot heard round the blogosphere, the release of Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion, and continued with a steady stream of similar (although certainly not directly descended) electronic-ish albums crafted from hypnotic, psychedelic rhythms so soft and airy you need to leave a paperweight on them to prevent them from floating out the window.
A few of these albums were pretty great (Wild Beasts, Bear in Heaven); most were decent enough (Neon Indian, jj, Faunts, Memory Tapes) and some were brazenly awful (Blind Man’s Colour). As a whole, though, I believe the experimental pop craze has been a distraction, siphoning ink and buzz from a host of other styles more deserving of the attentionin particular, 2009 was a banner year for rootsier bands and songwriters, as well as for pop music that actually, you know, sounds like pop music.
It seems likely that this kind of experimental pop will prove a fleeting fascination, much like dance-punk or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-styled indie-quirk were before it. If this decade has taught us anything about Internet-era indie-rock, it’s that it’s never too long before another new sound gets its turn in the spotlight.
