A Moment of Clarity

Dear Indie Rock and Roll,

Man it has been a great ride hasn't it. I mean I spent the last two and a half years or so of my college career as an assistant music director, at a COLLEGE RADIO STATION. Boy were those good times. Digging through mail, scanning discs, and getting shit for cheap, before it hit the stores. [well for free, but I had to throw in a Clipse quote for the street cred and all] And best of all? Discovering new shit and falling in love, My Barbarian, Wolfmother, The Boy Least Likely To, The Teeth, etc, etc. But something funny happened as I walked out the door and said goodbye to college: I looked away, and I moved on. Now it's nothing against you, I still got love, but for me, 2006 [especially from May onwards] was all about the pop and dance music. Say what you will about pop in general, but don't try to front and play it cool when Sexyback comes on, or pretend like you don't know all the words to Gnarls Barkley's Crazy, when the radio plays it for the umpteenth time cause Mom and Dad finally got hip to St. Elsewhere. [Riddle Me This: Gnarls Barkley? 2006's Norah Jones. Crazy = Don't know Why?] Look like I said, I love you, and you too had a good year, I hear the new Hold Steady is bananas, those in the know love them some Joanna Newsom, and TV on the Radio is topping many an insider/hipster/indie fanatic's best of list for 2006, but not mine. I will be giving the top spot to one who has yet to hit the mainstream completely, but my top ten is also making room for some Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, and the Scissors Sisters. Hell even Gwen Stefani might make a guest appearance. Sometimes you just want to dance. And sometimes you just want a fine crafted album, start to finish. They can't all be Ok Computers. And yes, they can't all be accesible [something you my friend might know about], but they can and should be fun, different without being oft putting, cohesive, and a true LP, barely skippable from start to finish. Those with bigger budgets, more popularity [no time for payola talk and all that jazz. I know, I know] and blasted across magazine covers, and sometimes -gasp- on TRL. Look I am not dissing you or tossing any haterade your way, I just thought I should let you know why I've been away for so long. Trust me, you are always in my thoughts and prayers, but for the time being, I'm living a POP...LIFE!

Sincerely,

Tauwan