New Podcast “2004: The Year Indie Rock Broke” Revisits the Year That Changed Everything
Everyone wants greatness, only some people get it. “2004: The Year Indie Rock Broke” gives a glimpse into the shrouded world of music legends: how did they achieve their status, what motivated them, what are they like as people.
The second episode in the eight episode show delves into these questions with first hand testimonies from icons like Tegan Quin and Carl Newman. The series, produced by Nevermind Media and presented by Dropbox gives a behind-the-scenes look at the blossoming years of indie rock.
The second episode begins by weaving an intricate map of where up and coming indie rock scenes were emerging at this time. “These were the years indie rock jumped from dingy clubs to magazine covers,” hosted by Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino stated, citing The Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Kills among others. But then come the first vignettes of the episode.
Ben Gubbard of Death Cab for Cutie spoke about seeing the scene in New York and taking it his own way in the Northwest. James Mercer remembered plainly, “One of the things I wanted when I started The Shins was I wanted to impress the artist that impressed me.” Especially through the medium of a podcast, where these characters voice’s are really heard, a kind of aching rawness is communicated. Though interviewees are now among the greats, at one point they were just kids, living in their city and living to make music. Somewhere in the interview, my heart breaks, somehow I feel seen.
Beyond musician statements, Cosentino and others walked listeners through labels emerging or dominating this time period. In the world of independent rock, this is a nuanced topic that’s layered with different motivations and love for music. Personal testimonies came from labels like Sub Pop, Arts & Crafts, and Saddle Creek. Jeffery Remidios of Broken Social Scene recalled his step by step of beginning his own music label “basically out of friendship” which became Arts & Crafts.
He spoke about getting involved in his local scene in Canada, while simultaneously working his way up a major label corporate ladder. He finally decided to take the plunge into his own company when he had the friends and connections of his own to support his dream. “We’re building off the inner circle of Broken Social” he said about his label. While still pulling at my heart strings, this section was a message on ambition, on having goals and making them happen and analyzing the specific time and place you are in to achieve your wants.
Though delving into a specific genre of music during just one year sounds pigeon-holed, this episode does a very good job enunciating how music exists within a greater holistic context. Remidios spoke about the politics of Canada and America in 2003 and how that influenced the scene in Toronto. They spoke about the “six degrees of separation” of the indie scene and how everything connects.
I came away from this episode with a fiery sense of motivation. I have ambition that is greater than myself, and so does everyone else. Everyone wants greatness, and some people get it.
2004: THE YEAR INDIE ROCK BROKE | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS
