Chris DeVille, Managing Editor at Stereogum, presents his labor of love, Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion.Throughout Such Great Heights, DeVille illustrates how indie musicrose to prominence over the last quarter-century.
The term “explosion” perfectly captures the impact, as the sheer number of indie fans and musicians remains impossible to quantify. Sitting alongside Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life (2001), Lizzy Goodman’s Meet Me in the Bathroom (2017), and various 33 1/3 entries, Such Great Heights is required reading for indie rock enthusiasts.
Allow me to preface my review of this compelling work with some thoughts to help frame the text. The first thing to note is that DeVille is writing from a very specific place, which he acknowledges from the outset.Such Great Heights‘ first chapter, which addresses what it means when we say “indie”, is as much about the author discovering the genre (and filled with his interwoven personal experiences) as it is about defining the term.From the outset, we know that this is a very personal undertaking, and he builds credibility because he does not hide from that fact or attempt to make sweeping generalizations that he feels should apply to others.
It just so happens that I can relate to much of what DeVille describes, considering we are a year apart in age, have a similar suburban upbringing, and even hail from the same state.That complicated personal history will likely not directly resonate with many readers who come to this book. Even so, DeVille does an excellent job balancing the dual need to be accessible as a writer and an authority on this music history, which is a specific muscle he is able to flex as a critic.
Indie Rock’s Defiant Evasiveness
One of the major takeaways in the work is just how hard it is to pin “indie” down.The indie music landscape is constantly shifting, and a music history needs to set clear parameters with beginning and end points, as well as self-contained movements that could be discussed within.That may sound simple enough, but it must have been no easy task when DeVille was writing Such Great Heights. Each chapter seamlessly moves into the next, but we know that is not necessarily how music chronology works.Therefore, DeVille takes some liberties and jumps around when necessary to achieve the goal of presenting unified themes.
There are bound to be limitations in this kind of work, and it’s easy to get caught up in bands that Such Great Heights has overlooked, debatable interpretations of records, and cultural intersections that have been omitted.Even with as much detail as DeVille provides, this is still a book that—at just over 300 pages—documents very specific aspects of the indie movement, namely how it grew and proliferated, as well as the surrounding cultural forces.
Just as much ink could have been spilled on the history of indie, which he covers here in just under a chapter, but that was not the scope. The text shouldn’t be evaluated for what it was never meant to be (although it’s a fairly comprehensive document that covers the history and other aspects in a thorough manner).Such Great Heights is an ambitious undertaking, and it should be applauded for effort alone if not ultimately for its delivery.
Before Indie Rock’s Obliteration
Even for those who lived through the indie rock explosion, the rapid changes that occurred during that brief timespan can be overwhelming, making it helpful to have a guide on this journey. For those who were actively listening at the time, they will be able to identify subgenres and styles that resonated. Maybe it was music from the O.C. (bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Spoon as opposed to Rooney or Phantom Planet), the song(s) that would change your life from the Garden State soundtrack, the unrefined bands propped up by Pitchfork (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Tapes ’n Tapes, for example), or the artists Apple embraced through their iPod marketing.
For as many moments in indie rock as people tend to remember, there are as many that slipped past or have been locked in the vault.Accordingly, Such Great Heights calls to mind so much that was forgotten or what readers may have missed.
The book is organized around a specific theme, centered on a noteworthy change that occurred during a particular period. The focus of each chapter is best characterized by a record, a song, a person, or a scene.For practical purposes, the indie rock explosion began in the late 1990s and ended by the early 2020s, at which point the meaning of “indie” had become completely obliterated.However, much of the text is situated within the early 2000s to the mid-2010s because that is when significant changes stretched the boundaries of the genre.
The only drawback to this approach is that some key examples revolve around what was most memorable to the author, whereas listeners may find other events that resonate more.While DeVille runs the risk of speaking from his limited vantage point, that is also where the good stuff lies.His writing includes one-of-a-kind insight from his publication, experiences at concerts and festivals, and interactions with people in the industry—basically, expert analysis you couldn’t find anywhere else.Had the writing been less personal, it would have lacked authenticity and been devoid of personality.
In line with his vocation, DeVille sprinkles bits of criticism throughout Such Great Heights, which makes for an enjoyable read, especially for an audience that mostly discovered new music based on the merits of written reviews.These moments evoke specific works, but also ground the text in its historical context.DeVille consistently demonstrates his skill as a writer, concisely covering a lot of ground.He has done his homework and effectively integrates other voices into his work without taking away from his own ideas.
The Pitchfork Effect
Plenty has been written on Pitchfork’s impact on music, how it set the tone for what’s in or out, and, in the process, could make or break an artist.Pitchfork’s authority can be brutal and capricious (as experienced by artists ranging from Sound Team to Liz Phair). While DeVille acknowledges that in Such Great Heights, it doesn’t mean he’s not immune to the website’s sway. Indeed, when discussing music and culture, Pitchfork is a significant part of the conversation. Still, DeVille makes countless references to their Best New Music and overall ratings, in some cases justifying a musician’s ascent just because they were “certified” by Pitchfork.
Such Great Heights’ organization seems to focus on the flavor of the moment, which was mostly a product of the Internet, including Pitchfork and other music blogs.Television played a significant role in bringing indie music to the masses. Still, the proliferation of indie music really follows actual and assumed conversations that were taking place through music sites and on other forums (eventually social media).
It’s hard not to be reactive to the upstart music publication turned media giant, but DeVille seems to go down the rabbit hole of every subgenre Pitchfork championed in the 2010s and beyond.DeVille devotes entire chapters to bloghouse and indie sleaze, indie folk, chillwave, the fringes of hip-hop, and pop crossover.Those were certainly groundswell moments that should be documented, but as a result, other aspects go largely ignored.
Even while Pitchfork put its stamp of approval on the next big thing, seminal acts continued to be part of the conversation.This says nothing about the commitment of their devoted fanbases despite the mercurial nature of Pitchfork (and elsewhere).There are examples of bands seizing the moment, such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs incorporating synths and Animal Collective becoming more experimental.
However, a more significant number of indie rock institutions stayed the course. They continued to churn out great records, even if they were not necessarily deemed “of the moment”. (Consider the catalogs of Built to Spill, Cat Power, PJ Harvey, Modest Mouse, Sleater-Kinney, Sonic Youth, TV on the Radio, and Yo La Tengo, for example.) Seeing as how these artists were less concerned with making indie more inclusive (although some already had), they don’t fit comfortably into DeVille’s broader narrative.
Even if established bands weren’t entirely forgotten, it certainly felt that Pitchfork and other sites had shifted their attention away from their bread-and-butter artists (often oversimplified as white males with guitars).Consider the cultural impact of a crossover hit like Modest Mouse’s “Float On” and the overall disregard from indie outlets then and now.The idea of indie as egalitarian couldn’t be demonstrated by white guys from the Pacific Northwest, especially when the album came on the heels of their more celebrated works.The band’s time in the sun had passed, even if their quality was never in question.
DeVille concedes that whatever virtue signaling might have been part of the shift in the indie landscape, there were genuine efforts across the industry to be more inclusive, which largely resulted in a more welcoming community, something few would argue against today.At the same time, this transformation turned countless listeners off and made them feel like they had been let down by the very outlets that had once given them a voice.
Even while DeVille acknowledges this dilemma, Such Great Heights gives ample space to the forces that led to a sense of abandonment for a large subset of his audience.Suffice it to say that Such Great Heights’ latter chapters dealing with how indie shifted from its rock roots into the pop sphere will not produce fond memories for those who were part of Pitchfork’s original base. Whether right or wrong, many fans would prefer not to be reminded of the sting of betrayal that can still be felt to this very day.
The Forgotten Mediain Indie Rock’s Story
Such Great Heights does a good job presenting the impact of certain indie media outlets, especially television, film, print, blogs, and websites.However, the text glosses over others or ignores them entirely.
For a certain subset of listeners, indie rock would not exist in the same manner without satellite radio and the station SiriusXMU specifically.Perhaps satellite wasn’t a significant part of DeVille’s development; he is not a big proponent of the medium, or he doesn’t tune in, but that doesn’t make its impact any less important.He only tangentially mentions SiriusXMU and summarily dismisses the station as analogous to Top 40 radio.Yes, satellite radio may remove the critical component and curate music for a large swath of listeners. Still, the platform offers a much more active listening experience than, say, Spotify or Apple Music.
SiriusXMU remains an important part of indie’s growth and development, overlooking the channel’s own history as an upstart entity that eventually became a major player in the indie scene.Those who aren’t fans of indie or college radio still know SiriusXMU, just as non-jam band aficionados are well aware of Jam On and its larger cultural impact. To brush it aside as somehow too mainstream seems like a major lapse.
Web publications and SiriusXMU overlap in terms of the artists they celebrate and the foundational aspects of the genre, so it would make sense that satellite radio would be part of the discussion at the very least.SiriusXMU even celebrates the blogs that have kept the dialogue alive, turning the station over to Blog Radio each weeknight (formerly during the lunch hour), meaning it does not exist in a bubble.
There seems to be an unspoken rivalry between the behemoths Pitchfork and SiriusXMU, and Such Great Heights clearly falls into the camp that values written publications.Ignoring satellite radio also overlooks the DJs and their significant influence on taste (e.g., “The Download 15”), as well as their interactions with artists through interviews and studio performances.In particular, Jenny Eliscu’s influence in the indie sphere cannot be overstated.Eliscu even has her own podcast, LSQ, with in-depth interviews with artists who she has, in many cases, known for years and established great rapport.
Late-night TV was also key in making indie music more accessible, especially at the time when the indie rock explosion was at its zenith. A recentConsequencefeature, “How Musical Guests Disappeared from Late Night TV”, even laments the fact that musical guest bookings have gone down significantly since the early 2010s.
Bear in mind, this might have been the critical moment that launched artists out of obscurity, in the case with Future Islands and their performance of “Seasons” on Letterman, or when the buzz surrounding a band finally took hold, as with the National and their rendition of “Terrible Love” on Jimmy Fallon (which DeVille does highlight).The connection between indie music and late-night hosts, including Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Stephen Colbert, merits further consideration.
Indie Rock’s Impact
Such Great Heights proves to be a significant work that engagingly covers new ground. Aside from DeVille’s tendency to value Internet-based music consumption over other forms (the rise of indie music does dovetail with the mass accessibility of the Internet), Such Great Heights shows no gaping holes in terms of the larger narrative.The text takes readers on a journey through modern indie music, from the tail end of the 20th century to the present, highlighting the many stops along the way.
DeVille addresses most of the developments without depicting them as good or bad. Some critical takes he cannot avoid, like the rise of what the Stereogum staff labeled “hey! folk” (groups like Mumford & Sons, the Lumineers, and Of Monsters and Men).You can even forgive him his apparent disdain for Mumford & Sons, or even set aside his overenthusiasm for MGMT, as we all have our predispositions.
Readers should be able to relate to his devotion to Dismemberment Plan, not to mention how it serves as a case study regarding the power of music outlets to make or break a band.For the most part, he takes an objective stance, and those opportunities to exercise his own fandom will largely resonate with readers.
It makes a world of difference to have somebody writing about this topic who truly values the institution of indie rock and views the work of critics as caretakers.The amount of thought that went into the title serves as a prime example, as DeVille makes an equally compelling case for calling his book “Losing My Edge” (after the groundbreaking LCD Soundsystem track). Either title would work for the reasons he provides. Much like the flip side of the same coin, both viewpoints exist simultaneously and prove equally compelling.
Such Great Heights includes a staggering number of references and sources that support his ideas. Sure, I’d like to hear more developed analyses of specific artists (some of whom he mentions briefly and others who are left out entirely), which include Fiona Apple, The Avalanches, Eric Bachmann, Band of Horses, Blonde Redhead, Calexico, Courtney Barnett, Fever Ray, The Fiery Furnaces, Frightened Rabbit, The Hold Steady, Interpol, Local Natives, Low, Luna, Microphones, Kevin Morby, Nada Surf, Pinback, Okkervil River, Phosphorescent, John Vanderslice, Sharon Van Etten, Silver Jews, Kurt Vile, and Wolf Parade. Indie rock can be an amorphous beast, and no writer could devote thoughts to every relevant artist (not to mention how those mentioned above reflect my tastes).
Such Great Heights is about music first and foremost. Still, DeVille makes the case that you can’t talk about indie without discussing everything surrounding it, whether that be the press, festivals, fans, social networks, commercial enterprise, and fashion.The real story underlying the work is how such an insular world evolved into something universal, to which many others laid claim.Just as “hipster” became a lifestyle brand—as alternative or grunge had before it—indie mutated into something else entirely.
The tragedy presented is how ‘indie’ came to mean so many things that it ultimately meant nothing, or as DeVille puts it, indie had lost its soul.Indie fans and outlets had come to embrace the very music it once rallied against, which was arguably the moment when the term became devoid of meaning.
As a cultural phenomenon, indie music proves to be a staggering and ultimately beautiful thing to witness. There are signs that certain aspects, which made the genre so compelling in the first place, remain alive.Due to the cyclical nature of trends, we have seen a DIY aesthetic emerge from many up-and-coming artists, as well as a resurgence of prominent guitars among many contemporary bands.
Accordingly, nobody knows what will be indie’s next big thing.That is what makes Such Great Heights so thrilling for people like DeVille, those who have been there and are still along for the ride.
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