reach, grasp, taste

A few years ago, I spent a few weeks fact-checking at a magazine called Elle Girl. One thing I remember about those weeks is being asked to check an album review which began, more or less, as follows: “How in the world did an indie band like Dead Boy Confessional manage to end up on two soundtracks, a Doritos ad, and Hot 97, all before they’d released their first album?”

I went to the editor and said, “Well, they managed it because they’re signed to Atlantic, and have the full resources of our media-industrial complex behind them.” And the editor said, “no, no - indie doesn’t mean independent. Indie’s an aesthetic, and Dead Boy Confessional are the indiest band around.”