The other day I was watching some wretchingly adorable Target commercial, featuring an archetypical hipster woman on the go, making her ironic way through life, all the while attempting to save a few cents here and there on her toilet paper and chewing gum. I think the narrator called her a “Frugalista”.
“Frugalista??”
Are you kidding me? Does everything have to have an “ista” on the end of it to make it culturally relevant? First it was “Fashionista”, now it’s “Frugalista.” I remember when the only “ista” anyone ever knew about was “Ista Sunday”… your grandmother made a ham, you dipped eggs in some Paas dye, you got nauseous from eating too many marshmallow peeps, and you threw up on the back seat of your parents Dodge Dart.
Eh, we’re awash in those little “edgy” buzz-words, like “Rock Star” and “Frugalista.” Seems like the advertiser’s most coveted demographic nowadays is that totally self-satisfied/ Brooklyn/Park Slope/McSweeney’s type of couple. You know who I’m talking about… the guy’s a web developer, his girlfriend’s in advertising, they have a little girl named Zooey, the guy plays in his lo-fi band on the weekends, they have a lot of friends with whom they get together for brunch every weekend, and ironically call each other “dude” a lot. If none of this rings a bell, rent “Away We Go,” a movie written by Dave Eggers and his wife Vendela Vida, and you’ll understand.
Anyway, as I was watching this commercial, what really struck me was the insufferable music playing in the background. The breathy, kewpie doll, boop-boop-eedoo vocals, and sacharine Sesame Street melody grated my nutsack to such an extent, I had to find out who was responsible for this abombination of cutesy-ness. Well it turns out it’s from some band called Minnutes, and the song is called “More To Luv.” As I sat and listened, I could swear that I’d heard this song before. I thought to myself, “Wasn’t this in a Gap commercial.. or no,no, it was in an APPLE commercial… wait .. isn’t this the theme song to Grey’s Anatomy?!”
Then I realized…they’re all the same song, whether it’s by:
Feist
Yael Naim
Regina Spektor
… or Ingrid Michaelson
How did this new wave of vomitous-ly cloying, peppermint gum drop betty boop bullshit insinuate itself in our lives to such an extent? From one day to the next, it just kind of grew over us like kudzu, i suppose, while we were all stewing like prunes in our compote of complacency. All these tunes are so similar, they’re positively interchangeable, like different colored cases for your iphone. You’d think in this rough economy we wouldn’t have the money to support a hundred artists all singing the same song, but apparently it’s a genre now - a one note genre. It’s been so insiduous, that no one’s even come up with a name for it yet! Every major genre of music has gotta have a name for crying eye! You know what, I’m going to come up with one right here in this column, I hereby dub this crap…
“ISTA” music.
All that oompa, doompah, Mary Jane fluff by all the Regina Spektors and Zooey Deschanels…it’s all “ISTA” music - hipster lifestyle music for the masses. It’s the kind of stuff boring people put on their ipods to make other people think they’re hip and exactly the sort of thing that makes me wanna jump off a bridge.
Why should I care anyway? I’m not Target’s target. I buy my clothes off of Ebay, and pay WAY too much for my snacks and toiletries from the deli around the corner… I’m a dying breed.
More on these topics:
1234 feist, away we go and dave eggers, brooklyn park slope and hipster culture, fashionista, feist, frugalista, hipster lifestyle music for the masses, Hipster music, hipsterm buzz words, I hate dave eggeres, i hate dave eggers, i hate hipsters, i hate target, I love dave eggers, i love hipsters, i love target, ingrid michaelson, insufferable culture of hipsters, Ipod and other hipster icons, joanne newsome, mcsweeneys, minnutes more to luv the song in the target commercials, music in ads, regina spektor, regina spektor sucks, target bargains, target frugalista, target stores, the gap ingrid michaelson, the song in the target commercials, the way i am ingrid michaelson, zooey deschanel
carolita says:
I thought they were all Feist, except for the regina spektor one, which stands out because it's so annoying: sounds like she's gagging on a tootsie pop.
You're totally right -- it totally ties in with what I call the infantilization of the Park Slope girl. They dress up like characters in a childhood book, and want to hear songs that sound like child-girls singing.
I don't know why we'd suddenly all want to all be child-girls. That's something for the sociologists to comment on. I suppose it's some kind of reaction to what is perceived as "harpies," the bitter 40 and up woman out there who hate men for disappointing them and not fulfilling their "His Gal Friday" dreams even though they're "successful and sexy and smart" (that's you Maureen Dowd). It's like the child-girl is in herself a promise never to become that harpie. But I think the surest way to become that harpie is to try keeping up that girl-child persona too long. That mask falls off in the most appalling ways!
Branwyn Lancourt says:
Yeah, I suppose it could be a reverting back to childhood in an attempt to escape the terrors of aging... STill, why is this style so popular with advertising? Hmmm... Perhaps because it's targeting that 'new parents' market... reassuring them that they're still kids at heart and it's hip to be parents... Whatever it is... I LOATHE IT!
Vix says:
It's popular in advertising not just for the sake of appealing to the 'new parents' market. it's meant to cause some sort of brand awareness among the 17-24 year old girls who live in small towns and can't wait to move to the big city and be one of those boring douchebags. FYI, this fiest/yael naim caca-fest has been going on in france for the past 2 years or so, but thankfully it seems to be dying down
Branwyn, you are right on da money with this one.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
Yeah.. that's what I was getting at (or was trying to get at) was that these advertisers are selling the hipster lifestyle to people out of the big cities, and that this music is the soundtrack to that lifestyle...
Oliver Miller says:
...Do you know that Feist turned down ONE MILLION DOLLARS from McDonalds to use one of her songs in a commercial? One million... dollars! And that was before she was famous for anything. The day I turn down one million dollars is the day I -- well, that's never going to happen, so forget it.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
That makes no sense? What's the diff between McDonalds or the ipod?? Selling out is selling out...
Oliver Miller says:
Maybe she likes and uses the Ipod? Like I do? And shops at Target... like I do. I'm just sayin' that if she just wanted a crapload of money, she could have gotten it right at the beginning of her career.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
Selling out is selling out...
Oliver Miller says:
Rrrrgh! Yeah, you heard me. I said "Rrrrgh."
Justin says:
I don't really see what makes the woman in the commercial a hipster other the soundtrack. The surrounding look more suburban than big city anyways.
As the music, I really like "1234" and am ambivalent about the rest. It's a little bland, but certainly not the worst thing in the world.
carolita says:
The soundtrack is everything. Ever watch a shlockly movie without a soundtrack? It's nothing without the soundtrack.
I just think it's sad that there are so many clones of that voice out there. Sad for those performers who have either let themselves be molded into that, or have just conformed to it on their own out of a desire to succeed. They and the "frugalistas" being targeted are just that: clones. And who wants to be a clone? Oh. Oh, yeah.
Oliver Miller says:
I kind of think it's sad that there are people who are like... hey, you disagree with me about music? Let me define you by that, even though we probably agree on 99% of everything else. Disagreeing about music is a pretty standard human thing. It seems to happen a lot. ...But that's just me, and I'm just... one guy.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
As Carolita says, the musioc in the piece identifies her as a hipster.. the soundrack is the thing that sets the context... It's what DEFINES the characters... or at least a main thing that does...
Ol... I disagree with you avout EVERYTHING... 99 percent
Oliver Miller says:
I know you disagree with me about everything, buddy. ...And I kind of love you for it. We should do a Podcast on Skype for TFT where we just yell at each other about stuff. Seriously.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
hahaha..we should!
Barth says:
You have my permission to jump off whatever bridge you choose to house your last moment of self-declared superiority. Sit still for a minute or two, if at all possible, Listen to some lyrics, Regina's particularly, and see whether it's quite as "oompa, doompah, Mary Jane fluff" as your breezing through it all to show how solid a person you are, seems to suggest.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
I have... lousy.
Ever says:
Yes, my name is Ever, and I'm not american. I'm your poor neighbor from the south. I accidentally visited this website, having a break from my thesis research, and you heated up my emotions, for what I thank you, I was dying reading on immigration reform, but on the other hand, I found totally unfounded, your criticisms for this musics, that it happens, I listen to. I am not a hipster or live a hipster life, actually you can only have hipsters in North America not including Mexico, because it in only there where you live in such places called "suburbs", where you shop at target, where you can safely transport yourself in the metro, where more than 50% of the people are middle class, also you have such things as liberal art colleges...etc. My point is that the hipster lifestlye can only be lived in your country, and it is about consuming certain good and demanding certain services, that other people don't. Regina Spektor, a russian born american, is a real musician and she is really good, she has played in several festivals like Coachella, Austin City Limits, that even though may be plagued by hipsters, offer good music. The song you chose, for you article is not representative of her music in general and was taken out from its real context. Actually, I do dislike this kinf of girls Carolita madly described, Regina could be one of them, but guess what? has nothing to do with her music. The same happens with Feist, she is from a canadian suburb, and well, she is canadian. But still, 1234, the ipod song, nothing to do, again with her music in general, actually the album that song came in, was her 3rd or 4th one. My second point is, they've been around for a while. Yes, they've been adopted by the masses, but just the songs your corporations and media lords have decided to. Regina's music is great, seriously, read her lyrics. They may be for girls who sit at their window and watch the rain fall while reading Rilke, ok, but the same could happen with a Depeche Mode CD. There's no way I'm a hipster and therefore suffer hipster irritation, eve though my boyfriend works at web sites stuff. For you sociological inquiries, in general, there is a recent NYT article that tried to explain why my generation, I'm 23, is nostalgic about the past so early (this has to do with the sweet child-like woman).
Don't blame Regina or Feist, or their voices, I wish i could profit from a talent like that.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
I suppose it's a subjective thing, because even if I were to throw out the whole hipster context, I would still find the music irritating, cloying, cutesy, and insufferable..
Tex says:
Buying clothes on eBay sounds like an awful idea for so many reasons.
Vix says:
I want Branwyn and Oliver to do a podcast!
Martha Washington says:
Hmmmm, so if the advertising market place starts representing anyone besides middle age men then it is stupid? On another note, Regina Spektor is an incredible artist who is far from cutesy boopsey. You obviosly have not listened to much of her work, but then again, from what you have written, it doesn't sound like you are comfortable with stepping outside your own male/socioeconomic preferences (whatever they may be). HAHAH you reminded me of that one cute Regina Spektor song where she is singing about the mother dying of cancer (OMG SOOOO CUTE). AND don't forget "Blue Lips"-- the classic light fluffy puffy song about religion. By the way, I am far from "hipster", and a lot further from pretentious than you Mr.Lancourt.
Martha Washington says:
Oh, I almost forgot,but you are correct about Ingrid Michelson-ista. However, I do not know enough about Yael Naim to comment (I only know her hit song from the mac commercial), so I will refrain from passing judgement on her. I might jump to conclusions about Naim's musical career and style without through investigation, and simply relying on my complete and utterly singular opinion to summarize all of her work.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
Regina Spektor sounds cutsie boopsie even when she's talking about cancer...this is why I can't stand Regina Spektor.
Like I said, even if you took Regina Spektor out of the hipster context, I would still find her music insufferably awful, however, when you add that context it's doubly grating.
Danny says:
You're pretty much right when you say that all those songs sound the same. And that they aren't very good (although I think Feist has much better stuff than that song).
But, selling out? Seriously, man. That's such an absurd criticism. Isn't making a single dollar from selling a record "selling out"? God forbid someone uses something they've created to make a living. Just like writing articles for this site. It's pretty much the same thing.
I'll actually just let Isaac Brock say it better than me:
"Around the time we did the beer commercial and the shoe commercial, I thought, 'Am I compromising my music by doing this?' And I think not. I like keeping the lights on in my house. People who don't have to make their living playing music can bitch about my principles while they spend their parents' money or wash dishes for some asshole. Principles are something that people are a lot better at checking in other people than keeping their own. My rationale behind the beer commercial was, 'I like drinking MGD! I like beer probably more than I should, probably more than is healthy.' I was hoping I could get a lifetime supply out of the deal, but I guess I'll have to buy it with that big ol' check. [Laughs.]"
Also, hipsters have taken over brunch now too? And "dude"? God damn it.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
I didn't say there was anything inherently wrong with selling out... I was just commenting on Oliver saying that Feist had integrity for not selling out to McDonalds, and I said she sold out to Apple, so what's the difference? Selling out is selling out... These days, artists have to make money anyway they can, and commercials are pretty much a necessity if you want to make any money... That being said, I still dislike intensely all the artists I mentioned... Like I said, even if they were taken out of the cutesy, hipster context of which they're being sold to us by advertisiers, I would still hate it...
Brendan says:
Ah Jesus in Heaven your writing on these subjects is more annoying than the admittedly annoying subjects themselves, by factors of millions. Stop it now.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
Oh.. Dipshit's back! What are you some Sarah Palin supporter monitoring this site or something? jesus in heaven, is she another one you harbor sweaty little fantasies about in that little pea brain of yours?
Martha Washington says:
Your logic is impeccable, Branwyn Lancourt, and your name calling true genius. You should do something with your talents. And now onto what I actually wanted to write: anything sung by a women who is not screaming or sexually charged is probably considered cutesie boopsie to you. Are you sexist? Are you Limited? Are you angry? I shouldn't judge from your small excerpts of writing, but doing as you do, oh so well, I will judge and prescribe the three to this article and hope others keep the three words in mind if they happen to read this article.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
Sexist I don't believe so... Limited... well, I'm horrible at math... angry?... yes, most certainly.
As for liking "screaming and sexually charged" music sung by women.. Well, I suppose if you consider, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, The Breeders, Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Chan Marshall, Ricki Lee Jones, Karen Carpenter, Laura Nyro, Nina Simone, PJ Harvey, Chrissie Hynde.. yeah.. I suppose if you consider these artists "screaming and sexually charged", then I guess that's what I like.
Dorkis says:
Branwyn is not limited as much as old and set in his thinking. His idealized existence would be his own personal Groundhog Day, set in the 1970s, somewhere between Paris and New York.
For the record, if you are listening to Yael Naim in english, you are doing it wrong.
Why are you even watching commercials? Why are you watching broadcast TV? Shouldn't you be living off the entertainment gird?
If we have to have 'istas', lets have som Domanistas
Branwyn Lancourt says:
haha.. well you DO have a point as to what my idealized existence would be...
Of course, that still doesn't stop these women from sucking.
Dorkis says:
In could also see you living in the West Berlin setting of the Odessa Files movie.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
ha..! very cute, I guess it must be the turtleneck!
Good Morning Judge says:
Right on!!! God I can't stand those breathy affected loud-soft oddly-stressed syllabled vocals.
I blame the insipid (30 year old!) Zooey Deschanel for inspiring legions of grown ass women to act and dress like precious seven-year-olds.
Jim says:
I've been calling it "jingle pop." And Judge is right about Deschanel. This seems to be a knee-jerk reaction to the "slut" act that has been rampant on TV the past few years.
Emma says:
This man reminds me so much of Ignatius Riley from Confederacy of Dunces. He is just another person who thinks that he is better than everyone else and that he has the right to criticize everyone else's musical taste and lifestyle and personally attack anyone who disagrees with him. Why can't people like him just fuck off and stop taking their frustration at their inability to get laid out on people?
Branwyn Lancourt says:
I don't THINK I'm better than everyone else... I KNOW it!
Chris says:
Lol, Branwyn is literally one of the saddest people I have seen in a while. Delusionally confident in his pseudo-intellectuality and completely oblivious to his paranoid interpretations of inferiority in everything. He is perturbed by the idea that he might actually be enjoying something he perceives as "hipster" (something he has an irrational and ignorant hate for, probably due to the fact that, for whatever reason, whether through his own longing to fit in amongst a perceptively "superior" group or simply instilled in his ironically simple mind by said group) so much that he actually begins chasing windmills in people's posts.
For instance, he says, "I was just commenting on Oliver saying that Feist had integrity for not selling out to McDonalds", when, in reality, Oliver said absolutely nothing about selling out. Oliver even went on to say that it wasn't about selling out because she probably allowed her songs in other advertisements because she liked the companies or their products, something to which Branwyn then repeated his accusation of Oliver's defense of selling out, which Oliver never even mentioned.
The most ironic part of Branwyn's entire act, ignoring the fact that his entire persona is an ironic abomination of the non-conformist mindset set to a superiority complex tune, is his attempt to justify his position on music by listing out a set of musician names he thought would earn him credibility, much like a hipster would do on their myspace page. Hahaha...
Keep up the good work, Branwyn, your pathetic struggle to appear superior is highly entertaining to anyone able to see the sad reality of what is probably a dichotomous mix of inferiority and superiority complexes.
And, for the record, it is possible to enjoy your "liked" list as well as the music you seemingly hate on this page. The only thing making them mutually exclusive is your tired act of arbitrary superiority, though I'm sure you've already rationalized away this reality ;)
Branwyn Lancourt says:
Your post reminded me of that line from 'psycho killer' by the talking heads...
"you're talking a lot, but you're not SAYING anything!"
rfxmem says:
After reading this article and its comments my brain has all but shut down. Looking down on this type of style and then blatantly pointing out that you "buy all your clothes off ebay" just shows how ignorant and hypocritical you are, and how trite your writing is. As if putting down originality, and then showing you are original by NOT doing what you think is trendy but also following one yourself (yes, thrift shop and ebay buyers love to think they're above shopping at Target or Wal-Mart) is a load.
Also, when a person posts a comment pointing out very valid points and giving a very well stated opinion only to be replied to by some elitest cod, and then being answered with "I suppose it's a subjective" thing just makes me laugh. When someone thinks so highly of themselves for their customs and beliefs, and are SO into themselves that when someone actually brings up valid points, their thoughtless and ignorant point of view suddenly turns into "oh it's subjective." YES. When it comes to opinions, EVERYTHING is subjective. There is no counter argument in stating the obvious. Branwyn Lancourt, you seem to be very confident that what you think is right, even though you say nothing of any substance whatsoever. How utterly obnoxious. (I also bet it's cool for anyone who gets told that to agree with it, and say "I KNOW it's true!")
Seriously, what a yuttz. There is nothing wrong with the music. People of all ages can enjoy it, and those who say someone sells out are ignorant. Having your song on a commercial is not selling out.. Having your song EVERYWHERE on EVERYTHING is. Some people enjoy having their music out there, on more than just someone's ipod or cds. They Might Be Giants for example started out with a Dial-A-Song service and have for years been doing theme songs and jingles, but I guess that makes THEM sellouts too, even though they have MANY albums and a huge fan base. Solving ignorance with assumptions just strengthens your ignorance.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
your brain shut down long ago..
mike S. says:
Your rant regarding this perpetually burgeoning group of would-be indie-rock hipsters has given me some solace. For the past few years, I've been subjected to this foul blend of commercial-main-stream and individualistic indie chic at every turn. There's nothing more depressing than trying to talk about music (or anything else) with someone who chugs soy lattes, does yoga, and emulates Cyndi Lauper. What bothers me the most is that these folks assume that, through conformity, they have achieved some epic measure of "unique-ness". These musicians are the norm. I cannot talk about Max Roach, Swervedriver, Helios Creed, Spacemen 3 or anything cool with such imposters. Do not dare admit that you like bacon and eggs or a hamburger to these people, you will be condescended upon.
One additional note: Check out Iron & Wine, the worst of the worst of the worst of this phenomenon.
Branwyn Lancourt says:
yeah iron and wine... used to hear that name bandied about by the hipster contingent for years, then I finally listend to it and wasn't surprised to ind out it was more of the same mundane, bs, shit i've been inundated with... pitchfork media, hipster horse shit.
Kristee says:
Scoffing is something hipsters sure do a lot of, so I'd like to know what you do like, Branwyn. A lot of talented artists are sadly placed in the hipster category just because kids in skinny jeans eating raw nuts like them. I guess whether you're trying to fit in a group or shunning it with all your might, you're still choosing a side and a place to morph yourself into.
Tony says:
TO BRANWYN:
I'm a filmmaker who happily uses apple products every day. And they are quite amazing products that I would happily endorse given the proper context. They truly make my life better. McDonald's sells an unhealthy shitty product that we all enjoy and hate ourselves for in the morning (or later that night). They truly contribute to the obesity epidemic that plagues our country. So... sorry dimwit...I know it's simpler to lump it all in together, but try to wrap your brain around the difference. You can't just take your own disdain for anything corporate and trash the struggling musicians (and their music) who are simply in need of exposure. So sorry if the current corporate method happens to be choosing similar safe-sounding songs. It's a trend. Big F-ing deal. Eventually, all music, even the awesome crazy obscure shit, if it's worth anything, finds its way into the mainstream. I wish I could see the look on your face when your favorite band is featured on an ipod commercial. But that could never happen right?