LDR

Almost every cult’s hated on LDR, but none quite as much as the indie cult. Interesting cuz all the critiques apply, with minor mods, to indie: boring, phony, impotent, vacuous. There’s an interesting self-hatred happening (in the same way the faux-fem critics criticize LRD as a self-hating lady): “I’ll be your mirror, reflect what you are, in case you don’t know,” LDR as Nico (the deepthroats). There’s a bit of substance, too, a dark substance that indie (with the sunshine shoved so far/hard up its ass) ignores. It’s about DEATH. Death of the American Dream. Better (post-Reynolds): Death of the Nostalgia for the American Dream. In this way, it’s 3.5 gabillion times more critical/political/relevant/magical than most indie. (Indie is jealous, really.) The dream’s dead, boss—like Rihanna’s “We Found Love,” cept LDR’s sound is slooower, more akin to Clams Casino/The Caretaker/ASAP/Friendzone/Balam Acab—love is dead, and now there’s a profound focus on random (cultural) objects scattered in some sorta time-fucked void. All her quotes from past songs—Chris Isaak, Belinda Carlisle—scattered pop-mind references. Death of all connections. She captures the present moment better than any infantilizing shirt/sweater/towel/hat/coat/pillow design on Etsy. But, ya know what’s better? That Third Eye Blind song that’s like, “CAN I GRADUATE!?!?!”