Cool is a tricky concept. You either have it or you don’t. Few people do, and they only have it if they are unaware of the fact, because flaunt it and it ceases to be. You can’t manufacture it. You can’t force it. It just is… intangible, undefinable, ever-shifting, always transient.
But don’t take my word for it, NYC cult-alt-popsters Laptop have put that idea into song perfectly with their latest single, “Indie Hero.” Their blend of synth-shimmer, groove-some guitar licks, pop vibes, and dancefloor energy is the perfect musical vehicle to tell the tale. And what a heady tale it is, one that looks at the quest for musical immortality, of the fading of perceived cool, of those short-lived moments in the spotlight, and how any pursuit for that elusive quality quickly fades to be replaced, hopefully by self-awareness and understanding, but sadly all too often by bitterness and regret.
Jesse Hartman’s message on this song, their typically brilliant blend of analogue and digital, and co-fronted by his son Charlie, is hit home by a video that captures the live spectacle of the band in full flight, interlaced with a comic strip take on the events that, may or may not have inspired the song in the first place.
A great song, a cool video, pop music writ large, a warning from those who have been around the block a few times, a message from someone who has seen it all before. Take heed!
Come for the grooves, stay for the words of wisdom. How cool is that?
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