The Good China
Photo by Sofie Muceniekas
Years Active: 2008 to present
Genre: Indie Pop
Country: Australia
Members:
Cara (Keys, Vox, Guitar, Glock, Various Shakers, Melodica, Whistle & Drums. )
Waz (Waz - Bass, Guitar & Vox.)
Mit (Vox, Harmonica, Guitar, Banjo, Clarinet, Glock, Keys, Melodica, Various Shakers & Tambourine Victim. )
Adam (Drums, Guitar, Vox, Keys & Various Shakers.)
Jag (Mandolin, Guitar, Vox, Glock and Various Shakers.)
Ryan (Guitar, Drums, Vox, Bass, Tambourine & Blazers.)
Nicko (Guitar, Vox, Banjo, Mandolin, Bass & a Loop Pedal he can't find a use for)
Quyen (Violin, Glock, Vox, Keys, Various Shakers & Claps.. oh and perfect pitch.)
Website:
http://www.thegoodchina.com.au
Why is this artist indie?
Because we listen to Los Campesinos! and Johnny Foreigner, and for some reason people say we sound like Architecture In Helsinki before they were shit.
For me "indie" music is defined by its musicality - it's more complex, with jangly guitars and experimental chord voicings, delay pedals, creative drums/time signatures, and lyrics about getting drunk, eating loads of crisps and throwing up by a football pitch. It can also be said that "indie" is defined by whether or not it's part of mainstream culture - the DIY attitude, the fashion (skinny neckties, stripes, tight jeans), the dirty bars where indie bands often appear. From this perspective, the key distinction comes not from instrumentation or structure but from how strictly the indie band follows the cultural constructions of rockist “authenticity”, which raises the paradigm of "selling out" - which can shake a band of any indie cred they may have, but in return for much greater exposure. It's only a matter of time before The Good China have tracks appear on the next season of The O.C. :)
One of my favourite quotes on the subject from James Mercer seems to sum it up quite nicely; "I hope that our audience is more sophisticated than I was when I was a teenager, where I would probably drop a band if my sister knew about them. If my sister knew about the band then they weren’t cool anymore.”
- Nick
