Man, remember 2008? I was in college and everyone was wearing flannel and there were a lot of different colors of Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes among the friends I made on my dorm's floor. Everyone listened to indie rock and had opinions about Radiohead even though they probably hadn't ever actually listened to Radiohead. Spoon was a hot topic of conversation, too, and sometimes in bars when trying to impress a girl I'd mention I had a radio station and then mention how one day I could potentially interview Britt Daniel. I was a douche for those things (and still haven't interviewed Britt Daniel), but regardless, it was the "cool" thing to do and we all know how much we want to be "cool." Then Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavillion leaked on Christmas, Hipster Runoff became a thing of the past, and life as we knew it was over.But like all great trends, hating indie rock seems to be—at least I hope—coming to a close. With releases this year from staples like Real Estate, Woods, and Sharon Van Etten—plus up-and-comers like Merchandise, War On Drugs, and Nothing—I'm ready to declare 2014 the year that it's maybe slightly okay to say publicly that indie rock is cool again. Maybe. We'll start with this blog post, at least. In the meantime, watch Spoon's video for "Rent I Pay."