Its pretty simple Rox_fan_here. All you really need to do is go on Pitchfork's Website. Get the best of 2009 list and listen to all those albums. Check out new local bands nobody has heard of. Make sure you stock up on the mandatory albums. You don't want to be stuck in a conversation about Interpol and not be able to back reference Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures. Get a **** Buttons t-shirt. get some black rimmed glasses and wear a lot of skinny jeans, preferably girl jeans from thrift stores... look as trashy chic as possible, if you know what I mean. Pick some obscure TV show to fall in love with, like Becker or something. Tell everyone who will listen that Wes Anderson is your Lord and Savior. If anyone mentions a band you've already heard of, make sure you can reference exactly where you saw that band, and when. For instance... Friend "Yeah I just heard this new band called o))o)31!!!! and they are ****in rad" You "pffft, I saw them like 9 months ago at (place) and they were ok, but their debut album was too mainstream produced and unlike their original sound so I stopped following them on twitter and voiced my displeasure on tumblr" Continue to sip your Pabst Blue Ribbon and look indifferent so the indie sluts might notice you, even though every other guy in the joint is wearing the same hoodie / band shirt / early Beatles haircut / girl jeans, drinking the same can of PBR, smoking Parliaments and or American Spirits. Bring an indie slut home, show her your vinyl collection, play a record and then bust out your Ukulele and strum the 2 chords you learned last week that kind of go with the song, depending on how much X she dropped earlier in the night, she'll probably be naked within 12 seconds. Godspeed! You black emperor.
Not sure if I totally agree. Indie has definitely become more popular and I'd say less risky/edgy and more formulaic in the 2000s than it was in the 90s. Though it's still nowhere near as popular as alternative music was in the 90s. But still, I definitely don't really see it really describing a sound. Even the two bands you mention sound nothing alike to me. One is built on mellow and mostly acoustic pop harmonies. The other is big beat electronic rock. This also ignores all of the disco-influenced indie rock groups (Yeasayer, Cut Copy, Hot Chip etc.), brooding groups (The National, Grizzly Bear, Walkmen), and cutesy twee pop groups. There still seems to be quite a range of different styles that fit under the "indie rock" umbrella. As for the inept male vocals, I'm not sure what you mean. A lot of the early indie bands had guys that could barely even sing. Pavement, Superchunk, Jesus Lizard? You think these groups had more competent vocals than groups like the National, Grizzly Bear, Walkmen? I'd say the opposite.
Yeah, I just hate those people who always reference the simpson's. BTW, you checked out that Kenneth Burke book I recommended?
Indie has many offshoots, art rock, new-age folk, dubstep, etc You take all the manliness and the power chords out of it, you basically just don't want to sound like AC/DC, thats been done to death. So you strip down the beats, the drums become simplistic, the electric guitar comes in after the chorus.... there are many formulas. I think The Strokes are probably a good example of one band that made it big cashing in off the sounds of the old underground New York bands. Sufjan Stevens and Conor Oberst play folksy chords and sing about things that make you feel emotional. I agree with a lot of what thadeus said, it is the new alternative, but alternative used to be goth, and punk, and before that the hippies. It really just goes hand in hand with expression. The sad tragedy these days is that so many young people don't like The Beatles because all they've heard growing up on the radio is bands trying to sound like The Beatles.
Give it time - we're in the late 80s of alternative now, as far as "indie" goes. We've come a long way from the time when Independent music could just as easily be used to describe the Jesus Lizard as it could be used to describe Future Bible Heroes - while there's still some variation in the sound, it's gradually flattening. I'm saying there's a particular style of singing already associated, more or less, with "indie" music - not making a judgment on the quality of the vocals. Hell, I love Pavement and it's clear that Malkmus can't sing. Half of the "indie" bands all basically have the same singing voice.
Wye Oak <object width="300" height="30"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soundzit.net/player.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF7sAjVcFJM&feature=youtube_gdata&skin=http://soundzit.net/skinout.swf&backcolor=#000000&lightcolor=#FF6600&frontcolor=#FFFFFF&abouttext=Go to Soundzit.com&aboutlink=http://soundzit.com" width="300" height="30"></embed></object> "For Prayer" - The Knot No Age <object width="300" height="30"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soundzit.net/player.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj6yZKSmzfY&feature=youtube_gdata&skin=http://soundzit.net/skinout.swf&backcolor=#000000&lightcolor=#FF6600&frontcolor=#FFFFFF&abouttext=Go to Soundzit.com&aboutlink=http://soundzit.com" width="300" height="30"></embed></object> "Ripped Knees" - Nouns Blitzen Trapper <object width="300" height="30"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soundzit.net/player.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DJt4Zz0TT4&feature=youtube_gdata&skin=http://soundzit.net/skinout.swf&backcolor=#000000&lightcolor=#FF6600&frontcolor=#FFFFFF&abouttext=Go to Soundzit.com&aboutlink=http://soundzit.com" width="300" height="30"></embed></object> "Furr" - Furr The Gaslight Anthem <object width="300" height="30"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soundzit.net/player.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOBb13yDnzo&feature=youtube_gdata&skin=http://soundzit.net/skinout.swf&backcolor=#000000&lightcolor=#FF6600&frontcolor=#FFFFFF&abouttext=Go to Soundzit.com&aboutlink=http://soundzit.com" width="300" height="30"></embed></object> "The '59 Sound" - The '59 Sound Camera Obscura <object width="300" height="30"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soundzit.net/player.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTa_RQC8ZxA&feature=youtube_gdata&skin=http://soundzit.net/skinout.swf&backcolor=#000000&lightcolor=#FF6600&frontcolor=#FFFFFF&abouttext=Go to Soundzit.com&aboutlink=http://soundzit.com" width="300" height="30"></embed></object> "Lloyd, I am Ready to be Heartbroken" - Let's Get Out of this Country The Dead Weather <object width="300" height="30"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soundzit.net/player.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfenJiS5NV4&feature=youtube_gdata&skin=http://soundzit.net/skinout.swf&backcolor=#000000&lightcolor=#FF6600&frontcolor=#FFFFFF&abouttext=Go to Soundzit.com&aboutlink=http://soundzit.com" width="300" height="30"></embed></object> "60 Feet Tall" - Horehound Japandroids <object width="300" height="30"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soundzit.net/player.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT27ZACak48&feature=youtube_gdata&skin=http://soundzit.net/skinout.swf&backcolor=#000000&lightcolor=#FF6600&frontcolor=#FFFFFF&abouttext=Go to Soundzit.com&aboutlink=http://soundzit.com" width="300" height="30"></embed></object> "Crazy/Forever" - Post-Nothing The Big Pink <object width="300" height="30"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soundzit.net/player.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j95a2DmKHo&feature=youtube_gdata&skin=http://soundzit.net/skinout.swf&backcolor=#000000&lightcolor=#FF6600&frontcolor=#FFFFFF&abouttext=Go to Soundzit.com&aboutlink=http://soundzit.com" width="300" height="30"></embed></object> "Crystal Visions" - A Brief History of Love Band of Skulls <object width="300" height="30"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soundzit.net/player.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChkIImXr3x0&feature=youtube_gdata&skin=http://soundzit.net/skinout.swf&backcolor=#000000&lightcolor=#FF6600&frontcolor=#FFFFFF&abouttext=Go to Soundzit.com&aboutlink=http://soundzit.com" width="300" height="30"></embed></object> "Fires" - Baby Darling Doll Face Honey Blue Foundation <object width="300" height="30"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soundzit.net/player.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOp5HxdhKIo&feature=youtube_gdata&skin=http://soundzit.net/skinout.swf&backcolor=#000000&lightcolor=#FF6600&frontcolor=#FFFFFF&abouttext=Go to Soundzit.com&aboutlink=http://soundzit.com" width="300" height="30"></embed></object> "Eyes on Fire" - Life of a Ghost An Horse <object width="300" height="30"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soundzit.net/player.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ42ilIcRBc&feature=youtube_gdata&skin=http://soundzit.net/skinout.swf&backcolor=#000000&lightcolor=#FF6600&frontcolor=#FFFFFF&abouttext=Go to Soundzit.com&aboutlink=http://soundzit.com" width="300" height="30"></embed></object> "Camp Out" - Rearrange Beds 'Indie/College Radio/Alternative/Whatever you want call it' legends the Pixies will be at Verizon Wireless on September 20th. They are touring to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of their landmark album Doolittle. If you have never had the opportunity to see them live, you should check it out.
Oh yeah man totally, I mean anything that isn't mainstream now is just automatically considered "indie". The word itself has become more of a useless colloquialism than anything.
Early roots The roots of modern indie rock are often traced back to The Velvet Underground's self-titled debut album, released in 1967, which was ranked #7 on Blender's list of the 100 greatest indie rock albums. Allmusic notes that every "left-of-center rock movement owes an audible debt" to this album. The Beach Boys' 1966 album Pet Sounds is also commonly listed as a highly influential starting point, as are the 1960s concept albums of the Kinks. Later, the punk movement of the 1970s had a direct impact on the DIY aesthetic that later became a cornerstone of indie rock. 1980s In the 1980s, alternative rock, used as a term, was more or less synonymous with indie rock. In the United Kingdom, indie music charts have been compiled since the early 1980s.[citation needed] Initially, the charts featured bands that emerged with a form of guitar-based alternative rock that dominated the indie charts, particularly indie pop artists such as Aztec Camera, Josef K, Orange Juice, the C86 indie-pop movement and the twee pop of Sarah Records artists. Some definitive British indie rock bands of the 1980s were The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure whose music directly influenced 1990s alternative rock movements such as shoegazing and Britpop. In the United States, the term "indie rock" was particularly associated with the abrasive, distortion-heavy sounds of Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr. and The Replacements. A number of prominent indie rock record labels were founded during the 1980s. These include Washington, DC's Dischord Records in 1980, Seattle's Sub Pop Records in 1986 and New York City's Matador Records and Durham, North Carolina's Merge Records in 1989. Chicago's Touch and Go Records was founded as a fanzine in 1979 and began to release records during the 1980s 1990s Pavement singer/guitarist Steve MalkmusThe 1990s brought major changes to the alternative rock scene. Grunge bands such as Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream, achieving commercial chart success and widespread exposure. Punk revival bands like Green Day and The Offspring also became popular and were grouped under the "alternative" umbrella. The meaning of the term "alternative" changed as mainstream success attracted major-label investment and commercially-oriented or manufactured acts with a formulaic, conservative approach. With this, "alternative" lost its original counter-cultural meaning and began to refer to the new form of music that was now achieving mainstream success. The term "indie rock" became associated with the bands and genres that remained underground. The 1990s saw the emergence of several defining movements within indie rock. The lo-fi movement was spearheaded by Elliott Smith, Pavement, Guided by Voices, Neutral Milk Hotel and several bands associated with the Elephant 6 Recording Company such as Of Montreal. It placed a premium on simplistic recording techniques (including home recording), ironic detachment, and disinterest in "selling out" to the mainstream alternative rock scene. The emo movement, which had grown out of the hardcore punk scene in the 1980s with bands like Rites of Spring, gained popularity as the 1990s progressed. Sunny Day Real Estate, The Promise Ring, The Get Up Kids and others brought a more melodic sound to the genre. Weezer's Pinkerton introduced the genre to a wider and more mainstream audience. Years later, the term "emo" would be applied to a wider variety of more mainstream bands by the music press. Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock and Slint's Spiderland, provided the catalyst for the development of post-rock and math rock. Post-rock, an experimental style influenced by jazz and electronic music, became recognized as a genre as Tortoise and their Chicago peers gained a national following in the middle part of the decade. Math rock shares similar experimental aesthetics, but is generally denser and more abrasive. Don Caballero, Chavez and others contributed to its rise in popularity during the 1990s.
