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hookers with machineguns · 01-15-2006, 11:33 AM

The Indie Education Thread

Written by Hookers with Machineguns, IndiElectronica, and Sweet Jane

What is indie?
“Indie” is commonly thought of as music that is released on independent (or non-major) record labels. In principle, an indie artist would be more likely concerned with innovation and determination, rather than commerciality or following tradition/trends. Thus in a broader sense, indie has also been defined by some as music that is independent of mainstream/popular music trends in general. For instance, bands like Radiohead, Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips, and more recently The White Stripes and Modest Mouse are commonly referred to as “indie” bands due to their independent spirit, despite being on major labels.

In recent years, indie has perhaps mistakenly been associated with a particular sound, specifically New Wave influenced bands like The Killers, Hot Hot Heat, The Bravery, and Franz Ferdinand. However, indie hardly encompasses only one genre or sound. The influences of today’s indie artists vary between traditional punk rock, pop, new wave and post-punk, garage rock, electronica and synth pop, psychedelic rock, country, emo, post-rock, noise rock, grunge, and folk. In the past, terms like “college rock” and “alternative” have been commonly used (perhaps mistakenly in certain instances) to describe many “indie” bands.

Indie music often breaks away from commonly accepted music “design” and format. The vocals tend to be mild and/or mellow. Instrumentation tends to be abstract and lo-fi, with distorted guitars typically supported by melodic pop-style rhythms and lyrics.

“Indie”, in itself, has acquired its own social identity, despite the intention of being “trendless” and “anti-mainstream.” There are many who no longer acknowledge a band as “indie” upon even the most minor amounts of commercial exposure. Often, the “indie” community embraces obscurity and has thus received much scrutiny for its apparent hipster attitude and elitist-type approach. Critics also have pointed out that the indie movement is increasingly becoming more commercialized, market and image oriented, and formulaic.

History

The fundamentals of indie music began with the punk-influenced new wave and alternative rock movements of the late 1970s and 1980s. European bands like The Cure, Bauhaus, Joy Division/New Order, Gang of Four, The Depeche Mode, Wire, Echo and The Bunnymen, The Pogues, and The Smiths. were among the first batch of alternative rock groups that emerged from the onset of the punk attitude. The prominent American scene standouts included Minutemen, Husker Du, Television, Meat Puppets, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., The Violent Femmes, and the Flaming Lips. By the mid-1980s, bands like My Bloody Valentine, The Melvins, Yo La Tengo, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Stone Roses, Galaxie 500, Television, Pavement and The Pixies emerged into the scene.

“Indie” was previously used in Britain to describe numerous Britpop and new wave bands of the 1980s (during the days when NME used to release their C-86 cassettes). By the 1990s, “indie” basically became the new buzz-word for “alternative” upon the introduction of alternative rock to mainstream radio play. “Alternative” has different implications in today’s media. It is often representative of youth angst/rebellion anthems or progressive rock and metal varieties.

Meanwhile, many different regions were sprouting breeds of innovative indie bands. Scenes include...

New York: Radio 4, Television, TV On The Radio, The Strokes, Interpol, The French Kicks, The Walkmen, Les Savy Fav, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Ambulance Ltd., The Fiery Furnaces, Fischerspooner, The Rapture

Portland: The Decemberists, Quasi, Menomena, Hazel, Sprinkler, The Crabs, Elliott Smith, The Dandy Warhols, The Thermals, Blue Skies For Black Hearts, The Tuftees

Canada: The Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Broken Social Scene, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, The Unicorns, Magneta Lane, The Dears, Death From Above 1979, Metric, New Pornographers, Stars, The Weakerthans, Do Make Say Think, Cowboy Junkies, The Birthday Massacre

Chicago: Tortoise, Wilco, Andrew Bird, Sea and Cake, Red Red Meat, Low, The Jesus Lizard, New Black, The Reputation, The Ponys, Califone, Pelican, L’Altra

California: Moving Units, The Blackheart Procession, Autolux, Pavement, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Rilo Kiley, Xiu Xiu, Red House Painters, Beulah, Le Shok, Comets on Fire, Deerhoof, Anything Box

U.K.: Gang of Four, Wire, Echo & The Bunnymen, Teenage Fanclub, The Stone Roses, Radiohead, Super Furry Animals, Stereolab, The Boy Least Likely To, Trembling Blue Stars, The Subways, Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Nine Black Alps, Art Brut, The Go! Team, 65 Days of Static, Four Tet, Portishead, Frou Frou

Omaha, Nebraska: Bright Eyes, The Faint, Tilly and the Wall, Cursive, Son Ambulance, Azure Ray, Now It’s Overhead, Desaparecidos,

Scotland: Sons and Daughters, Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol, Teenage Fanclub, Jesus & Mary Chain, Franz Ferdinand, Mogwai, Primal Scream, The Delgados

Washington – Nirvana, Mudhoney, Alice in Chains, Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro The Lion

Austin, Texas – Spoon, American Analog Set, Explosions in the Sky, …And you Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead

01-15-2006, 11:33 AM	#1 (permalink)
hookers with machineguns Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,753	The Indie Education Thread The Indie Education Thread Written by Hookers with Machineguns, IndiElectronica, and Sweet Jane What is indie? “Indie” is commonly thought of as music that is released on independent (or non-major) record labels. In principle, an indie artist would be more likely concerned with innovation and determination, rather than commerciality or following tradition/trends. Thus in a broader sense, indie has also been defined by some as music that is independent of mainstream/popular music trends in general. For instance, bands like Radiohead, Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips, and more recently The White Stripes and Modest Mouse are commonly referred to as “indie” bands due to their independent spirit, despite being on major labels. In recent years, indie has perhaps mistakenly been associated with a particular sound, specifically New Wave influenced bands like The Killers, Hot Hot Heat, The Bravery, and Franz Ferdinand. However, indie hardly encompasses only one genre or sound. The influences of today’s indie artists vary between traditional punk rock, pop, new wave and post-punk, garage rock, electronica and synth pop, psychedelic rock, country, emo, post-rock, noise rock, grunge, and folk. In the past, terms like “college rock” and “alternative” have been commonly used (perhaps mistakenly in certain instances) to describe many “indie” bands. Indie music often breaks away from commonly accepted music “design” and format. The vocals tend to be mild and/or mellow. Instrumentation tends to be abstract and lo-fi, with distorted guitars typically supported by melodic pop-style rhythms and lyrics. “Indie”, in itself, has acquired its own social identity, despite the intention of being “trendless” and “anti-mainstream.” There are many who no longer acknowledge a band as “indie” upon even the most minor amounts of commercial exposure. Often, the “indie” community embraces obscurity and has thus received much scrutiny for its apparent hipster attitude and elitist-type approach. Critics also have pointed out that the indie movement is increasingly becoming more commercialized, market and image oriented, and formulaic. History The fundamentals of indie music began with the punk-influenced new wave and alternative rock movements of the late 1970s and 1980s. European bands like The Cure, Bauhaus, Joy Division/New Order, Gang of Four, The Depeche Mode, Wire, Echo and The Bunnymen, The Pogues, and The Smiths. were among the first batch of alternative rock groups that emerged from the onset of the punk attitude. The prominent American scene standouts included Minutemen, Husker Du, Television, Meat Puppets, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., The Violent Femmes, and the Flaming Lips. By the mid-1980s, bands like My Bloody Valentine, The Melvins, Yo La Tengo, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Stone Roses, Galaxie 500, Television, Pavement and The Pixies emerged into the scene. “Indie” was previously used in Britain to describe numerous Britpop and new wave bands of the 1980s (during the days when NME used to release their C-86 cassettes). By the 1990s, “indie” basically became the new buzz-word for “alternative” upon the introduction of alternative rock to mainstream radio play. “Alternative” has different implications in today’s media. It is often representative of youth angst/rebellion anthems or progressive rock and metal varieties. Meanwhile, many different regions were sprouting breeds of innovative indie bands. Scenes include... New York: Radio 4, Television, TV On The Radio, The Strokes, Interpol, The French Kicks, The Walkmen, Les Savy Fav, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Ambulance Ltd., The Fiery Furnaces, Fischerspooner, The Rapture Portland: The Decemberists, Quasi, Menomena, Hazel, Sprinkler, The Crabs, Elliott Smith, The Dandy Warhols, The Thermals, Blue Skies For Black Hearts, The Tuftees Canada: The Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Broken Social Scene, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, The Unicorns, Magneta Lane, The Dears, Death From Above 1979, Metric, New Pornographers, Stars, The Weakerthans, Do Make Say Think, Cowboy Junkies, The Birthday Massacre Chicago: Tortoise, Wilco, Andrew Bird, Sea and Cake, Red Red Meat, Low, The Jesus Lizard, New Black, The Reputation, The Ponys, Califone, Pelican, L’Altra California: Moving Units, The Blackheart Procession, Autolux, Pavement, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Rilo Kiley, Xiu Xiu, Red House Painters, Beulah, Le Shok, Comets on Fire, Deerhoof, Anything Box U.K.: Gang of Four, Wire, Echo & The Bunnymen, Teenage Fanclub, The Stone Roses, Radiohead, Super Furry Animals, Stereolab, The Boy Least Likely To, Trembling Blue Stars, The Subways, Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Nine Black Alps, Art Brut, The Go! Team, 65 Days of Static, Four Tet, Portishead, Frou Frou Omaha, Nebraska: Bright Eyes, The Faint, Tilly and the Wall, Cursive, Son Ambulance, Azure Ray, Now It’s Overhead, Desaparecidos, Scotland: Sons and Daughters, Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol, Teenage Fanclub, Jesus & Mary Chain, Franz Ferdinand, Mogwai, Primal Scream, The Delgados Washington – Nirvana, Mudhoney, Alice in Chains, Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro The Lion Austin, Texas – Spoon, American Analog Set, Explosions in the Sky, …And you Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead