Some classic indie to get you started. Then you should work your way into some modern bands.
The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms (Crazy Rhythms, 1980)
"You remind me of a TV show; that's alright I'll watch it anyway"
(live, not great quality)
This song and the album of the same name invented indie music as we know it today. Lush, clean guitars, quirky lyrics, and an upbeat sound paved the way for groups like R.E.M., The Smiths, and today's modern indie folk scene. 14 years before Weezer brought geek rock to the public spectrum, the Feelies had already created a masterpiece in the genre.
R.E.M. - Harborcoat (Reckoning, 1984)
"They shifted the statues for harboring ghosts"
The opening track to R.E.M.'s sophomore album Reckoning was one of the first examples of mixing the Feelies' trademark arpeggiated riffs with pop sensibility. Harborcoat is thought provoking, catchy, and lyrically complex. Say what you want about Michael Stipe's mumbles; the man can write.
The Violent Femmes - Never Tell (Hallowed Ground, 1984)
"Hey sister, have you heard? Some people stand like trees, without a word. And what that means is that some people don't talk."
One of the scariest pieces of music ever written, the disturbing bass heavy murder ballad Never Tell, from the Femmes underrated second album set the stage for darker indie bands to come.
The Smiths - There Is A Light that Never Goes Out (The Queen is Dead, 1986)
"To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die"
Morrissey brought Romanticism to indie music, and with Johnny Marr created the best songwriting duo since Lennon/McCartney.
The Stone Roses - I Am the Resurrection (The Stone Roses, 1989)
"I am the Resurrection and I am the Light"
If there was ever an indie/alternative anthem, it would be this song. Clocking in at over 8 minutes, the closing track to the Stone Roses amazing debut album features a long, funk infected instrumental break, fantastic drumming, and something entirely alien to indie music: a guitar solo. How does it work? No idea. Believe it, it's a fantastic song.
|