Indie Rock

[Darth Lime]

I really like indie rock. It's amazing how good the music is. Discuss indie rock and recommend some bands.

[Evilhead]

Lately I've been into A.C. Newman, The Thermals, The Blow, Peter Bjorn & John, The Kooks, Deerhoof, Flin Flon, Dr. Dog, The Spinto Band, The Bees, Klaxons, etc.

[Gollgagh]

Some weird person that I don't know very well sent me a subscription to Blender, but I don't take music recommendations from some random magazine I've never heard of.

[Black Mage]

Would The Protomen count?

[Darth Lime]

I guess so. Most indie rock has a specific sound and most are under independent labels or self labeled.

Share some bands.

Mae
Minus the Bear
Snow Patrol
The Arcade Fire
Mew
Blur
Sherwood
OK Go
Belle & Sebastian
At The Drive In

Thats a list of the indie rock I listen to at the moment.

[DjSammyG]

Tally Hall. I just got into them recently- real good stuff. Kinda hard to place, but real good nonetheless.

[suzumebachi]

Mew

This post gets my seal of approval. Mew = automatic win.

[Darth Lime]

They are pretty good. I was just really bored one evening and decided to listen to Last.fm on the indie rock station. I was blown away by how good this music is compared to mainstream bands.

[zircon]

Maybe I just need to listen to more, but most people I go to school with love indie rock, and they play it all the time on MTVU (which plays 24/7 in our cafeteria) - and it all sounds the same to me. Really nothing impressive. Maybe I am just not listening with a critical ear, but there seem to be very few stylistic distinctions from one group to the next, and the compositions are not all that different either.

[patella femoral syndrome]

Maybe I just need to listen to more, but most people I go to school with love indie rock, and they play it all the time on MTVU (which plays 24/7 in our cafeteria) - and it all sounds the same to me. Really nothing impressive. Maybe I am just not listening with a critical ear, but there seem to be very few stylistic distinctions from one group to the next, and the compositions are not all that different either.

MTVU is MTV in disguise. You're still hearing MTV,
and it is still bland and unwilling to try anything new.

also: Komeda is the love of my life.

[Darth Lime]

Yeah, don't listen to it at school. Just search the internet (or myspace, whatever you choose) for indie rock. You'll find a lot and they are different. They do have similarities but hey, lots of music is alike.

[Bahamut]

Maybe I just need to listen to more, but most people I go to school with love indie rock, and they play it all the time on MTVU (which plays 24/7 in our cafeteria) - and it all sounds the same to me. Really nothing impressive. Maybe I am just not listening with a critical ear, but there seem to be very few stylistic distinctions from one group to the next, and the compositions are not all that different either.

Even further, not even MTVU stuff - just about all of it is fairly unspectacular compositionally, and often feature lackluster performances on the instruments or vocals.

[DemanusFlint]

I am all about some indie rock and go to shows all the time. I really haven't been in the mood to listen to anything but Philip Glass recently, but in the past few months I've seen Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Dr. Dog, Vetiver, Vashti Bunyan, Xiu Xiu, BARR, Tilly and the Wall, Serena Maneesh, Akron/Family, Beirut, Of Montreal, Girl Talk, Sunset Rubdown, Marnie Stern, BARR (again), Dr. Dog (again), Portastatic, Boris, Yo La Tengo, Califone, The Essex Green, Camera Obscura, Harlem Shakes, Deerhoof, and Harry and the Potters. I know that not all of those are indie, but it's easier to put them all than trying to pick who is and who isn't.

Best Show: Deerhoof
Most Boring Show: The Essex Green / Camera Obscura
Most Personally Disappointing, But Still Okay: Yo La Tengo

[Darth Lime]

Of Montreal is good.

I agree with you, Bahamut. The best indie rock is underground.

[DemanusFlint]

"Underground" has never been a term I've associated with indie rock. Metal or hip-hop, sure, but not indie... I do agree that MTVu is not a good source for cool indie kids.

What do you consider "underground indie," Darth Lime?

[Shonen Samurai]

Cold War Kids
Stars
Arcade Fire
Dredg
THE FUCKING DECEMBERISTS
The Sounds <--

[DemanusFlint]

I don't buy into the Arcade Fire, even though I like Bell Orchestre and Final Fantasy (side projects). They just don't do anything for me at all.

[Evilhead]

"Underground" has never been a term I've associated with indie rock. Metal or hip-hop, sure, but not indie... I do agree that MTVu is not a good source for cool indie kids.

What do you consider "underground indie," Darth Lime?


Well if you look at the name 'indie' it used to indicate bands that would produce and release albums independently. Bands that released only on vinyl, have very limited runs, or just a low level of distribution were quite underground and there’s still a lot of bands like that today, although it was much more the case 10 years ago. But these days indie rock has become quite popular and even the more obscure bands are on big enough labels for their music to find its way into most decent record shops. So now indie rock describes the sound more than the initial spirit of DIY alternative rock, although the sound can very heavily from group to group. I’d call both Deerhoof and The New Pornographers indie rock although their sound is vastly different.

Also, the new Of Montreal album is great. A bit darker than their previous albums due to the vocalist’s recent troubles, but it still has their trademark psychedelic flair. The new Arcade Fire album is fantastic as well.

Oh, and for people who are into slightly harder music, check out the Blood Brother if you haven’t already. “Crimes” and “Burn, Piano Island, Burn” are two most excellent albums.

[supremespleen]

tally hall tally hall tally hall tally hall tally hall tally hall

[Darth Lime]

Well if you look at the name 'indie' it used to indicate bands that would produce and release albums independently. Bands that released only on vinyl, have very limited runs, or just a low level of distribution were quite underground and there’s still a lot of bands like that today, although it was much more the case 10 years ago. But these days indie rock has become quite popular and even the more obscure bands are on big enough labels for their music to find its way into most decent record shops. So now indie rock describes the sound more than the initial spirit of DIY alternative rock, although the sound can very heavily from group to group. I’d call both Deerhoof and The New Pornographers indie rock although their sound is vastly different.

Also, the new Of Montreal album is great. A bit darker than their previous albums due to the vocalist’s recent troubles, but it still has their trademark psychedelic flair. The new Arcade Fire album is fantastic as well.

Oh, and for people who are into slightly harder music, check out the Blood Brother if you haven’t already. “Crimes” and “Burn, Piano Island, Burn” are two most excellent albums. Underground meaning not that many listeners and not mainstream like all the other crap that is flowing through the airwaves.

Its underground to me since most of my friends don't listen to them. I don't know. I just don't like mainstream music that much.

[Fire in the Hole]

Also, the new Of Montreal album is great. A bit darker than their previous albums due to the vocalist’s recent troubles, but it still has their trademark psychedelic flair. The new Arcade Fire album is fantastic as well.

Oh, and for people who are into slightly harder music, check out the Blood Brother if you haven’t already. “Crimes” and “Burn, Piano Island, Burn” are two most excellent albums.

There's a new Arcade Fire album? Bloody... and I just dropped for the new Bloc Party.

I never really bought into The Blood Brothers. I just can't get into them like, say, The Mars Volta, or The Locust, or whatever else you might compare them with.