Secret Machines
Ted Leo/Pharm.
Modest Mouse
Pedro the Lion
Iron and Whine
Death Cab
Rilo Kiley
The Walkmen
The Shins
New Pornographers
Autolux
The Stills
TV on the Radio
Metric

I need to add to my post earlier. I think Indie Rock, over years, has evolved into its own genre. I think this, or at least no this, becasue most indie rock bands sound similar in their own unique way. Different, but similar.

I have to confess I am becoming more and more perplexed everyday about what "indie" rock means...as I've said before, I think of indie rock as more of a "sound" and not just whether it is popular or not. My favorite bands with this sort of "sound" are probably the Shins, Arcade Fire, Death Cab for Cutie, and Modest Mouse. TV on the Radio is indie rock? really? They are below the mainstream radar, but does that make the "indie"? I dont think it does...I remember a lot off people said the White Stripes were indie music simply because they came from a small label, but their sound is nothing like that of the Shins or Death Cab or Modest Mouse. I dunno, this just confuses me.

White Stripes are garage rock.

'Indie' the way it's used seems to refer to songwriting oriented rock music that is generally simple from a production standpoint, and lacks that big production gleam that makes you think it was written to market to a demographic instead of just for music for it's own sake.

I agree...I dont think it has anything to do with the size of label.

It may not have anything to do with the size of the label, but the indie rock sound does tend to correlate pretty well with being on a small label.

ok best indie rock releases of recent. Whether they fit into everyones definition of indie rock i dont know but ....

Arcade Fire (yeah i know who are their influences but it still sounds good).

LCD Soundsystem (if only for the name checks)

Modest Mouse

and more of that ilk.

For the benefit of any previous threads:

Sonic Youth
Pixies
Pavement
The Fall
dEUS
Can
Gang Of Four
Wire
Minutemen
Husker Du
Big Black
Butthole Surfers
Magazine
Bitch Magnet
Live Skull

Tara for now

Low
Yo La Tengo
Postal Service/ Death Cab...
Modest Mouse

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jayman,

Lambchop
Magnetic Fields

I would add:

Ambulance, LTD
Grandaddy
Interpol (indie to me)
Stars

quote:

Originally posted by The Furnace Is Fiery:
Low
Yo La Tengo
DJ Shadow
Amon Tobin
Postal Service/ Death Cab...
Modest Mouse

Indie Rock bands??
I dont mean to call you out man but DJ Shadow and Amon Tobin have nothing to do with a band...and for the most part anything rock.Shadows sampling is rockish at times...but too far of a stretch to fit here.

sorry, mixed up the topic with "indie labels". Thought this was about indie label artists, so you got me there...

will be editted.

surprised nobody's mentioned Guided By Voices. They're normally called "lo-fi" but I guess that's a part of the whole indie genre.

I may not have mentioned them lately, but I love the late, but great, GBV.

GBV is a given.
fav Cd - Mag Earwhig! (my intro to them...)

Have any of you guys heard The Radio Dept. In my opinion they are one of the best indie rock bands going around. Its really hard to find the album, Lesser Matters. And it's even harder to find their music on the net. Give them a try, a really good band.

quote:

Originally posted by Commontone:
surprised nobody's mentioned Guided By Voices. They're normally called "lo-fi" but I guess that's a part of the whole indie genre.

There was some discussion on GBV here:

http://forums.metacritic.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/486108/m/2860062313

I posted that thread under alternative, although it could have just as well gone under indie.

Feel free to bring that thread back to life...

Buffalo Tom
Dinosaur, Jr.
The Lemonheads
Sebadoh
GooGoo Dolls(not anymore)
Interpol

I would also like to define "indie rock" genre more precisely, with anyone who wants to:
for me, I think it all started by the end of the 70's/early 80's with bands that were called "alternatives"(Joy Division, the Cure, the Smiths,...)because they just weren't suitable for the commercial radio. After that, end 80's/early 90's it was "Lo-Fi", a second wave of non-suitables for the commercial radio(Pixies, Nirvana-at their beginning, Dinosaur Jr). Now, we are just calling it "Indie". It's not about a sound, it's music for music, not for the market... Some of those bands jumped with a major label, so they're not "indie" anymore...

quote:

Originally posted by Matcool:
I would also like to define "indie rock" genre more precisely, with anyone who wants to:

I think you'll find lots of people want to, Matcool. The debate has been raging here. It's been quiet for about a week, so your input oughta stir things up a bit, I think.

Now Playing: "Tiny Voices" Joe Henry Tiny Voices

No offense but Goo Goo Dolls? Seriously?

I think indie rock is one of the more abstract sound classifications in music because it has meant so many different things in the last 20 years. Now its become a catch all phrase used to label any bands doing something creative in the modern day. Of course pushing the envelope isn't rewriting the book, so in a way everything has been done before. Which explains why pitchfork declares a "(insert desired retro style here)" revival everytime someone becomes the next big thing. I do agree with the above posts that it is a somewhat common sound, i'll label this the good music template on which the artists unique qualities can be added.

Without indie in the broader sense i think music would be at its deathbed.

Indie Rock has recently become one of my most listened to genres. Some of my favorites, most of whom have already been mentioned:

Modest Mouse
The Killers
Ratatat
Fugazi
Interpol
The Strokes
Franz Ferdinand
The Shins