The Offical Indie Music Discussion Thread

[Mr. Mud]

In this thread, we talk aobut music no one in real life has ever heard of :smallwink:.

I'll start: MGMT - Flash Delirium (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvSMp7T2Kes)
Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland, 1945 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhhfJTgHx58)
Belle & Sebastian - I'm A Cuckoo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwDLpFqyxz8)

Note: The genre "indie" is very ambiguous. I guess this thread provides for unheard of music, as well as music with that classic Indie sound you see in MGMT, and other bands that have made it big. Anyway, don't be afraid to post :smallbiggrin:.

[Mx.Silver]

MGMT are unheard of? So I guess that was a different band who did the song Kids (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIEOZCcaXzE) that you couldn't walk past a set of speakers without hearing back in 2008.


Not that it really matters anyway though. Over this side of the pond, the term 'indie' hasn't had anything to do with being obscure or unknown for at least 20 years now.

[Mr. Mud]

No no, I meant Bands that have the indie "sound" but have become mainstream. Like MGMT, and Phoenix.

[A Rainy Knight]

Hmm... I'm not entirely clear on the "indie sound," but I think these songs fit the bill pretty well.

Aplícate el cuento (http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/528728) by Cland-4
Without You (http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/174210) by Julandrew

And this is more Spanish-guitar than indie, but it's still pretty cool and obscure:
Hermosa Sierra de Gredos (http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/614449) by Zamarra.

[Mr. Mud]

As I said before, indie is so ambiguous, it's hard to categorize. Anyway, I liked Without You.

Here's some more random stuff...
Faded Paper Figures - Invent It All Again (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAx94jphfaY)
Of Montreal - Penelope (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMzoZQnzBSE)

[A Rainy Knight]

I checked out Invent it All Again when you posted it in the... Rate a Song thread, I believe. I usually don't much care for music like that, but that song was a really cool exception for some reason.

[Mr. Mud]

They're pretty good yeah. If you liked them, might I recommend more of (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BHPu-dPmWQ) their stuff? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsncHfwjjY0). Both of those songs each kinda of focus on one of the two sounds the band has. I prefer the second sound to the first.

[A Rainy Knight]

The video for Metropolis is just great. :smallbiggrin:

Hmm... neither of those really catches my attention like Invent it All Again did, but The Persuaded (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Eyz74dwFpU) has a pretty neat melody to it.

And this song strikes me as being kind of indie-ish.
Satellite (http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/145949) by major Major

[Dragosai]

Well I guess there is that whole line of "indie" or "alt". IMO the band that really started the indie or more the alternative (back when there was such a thing, or I guess in this case before there was) vibe/scene/thing is The Ass Ponys. As for indie bands becoming main stream MGMT sure did so, but did Neutral Milk Hotel ever? I know very few people that have heard of them, and since they released 2 disks or I think only 2, at least full length then they broke up/fell apart/vanished many moons ago. They are however fantastic so if you have not heard them check them out ASAP.

[Mr. Mud]

To be honest, I never liked the genre system. It sounds like what it sounds like. End of story. No need for rules, strict or loose, to categorize.

@ARK: I can't believe it, I heard that song on Pandora a few weeks ago, and have been trying to find it. Thanks Ark :smallbiggrin:.

Here's another band that I don't think will ever fit into a genre:

The Song of The Sad Assassin by Why? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3uviZFcakw) (a bit explicit in the middle section)

[A Rainy Knight]

Glad I could unexpectedly be of help. :smalltongue:

Indie music videos never fail to impress me. They're just so wonderfully creative and surreal at times. :smallbiggrin:

Oh, I can't believe I forgot this song. I love this song to death.
Sultan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YjhoTDnxp0) by What Made Milwaukee Famous

[Mx.Silver]

To be honest, I never liked the genre system. It sounds like what it sounds like. End of story. No need for rules, strict or loose, to categorize.
It's human nature to categorize things (as evidenced by your own mentioning of a 'classic indie sound' in your original post) plus it also helps newcomers to music fandom establish their collections by guiding them towards bands they'll like.




Well I guess there is that whole line of "indie" or "alt".
From what I can tell it's mostly a question of how 'hard' the song is. Indie is typically quite a 'soft' style of rock - generally with fairly static guitar lines, if there are any guitars present - whereas alt tends to drift towards the harder edges. There are probably a few counter-examples though.

[SDF]

No no, I meant Bands that have the indie "sound" but have become mainstream. Like MGMT, and Phoenix.

That's good, because Neutral Milk Hotel's Airplane Over the Sea was voted the second best album of the 1990's. By Rolling Stone. You don't really get more famous than that. :smalltongue:

The new Cloud Cult (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yHGt5ZZeZU) album is amazing. I highly recommend it to everybody. It's a pretty rad concept album by a really rad band.

Also, the new Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0SEzcA8rdY) album is freaking ridiculous. It's pure indie rock. And, while most pure indie rock albums aren't that good this one is consistent the whole way through.

[Makensha]

From what I can tell it's mostly a question of how 'hard' the song is. Indie is typically quite a 'soft' style of rock - generally with fairly static guitar lines, if there are any guitars present - whereas alt tends to drift towards the harder edges. There are probably a few counter-examples though.

The best example I can think of is As Cities Burn, who switched from Alt Prog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrIy0qs0Cjs) to Indie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSn0_wmOyX4) in one album. While their sound is still in tact, they reduce a lot of the guitars, get a different snare, and overall have a simplified sound.

And that's pretty much the only Indie band I listen to regularly, so yeah.

[Raistlin1040]

For popular bands that have an indie sound, I'm partial to Silversun Pickups and Interpol. For bands that are really good but are seldom talked about, I really like The Raveonettes.

[Corlindale]

I already love this thread :smallsmile:
I'm also quite fond of Invent it All Again, still need to listen to a lot of the other stuff posted.

My absolute favourite Indie band is The (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IprgVNlFIqM) National (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKWKRMxXB0M&feature=related). They may be an acquired taste - wasn't that impressed with them at first, but they've gradually become one of my favourite bands of all time.

One of my favourite individual indie songs is Sister Sneaker Sister Soul by My Latest Novel (http://www.myspace.com/mylatestnovel) (Apparently doesn't exist in a decent version on youtube, but it is on their MySpace.) Such a beautiful song.

[zeratul]

The indi-ish stuff I listen to is mostly stuff like Ben Kweller, Guster, Decemberists, Ben Folds, the shins, Neutral milk hotel. I think a lot of it is sort of on the line between indi and alt.

[SDF]

The new The Mae Shi album and music video is made of rainbows and win. Winning rainbows.

Check it out. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUKAcKKQns4)

[Serpentine]

Just gonna throw some names out there, though I don't know my genres (MGMT's already taken, drat):
Cake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0mx5ERj1eI)
Flobots (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLUX0y4EptA&feature=av2e) (sorry about the ad)
Scissor Sisters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlO4FWrVE2I) (they're not a gay band, only 3 of them are queer!)
Architecture in Helsinki (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_Xf-IpT4jQ)
Passion Pit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxL9Hod_qCY)
Empire of the Sun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN5X4kGhAtU)
Ben (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvIP16J7QgM) Lee (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb2_o7cxb6U)
Modest Mouse (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOzphMgOETA)
Butterfingers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYf2Dh71RgY)

edit: Now I have Ya Mamma stuck in my head.
She's always on tooo-ooo-ooop, she's always on tooo-ooo-ooop...

[Vaynor]

Yeah, the genre is pretty loosely defined. Here are some bands I like that I consider "indie":

The A-Sides
A.C. Newman
Acid House Kings
Belle & Sebastian
Black Before Red
Blitzen Trapper
Camera Obscura
Colossal Yes
Destroyer
Dr. Dog
Elvis Perkins
The Field Mice
Frog Eyes
Handsome Furs
Headlights
The Hidden Cameras
Islands
Jarvis Cocker
Kings of Convenience
The Ladybug Transistor
Math & Physics Club
Minus the Bear
The Mountain Goats
My Morning Jacket
Neutral Milk Hotel
New Kingdom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNiLp73Q4Es) (This one's indie as in unsigned, not stylistically, but they're awesome)
The New Pornographers
Of Montreal
Pelle Carlberg
Pernice Brothers
Pinback
Radical Face
Robbers on High Street
Rogue Wave
The Rosebuds
Shearwater
Shout Out Louds
The Spinto Band
Stephen Malkmus
Swan Lake
Tegan and Sara
The Unicorns
The You (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbbG2IkpNmY) (a recent favorite, they're very hard to search for due to their name)

[Moff Chumley]

No love for LCD Soundsystem or TV on the Radio? :smallfrown:

[Mr. Mud]

No love for LCD Soundsystem or TV on the Radio? :smallfrown:

I was posting (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xhaJuKpxxk) both of them actually, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL79-7oo9Xc&feature=av2e) until real life obligations made me sprint outside :smalltongue:. The LCD song makes me weep every time I hear it. It's a masterpiece.

To make up for it... have some... Wisp! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJuiXHTzwcM) If you don't like it, skip ahead a bit to about 3 minutes and listen from there. I think it has a brilliant lead up. :smallbiggrin:

[Moonshadow]

The Hush Sound! <3

[Sneak]

I love them both (well, I like LCD, love TVOTR), but LCD Soundsystem is definitely not indie and I probably wouldn't classify TVOTR as indie either.

Then again, the whole genre system is pretty much bovine feces anyway.

Anyway, here's a list of bands I listen to that I would consider indie.

Andrew Bird
Animal Collective
Arcade Fire
Barcelona
Beirut
Belle & Sebastian
Castanets
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
The Decemberists
Devendra Banhart
Dirty Projectors
Golden Shoulders
Grizzly Bear
Holopaw
Iron & Wine
John Vanderslice
M. Ward
Matt & Kim
The Mountain Goats
The National
Neutral Milk Hotel
The New Pornographers
Of Montreal
Pavement
The Shins
Silver Jews
Smog
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Sprites
Sufjan Stevens
Swan Lake
The Thermals
Ugly Casanova
The Unicorns
Women
Yeasayer
Yo La Tengo

There are probably more that others would consider indie, but I'd say those are good enough to get me some quick hipster cred.

Anyway, I'm not sure if Caribou is indie (I didn't put it on my list), but I've been getting into his stuff a lot recently.

[Mr. Mud]

Anyway, I'm not sure if Caribou is indie (I didn't put it on my list), but I've been getting into his stuff a lot recently.
+Hipster Cred

Also, I'd call Caribou indie, but kind of... Different. Like Indie-tronica?

Also, would one call this indie?

Yolanda Be Cool - We No Speak Americano (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3S4dBk4E1g)

[Vaynor]

Yolanda Be Cool - We No Speak Americano (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3S4dBk4E1g)

Uh, not really. Maybe only from a technical standpoint (if they're unsigned).



There are probably more that others would consider indie, but I'd say those are good enough to get me some quick hipster cred.

All of those bands have Wikipedia pages. Sooooo not indie! :smalltongue:

[Sneak]

I wouldn't, but what do I know?

Oh, and on the "Bands That Deserve To Be More Well Known" front:

The Beta Band (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsbR2dEmHGc)

The Books (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9Cqdt0S5u0)

Young Marble Giants (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgumTLQXUtA)

[Cyrano]

Gonna ask a buncha questions for funsies and discussion.

Firstly, to Vaynor, I noticed your list included Frog Eyes. Now, seeing as you are a human being, who has heard of them and presumably HEARD them, I'd like to ask you a question, of interest to me due to my listening to Wolf Parade/Sunset Rubdown/Handsome Furs.

Is it even POSSIBLE to enjoy Frog Eyes?

I like some damn weird stuff. I'm not going to say that Frog Eyes is BAD, because I've actually been unable to listen to them for long enough to tell. Not that I shut off the music, but I just put on the album, listen for 30 seconds, and then my brain goes to a slippery place and I just CANNOT follow them. Something about the goddamn recording on the vocals and the freaking unintelligible woops that are being made and the....I don't know. I mean, just how much work/concentration/exposure does it take to enjoy them, if enjoy them you do?

On the note of Wolf Parade/Sunset Rubdown, what a classic pair of bands. As a Montrealer I have a bit of civic pride for these (and for THE ARCADE FIRE MY FAVORITE BAND but I digress.) Anyway, Sunset Rubdown is a band I don't see get enough love. As in, I love Sunset Rubdown so much. Random Spirit Lover is one of my favorite slightly odd albums ever, Dragonslayer is a little more straightforward and a little less my favorite but awesome, and I haven't even LISTENED to Shut Up I Am Dreaming yet but have high hopes due to it being quite well regarded by people who listen to SR. If anyone's heard that one, gimme their thoughts.

I saw Wolf Parade live recently and they rock surprisingly hard. Their new album is a pretty nice rocky album, to supplement their proggy and poppy albums I guess. Their second album is, in my view, under appreciated (At Mount Zoomer.) Anyone else listen to them, and would care to explain why most people seemed not to like AMZ?

And I also saw Arcade Fire live. Front row at an outdoor concert. Nothing to say here, just bragging.

I'm also listening to Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Blitzen Trapper recently. Nice folky kick.

[Brendan]

pretty much anyone will have a different definition of "indie," especially because, if you define it as "not well known" then what happens when a band becomes popular? Is a heavy metal band who have played one concert indie? Also, if you define it as the sound, then it is just entirely your interpretation, because everyone will have different tastes or feelings about it. And if you just trust what itunes or lastfm tags it as, then all you're doing is trusting the definition to whoever wrote those tags.
you can ask the artists, but even that has it's issues. Honestly, I just consider something indie or I don't. I don't have much logic to it.
Anyways, some of the artists I like are:
The decemberists
Vampire weekend
Band of horses
the new pornographers
arcade fire
gorrillaz
electric president
sunday driver
citizen cope (does he count?)
the killers
the long winters
mgmt
matt&kim
and a bunch more who i can't remember. maybe i'll edit them in later

[Mx.Silver]

if you define it as "not well known" then what happens when a band becomes popular?
To be honest, that particular definition isn't seen very often outside of the USA (and possibly Canada) where indie tends to be something of a fringe genre. In the UK, where Indie has always been fairly big since it started (the genre seems to have its roots in the country to begin with), the label only refers to the style of the music.


Is a heavy metal band who have played one concert indie?
No, they're Heavy Metal.


Also, if you define it as the sound, then it is just entirely your interpretation, because everyone will have different tastes or feelings about it.
Only if you're attaching a value judgement to the genre (which you shouldn't be). Otherwise you can come up with a fairly objective set of criteria, since music composition and performance does in fact follow specific rules.

[Vaynor]

Firstly, to Vaynor, I noticed your list included Frog Eyes. Now, seeing as you are a human being, who has heard of them and presumably HEARD them, I'd like to ask you a question, of interest to me due to my listening to Wolf Parade/Sunset Rubdown/Handsome Furs.

Is it even POSSIBLE to enjoy Frog Eyes?

I like some damn weird stuff. I'm not going to say that Frog Eyes is BAD, because I've actually been unable to listen to them for long enough to tell. Not that I shut off the music, but I just put on the album, listen for 30 seconds, and then my brain goes to a slippery place and I just CANNOT follow them. Something about the goddamn recording on the vocals and the freaking unintelligible woops that are being made and the....I don't know. I mean, just how much work/concentration/exposure does it take to enjoy them, if enjoy them you do?

I enjoy Frog Eyes, but I admit that I don't like them that much (they're my least favorite band of all those that appear on my list), but I like them enough to put them on it (and they are indie). I can't say I understand a lot of the lyrics, like you said, but that doesn't really bother me much (I listen to a lot of foreign music so I just pretend it's in a different language :smallcool:). I also dislike a majority of their songs, but there's still some that I enjoy listening to.

Edit: Are you listening to The Golden River? Tears of the Valedictorian is a bit more normal. Those are the only two albums I have, so I'm not sure about the rest of their music.


I'm also listening to Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Blitzen Trapper recently. Nice folky kick.

Furr is possibly my favorite song ever. :smallsmile:

[Moff Chumley]

Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, and Grizzly Bear are all very cool... I blew all of my cash the week before a Bon Iver show. The rest of my band went. >.<

[Sneak]

Bon Iver is pretty good if I'm in a "dude alone with a guitar" mood, although usually I tend to go for Iron & Wine in those situations. Some of his stuff is pretty ****ing beautiful, though.

Fleet Foxes I should probably give a listen to. I enjoyed the Sun Giant EP but never got around to their LP.

Anyway, recently I've been getting into a lot more electronic-oriented stuff than what I usually listen to. It started with Caribou, then moved to Bonobo, Prefuse 73, The Octopus Project, and Four Tet. On the lookout for more suggestions if anyone has any.

[Cyrano]

Bon Iver is pretty good if I'm in a "dude alone with a guitar" mood, although usually I tend to go for Iron & Wine in those situations. Some of his stuff is pretty ****ing beautiful, though.

Fleet Foxes I should probably give a listen to. I enjoyed the Sun Giant EP but never got around to their LP.
I prefer Bon Iver, most of the time. Iron & Wine satisfies that "one lonely man and his multitracked set of instruments" kick, but I don't get that sort of urge all that often. I find Bon Iver awesome and interesting because it's just so, I don't know, beautiful, a little forlorn I guess, and it uses a good bit of electronic stuff (like autotune, and, surprisingly, it sounds good.) Blood Bank (off the Blood Bank EP, naturally) is probably my favorite song of theirs, but The Wolves is also excellent and probably what I'd show just to showcase their sound + differences from regular folkyness. Anyway, yeah, I love the singing style. Probably one of my favorites in truth.

Fleet Foxes is like an indie five-man Simon and Garfunkle. I liked their album more than Sun Giant, so, yeah, I'd recommend it.

@Vaynor: *checks* Yes, I am listening to The Golden River. Maybe that's why. But it's not because of an inability to understand the words that bugs me - I love post-rock (or whatever it's called these days) and classical stuff, and plenty of bands with incomprehensible lyrics. I can't describe it. It feels slippery, that's the best I can do.

[Moff Chumley]

=O

Fleet Foxes LP is one of the greatest albums of the last deacade.[/pitchfork fanboy]

And Sneak, if you want to get into indie electronic, I gotta reccomend starting with the straight up electronic stuff. Gives you more of a perspective of where these guys are coming from. Classic House, like Stardust (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YCoSF-voHY), Cassius (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSXDZygV438), Daft Punk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e94y4EjWGs), and The Bucketheads (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_JZdMxgNHo).

[Serpentine]

I think this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwsWs0sImwk) is about the epitome of Indie music. Dunno if it helps with definition, but oh well.

[Sir Sanguine]

Bon Iver is pretty good if I'm in a "dude alone with a guitar" mood, although usually I tend to go for Iron & Wine in those situations. Some of his stuff is pretty ****ing beautiful, though.

Fleet Foxes I should probably give a listen to. I enjoyed the Sun Giant EP but never got around to their LP.

Anyway, recently I've been getting into a lot more electronic-oriented stuff than what I usually listen to. It started with Caribou, then moved to Bonobo, Prefuse 73, The Octopus Project, and Four Tet. On the lookout for more suggestions if anyone has any.

The Tallest Man on Earth.
CONS: He is another dude alone with his guitar, and I only really know one song by him, so maybe this is the only good one.

PROS: it is a really good song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qdM8WdTfH4

[Cyrano]

Has this been mentioned anywhere on the thread yet? Sufjan Stevens doin' a North American tour? Starting October.

[Vaynor]

@Vaynor: *checks* Yes, I am listening to The Golden River. Maybe that's why. But it's not because of an inability to understand the words that bugs me - I love post-rock (or whatever it's called these days) and classical stuff, and plenty of bands with incomprehensible lyrics. I can't describe it. It feels slippery, that's the best I can do.

Well I suggest giving Tears Of The Valedictorian a listen, I find it much better than The Golden River. Still, to each his own.

[The Pale King]

Anyone here get Arcade Fire's new album, The Suburbs. It is incredibly awesome, but then that pretty much describes anything Arcade Fire has ever done. Favorite songs would probably be The Suburbs, Ready to Start, Modern Man or Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountain)

[Cyrano]

@Darth - Yeah, I was pretty happy with The Suburbs! All their albums are good for a different sort of mood, but I thought in general The Suburbs was better than Neon Bible. Actually, though, I wasn't a huge fan of The Suburbs, the song. Thought it was a bit bland (awesome still, but bland compared to the rest of the album.) Deep Blue and We Used To Wait are a pair of fantastic song, probably my two favorite, Ready to Start and The Sprawl II are probably 3rd and 4th, respectively. Rococo gets to be in 5th just because it's so good live (shameless bragging about seeing Arcade Fire at Osheaga, part II.)

@Vaynor - I'm workin' on it. Actually, I don't have the iTunes money or any other means of getting the album, but I'ma check on YouTube right now. My hopes aren't high, but hey, maybe I'll find something.

[DomaDoma]

Heather Alexander and Alexander James Adams are indie both in the sense of publishing setup and in the sense that nobody had heard of them. However, as their genre is folk, I don't think anybody else who clicked on the indie music thread will have the faintest idea of what I'm talking about.

For clarification, Alexander James Adams is a transgendered male who, in his show schtick, treats Heather Alexander as a different person. She's said to be the changeling left in his place, which gives you some idea of their genre - it's a lot of stuff to do with fantastic folklore creatures, but it's done with such a raw belief in its own subject matter that it's fantastically alluring.

Their most popular song, naturally, is about bashing heads (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCrnF844_ww). It's still very good, mind you - just not their usual style.

[Terry576]

I just like Indie Music.

If you really wanted my music tastes, here's my sixty song playlist. (http://www.playlist.com/playlist/19525435659)
:smalltongue:

[SDF]

So, on first hearing this new Arcade Fire album's kind of tedious and uninspiring, huh? :smallconfused:

[Terry576]

So, on first hearing this new Arcade Fire album's kind of tedious and uninspiring, huh? :smallconfused:

Eh. I like it.

The new MGMT album... God that sucked.

IN OTHER INDIE NEWS:

Pavement is back together. :smalleek:

Dear god, save me from the cultists who want to rip me to pieces for preferring Kill Hannah.

Besides that, anybody enjoy Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes? They've got an interesting style.

[Cyrano]

So, on first hearing this new Arcade Fire album's kind of tedious and uninspiring, huh? :smallconfused:

Mmm. Nope, not really.

Perhaps the move to more rocky sound from, yaknow, Funeral, just ain't your thing. Completely understandable. I'd say that's the most obvious possibility - the album did get better for repeat listens for me so maybe it will get better for you, that's another. Also possible that, like me, you found the first batch of songs slightly less good than the second and that colored your opinion of the second batch - or maybe that's just ridiculous.

Don't give up on it yet but, maybe it ain't your thing. They'll have something completely different in a couple 'a years.

^Terry: Heard 'em, yup. Fan? Not really. Honestly, I couldn't even say why. Their style just ain't that interesting to me. Their album entertained, I mean, I don't hate 'em, but <10 listens later I'm pretty much done with it. Probably the whole, for lack of a better term, hoedown sound? Not for me.

[SDF]

I say that not as an Arcade Fire hater. I really loved the first album. The second got an over hyped meh from me and it just feels like they are doing the motions.


The new MGMT album... God that sucked.

IN OTHER INDIE NEWS:

Pavement is back together. :smalleek:

I completely agree with MGMT. I've also heard bad things about their live performances by my music columnist friend who has seen them twice.

I'm stoked if Pavement puts out some new music. I hope they don't do a Godspeed You! Black Emperor thing and just play some shows that will never come near me.

Just saw The New Pornographers with The Dodos. Epic show.

[Terry576]

I say that not as an Arcade Fire hater. I really loved the first album. The second got an over hyped meh from me and it just feels like they are doing the motions.



I completely agree with MGMT. I've also heard bad things about their live performances by my music columnist friend who has seen them twice.

I'm stoked if Pavement puts out some new music. I hope they don't do a Godspeed You! Black Emperor thing and just play some shows that will never come near me.

Just saw The New Pornographers with The Dodos. Epic show.

Yeah, my Dad saw them live, and he blew it off.

They were THAT bad.

I just saw some Burning Man DJ called "On Air" open for Crystal Castles.

And I touched the singer's hair. :smallbiggrin:

[Xyk]

So, on first hearing this new Arcade Fire album's kind of tedious and uninspiring, huh? :smallconfused:

As a musician, I cannot disagree more. I cannot put down that album. Listen again, but not as background noise. Listen to the lyrics AND the music. Both are really really amazing. Complex, full harmonies, meaningful lyrics, all coming from classical composition. It's really astounding.

Other Indie bands that probably haven't been mentioned because they are mostly just hits in Austin.

What Made (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RbBx9S34eY) Milwaukee Famous (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YjhoTDnxp0&feature=related)

Spoon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teXA8N3aF9M) <-- One of my all-time favorite bands, check them out further.

Blue (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDxgSvJINlU) October (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7eyqCQYBGY)

[nebraska]

Frog eyes is quite good but definitely has its weaker moments. Bon Iver is amazing but confused/concerned about the future kanye west collaboration. we'll see about that one... recent bands i'm finding in the underground are as follows:

1. le loup - pretty cool sound (fleet foxes elements for sure) download "morning song" if you only want a taste...
2. the moonage shine - amazing new band... still fairly young but definitely up and coming... has a very sincere sound. shoegaze/ambience meets johnny cash. download their album for free on their website. www.moonageshine.com
3. kurt vile/war on drugs - obvious connection with these two acts but all around good stuff. war on drugs is the closest thing to arcade fire out hands down. download this entire album. do it.

also been listening to some really old country and blues as of recent... does anyone know where to find some solid vinyl online?

[Moff Chumley]

Considering "Woods" gets the most milage out of auto-tune of any song I've ever heard? A Justin Vernon/Kanye thing would be awesome. :smallcool:

[Em Blackleaf]

DISCLAIMER: I'm not very "indie". :X I've actually never heard of a lot of these bands. I'm in the right thread, right... ? :smalltongue:

I like Vampire Weekend, though. Girls, Andrew Bird, Modest Mouse, Mirah, Beirut, The Moldy Peaches (and Kimya Dawsons's solo career), Ingrid Michaelson, Gorillaz, The Shins, The Decemberists, The Killers, Matt & Kim... Probably loads more than that... I'll add more, maybe.


The Beta Band (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsbR2dEmHGc)
Oh, something you posted in the Rate the Song thread got me into The Beta Band.
Same for Vampire Weekend and Andrew Bird. I think Beirut too? I suppose I owe you thanks. :P

[Sneak]

Yay, I love spreading the joyous gospel of good music!

If I may suggest some more considering your apparent tastes:

Barcelona (http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Sunshine+Delay/2N4t3k) / Sprites (http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Do+It+Yourself/qkeSB) (two different bands, same frontman and general sound)
Belle & Sebastian (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSX73YsJrqc)
DeVotchKa (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfi1UQ_PKQI)
Dirty Projectors (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAqmjOER-PU)
Frightened Rabbit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2zFQXZxuTs)
Golden Shoulders (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pVcIUVfivc&feature=related)
The Mountain Goats (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddxbQbqjHhw)
Neutral Milk Hotel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOx43j9pRI)
Oh No Oh My (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKuVYKmzs4Y)
Oxford Collapse (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IVUNZkN_vc)
Ra Ra Riot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBryCQWEdFI)
The Thermals (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJu611UdfxA)
The Unicorns (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjsPp7R6ONY)
The Vaselines (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcLM_gqLlYc)

EDIT: Will edit in links.

EDIT2: Done with links.

[Dispozition]

In terms of sounding indie, there are two bands that have the indiest sounding songs but with the good recording quality of about 10 years experience and a good studio.

Cake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p99a6K81zqM) is the best of the two, mainly since they're the most laid back sounding band I've ever heard. The other are the Presidents of the USA. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sj_U6vObUA) Sure as hell not indie, but goddamn they sound it and I love it.

On the actually 'indie' front, both Collapse Under the Empire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpciIeYvp0o) and a.b.perspectives (http://soundcloud.com/abperspectives/sets/tandt?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=facebook&utm_content=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fabperspe ctives%2Fsets%2Ftandt) are pretty unknown. CUTE are more well known, becoming one of the more popular post-rock bands in the american scene, but they're nothing like God is an Astronaut in terms of popularity yet. a.b.perspectives is a very, very, very unknown Japanese (I think) glitch, electro, hip-hop (sorta) sample artist who rocks my socks off. On last.fm (the ultimate measure of indieness) he has 5533 plays, 473 of those are from me. I make up almost 10% of his listens on Last.fm...That is how indie he is.

In terms of actually being independent, John Butler is pretty much the best. Set up his own label, studio, all that. Absolutely stunning acoustic guitar work along with an excellent drummer and bassist. Go listen to the John Butler Trio, be amazed.

Oh, and in terms of me actually being indie...I hate the scene, I hate most of the bands, I just like the few that come along in the genres I like (like CUTE), but ignore most of it. Every so often I'll download dumps from siren sound or /rs/ and that's my 'indie' music dump of the month...or year...Whatever. I probably have half the bands mentioned in this thread on my computer but I've never listened to them.

[Serpentine]

For whatever reason, I always throw Ben Harper in with Ben Lee and The Cat Empire. The Holy Trinity of Australian Music People Should Listen To, I guess.

I have little or no experience of the "Indie scene". I know one hipster, and he's the constant target of mockery as a result.
(He likes Yo La Tango and thinks Lars von Trier is the best directer of our times, to give you an idea. Also he always wears scarves. And he's a vegetarian)

[Sneak]

Hey, Yo La Tengo is legitimately fantastic.

[Em Blackleaf]

Yay, I love spreading the joyous gospel of good music!

And AC/DC said "Let there be rock."
And AC/DC heard the rock, that it was good.


If I may suggest some more considering your apparent tastes:

Barcelona (http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Sunshine+Delay/2N4t3k) / Sprites (http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Do+It+Yourself/qkeSB) (two different bands, same frontman and general sound)
Belle & Sebastian (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSX73YsJrqc)
DeVotchKa (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfi1UQ_PKQI)
Dirty Projectors (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAqmjOER-PU)
Frightened Rabbit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2zFQXZxuTs)
Golden Shoulders (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pVcIUVfivc&feature=related)
The Mountain Goats (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddxbQbqjHhw)
Neutral Milk Hotel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOx43j9pRI)
Oh No Oh My (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKuVYKmzs4Y)
Oxford Collapse (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IVUNZkN_vc)
Ra Ra Riot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBryCQWEdFI)
The Thermals (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJu611UdfxA)
The Unicorns (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjsPp7R6ONY)
The Vaselines (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcLM_gqLlYc)

EDIT: Will edit in links.

EDIT2: Done with links.

Oh, thanks! I'm in a new music mood. I remember listening to The Dirty Projectors before and finding it hard to get into them. I don't really know why I thought that way before. Maybe my ears have since developed.
And that DeVotchKa song sounds familiar.
I'm gonna say Neutral Milk Hotel is my favorite of those links. I really like folky acousticy stuff the most. I also particularly liked those The Thermals, The Vaselines and Sprites songs.

But I pretty much liked all of those links. Looks like you gauged my music tastes pretty well.


Cake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p99a6K81zqM) is the best of the two, mainly since they're the most laid back sounding band I've ever heard.
Yeah, I love Cake. I really like how seamlessly all of the instruments, especially the horns, blend together with the singer's voice in every single song. It's all so smooth and chill.


Hey, Yo La Tengo is legitimately fantastic.

Ditto.

Also, Phoenix (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BJDNw7o6so)!
And Hold Your Horses (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erbd9cZpxps)
I think I mentioned Mirah (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Rmhyi4CdY). I have no idea who the people in video are, but it was the only video I could find of the song.
Hey, some Flaming Lips (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfpyoGFJNNE)
Does Florence + the Machine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7baoTqocJs&feature=related) count as indie?
What about Imogen Heap (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKZsZkH_MJc)?

EDIT: Oren Lavie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY&NR=1).

[Moff Chumley]

Do The Strokes count as Indie? In style, if not popularity.

[Sneak]

Eh, probably. Never been too crazy about them though.

And...some more acousticy folky stuff for Em (because I had nothing better to do with my time than collect links):

Bon Iver (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuQrLsTUcN0)
Bright Eyes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aZh261KZWI)
Devendra Banhart (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReeSTU9_HF0)
Elliott Smith (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHDbCC0Ongs)
Holopaw (http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Abraham+Lincoln/2L0ukE)
Iron & Wine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viXMXo1aG-Q)
M. Ward (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToEPFDIzhNA)
Nick Drake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXnfhnCoOyo)
Ugly Casanova (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C76N3tIgIc)

And then something else.

John Vanderslice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNNzGhzIAVo)

[Moff Chumley]

You forgot Fleet Foxes. You need to listen to Fleet Foxes. *poke*

[Sneak]

Grarghyesfleetfoxes.

[Em Blackleaf]

Eh, probably. Never been too crazy about them though.

And...some more acousticy folky stuff for Em (because I had nothing better to do with my time than collect links):

Bon Iver (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuQrLsTUcN0)
Bright Eyes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aZh261KZWI)
Devendra Banhart (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReeSTU9_HF0)
Elliott Smith (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHDbCC0Ongs)
Holopaw (http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Abraham+Lincoln/2L0ukE)
Iron & Wine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viXMXo1aG-Q)
M. Ward (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToEPFDIzhNA)
Nick Drake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXnfhnCoOyo)
Ugly Casanova (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C76N3tIgIc)

And then something else.

John Vanderslice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNNzGhzIAVo)

Oh, thanks again! Mmm, that Iron & Wine song reminds me of Simon & Garfunkel. I'm sold.
Ohh, "Needle in the Hay". I watched The Royal Tenenbaums the other day and I've been wondering what that song was called since. I've loved it since I first saw that scene in that movie. :smalltongue:

Oh, Nick Drake! Yeah, I've heard some of his stuff before. It's all good.

[Serpentine]

Hey, Yo La Tengo is legitimately fantastic.Sure, but it's still incredibly hipster :smalltongue:

Yeah, I love Cake. I really like how seamlessly all of the instruments, especially the horns, blend together with the singer's voice in every single song. It's all so smooth and chill.Same here. I love that you can pick out one instrument, and listen to its sound all the way through, then you can pick out another and listen to that, and be listening to an entirely different melody, yet they combine to make a seamless whole...

edit: Actually, add that to my list of Reasons To Go To The US. Which now looks something like this:

1. Playgrounders.
2. Family.
3. Grand Canyon.
4. Yellowstone National Park
5. Make fun of the food.
6. Cake.

[Moff Chumley]

Do indeed love Cake. Their cover of War Pigs is better than the original, and that's saying quite a lot... :smallbiggrin:

[Dexam]

Just gonna throw some names out there, though I don't know my genres (MGMT's already taken, drat):
Architecture in Helsinki (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_Xf-IpT4jQ)
<--- Huuuuuuuuuuuuge AIH fan right here. :smallcool:

And how has this thread come so far without mention of Mumford & Sons (http://www.mumfordandsons.com/)? For shame! :smalltongue:

I'm also really digging Basement Birds (http://www.basementbirds.com.au/). Basically they're an Australian Indie supergroup, consisting of Josh Pyke, Kav Temperly (frontman for Eskimo Joe), Kevin Mitchell (frontman for Jebediah, and also records as Bob Evans), and Steve Parkin. Those names probably aren't going to mean much for non-Aussies, but they're pretty big in the Australian Indie music scene. :smallcool:

[Sneak]

New music that I'm getting into:

Menomena (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BXr_4g0o9M)
Beach House (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JqYVukDpqI)
Fruit Bats (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZJJiW1z3QY)
The Besnard Lakes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OE4SgeWEqk)
Film School (http://hypem.com/track/1162882)
Fang Island (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCaojIXbsB0)
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIjwZecUeaw)
Sleigh Bells (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kJ05P-71gY) (...yes, I know)

And I am finally coming around to Broken Social Scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JRsyIXzsU8) as well.

[Eruantion]

I'm really disappointed no one has mentioned Editors! IMO, they are a fantastic indie band. If you are on this forum, I think you will like them. If you find you like them, also check out Interpol. I'm still surprised these haven't com up yet...

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

So, with luck I should be seeing Bedouin Soundclash at the Ex tomorrow. It depends on whether the family is stealing that evening to go to the ice cream place. :smallbiggrin:

[Mr. Mud]

So, with luck I should be seeing Bedouin Soundclash at the Ex tomorrow. It depends on whether the family is stealing that evening to go to the ice cream place. :smallbiggrin:

Was luck to be had?

[Raistlin1040]

Alright indie peoples. I have a challenge for you. I am going to be starting a roleplay experiment soon. The idea is that it'll be a setting of my own creation, modern, in a Seattle-like city. The pitch to my roleplaying partner was "A modern stylized indie rock adventure". Three of my four characters (of which more will probably be added) are musicians. Because music is a big part of this roleplay, I want each band have an influence band, because it helps me imagine what the voice sounds like, and the type of music, and if there ever arises a need for them to play, I can pull a real song off youtube and link for a general idea. However, I don't know a BUNCH of indie bands, so suggestions are appreciated. I'm looking for full band sounds, not just a guy with a guitar.

You can use whatever way you want to determine what band they should be, be it their slightly silly half-parody clothing, their name, or whatever.

Lenahttp://public5.tektek.org/img/av/1009/d10/0255/6937952.pngBands I've considered: Metric, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Galenhttp://public5.tektek.org/img/av/1009/d09/0135/99a2639.pngBands I've considered: Silversun Pickups, Arcade Fire, Neon Trees, Sea Wolf

Reganhttp://public5.tektek.org/img/av/1009/d09/0119/3f03123.pngBand's I've considered: Erm...Metric, Yeah Yeah Yeahs >.>

[Vaynor]

The second one reminds me of a friend of mine who's obsessed with The Mountain Goats. So, them. Also, they're awesome.

[Sneak]

Galen: Broken Social Scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JRsyIXzsU8), Golden Shoulders (http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/The+Committee/32UKTy), Pavement (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF7wInjEGuc), Smog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kERpyqF0d3w)

Lena: Beach House (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JqYVukDpqI), The Besnard Lakes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXB87SRv8Yg), The New Pornographers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FXfH2mCzcI)

Regan: Dirty Projectors (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMPF6lpM0XM&ob=av3e), Film School (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=favcj3w-R_U), Tegan and Sara (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIYY5p-lg-s)

[Moff Chumley]

The idea is that it'll be a setting of my own creation, modern, in a Seattle-like city. The pitch to my roleplaying partner was "A modern stylized indie rock adventure". Three of my four characters (of which more will probably be added) are musicians.

So completely NOT Scott Pilgrim, the RPG? :smalltongue:

[Raistlin1040]

Gah, cannot believe I forgot about Tegan and Sara. That is a very good band for Regan, yeah. I like the Mountain Goats, but I'm not sure how well they fit with Galen. I guess what I'm asking for isn't Indie, but stuff that straddles the Indie/Alternative line. With Galen, I'm probably going to go with my first choice, Silversun Pickups. Lena, I'm still unsure about. The bands you linked are pretty cool, Sneak, but they're a bit too light. For her, I definitely want something that has a bit more darkness and edge, which is why I'm thinking Metric. Regan, I like Tegan and Sara, but I also like the singer of Dirty Projectors a lot.

Moff: If you can believe it, I actually had a lot of the characters and ideas worked out before I saw it. Scott Pilgrim just gave me some inspiration for the setting, which I then took and made my own city and style for it, and actually got me off my ass to try and do it.

[Moff Chumley]

Fun fact, the singer from Dirty Projectors is a jackass. Me and my friend met him at a concert where they were opening for TV on the Radio, my friend asked for an autograph, and this is an exact quote: "Sure, I just have to get some water." He takes a sip from his water bottle, and walks away. For no reason whatsoever. :smallsigh:

Which reminds me, TV On (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73qBnuzrjx0) The Radio (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puqnxPGwpo4&feature=related) might be perfect for Galen. On the subject of the indie/alternative line, there's Modest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omhhaLVaoSM) Mouse (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPhnOKmhbBw&ob=av2e), I suppose. Regan looks like an LCD Soundsystem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTO1PMkTIfU) fan, by the way...

[Sneak]

I adore TVOTR. Just thought I'd throw that out there. :smalltongue:

Not sure they'd fit Galen, though. Maybe that's just because I love them so much and he looks so douchey. :smalltongue:

What I first thought when I saw the picture of him, actually, was something like Bonobo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBD4z2BeYQg) or Four Tet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWTAOwgTbu4&ob=av2e) (which I also like), but the guitar there kinda negates that and I'm pretty sure that's not what you're looking for at all. It's definitely not indie rock, anyway.

Not that I'd call Silversun Pickups indie rock either. I hope you come up with something else. They're kinda awful.

[Moff Chumley]

*attempts to decide whether or not to defend SSPU*

Yah, they're pretty bad. Good fun, though. *shrug*

And for the record, I mention TVotR because Galen looks a lot like Dave Sitek.

[Raistlin1040]

Bad is a a horrible term to use for describing music, unless it's like, Disney pop, and even then, it's not always fair. I dislike TV On The Radio, but I wouldn't call them bad. They're just not what I'm into. I like Silversun Pickups, and also wouldn't call them bad. "Bad" in the sense of music is really only reserved for Kidz Bop.

[Vaynor]

What are you talking about? Kidz Bop is the best!

I only listen to music Kidz Bop has covered.

[Sneak]

Re: Galen/Sitek. I guess I can kinda see it. If Dave Sitek had longer hair and less stereotypically indie glasses. And became a cartoon. :smalltongue:

Re: calling music bad. Yeah, music is all subjective and saying something's bad is meaningless and not constructive, but...I don't like them. Ergo, I reserve the right to call them "bad" and/or "awful." That doesn't necessarily make it objectively true, but in my solipsistic little world, they're bad.

I think it's the vocals that really turn me off. I can't put my finger on why, though.

[Moff Chumley]

Because he sounds like a GIRL. And that CONFUSES you. And you don't like the be CONFUSED. Because you're AMERICAN. :smalltongue:

In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with calling something bad. You shouldn't have to surround every opinion with "In my opinion", "your entitled to your belief", "with all due respect"... It all goes without saying. When you say something's bad, of COURSE you mean that "in your opinion, and with all due respect, I think that [blank] is bad. But you're entitled to your beliefs." It should be implied.

[/tangentially related rant]

[Raistlin1040]

Except, you know, the people who don't mean "In my opinion".

Also he sounds like a GIRL. It CONFUSES me. I like to be CONFUSED. I am AMERICAN.

[Moff Chumley]

We ignore those people. :smalltongue:

[Vaynor]

Has anyone heard the new Belle & Sebastian album? It's pretty great, I'm really liking Blue Eyes of a Millionaire and Come On Sister (Also, Suicide Girl makes me laugh).

Thoughts?

Also, I'm seeing them on Sunday. I am excited.

[Sneak]

I got it but haven't had a chance to listen yet, what with me finally giving in and listening to Black Moth Super Rainbow and becoming obsessed. Glad to hear it's good.

The new Sufjan is pretty good too, which is cool.

EDIT: And apparently there's a new Women album as well! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_(band)) Great news.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Was luck to be had?

Nah, everyone who woulda come with me was away, or couldn't make it due to short notice. And I don't really like going to concerts on my own, unless it's Iggy Pop. That was worth goin' it alone.