The Indie Music Appreciation Thread - Page 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by JuanseAmador 


Elephant is awesooome

I recently got "Lonerism".  "Elephant" is my favorite as well.  I got Beach House's "Bloom" at the same time.  So far, I find myself listening to "Bloom" a lot more but I haven't given up on "Lonerism" yet.

Got an album the other day by a band I'd never heard called Velvet Crush. I really appreciated their remake of The Byrds "one hundred years from now." Also, maybe somebody can tell me if the Cowboy Junkies are indie, maybe Blues Indie? Which would be a subset I really like. Blues Explosion!!!

Tame Impala is simply incredible.  I named Lonerism my #3 record of 2012, only behind Andrew Bird's Break It Yourself at #2 and Kendrick Lamar's good kid, maad city at #1 (a damn fine rap album).

The thing about Tame is that they are straight-laced, by the books psychedelia.  They don't try to reinvent the wheel, they just do what they do extremely well.  That transition in the middle of "Apocalypse Dreams" sends chills down my spine every single time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JuanseAmador 

Nothing is even comparable to The Smiths and The Pixies.

Almost a X2. Two of my" mainstream" Indie favorites... All time favorites within almost three decades and yet so awkwardly different..

Wow, I am so happy to see a forum like this on head-fi.  I have always thought the genre was problematic since the recent.  Indie in the mainstream has developed a distinct sound.  I thought indie was about creative freedom and I am pretty sure the actual indie artists would agree with me.  I think music has become over centered around tracks instead of albums.  When people do this they experience a moment of an experience and not the entire experience.  Some tracks I think are experiences in themselves but I think a bands worth is the consistency of quality.  Anyone can make something very kiche but can they make art.  I think indie is the backlash on the comodification of music.  What really freed up this genre is the Internet.  It allowed for more bands to be accessed and indie labels reduced the over head of labels mainly small ones while major labels still have rather large over heads.   Sorry I am a music historian sort of I have the credentials but none of published works I so desire.

The music I have been listening to if you would like to check them out and I would they are amazing artists.  I am sure you will find one of them to your liking. 

1. Purity Rings - Shrines
2. Postal Service - Give Up
3. Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
4. Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory 
5. The Mae Shi - HLLLYH
6. Modest Mouse - This is a long drive for someone with nothing to think about

Quote:

Originally Posted by foolsgold1986 

Wow, I am so happy to see a forum like this on head-fi.  I have always thought the genre was problematic since the recent.  Indie in the mainstream has developed a distinct sound.  I thought indie was about creative freedom and I am pretty sure the actual indie artists would agree with me.  I think music has become over centered around tracks instead of albums.  When people do this they experience a moment of an experience and not the entire experience.  Some tracks I think are experiences in themselves but I think a bands worth is the consistency of quality.  Anyone can make something very kiche but can they make art.  I think indie is the backlash on the comodification of music.  What really freed up this genre is the Internet.  It allowed for more bands to be accessed and indie labels reduced the over head of labels mainly small ones while major labels still have rather large over heads.   Sorry I am a music historian sort of I have the credentials but none of published works I so desire.

 

The music I have been listening to if you would like to check them out and I would they are amazing artists.  I am sure you will find one of them to your liking. 

 

1. Purity Rings - Shrines
2. Postal Service - Give Up
3. Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
4. Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory 
5. The Mae Shi - HLLLYH
6. Modest Mouse - This is a long drive for someone with nothing to think about

I really enjoy some of the albums/artist that you posted, Postal Service, Foxygen, Cloud Nothing, Modest Mouse, but otherwise I'm not quite sure that I understand what you're talking about. Are you referring to that the indie sound in recent years have been commercialized and lost its freedom to be creative?

If so, how do you define the sound of indie music?  Personally, I don't believe such a definition exist any longer, it may have at one particular point in the 1980's and early 90's, but I certainly don't believe that it today, almost 30 years later, still is related to a certain sound/genre.  

There is so much more to the definition of Indie that I can't even grasp it.. 

I think that indie is extremely diverse and without a distinct characteristic.  I am saying in mainstream culture often indie will be referenced as a sound.  Really at its basic indie is supposed to be just anti-major label.  For some its just an ethic to view music.  Kind of a do it yourself culture.  Some referencing it as unwillingness to compromise artistic integrity.  I mean the world is without one single definition.  Things that attempt over simplify and should be merely references.  

I thought built to spill was on warner brothers.

Indie does have a "sound" in my opinion but it's hard to put into words.  Part of the reason is because indie as a genre is pretty broad.  There are indie folk bands, indie rock bands, indie dance bands, etc.  But you can tell when a band is indie or not by how their music sounds.  You just can.

The 'mainstreamization' of indie is indeed happening right now -- turn on the radio and you'll hear indie-baiting bands like The Lumineers, cashing in on that post-Mumford and Sons kick.  Or how about hipster baiting bands like Neon Trees, Foster The People, The Naked and Famous.. these all have that indie "feel" but they are actually more like pre-packaged frozen dinners.  Easy to warm up and consume, but not much substance.

Once you've been listening to indie for years, you can instantly hear an indie band with integrity vs. just a band trying to cash in on the indie trend.  Indie vs. trendie.  I know a lot of people like to say that indie doesn't have a sound, but for the hardcore indie fan, you can hear an artist like Sufjan, for example, and know that he invokes the "indie" sound quite well.  It's tacit.  It's something that has to be felt, not explained.

I wonder if what you are hearing the "indie" sound is the normalization.  Major record labels employ normalization to make their music highly recognizable and can be a tad bit over clean.  I think most indie does not employ that same concept while recording.  But yeah the poser bands now that try and reach the indie market are just major labels trying to get their niche share.

oh no, just messing with you.  Built to spill is still really good.