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"indie"

GreenTeaDiseaseGreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
edited March 2008 in Other Music
ok, so back in the day, "indie" referred to a sound, but to be an "indie" band you not only had to have the sound, but you also had to be on an indie label. now, people are calling everything on the radio and major labels "indie." I'm so confused, someone please explain.
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  • harmless_little_f***harmless_little_f*** Posts: 8,005
    I don't understand it. All I know is that I want the heads of every current UK "Indie" band on a plate, and then I want to force George Bush to eat them.
    'We're learning songs for baby Jesus' birthday. His mum and dad were Merry and Joseph. He had a bed made of clay and the three kings bought him Gold, Frankenstein and Merv as presents.'

    - the great Sir Leo Harrison
  • DaytimeDilemmaDaytimeDilemma Posts: 2,008
    Yeah, thanks to publications like Pitchfork Media, "indie" is not only a sound, but a style and way of life.


    Bascially anything Pitchfork Media gives a score of 8 or above is very, very indie.


    Anyone with a bowl haircut, wearing thick rimmed glasses, sitting in a local coffee shop...indie kids with $$$ may be found in star bucks...and listen to Death Cab, Modest Mouse, and Spoon are indie. Even though I love Spoon, this is true.


    Indie kids are usually very pretentious and consider themselves music snobs even though they don't know that much about music and refer to Velvet Underground & Nico as the bench mark album to which all other music is compared.


    I'm the first to admit, I have indie tendencies, but am far from a full fledged indie person.


    So yeah.
  • GreenTeaDiseaseGreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
    DaytimeDilemma wrote:
    Yeah, thanks to publications like Pitchfork Media, "indie" is not only a sound, but a style and way of life.


    Bascially anything Pitchfork Media gives a score of 8 or above is very, very indie.


    Anyone with a bowl haircut, wearing thick rimmed glasses, sitting in a local coffee shop...indie kids with $$$ may be found in star bucks...and listen to Death Cab, Modest Mouse, and Spoon are indie. Even though I love Spoon, this is true.


    Indie kids are usually very pretentious and consider themselves music snobs even though they don't know that much about music and refer to Velvet Underground & Nico as the bench mark album to which all other music is compared.


    I'm the first to admit, I have indie tendencies, but am far from a full fledged indie person.


    So yeah.

    well I know all about the "indie" lifestyle, it's been around for a WHILE. One of my best friends was a huge indie kid in the 90s (you know, worshiped pavement and guided by voices). but what I don't get is how it seems to be the term to describe what's popular now. Like if you say "what do you call Modest Mouse, Death Cab, etc?" people will say "indie" (I think because these bands USED to be indie, but then they broke, and now they and all that sounds like them has inherited the term). it's akin to the term "grunge" or "alternative" from the early 90s. But if this is the case, then what the hell do you call REAL indie music now? The stuff that real "indie kids" are into, the stuff that's actually on independent labels and in local clubs? "Indie" is now taken for mainstream, so what do you call the real indie?
  • Jeremy1012Jeremy1012 Posts: 7,170
    GreenTeaDisease wrote:
    ok, so back in the day, "indie" referred to a sound, but to be an "indie" band you not only had to have the sound, but you also had to be on an indie label. now, people are calling everything on the radio and major labels "indie." I'm so confused, someone please explain.
    No it didn't :)

    Try to find me a Replacements song that sounds like a Fugazi song. Back in the day, 'indie' referred solely to the label thing and a certain DIY aesthetic, not to the music itself. The Replacements were a sloppy rock 'n' roll band but people called them indie. It's NOW that it refers to a sound.
    "I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead, I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land — every colour, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike — all snored in the same language"
  • DaytimeDilemmaDaytimeDilemma Posts: 2,008
    GreenTeaDisease wrote:
    well I know all about the "indie" lifestyle, it's been around for a WHILE. One of my best friends was a huge indie kid in the 90s (you know, worshiped pavement and guided by voices). but what I don't get is how it seems to be the term to describe what's popular now. Like if you say "what do you call Modest Mouse, Death Cab, etc?" people will say "indie" (I think because these bands USED to be indie, but then they broke, and now they and all that sounds like them has inherited the term). it's akin to the term "grunge" or "alternative" from the early 90s. But if this is the case, then what the hell do you call REAL indie music now? The stuff that real "indie kids" are into, the stuff that's actually on independent labels and in local clubs? "Indie" is now taken for mainstream, so what do you call the real indie?


    That really depends what kind of music it is. And yes, those bands are indie cause they were on indie labels and they broke, but the music is still alternative and different so the label stuck.


    I mean if it's a metal band on an independent label, then it's metal regardless.
  • pjoasisrulepjoasisrule Posts: 3,412
    To me, indie is basically a term to replace alternative. I think there were better bands during the alternative era though.
    Alpine Valley 2000
    Summerfest 2006

    "Why would they come to our concert just to boo us?" -Lisa Simpson
  • DaytimeDilemmaDaytimeDilemma Posts: 2,008
    pjoasisrule wrote:
    To me, indie is basically a term to replace alternative. I think there were better bands during the alternative era though.



    This is somewhat the case. I mean the reason is because how alternative is a band that makes pop-esque songs that have a verse, a chorus, and a bridge that use two guitars, a bass, drums, and a keyboard?

    So they call that indie now.

    Alternative, nowadays, seems to be attatched to real alternative music. Stuff that is a little bit farther out there.


    I mean the Spin Doctors as alternative? Yeah, ok.
  • GreenTeaDiseaseGreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
    Jeremy1012 wrote:
    No it didn't :)

    Try to find me a Replacements song that sounds like a Fugazi song. Back in the day, 'indie' referred solely to the label thing and a certain DIY aesthetic, not to the music itself. The Replacements were a sloppy rock 'n' roll band but people called them indie. It's NOW that it refers to a sound.

    I never thought of the replacements or fugazi as "indie" even though they were on indie labels. as Daytime said, a metal band is a metal band regardless of being on an independent label and the same applies here. But that's why I say "indie" used to be a type of sound/look AND an independent label. When I think of indie, I think Guided By Voices first and foremost. Around 1999, 2000 I thought of Death Cab for Cutie.

    Hell, if were JUST the label, Pearl Jam would be an indie band now.
  • Jeremy1012Jeremy1012 Posts: 7,170
    GreenTeaDisease wrote:
    I never thought of the replacements or fugazi as "indie" even though they were on indie labels. as Daytime said, a metal band is a metal band regardless of being on an independent label and the same applies here. But that's why I say "indie" used to be a type of sound/look AND an independent label. When I think of indie, I think Guided By Voices first and foremost. Around 1999, 2000 I thought of Death Cab for Cutie.

    Hell, if were JUST the label, Pearl Jam would be an indie band now.
    No, PJ wouldn't because we're talking now and now, indie does refer to a certain kind of sound, though not a particularly designated, specific one. Whenever I hear anything or read anything about the 80s indie scene, the same names come up. The Replacements, R.E.M, Husker Du, Minutemen, Sonic Youth, even sometimes Fugazi. The similarities between some of the bands don't extend far beyond similar business ethics and the fact they probably all toured together at some point. In fact, the only two with any remotely similar sounds are R.E.M and late Husker Du and that was at a time when both were on major labels anyway.
    "I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead, I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land — every colour, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike — all snored in the same language"
  • mole1985mole1985 Posts: 1,119
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_pop
    Dublin 2006
    Katowice 2007
    London 2007
  • restlesssoulrestlesssoul Posts: 6,951
    if you want to be indie, simply grow a beard and wear a scarf. also, tight jeans and thick rimmed glasses as mentioned. :)
    Van '98, Sea I+II '00, Sea '01, Sea II '02, Van '03, Gorge, Van, Cal, Edm '05, Bos I+II, Phi I+II, DC, SF II+III, Port, Gorge I+II '06, DC, NY I+II '08, Sea I+II, Van, Ridge , LA III+IV' 09, Indy '10, Cal, Van '11, Lond, Van, Sea '13, Memphis '14, RRHOF '17, Sea I+II '18, Van I+II, Vegas I+II '24
  • xSmackSoundxxSmackSoundx Posts: 479
    labeling music genres in my windows media player is so fucking hard these days... lol
  • xSmackSoundxxSmackSoundx Posts: 479
    restlesssoul wrote:
    if you want to be indie, simply grow a beard and wear a scarf. also, tight jeans and thick rimmed glasses as mentioned. :)

    is this frowned upon as much as like the EMO style and everything? Do people hate these people?
  • pjoasisrulepjoasisrule Posts: 3,412
    xSmackSoundx wrote:
    is this frowned upon as much as like the EMO style and everything? Do people hate these people?

    They do kinda annoy me, especially the screaming girls at concerts. The girls are always wearing a 60s dress, boots, and usually have red hair with bangs over their eyes.
    Alpine Valley 2000
    Summerfest 2006

    "Why would they come to our concert just to boo us?" -Lisa Simpson
  • MCGMCG Posts: 780
    Indie has become a useless term, with no real meaning. Just like when every doinker with a plaid shirt and a guitar was labelled as part of the 'grunge' movement.
    Which came first,
    the bad idea or me befallen by it?
  • mattosbornemattosborne Posts: 339
    Very simple:

    Indie use to be a status, now it's a genre.
    The Official Matt Cameron appreciation signature!
  • restlesssoulrestlesssoul Posts: 6,951
    i think indie has meshed into a new/old genre: "hipster" and from what i know lots of people dislike them. hipsters get made fun of a lot here. their music snobbery and their clothes. but especially the "i listen to bands that dont exist yet" attitude. there are a lot of them here in vancouver. they are dicks, they work at this record store called zulu. and they think you know nothing if you dont have a little beard and scarf...i go in there pretty informed, and they dont believe a word i say cause i wear a sporty nike jacket and am sans beard. the beard thing is a HUGE prerequisite here...thats why i keep mentioning it. ...
    Van '98, Sea I+II '00, Sea '01, Sea II '02, Van '03, Gorge, Van, Cal, Edm '05, Bos I+II, Phi I+II, DC, SF II+III, Port, Gorge I+II '06, DC, NY I+II '08, Sea I+II, Van, Ridge , LA III+IV' 09, Indy '10, Cal, Van '11, Lond, Van, Sea '13, Memphis '14, RRHOF '17, Sea I+II '18, Van I+II, Vegas I+II '24
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