"If music be the food of love, play on;..."

[NikkiGreen]

So, what qualifies as Indie music?



ETA: Obviously nothing to do with Indian music, right? ;D

[Sirenna]

I think it's anything unique, slightly off the pop-cult radar but that's not the real definition. For instance I like the song 'Oh Lord, There Ain't No Heaven' but that's considered house.

[trisha]

Indie isn't really genre specific, I dont' think. I always thought of indie as underground rock/pop/punk music; bands that don't see a lot of commercial radio play, but are recognized by critics and peers as being very talented artists. Eventually, it seems, the really great ones break through for at least some commercial radio play, like Radiohead and The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, and some explode from many years of relative obscurity to the cover of Rolling Stone, like AFI.

One of my favorite sort-of underground bands is The Faint. Give them a try and play a little game here. It's fun and free, and you don't have to sign up for anything.

[Sirenna]

Trisha, you know all the cool places! That means you must be truly indie.

Another group I like that's now become mainstream (so demoted in the indie hierarchy) is Ok! Go!

I think indie is all of the above; independant labels, non-mainstream, critically-acclaimed-by-everyone-but-the-critics . I'm not being wishy-washy -really! It like wearing Phat ten years ago.

I also think Indie is a social/political culture and, personally speaking, indie the way a deeply indie person might view it, (vs someone like me who is always a tourist) might be a bit too anarchistical.

[trisha]

You know, there are elitists for every band and every genre. If I can just fall into a piece here or there, then I'm happy. If that makes me a tourist, so be it.

So, who makes your current most played list? Here are some of mine off the top of my head ...

Muse
Incubus
Massive Attack
Tool
The Dandy Warhols
Sam Roberts
Modest Mouse
The Stills
Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
AFI
Plain White Tees
Taking Back Sunday

[Sirenna]

I don't know if I have any. Let me think about it.

[member727]

Probably the best definition I could think of for Indie would be 'chart-safe alternative' - ie, not so alternative that the teeny-boppers get upset, but at the same time not generic production-line pop. That's not to say it's not fairly generic in itself, but all scenes get like that after a while anyway.
I edged further and further from the mainstream as I moved through adolescence, these days though I only listen to maybe half a dozen bands. Lately I'm into either classically-inspired stuff, or deep intellectual lyrics. And I wouldn't listen to Britney unless I were tied down Clockwork Orange style

[LOCIfan]

Great topic!!

Indie IS difficult to define, isn't it? And lots of times, what starts out as Indie, turns into mainstream, i.e. Blues Traveller, The Dave Matthews Band...

Indie's kind of like what they say about pornography: hard to define, but you definitely know it when you see it!

[Sirenna]

blue traveller had one of the best lines ever describing disappointment: "Like a game show contestant with a parting gift, I could not believe my eyes..."

[Sirenna]

The Dandy Warhols are great. Now if I were going with member 727's definition, Feist, a Canadian, is pretty good too.

Now if we're going with the definition of what ever the flock I think indie means, K-os, another Canadian, is terrific. I know I'm plugging the canucks. Well, we don't have much but we do have a rich musicical tradition. (Yes, I know that means Celine. She's got her moments. Say what you will, no-one can fill seats like she can. But edgy? I wouldn't say that describes her.)

[Sirenna]

janethyland said:

How do you lot listen to your music?

Me, I listen. I can't listen and do things at the same time, especially write. Their words get in the way of my words. For me to really enjoy music, I really need no distractions and a perfect sonic set up. Any kind of buzz or imbalance, however slight (or imaginary ) throws me off and irritates. (In college I had an engineering friend come over to my residence with his sonar-measuring equipment to find the optimal area for my speakers to go. Sadly I kid you not.)

I find radio annoying but I love the invention of the Ipod and satellite radio. Choice of noise is key for me.

I do listen while I'm housecleaning but I prefer music video to just straight songs. At least when the music grabs my attention in the middle of doing something boring, I can look at the visual. Somehow the visual as well as the melodic re-inforces my sense of being attuned and connected.

Yes, I love concerts.

[spits]

Janet has the definition right - it's about who's behind the label and yes, it seems that most bands qualify as "chart safe alternative". I'm also an Incubus fan and like some of Massive Attack's songs - I currently like Minus the Bear, The Arcade Fire, The Servant, and Minibar (not sure if they're technically "indie" or not) among others.

I personally can't study without music - it's almost as if it provides enough of a distraction to allow me to focus. I can't listen to words (or else I become too distracted), but the background melody also provides the necessary "noise" for me.

[Sirenna]

I don't know. To me, it seems like an oxymoron, or what's the word I'm looking for, to try and define it.

[Techguy]

I started deconstructing music about the time The Beatles released their Magical Mystery Tour album. I still can't hear John say "I buried Paul" at the end of Strawberry Fields Forever. But that's because he supposedly REALLY says "cranberry sauce." Somehow that fact doesn't quite have the appeal of the mythical lyric.

[Sirenna]

That's an interesting story!

I shared an elevator in an hotel near the Schubert Theatre in NYC with Molly Ringwald about fifteen years ago. Funny, but it was totally forgettable experience.