WHAT IS UP doods. I see there’ve been quite a few ‘genre’ topics springing up as of late, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to do one on indie music since no one’s really done it yet and most of GW seems to listen to metal/progressive/hardcore type stuff so I don’t know if you guys will like this stuff but you should definitely check it out! I know SOMEONE is going to come in and say "lawl indie music can be anything that's independant", but i'm sure most of us know now that indie has sort of evolved into it's own sound and even though it does mean independant, it doesn't mean every independant band is considered "indie", so to say. Kind of like how Pop really means popular but doesn't necessarily have to be popular or how shoegazing has it's own sound even though it's SHOEGAZING.
I have plenty more artists I can talk about (and more obscure ones if you think this isn’t OBSCURE enough for your tastes) so if you guys like this I can do these weekly or biweekly or something.
k so let’s start.
Arcade FireThis is a pretty obvious choice. I’m sure more of you have heard of the Arcade Fire, but if you haven’t, it’s a multi-instrumental, “orchestral” band (as in more than just guitar, bass, drums) from Montreal that have something like 9 members playing in their band. It’s usually pretty layered in terms of instrumentals and I know sometimes people don’t like the singers voice but I personally enjoy it.
Rebellion (Lies):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NNfWC4SgkcsKeep the Car Running:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bFFpL6Jj5IIStarsNext band on the list is the Stars. They’re an indie pop band that usually has fairly simple instrumentals coupled with a duet singing really catchy often-mellow lyrics. I particularly love this band because it’s both a male and female singer and they both have really nice voices so when you need to CHILLAX or whatever, this is the band to listen to! Their new album, “In Our Bedroom After the War” is really fucking good, I highly recommend it.
Personal:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJ3cw_Er3hIThe Night Starts Here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uve64upuhrcBeirutThis is a pretty interesting band. It sounds like an entire Balkan orchestra playing modern music, there’s usually tons of instruments in the music like horns, violins, cello, ukuleles, mandolins, glockenspiels, drums, tambourines, congas, organs, pianos, clarinets and accordions (the guitar is rarely the main focus of the instrumentals). Personally I’m a sucker for weird instruments like this and gypsy-like music so I really like this band.
Elephant Gun:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kjeh6P4sRfwBroken Social SceneBroken Social Scene is an extremely layered (instrumentally) indie group from Toronto. I think they’re one of the more “well known” bands here so you’ve probably already heard of them. I know a lot of people’s complaints with the band is that they don’t have a set, straightforward melody or song structure, but you get used to it and start enjoying it. The band is pretty much formed of extremely talented musicians, all playing at the same time (including Feist and Emily Haines (of Metric)) and some of them have their own solo albums/are in other bands, so you could check those out too.
Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xl3PyTqsc5c7/4 Shoreline:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Uev2J_cBHjQClap Your Hands Say YeahA band sort of similar to the Arcade Fire. Again, lots of unconventional musical styles all mixed into one but many people think that the singer’s voice is too “whiny” (I did at first too), but trust me, it’s definitely a grower. (And for those who like pitchfork, they rated their self-titled debut album in 2005 the “Best New Music” of the year).
Satan Said Dance (wait about 40 seconds (I’m also really hooked to this song)):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QN0iYUaTL4MOver and Over Again:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jvw2cf0DJYADeerhoofI’ve already talked about them in the “what are you listening to” thread so I’ll just copy paste that.
I don't even know how to classify this music, it's pretty weird. I've grown accustomed to it though and now I think it's really fucking awesome. It's pretty much really experimental indie-type riffs with a japanese chick singing really horrible lyrics that are surprisingly extremely catchy. I know lots of people who absolutely loathe this band because of the really weird instrumentals and the singer's japanese accent but seriously it pretty different and maybe some of you will like it (indie trash).
They were relatively unknown prior to this latest release but now (especially here in Toronto), they've been getting a lot more attention. Who knows, maybe they'll become MAINSTREAM but I really doubt that.
Check this shit out, but you may not like it:
Believe ESP:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OFJrfoZH1w4The Perfect Me:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1rrnTDDhVnwFinal FantasyCopy-paste again
This guy is pretty great (despite horrible name (this also made finding his music really hard for me)), he's a Toronto indie artist whose songs are predominantly violin and he uses various effects and sometimes piano in his songs. The themes are sometimes horrible (DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS) but he sometimes has really good ones you can connect with as well. I dunno, it's just pretty UNIQUE because it's just violin.
I've discovered him from seeing him perform with Do Make Say Think last year on Canada Day and fell in love ever since. I'm going to be seeing him again April 8th with Jens Lekman (who is also pretty great), so if you haven't heard of either and aren't only into hardcore then you should check them out!
Cover of Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy”..just to see how he plays live:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0O_yyEA72HEHe Poos Clouds:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5pQl7kye_d8The Go! TeamThis is another pretty interesting band. It’s a mixture of action theme songs, cheerleader chants, noise-pop guitars, early hip-hop and some funk. Basically, it’s like a giant mess that brings out melodies, it’s pretty cool. A lot of their music is sampled but it’s all pieced together and makes really unique music.
Ladyflash:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1lT2Tq2rC9IJunior Kickstart:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wQg7qOB5HegIslandsThis is a 6 piece also from Montreal (seems to be a recurring theme with indie music) that makes catchy indie pop music. They’re the result of the disbandment of the Unicorns and also collaborated with other acts such as the Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade. They’re coming to Toronto soon, hopefully I’ll be seeing them!
Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=F2SSIcG8FH4Rough Gem:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RpQwZ_gdE1w!!!Finally, the last band is !!!, pronounced “Chk chk chk” or any other 3 syllable combination repeated 3 times. They combine a lot of funk, rock and electronica together to create very danceable “dance punk” or “punk funk” but I still consider their sound to be pretty “indie”.
Must Be the Moon:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wl0XLHy7kesYadnus:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pfAd6lG8TSMSo there you have it. As I’ve said, if you like it, I can show some more bands next or next next week.
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"Indie" Music