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[Skibas_clavicle]

How 'bout giving these guys a go?
{Long list}
Pick randomly. You're bound to like one.

He covered most of what I wanted to say, but I'd add TV on the Radio, Fischerspooner, Jawbreaker, Quasi and Slint to that list. They're pretty kicking. Fun stuff!

[Tabilus]

I get why the rest are daft selections, but why not Death Cab For Cutie? I mean what else could they be? And please don't say emo, because, well, they just aren't.

He's just saying that all those people are signed. Haven't you heard DCFC is signed to Atlantic Records? It was like the indie scandal of the century. Just kidding.

But more and more "signed" artist are being described as "indie" it's not technically correct but these mainstream artists are starting to put out a not-so-mainstream sound. Which if you think really hard on it, is bullshit because it's still in the mainstream. AGH, indie hurts my head.

[madweasel]

Surprised no ones mentioned Nick Cave yet.  

also Marriane Faithfull's last album "before the poison" aint too shabby either.

Oh - I tend to use the completely arbitrary means of judging indie as "Is clearchannel playing you?  No?  Indie."

Accurate?  Not wholly, but no more or less so than half the other confused methods ^.^

[Merkava]

I get why the rest are daft selections, but why not Death Cab For Cutie? I mean what else could they be? And please don't say emo, because, well, they just aren't.

Thank you.

Death Cab is getting a lot of press now, but uh...they USED to be Indie. In fact, they used to sound like Built to Spill with more keyboards (Something About Airplanes).

[Mr. Oysterhead]

Is it just me or are Built to Spill and Modest Mouse the same band?

(Joking obviously, but don't they sound extremly similar?)

[RUMBLEMOOSE]

Uh, no?
Built to Spill and 764-HERO, at times, maybe, are close.
But surely not Modest Mouse. What have you heard by Built to Spill that sounds like MM?

[Joseph]

Also, since you have a classic rock background, I'd suggest two bands: the Hold Steady and the Rye Coalition. They are both heavily influenced by Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC and so on.

  I love how incredibly out of place Springsteen is on that list...

  Anyway, I only started getting into indie music about 4 or 5 months ago, so from my experience, here are some of the best groups to start with:

Modest Mouse
The Flaming Lips
The New Pornographers
Broken Social Scene
Stars
Wilco
Sloan
A.C. Newman
Wolf Parade

  From there, just keep exploring.  Don't be afraid to give things a try if they're recommended is the best advice I can really give.

[southern_dan]

my mums indie

[a pack of wolves]

I get why the rest are daft selections, but why not Death Cab For Cutie? I mean what else could they be? And please don't say emo, because, well, they just aren't.

He's just saying that all those people are signed. Haven't you heard DCFC is signed to Atlantic Records? It was like the indie scandal of the century. Just kidding.

But more and more "signed" artist are being described as "indie" it's not technically correct but these mainstream artists are starting to put out a not-so-mainstream sound. Which if you think really hard on it, is bullshit because it's still in the mainstream. AGH, indie hurts my head.

Ah, I see. It makes sense now. I don't really read the music press much, and the last thing I read about DCFC was an interview where they said they couldn't see themselves ever signing to a major, so I had no idea they'd actually gone and done it.

[Merkava]

Is it just me or are Built to Spill and Modest Mouse the same band?

(Joking obviously, but don't they sound extremly similar?)

Here's the thing: Modest Mouse was influenced by The Pixies and Built to Spill, so that may explain some of what you said, but really, I see more Pixies than Built to Spill. I guess you could say that Trailer Trash or a couple of other songs on Lonesome Crowded West sound like BtS, but I see much more Pixies in them.

The most appropriate comparison, I'd say, would be to Pavement.

[theenginedriver]

Surprised no ones mentioned Nick Cave yet.  

.... marry me? allow me to bear your children?

the birthday party and nick cave and the bad seeds are a good find, though not instantly accessible. but worth it.

[toolazytothinkupaname]

If I were you I would just start with Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea then work from there. Prefferably via Death Cab For Cutie, Flaming Lips, Belle & Sebastian, Tom Waits, Sigur Ros, Arcade Fire, Jurassic 5, Bloc Party, The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens. That way you get a good range of new and old, and lots of different types of music to try out (not that you have to limit yourself to anyone of them, personally I like them all), plus you're bound to like at least one of them, and they're all easy to find at any legal or otherwise source (but if you do download it make sure you buy the album if you like it). And whoever says that Jurassic 5 doesn't count as indie get a boxed ear.

[nescience]

Combing the archives... this thread was AWESOME.  Where does an "indie beginner" start with this mess??

BUMP

[Spartan Pho3nix]

Well, you start in 1960s with the Velvet Underground.
Then you follow the roots of the scene along until...
uh - jk.

[Octillus]

Now, for some nice easy to get into stuff for beginners.
[...]
Modest Mouse Preferably GOod News for People who like bad news)
[...]
Afterwards, you'll want to listen to stuff that could be considerred a bit weirder and maybe more difficult to get into. Try Broken Social Scene. Arcade fire.

Modest Mouse easier to get into than Arcade Fire? Whoa. To me Modest Mouse sound just a tiny bit "odd", while Arcade Fire are definitely relatively easy to get into, and overall pleasant.

Quoted for truth.

I'm a rocker type, and the Arcade Fire was certainly my gateway band but if you're gonna go the modest mouse route, Good News and the Moon and Antarctica are great albums (m and A obviously greater )

[Spartan Pho3nix]

I totally went the modest mouse route way back when. I think it's probably the answer, actually.

[lost_vicuña]

I myself am pretty new to indie. I started with the Arcade Fire - Funeral. which is a great album. On the top of my list is Broken Social Scene, American Analog Set, Cake, Radiohead,  The Decemberists, Architecture in Helsinki. Oh, Mogwai. Guess most of my likes so far are from QC and some friends but it really is nice to hear some music with actual melody and thought put into it.

[lost_vicuña]

I myself am pretty new to indie. I started with the Arcade Fire - Funeral. which is a great album. On the top of my list is Broken Social Scene, American Analog Set, Cake, Radiohead,  The Decemberists, Architecture in Helsinki. Oh, Mogwai. Guess most of my likes so far are from QC and some friends but it really is nice to hear some music with actual melody and thought put into it.

[Houn]

-- Warning:  This post is long, it rambles like a confused stream, and ultimately has no point. --

Ok, so I found this comic about a week and a half ago.  Love it, BTW.  Some good writing, and it was awesome to watch the art improve and evolve (Read the whole thing in one sitting, hehe).  But, I was noticing myself asking, "Whe the heck are these bands?"

So, I read the Recomended Listening.  I started lurking the boards.  And I started randomly downloading.

A bit of musical history: I grew up in the middle of nowhere; High School graduating class of 50.  If it wasn't Country or Classic Rock, it didn't exist.  The kids all watched MTV, of course, so that was where the music I first started listening to was: MTV, and other MTV-watching teens.  This is late 90s, so Alt-Rock was all the rage still, but honestly, music was something that wasn't all that interesting to me, so mostly, I went without.

Then, I graduated, and moved to Seattle, WA to do the College thing.  For the most part, the music I was exposed to wasn't anything life-changing, except for one album - Beaucoup Fish by Underworld.  I still can't put my finger on why, but I LOVE this album, and have probably listened to it more times than anything else, period.  I had to go out and find more Underworld, which I also enjoyed, but for the most part, found the Techno scene to be difficult to get into, and more to find stuff I liked.  So, again, I dropped into Musical Stasis.

Until recently.  A coworker introduced me to some of his faves, bands like System of a Down, Antiflag, NoFX, and Mindless Self Indulgence, all of whom I'm enjoying greatly.  Thing is, I'd been feeling agitated and jaded about music for a long time, to the point where I'd leave the radio in the car off rather than listen to the latest Bizkit clone.  Finding some new bands that I actually ENJOYED listening to seemed to make it worse, as I pulled up my mp3 collection, and found no desire to listen to anything in it, barring the few latest bands, whom I was starting to overplay.  By sheer coincidence, another friend linked me to a funny QC Strip (#527: Those Poor Horsies).  I laughed.  I clicked "First".  And we're back up to the present, hehe.

So, knowing absolutely nothing about any of the bands mentioned, I hit these boards.  And this thread.  And I started collecting, at random, anything that was listed and praised.

...And I like.  I like alot.

So far, I've gotten:

Arcade Fire - Self Titled (Us Kids Know?)
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Broken Social Scene - Self-Titled
Broken Social Scene - Feel Good Lost
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People
Interpol - Antics
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Modest Mouse - Interstae 8
Modest Mouse - Sad Sappy Sucker
Modest Mouse - Building Nothing Out of Something
Modest Mouse - Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again
Sigur Ros - ()
Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
Sigur Ros - Takk
The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
The New Pornographers - The Electric Version
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
The Postal Service - Give Up
The Shins - Chutes too Narrow
The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

I know, alot for one week, heh.  The best part is, even though I was going into this with no idea what I'd hear, what it would sound like... I like it all.  Well, except the Modest Mouse stuff; I enjoy Good News, but just can't get into the rest of it.

So far, the two that have had the biggest impact are:

Postal Service - Give Up
I can't put my finger on why, but this album is awesome.  It just sounds good - it's enjoyable to hear.  My first run though it, I thought it was a tad whiny, but the more I listened, the more wit I was catching in the lyrics.  Sure, some of it's sappy, but he sings it from a very realistic place that I can identify with.  Track 4, Nothing Better, blew my mind.  I was just about to dismiss it as another "she broke my heart" song, when suddenly, she jumped in and started singing back, and I realized, "Holy crap, he's not singing to the audience, he's singing to her!"  I sat completely mesmerized at the surreal interchange between the vocalists, and the eventual unhappy outcome.

Sigur Ros - ()
I have no idea how to even classify what they're doing, but it's good.  Real good.  I find myself suddenly stopping whatever I'm doing just to listen to it.  So subtle and powerful and beautiful all at once.

Anyway, there's no point to this post, other than to share.  I figure, you shared something with me, even if you didn't know you were doing it, and I'm finding myself happy about music in a way I've never been, ever since I bought my first cassette tapes as a pre-teen back in the early 90s.  So, thank you!  Here's to many more great tracks!

*edit - I can't believe I left the Flaming Lips off the first time.  If Clouds Taste Metallic, then serve me up a heaping plate of iron filings! =D

[Spartan Pho3nix]

OMG. Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin.

One of the best albums of the past decade. That's the Lips album you want, not the other two.

Secondly, give the modest mouse stuff more of a chance (lonesome crowded is amazing).

Okay - so, if that's the stuff you ended up liking, give Death Cab for Cutie a try.

Also listen to the Shins.

[nescience]

Beaucoup Fish by Underworld

Nice!  Born Slippy is my ringtone!  Rawks also on the middle-of-nowhere Washington Staters (which i assume since you moved to Seattle).  Yea 509.

What was the topic again?  Oh yeah, indie 101.  Listen to the Velvet Underground, the Pixies, Sonic Youth, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Talking Heads, Wilco, the better part of the Elephant 6 collective...  oh fuck it, there should be a Beginner's Mixes forum.[/quote]

[Spartan Pho3nix]

I should write the "n00bs guide to intro indie"
Maybe I will. That'd be fun.

[Houn]

Spartan Pho3nix:

The Soft Bulletin coming down the pipe.  I promise to feel guilty for my evil ways just as soon as piracy goes out of style. ;)

To be fair, I haven't had enough time to give all of it the decent attention it deserves - but throwing it all into one playlist and hitting Random, those two are the ones that immediately caught my attention.  But, like I said, so far, I haven't heard anything I DON'T like, heh.  I'll give the MM another go around, and I'm loading up that Shins I've got for Personal Attentive Review right now, actually.

*edit* I'd read and appriciate any info you're willing to commit, heh.  Seems like a daunting task, seeing how personal tastes account so largely into people's reception to things like music, though.



nescience:

Actually, Middle of Nowhere was Western Montana.  Instead of the flat dry farmland you get in *edit*Eastern*edit* Washington, you get rocky mountains and dry, scrubby trees.  Only real difference is that Mountains block Radio Reception, where as Farmland does not.  And yeah, Underworld rocks.  For the longest time Beaucoup Fish was my favorite album, but lately I'm torn between it and Everything Everything (CD Version, I fully intend on purchasing the DVD if I can ever find it).

Lessie... Pixies did that song on the end of Fight Club, no?  *Googles* Yup, "Where is My Mind".  I'll have to check them out, yeah, along with the rest.



Undirected Question:

Where does one go to learn how to identify all this music?  In browsing about, I've already confused myself trying to wrap my head around terms like Indie-rock, Indietronic, Basement, Post-Basement...

Ouch.  I think I just sprained my left cortex.

[Spartan Pho3nix]

Crap. Point number one - NEVER random.

I always play full Albums. It's much better.
Even if you only listen to the full album when you first download it and sort out what tracks you like (i never do this, but you can if you want).
But give em a full through.

Secdonly, the pixies pwn. Doolittle doolittle doolittle. I actually like bossanova after that, but i'd have to recommend surfer rosa just due to commmon preference.

[Houn]

Crap. Point number one - NEVER random.

I always play full Albums. It's much better.
Even if you only listen to the full album when you first download it and sort out what tracks you like (i never do this, but you can if you want).
But give em a full through.

Secdonly, the pixies pwn. Doolittle doolittle doolittle. I actually like bossanova after that, but i'd have to recommend surfer rosa just due to commmon preference.

Yeah... Well, seeing as I kinda took a shotgun approach to this, I found myself with a large amount of stuff to listen to very quickly.  Seemed appropriate to just Random it and see what shook loose.

Though I'll agree with you, there is something infinately enjoyable about listening to a complete album in it's proper order.  Especially when you discover that they link together into a loose narrative of mood and tempo.  Or something.  I should probably refrain from pretending to know how to describe music, hehe.

Oh, and before I forget, there was another album I came across a few months back that very nearly melted my brain.  It's called "Dub Side of the Moon" - a Reggae Revisioning of Pink Floyd's infamous and often laser-accompanied Dark Side of the Moon.  I was skeptical at first, but after listening to it, I'm convinced that Dark Side was always intended to be Reggae, and Floyd just had it all wrong.  Blod Statement?  Perhaps, but sleep deprivation emboldens the n00bs. ;)

[Spartan Pho3nix]

Okay. While you're downloading music and all, i have to recommend a NEW release for you to download.

Mogwai - Mr. Beast.

Album comes out in March. It's leaked.
Download it. And enjoy, repeatedly. It's amazing.

Also, for a different sort of music, try listening to Explosions in the Sky. I recommend the Album "Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die...Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever". It's pretty amazing. Pretty much no lyrics, but it's more than worth it.

These are more classified as "Post-Rock."

[Houn]

Ok, you were right.  The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow is a good album.  Suft Bulletin down, all three Pixies you mentioned in the pipe, as well as that Mogwai.

And searching Wikipedia for post-rock helps very little.  I feel I need a degree in Musical History and Studies just to know what's going on in that article, lol.

Anyway, time for me to hit the sack.  I'll chat at you all more tomorrow.  Thanks for the Recommends!

[Spartan Pho3nix]

Good luck on your awesome quest.

[Houn]

Mornin' all.

I'm starting to feel like I've hijacked this thread.  If you all prefer, I can go start a new one.  Because I'm totally important enough for my own thread.  Totally. =D

Anyway, I listened to Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin.  I thought QC#141 was joking, but no - I really DO want to dance around giggling like an idiot.  Replace the man in the white suit with a hot chick in a white suit, though.  Awesome stuff.

[Houn]

By Two, I'm pretty sure he meant the two I'd picked up:

The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

And I've been chillin' out to Broken Social Scene all morning at work.  Of course, because I'm at work, it's playing softly and not getting much mental attention, but I'm chillin' all the same.

[Houn]

See, I'm generally a nice guy, and a good person.  A bit of a jaded cynic, but if given the choice, I'll choose right over wrong with a 95% success rate.

That said, I have evolved beyond mankind into a greater being, unbound by any ethics or morals regarding the purchasing or piracy of content, enlightened by the Goodness of the Most Holy Internet.

(Read: I'm too broke to buy CDs anyway.  I LIKE having CDs.  That last hard drive failure and loss of everything, MP3s included, really drove home the impermanency of digital media collection, but when you're feeding a family on a single salary, wants for things like CDs typically get shuffled to the back of a long list.  A list which seems to primarily consists of infinate permutations of the words "Bill", "Food", and "Diaper"...)

*edit for a spelling error that makes evolved beings cry*

[eternie]

Devics are love, as are Rilo Kiley and The Apples In Stereo. Just my three current loves, really.

I'd include the Unicorns but they scared me when I first heard them.

[ozphactor]

I'd include the Unicorns but they scared me when I first heard them.

Hey! Unicorns are people too!

[Houn]

I'd include the Unicorns but they scared me when I first heard them.

Hey! Unicorns are people too!

...people with STABBY HORNS!  AH, HA HA HA HA HA.... *cough*

Ok, not funny.  Who're the Unicorns?

[nescience]

They are Canadians who think they are funny.  They do not make music as the Unicorns anymore.

[Houn]

I've been stuck on The Soft Bulletin all day, heh.  Even got the little woman hooked on it now.

I also loaded up all the Pixies I dled once I got home.  Surfer Rosa and Bossanova are awesome, but Doolittle is my fav of the three.  Listening to it makes me fell, well... happy!  Yay, happy!

I started listening to the Mogwai - Mr. Beast, and the first track completely blew my mind.  So, I sat down the headphones, turned it off.  I'm saving this for later tonight, when I can sit back with zero distractions to listen to it.

[Houn]

Ok, Mogwai - Mr Beast.

Forgive my lack of musical terms, but it's like wading through a heavy, thick soup of raw rock emotion.  And that's a good thing.  I'm definately going to check out some more Mogwai after listening to that.

I'm noticing alot of heavier stuff in my playlist of late.  Perhaps I need to find some happy, bouncy stuff to even it out?

[tedboles]

kepler

everyone needs to listen to this band

[Houn]

Offer me a higher paying job, and I'll buy every CD I've ever dled. =D

As it stands, the "lost sales" arguement doesn't apply to me, as I don't have the cash to buy CDs anyway.  Not that I don't want to - I prefer having them around, but every CD I own is ripped for digital convenience.

I do enjoy supporting good bands with my wallet, though. ;)

[ASturge]

Wow Houn.

I bow to your ultimate indieness...

[Houn]

*whosh*

I can't tell, was that a joke or not?

[Joseph]

Well, I only just started getting into the indie scene in September, so I have some recommendations for things that you don't appear to have yet, Houn:

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
The Decemberists - Picaresque
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?

[Houn]

Mostly just been trying to go through and absorb the stuff I've gotten, of which I'm sure most/all has already been listed.  I find myself flipping most frequently between a combo of Pixies/Flaming Lips/Postal Service when I'm happy and upbeat, and Sigur Ros/Mogwai when I'm feelin' smooth and chill.  (No depression here, I'm a pretty happy guy ;) )

And yeah, I don't drink, don't smoke, have a wife and 2 kids (3 years and 4 months), live in an apartment, paying off a car and two people's student loans, some minor CC debt from that unemployment streak, and all on a single salary, hehe.

"Vice" for me is $15 a month for World of Warcraft and a $19 Netflix subscription, lol.

And, just in case you weren't joking, ASturge, I'm not here to be Indie.  I'm here to find some good music. ;)

[Houn]

*double-post*  Horray for Work-lag!

[nescience]

Then I recommend you make a trip out to Everyday Music on Broadway and spend a couple hours "browsing" while listening to the stuff they play and asking about it when you hear something you like.  The clerks there tend to be pretty eager to spread the word of their favorite music.

[Houn]

Then I recommend you make a trip out to Everyday Music on Broadway and spend a couple hours "browsing" while listening to the stuff they play and asking about it when you hear something you like.  The clerks there tend to be pretty eager to spread the word of their favorite music.

Sweet, I was looking for a babysitter!  You'll be by at noon on Sat, right? ;D

[Houn]

Well, I only just started getting into the indie scene in September, so I have some recommendations for things that you don't appear to have yet, Houn:

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
The Decemberists - Picaresque
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?

Oh, I did actually grab some Decemberists, and was enjoying it at work today, and then was called emo for it and turned it off in shame.

(Not really on the turning off or the shame, but there was copious amounts of mock-sulking and fake LJ posting.)

[nescience]

Sweet, I was looking for a babysitter!  You'll be by at noon on Sat, right?

HA, don't live in Washington anymore!  Sucks to be YOU!

[Houn]

Sweet, I was looking for a babysitter!  You'll be by at noon on Sat, right? ;D

HA, don't live in Washington anymore!  Sucks to be YOU!

Today is the 25th straight day of rain.  Ick.

And I'm actually in Renton, so Broadway is a bit of a hop for me these days, but yeah, I know where Everyday is.

[Fabio]

Wow Houn.

I bow to your ultimate indieness...

....yeah, all i have to say is..

SLOW THE FECK DOWN BILLY there'll be enough peni-..erm i mean indie for everyone.