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Author Topic: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic  (Read 12115 times)

Alternative_Pixie

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Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« on: 28 Jun 2008, 12:26 »

Yeah, so I know hardly any indie bands and I'm sick to death of listening to what everyone else is listening to.  It's all so... samey.  I know one or two indie bands, i.e. The Postal Service, Idlewild, Radiohead, Feist, John Frusciante... but I need more, and to know where to actually get their music.  I live in the UK if that helps.

Save me from society!!
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Kai

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #1 on: 28 Jun 2008, 12:26 »

merzbow is the most indie band ever
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but the music sucks because the keyboards don't have the cold/mechanical sound they had but a wannabe techno sound that it's pathetic for Rammstein standars.

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #2 on: 28 Jun 2008, 12:34 »

Los Campesinos! are the Best Band.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #3 on: 28 Jun 2008, 12:36 »

Kai is right. Also, Lightning Bolt. Indie as fuck. Put on some headphones, crank the volume, and enjoy the tunes.
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Plasticity

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #4 on: 28 Jun 2008, 13:16 »

Check out Times New Viking. They're amazing.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #5 on: 28 Jun 2008, 15:55 »

SUNSET RUBDOWN is the best band ever.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #6 on: 28 Jun 2008, 15:59 »

check out stuntrock. Oh yeah, and masonna is some pretty cool indie-pop. See whether you can pick up their split with cecil taylor.
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KickThatBathProf

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #7 on: 28 Jun 2008, 16:04 »

Melt Banana
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #8 on: 28 Jun 2008, 16:07 »

Firewater by Silkworm.

Listen to it right now.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #9 on: 28 Jun 2008, 16:37 »

start with Nirvana

go from there
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Where I come from, we usually just shorten that to "yee-haw!"

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #10 on: 28 Jun 2008, 17:01 »

Melt Banana

Get the splits with Three Studies For A Crucifixion and Narcosis and you'll be sorted.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #11 on: 28 Jun 2008, 17:27 »

Yeah, so I know hardly any indie bands and I'm sick to death of listening to what everyone else is listening to.

Sounds fair. We will help you!
Quote
I know one or two indie bands, i.e. The Postal Service, Idlewild, Radiohead, Feist, John Frusciante...

Okay. I guess one or two of those could be described as 'indie'.

Quote
but I need more, and to know where to actually get their music.  I live in the UK if that helps.

Well, first thing you need to do is lose this idea that you seem to have about what 'indie' music is. A lot of people are going to tell you a lot of different things. "Indie" means independent, plain and simple. That is the simplest definition, and probably the best. You've probably realised that 'indie' is a word used to describe the ethics of a band, or the way they practice business more than anything. The 'indie scene' is filled with variety. More variety in style and substance than you'll find on all of the majors combined. When you think about it like that, it makes one or two 'stab in the dark' recommendations seem a bit silly, doesn't it?

It's really simple to get into 'indie' music. You just find music that isn't distributed by major labels or their minion labels. That said, you sound pretty clueless. A common practice these days is to trawl music blogs, as the vast majority of music blogs these days seem to specialise in indie music. You'll find a million blogs like this by throwing search terms into google or blogger like "independent music blog". Start attending local gigs of small time bands, pick up flyers, hang around on myspace, check out small record labels, all that jazz.

start with Nirvana

go from there

I think this is actually great advice. Start with Nirvana, work backwards through bands that Kurt paid lip service to. Say what you will about his own music, but his influences were great.
I won't give you any recommendations, everybody else here will do that for you. I will say this, and if you take anything away from this thread, let it be this...

Indie music is the same as all the other music. It's just cheaper
. I think you're gonna be okay.
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Christophe

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #12 on: 28 Jun 2008, 18:01 »

Firewater by Silkworm.

Also, the following:
Jawbox- For Your Own Special Sweetheart
The Dismemberment Plan- Emergency And I

Also, you're from the UK. Despite your country's great contributions to music in general (and there are tons), your only exposure to "indie" probably has to do with the fucking shit the NME hawks as such. (Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous.)

As far as Sox's suggestions go, they're great, especially the Nirvana one. Follow them to a T.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #13 on: 28 Jun 2008, 19:12 »

Los Campesinos! are the Best Band.

This.

Also, try I Was A Cub Scout. They've technically split up now, but they are/were an awesome UK band, in the vein of tps but quite a lot better at it.
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Sox

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #14 on: 28 Jun 2008, 19:37 »

While I'm dispensing good advice...

Follow Sox's advice to a T.

Don't listen to this, that's pretty bad advice.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #16 on: 29 Jun 2008, 02:04 »

re: Indie - Don't listen to what anybody says. If you're serious enough about it, you'll start to get the gist of it... Actually, you just end up not caring anymore.
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BlahBlah

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #17 on: 29 Jun 2008, 04:50 »

I think the problem is that here in the UK, the term indie music keeps being used to refer to new bands that sound like the Libertines or the Arctic Monkeys. Hardly any of them are actually independent, but a lot of people now seem to think that indie is actually a genre. I blame the NME ¬_¬

Some bands you might like: Pavement, Guided by Voices, Pixies, the Olivia Tremor Control.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #18 on: 29 Jun 2008, 07:31 »

I'm sick to death of listening to what everyone else is listening to.

Listen to the Silver Jews.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #19 on: 29 Jun 2008, 07:36 »

What happened to when we used to tell everyone to listen to Jets To Brazil and Ted Leo?

LISTEN TO JETS TO BRAZIL. AND LISTEN TO TED LEO.
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Ernest

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #20 on: 29 Jun 2008, 07:37 »

man if you can't dig Nirvana and the surrounding music, than you might as well not even try

seriously, my advice is the best
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #22 on: 29 Jun 2008, 09:14 »

I'm sick to death of listening to what everyone else is listening to.

Listen to the Silver Jews.

This was going to be my exact fucking answer, fuck you

(<3)

Alternatively, listen to Spiritualized. Do it, you won't
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imapiratearg

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #23 on: 29 Jun 2008, 09:16 »

I think the problem is that here in the UK, the term indie music keeps being used to refer to new bands that sound like the Libertines or the Arctic Monkeys. Hardly any of them are actually independent, but a lot of people now seem to think that indie is actually a genre. I blame the NME ¬_¬

Some bands you might like: Pavement, Guided by Voices, Pixies, the Olivia Tremor Control.

THIS.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #24 on: 29 Jun 2008, 09:34 »

mission of burma
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Jbruce

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #25 on: 29 Jun 2008, 09:55 »

Honestly, you could just buy this book and it will help you enormously.

Also, Silkworm.

seconded, it's amazing
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #26 on: 29 Jun 2008, 11:01 »

What happened to when we used to tell everyone to listen to Jets To Brazil and Ted Leo?

LISTEN TO JETS TO BRAZIL. AND LISTEN TO TED LEO.

That used to be my exact listening diet my sophomore year in high school. It is a good combo.

To reiterate, Silkworm.
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GenericName

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #27 on: 29 Jun 2008, 11:32 »

Listen to no music altogether for a month. Then, work backwards from Jay-Z.

Also, when I first saw this thread I thought you meant me.

Also, the mediafire thread could be your best friend. Check it out.
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Sox

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #28 on: 29 Jun 2008, 11:48 »

Forget everything in this thread, just start with Neil Young.
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Daft pun

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #29 on: 29 Jun 2008, 14:35 »

Ever read Drowned in Sound?
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #30 on: 29 Jun 2008, 14:54 »

Honestly, you could just buy this book and it will help you enormously.

Also, Silkworm.

Silkworm is great, but not as accessible as one might think.  They sound almost conventional at first, but their changes are difficult to get used to.  I'm not thinking that they're a good starter
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Where I come from, we usually just shorten that to "yee-haw!"

blanktom

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #31 on: 01 Jul 2008, 15:30 »

I'm sick to death of listening to what everyone else is listening to.

Listen to Slint.

fix'd
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Mirandamouse

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #32 on: 01 Jul 2008, 15:44 »

The Cute Lepers
The Maine
i dunno.
purevolume.com has a ton of indie bands.
you could just try searching indie bands,
then listen and see which ones you like. :]
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #33 on: 01 Jul 2008, 16:00 »

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #34 on: 01 Jul 2008, 16:52 »

Forget everything in this thread, just start with Neil Young.

this is actually the best advice in here. Every band, indie or not, is a direct line from Neil Young. If you think a band is doing something cutting edge and new and flashy, Neil Young already did it.

Twice.
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but the music sucks because the keyboards don't have the cold/mechanical sound they had but a wannabe techno sound that it's pathetic for Rammstein standars.

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #35 on: 01 Jul 2008, 17:04 »

Seam.

I second Sloan, too.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #36 on: 01 Jul 2008, 19:14 »

You're suggesting he start with Radiohead, Mogwai and Sonic Youth but not Silkwork b/c they're too inaccessible to a newbie? That doesn't sound right.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #37 on: 01 Jul 2008, 19:27 »

Really, I think this thread got it right with just telling the original poster to go read Our Band Could Be Your Life.
Also Sloan.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #38 on: 01 Jul 2008, 22:17 »

Actually, recommending that anyone follow any particular path into music is pretty shady, in my opinion. At least, if the point you're trying to make is that people should be listening for their own enjoyment, and not to become an expert in the "field." The only advice I'd feel comfortable giving (though, of course, I'm not as into or as knowledgeable of music as some others on this board or in this thread) is to pick a band or a singer that you really enjoy, and listen the hell out of them, one album after another. If you're keeping tabs on one band, you're likely to pick up on another; or you might just stumble upon something (say, something that's being talked about in one community or another). Listening to one album that gets thrown at you after another is more likely to leave you unfulfilled and dragging behind. You're not lacking in resources to make the connections between bands; check out music sites (last.fm, allmusic, various blogs), also the labels that sign the bands you like.

Aaaaand, pretty soon, you've got a shelf (or a hard drive) full of names that none of your friends have heard of. Which has its pleasures, I suppose... definitely not worth the time and effort, though, if you haven't really enjoyed what you have.
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himynameisjulien

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #39 on: 01 Jul 2008, 22:32 »

Would Modest Mouse be indie? I could have sworn I was on Party Shuffle with a zillion different artists when I was listening to The Moon and Antarctica on my iTunes.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #40 on: 02 Jul 2008, 05:08 »

Many, many years ago, yes.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #41 on: 02 Jul 2008, 05:37 »

I'm gonna go ahead and recommend Marquee Moon by Television in this thread too.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #42 on: 02 Jul 2008, 08:16 »

You'd probably find the same people don't like Neil Young either. I'm extremely jealous of the fact you have friends that would even consider listening to your music for even a second.
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imapiratearg

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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #43 on: 02 Jul 2008, 08:24 »

I am too.  Most of the people who listen to my music complain about weird reasons.

Examples:

Explosions in the Sky: "No vocals."  "Boring."  "I don't like instrumental bands."
The Weakerthans: "I don't like his voice."
Television: "It's too repetitive."
Faraquet: "I hate how it's like...DUN DUN *pause* DUN DUN DUN *pause*..."
Sonic Youth: "I don't like [Kim Gordon's]/[Thurston Moore's] voice. "I don't like all that weird noisy stuff."

I get the most complaints from post-rock.  It's probably one of the most inaccessible music genres I know.  I have no idea why.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #44 on: 02 Jul 2008, 08:30 »

My problem isn't the music, people just know better than to listen to my opinions.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #45 on: 02 Jul 2008, 08:41 »

I just tend to put music on without being asked/asking for permission, though I do try to be aware of who's around and what they're likely to enjoy. My roommates generally don't get much of a choice, though, and I've only been asked to turn something off once.

It was Patti Smith. I still don't get that: of all the weird stuff I listen to, Patti Smith is the thing that one of them can't abide.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #46 on: 02 Jul 2008, 08:42 »

Man, I will recommend Silkworm all I want, okay? (I'm trying out something to recommend other than Broken Social Scene, okay?)

Also, according to coworkers, everyone in LITE is playing a different song at all times and Sharks Keep Moving plays elevator music.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #47 on: 02 Jul 2008, 09:11 »



What's a good entry point to Sloan then?
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #48 on: 02 Jul 2008, 09:32 »

HARD TO SAY.
Some would recommend Between the Bridges, while others would give you Action Pact.
I would say, start with some early stuff, but that's just because I like to listen to bands in a timeline if I can so I can really listen to their evolution.
So, start with Smeared or Twice Removed from that angle. Otherwise, I would say that Never Hear The End Of It might be another nice starting place for a new listener.
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Re: Help, I'm Stuck With Generic
« Reply #49 on: 02 Jul 2008, 12:04 »

let's just keep adding names to this guy's list so he becomes overwhelmed and decides he isn't cut out for this petty, insignificant life we live
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Where I come from, we usually just shorten that to "yee-haw!"
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