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Indie rock is a genre of Alternative Rock that primarily exists in the Indie underground music scene. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with indie music as a whole, though more specifically implies that the music meets the criteria of being rock, as opposed to Indie Pop or other possible matchups. These criteria vary from an emphasis on rock instrumentation (electric guitars, bass guitar, live drums, and vocals) to more abstract (and debatable) Rockist constructions of authenticity. "Indie rock" is shorthand for "independent rock," which stems from the fact that most of its artists are signed to Independent Record Labels , rather than Major Record Labels . It is not strictly a genre of music (although the term is often used to reference the sound of specific bands such as Pavement and the bands they have influenced), but is often used as an umbrella term covering a wide range of artists and styles, connected by some degree of allegiance to the values of Underground Culture , and (usually) describable as Rock Music . Genres or subgenres often associated with indie rock include Lo-fi , Post-rock , Garage Punk , Slowcore , C86 , Twee Pop , and Math Rock , to list but a few; other related (and sometimes overlapping) categories include Shoegazing and Indie Pop . Typically, indie artists place a premium on maintaining complete control of their music and careers, often releasing albums on their own independent record labels and relying on touring, word-of-mouth, and airplay on independent or college radio stations for promotion. Some of its more popular artists, however, may end up signing to major labels, though often on favourable terms won by their prior independent success. HISTORY In the United Kingdom , indie music charts have been compiled since the early 1980s . Initially, the charts featured bands that emerged from Punk , Post-punk , and other forms of music; these bands were categorized solely by having their records released by small labels, independently of the major record companies. However, the term "indie" became primarily associated with a form of guitar-based alternative rock that dominated the indie charts, particularly Indie Pop artists such as Aztec Camera and Orange Juice , the C86 jangle-pop movement and the Twee Pop of Sarah Records artists. Probably the definitive British indie rock bands of the 80s were The Smiths and The Jesus And Mary Chain , whose music directly influenced 1990s alternative movements such as Shoegazing and Britpop . In fact, it is quite common in Britain for all alternative music to be referred to as "indie" instead of "alternative". In the United States , the music commonly regarded as indie rock is descended from an alternative rock scene largely influenced by the Punk Rock and Hardcore Punk movements of the 1970s and early 1980s and their DIY ethos. In the 80's the term "indie rock" was particularly associated with the abrasive, distortion-heavy sounds of Hüsker Dü , Dinosaur Jr (who coincidently are often mentioned as an influence on the shoegazing movement), Sonic Youth , Big Black , and others that populated American indie labels, separating them from jangly College Rock bands like R.E.M. and 10,000 Maniacs , who by the end of the decade were signed to major labels. During the first half of the 1990s, alternative music, led by Grunge bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam , broke into the mainstream, achieving commercial chart success and widespread exposure. Shortly thereafter the alternative genre became commercialized as mainstream success attracted major-label investment and commercially-oriented or manufactured acts with a formulaic, conservative approach. With this, the meaning of the label "alternative" changed away from its original, more countercultural meaning to refer to alternative music that achieved mainstream success and the term "indie rock" was used to refer to the bands and genres that remained underground. One of the defining movements of 90s American indie rock was the lo-fi movement spearheaded by Pavement , Sebadoh , Liz Phair , and others, which placed a premium on rough recording techniques, ironic detachment, and disinterest in " Selling Out " to the mainstream alternative rock scene. CURRENT TRENDS More recently, the term "indie rock" has become a catch-all phrase and so incredibly broad that almost anything from Post-punk to Alt-country to Synth-pop to Psychedelic Folk and hundreds of other genres can fall under its umbrella. In fact, there are likely to be several popular, and wildly varying, strains of indie rock going at any given time. For example, some of the more popular recent strains include:
Also among the most popular strains of indie rock at present is the Post-punk Revival movement. Popularized by bands such as Franz Ferdinand , Bloc Party and The Futureheads , it is influenced primarily by the New Wave and post-punk movements of the 1980s. The core of this movement has mostly been the resurgence of spiky 70's punk and '80s post-punk rhythms and riffs akin to those played by Gang Of Four , Television and Wire . Often this style has been blended with other genres such as Garage Rock ( Death From Above 1979 ) and Synth Rock ( The Killers ). Some would also classify the Scissor Sisters and many others within this genre, which are very popular in the UK, forming the backbone of the Zane Lowe show, a popular evening radio show on Radio 1 . Whether this particular movement embodies the indie ethos is debatable. Many of these bands are signed to independent labels, and express a disdain of the major-label marketing apparatus. (In the 8th January 2005 issue of NME, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand authored an article championing the genre, saying independent labels 'have character', how they are 'run by people who are passionate about music' and stressing 'why independent record labels are so important' as the saviour of good music.) Critics point out that, while many of the bands are signed to labels technically independent of the Big Four, the movement is highly commercial, image-oriented and market-driven, with millions of dollars spent on marketing and the investment of corporate promoters such as MTV , Clear Channel and Carling ; a far cry from the traditional indie world of labels run out of bedrooms by friends of the bands and unconcerned with commercial success. Furthermore, much of this movement has been said to be rigidly formulaic with sounds that imitate a small number of 1970s/1980s post-punk and New Wave bands, and are thus not particularly independent in spirit. While some artists in this movement may embody the DIY aesthetic and unconcerned attitude of indie more than others, it cannot be said to infuse the entire movement.
Given all of this, many think that the term indie rock will soon go the way of the term alternative rock. However, as has been mentioned, in the early 1990s the term alternative rock became a marketable commodity due to the success of grunge and 80s alternative groups such as U2 and R.E.M. , essentially and paradoxically making alternative rock no longer alternative but mainstream. The beginnings of a similar trend have happened to indie rock in the past few years. A number of the more popular indie acts have found commercial success, leading record executives to show an interest in marketing the term. Therefore, the term indie rock oftentimes no longer refers to rock made by groups recorded by independent labels, but rather a style that can be marketed just like any other style. This is paradoxical, as the term indie was intended to refer to music produced by independent labels, not a definite style. To quote music journalist Ryan Gillespie, "But if they are indie, then what are the truly independent to be called? If indie-oriented labels are continually being sucked up into the mainstream, who will be the avant-garde? Who will push the boundaries of pop music and how will it ever be discovered amid the clamor of major and major-owned minors with deep pockets? Will you and I be able to cut through the label hype to find truly independent music to support?" {Link without Title} In an industry constantly adapting, reinventing, and stratifying along the lines of style and substance, do we really need the term “indie rock” to become even more pervasive in the pop music lexicon? After all, we already have a hoard of words to describe rock music that exists outside of the mainstream - punk, ska, emo, new wave, hard core, slo-core, post modern, alternative, and so on - many of which identify the sound, tempo, and content of a particular genre better than the catchall “indie rock.” At the risk of convoluting the issue further, perhaps an attempt is in order to define indie rock and place it within the larger context of popular culture by examining its origins and impact on popular music. Why is this a worthwhile pursuit? Because we are dependent upon the fruits of indie rock’s labor, even if we find the need to classify and distinguish tiresome. When one traces the development of popular music during the last three decades it is the independent bands and artists that have, arguably, affected the most significant change by incrementally altering the tastes of the masses. Nearly every worthwhile trend in popular music during this time is a legacy of the network of fans, artists, radio stations, record labels, and publications dedicated to musical originality and some degree of artistic integrity. Indie rock has become a commercially viable cultural touchstone because of this dedication. As a large, nebulous genre it has also produced some of the best and most diverse music in recent memory. The very nature of indie rock - its ambiguity and flexibility - is perhaps the main reason for its success. It also makes it nearly impossible to define in no uncertain way. “Indie” derives from the word independent, an obvious deduction, but one that says little about the music it names. There is no particular sound, or style, or message connecting indie rock; it is punk, emo, new wave, hard core, and it is none of them. If one were to ask a hundred different indie rock fans to name one artist or band most indicative of the genre, one could easily receive a hundred different answers. The term “indie” generally refers to artists and bands on independent record labels, which have existed in some form or another throughout the history of popular music. Vanity labels have long been an option for those with a musical itch and the money to scratch it. Other independently owned and operated labels have continued to crop up to exploit popular musical trends, to become hubs of a particular sound, or to nurture existing and emerging scenes in a particular locality. Whatever the motivation behind this entrepreneurial spirit, indie labels are such because they operate outside of the major media conglomerates that have come to dominate nearly every creative, commercial, and logistic aspect of the mainstream music industry. Indie rock labels date to the 1950s, existing alongside the mass commercialization of rock and roll that began during that decade. Independent labels were common in most large cities throughout the U.S. and often featured local bands and artists trying to take the next step to stardom. Most labels, like Gaiety Records in Minneapolis, were largely forgotten by history and are only now receiving due appreciation through album reissues. Others, like Sun Records in Memphis, would reach legendary status, producing some of the most influential and successful music of the era and launching the careers of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley. The 1960s brought the British invasion, the California sound, and the youth counter-culture movements, all of which influenced - and were influenced by - popular music. The continual effort among artists to break new ground was matched by the music industry’s desire to co-opt and market their creative output. It was obvious that rock and roll was here to stay, and the large, image-conscious media companies sought to make the products of youth culture palatable to a wider audience. What occurred by the mid-1960s could be described as a homogenization of sound, where only bands who had proved their commercial mettle, like the Beatles and the Beach Boys, could experiment in the popular forum. Other artists, either by choice or default, looked toward alternative methods of producing and disseminating their music. Jimi Hendrix long labored in the pubs and taverns of London before enjoying brief but dynamic popularity in the U.S. Andy Warhol’s Factory featured the Velvet Underground during regular meetings of New York’s avant garde and pharmaceutically inclined. Bands like Captain Beefheart, The Stooges, MC5, and individuals like Frank Zappa, changed the character of music through lyrical, topical, and instrumental experimentation. Music no longer had to follow a particular formula and subjects like death, chaos, and revolution were as valid as any. The 1960s witnessed the birth of the festival circuit, the incorporation of political and social commentary into rock and roll, and an ever-widening approach to writing, recording, and performing music. The indie ethic was just beginning to take shape during these turbulent times and would be propelled further by the glam and punk movements of the 1970s. To claim that glam and punk were independent movements in the purest sense is inaccurate. Like most trends that originated within the youth counter-culture, these particular genres were seized upon by major labels almost immediately after their initial shock dissipated. Perhaps the most important aspect of glam was its direct influence on the first crop of punk bands both in the U.S. and Great Britain. David Bowie, Roxy Music, New York Dolls, and Alice Cooper all enjoyed varying amounts of success on major labels in the early 1970s. Certain elements from glam like outlandish fashions, stage presence, public demeanor, and chemical excess carried over to bands like the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Damned, and the Clash, contrasting the relatively simple approaches these bands utilized in making their music. Punk was a straightforward, democratic genre. It seemed all one needed was the will to play, and with this amateurish brazenness punk injected popular music with a much needed dose of vitality. Rock and roll radio at that point was dominated by the pretentiousness of progressive rock, the unrealistic optimism of disco, and other boring holdovers from the 1960s. Punk combined the anger and disillusionment of youth with a socially articulate point of view. It was dangerous stuff, not only in bringing forth unheard opinions and uncomfortable truths, but also because it struck a popular nerve among the young, unseen since the mid-1960s. Unfortunately, punk rock was stillborn as a movement, even for all of its creative achievements in a relatively short period (1976-1978). Once the initial hysteria died down among the major labels, they began signing all the bands they could, overseeing a series of implosions by influential artists and a general slip into uniformity among punk adherents. Punk failed because it was unable to make any sort of transition into music’s mainstream (the Clash being the exception), either because or despite the mainstream’s seeming willingness to co-opt it. The disenchantment among what remained of the punk movement toward major record labels, radio stations, and other mass media gave rise to the do-it-yourself ethic and the indie culture that has thrived since the early 1980s. It is from this point forward that indie rock is most recognizable and comparable to its present day form. Indie rock is very much the story of the independent labels that sprang up in the wake of punk. SST, Dischord, Factory, Manifesto, Caroline, Roadrunner, Taang!, Sub Pop, Triple X, and scores of others were all components in a network dedicated to music derived from punk, glam, and other independent traditions. While SST featured hardcore pioneers like Black Flag, Bad Brains, and Husker Du, Factory Records focused on new wave acts like Joy Division and Section 25. Where 4AD Records exhibited a feminine side with bands like the Pixies, Throwing Muses, and the Cocteau Twins, Dischord Records carved the way for the post-punk edginess of Nation of Ulysses, Fugazi, and Jawbox. Taang!, Triple X, and Twintone all prominently featured bands from their respective locales of Boston, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis. Other labels like Sub Pop and Matador began with an emphasis on artists from their bases of Seattle and New York, but have since been home to talent from all over the world. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, indie rock became a cultural force because of the symbiotic relationship between the bands, labels, and fans. Within the indie rock industry creative autonomy is essential. The lack of an overbearing corporate structure and the absence of expensive marketing and promotion allows independent artists to create at their own pace and by their own standards. Obviously, a record label is a business that must sustain itself through profitable operation. However, with independent labels the amount invested into a band to record, promote, and tour is usually a fraction of that of most major labels. The fan base is what has sustained indie rock throughout this time. They were the program directors and disc jockeys at college radio stations in the post-punk era, who incorporated their tastes after receiving jobs in commercial radio. They were the aspiring journalists and authors writing and distributing fanzines and pamphlets before moving on to more ambitious expositions on indie rock culture. They are the ones who formed their own bands, started their own labels, joined street teams, provided venues for performance, and set out to share with others this thing that has become so important to them. At its core, indie rock is a populist movement and hopefully will continue to be so. By the early 1990's, prompted by the critical and commercial impact of Nirvana’s Nevermind, the trend among veteran bands on independent labels was to trade up to a major at the earliest possible chance. Artists who had labored for years in relative obscurity took advantage of the preeminence of “alternative” music on rock radio and MTV. The results were mixed. Bands like the Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, and Jane’s Addiction rose to the apex of popular music, while others like the Flaming Lips, Pixies, Lemonheads, and Dinosaur Jr., enjoyed a brief and bitter flirtation with stardom. Still others, like Jawbox, Afghan Whigs, and Shudder to Think created critically successful but commercially disappointing work, eventually dissolving as the musical climate changed in the late 1990s. The apostasy against independent labels among some bands in the 1990s only seemed to reinforce the indie movement. Mainstays like Sub Pop, Matador, and Dischord have stuck by their indie roots and have only seemed to prosper even in light of how overblown mainstream music has become. Other labels such as Vagrant, Jade Tree, Astralwerks, Blood Shot, Lost Highway, and Saddle Creek, which came of age in the 1990s, feature some of the most musically and politically progressive music of the day. Indie rock festivals and tours abound, as does fanzine publication and exposure on the internet. This last development has been an invaluable tool in providing a means of communication in the indie rock network, and undoubtedly has played a significant role in aiding the mainstream success of bands like Dashboard Confessional, the Shins, and Bright Eyes. The future of indie rock is only limited by the ability of everyone involved in being creative at getting the music out there. It is a social compact that all indie rock fans gladly accept, just as we accept the fluidity of the music; that makes us change, that changes with us, that lets us know were a part of something good. EXTERNAL LINKS
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