Do you want to be an indie music fan, but don’t know where to start? Below are some of your core indie albums that every fan should have in his or her collection. Some are classic, others are a little more recent on the music front. Leave a comment if you don’t agree.
‘The Soft Bulletin’ by The Flaming Lips
Why:
• It was the first album to fully harness the band’s commercial spirit
• It set the groundwork for their amazing live shows
• Songs like ‘Waiting For Superman’, ‘Race For the Prize’ and ‘The Spark that Bled’
They may be better known for their spectacular live shows featuring Wayne Coyne running across the crowd in a giant bubble, fancy dress costumes, glove puppets and much more but this album contains everything that is great about The Flaming Lips. The introduction to opening track ‘Race for the Prize’ immediately informs you that something special is about to happen, the small count in and then crashing gong immediately gives way to a track that is almost too positive to imagine. Wayne Coyne may sound like Kermit the Frog on acid but as a lyricist and front man he is second to none.
‘Daydream Nation’ by Sonic Youth
Why:
• Possibly the bands most accessible album
• The vocal interplay of Kim and Thurston
• It retains all the guitar fuzz that Sonic Youth are known and loved for
• Tracks like ‘Teenage Riot, ‘Candle’ and ‘Silver Rocket.’
There has been an increase in the ‘Don’t Look Back’ series of gigs where a band plays a classic album from their history. In some cases you have been left wondering why an album was held in such regard that it required to be dragged out again years later but this can’t be said about ‘Daydream Nation.’
Opening track ‘Teenage Riot’ sets the tone with its high tempo and squalor and the noise and confusion doesn’t really give up over the rest of the album. It is not often that all the magazines will have the same opinion on indie rock but there appears to be universal acclaim for ‘Daydream Nation’ and it has captured the true genius of Sonic Youth. At times their albums have been patchy and perhaps too experimental for some ears but on this 1988 release they got it exactly right.
‘The Queen is Dead’ by The Smiths
Why:
• The album features Morrissey at his most humorous
• Johnny Marr starting to show his true talent on guitar
• Brings together many different styles in one cohesive record
• Tracks like ‘I Know its Over, ‘Cemetery Gates’ and ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes out’
For some, The Smiths will be the perfect template of an indie band such was the mix of intelligent lyrics and working class backgrounds. It is fair to say that the majority of the focus falls upon Morrissey but Johnny Marr showcased a sense of jangle guitar that went a long way to influencing the entire Britpop era.
‘The Queen is Dead’ album has a largely humorous streak running through it and it stands as a strong argument to people who say that indie music is all po-faced and afraid to have fun. Morrissey may set himself up as being pretentious at times but tracks like ‘Frankly Mr Shankly’ and ‘Vicar in a tutu’ indicated he could enjoy a laugh with the best of them.
‘Rings Around The World’ by Super Furry Animals
Why:
• It was their largest and most ambitious album to date
• It brought to light so many of their influences
• It has Paul McCartney and John Cale appearing on it
• Tracks like ‘Receptacle for the Respectable’ and ‘Juxtapozed Wit U’
Welsh indie wizards the Super Furry Animals have always been regarded as an innovative and adventurous band but this 2001 release showcased the band at their most “out there”. With not much emphasis on their techno past, this album crosses the gap between indie rock and classic 60s Beach Boys effortlessly. They have never quite managed to equal this masterpiece but they have created a great number of albums since.
Why:
• The vast array of instruments on show
• Really powerful song, emotionally and musically
• Fantastic percussion and rhythm sections
• Tracks like ‘Wake Up’, ‘Power Out’ and ‘Rebellion (Lies)’
They pulled off one of the hardest tricks in music, namely writing an album about death and change yet making it sound like the most uplifting album of the year. There were a few stand out singles released from this record but collectively it worked tremendously and still stands up to repeated plays today.
Follow up album ‘Neon Bible’ took the band to a higher level and you can see them rivaling U2 and REM in a few years if they continue this upwards trajectory but ‘Funeral’ remains a must hear album for anyone drawn to grandiose statements and classic songs.
Ian Dougherty is a freelance music writer and lover from the United Kingdom. Dougherty has written for well known music magazines, Ezines, and websites for over fifteen years. For the latest in indie albums and to keep up on the latest news on an indie blog, visit MadeLoud.com, where bands keep more from each digital music download.
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http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-Five-Indie-Albums-You-Must-Own-Classic-and-New&id=1518647
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Indie Music is Pretty Swede - The Swedish Indie Music Empire
The most noticeable would be The Cardigans who achieved massive worldwide fame with their ‘Lovefool’ single and blend of charming and slightly tween indie-pop. Perhaps as a reaction to their fame, The Cardigans changed their style, their music got harder and Nina Persson went from blonde to brunette. They may not feature on the radio as much today as they used to but the band still draws a fairly large crowd to any festival at which they perform.
If that was all that Sweden contributed to indie music, it would be a poor return, but when you consider the following acts, you will realize just how many of your favorite tracks have hailed from Sweden:
For such a short space of time that is an impressive list of bands and you may be familiar with some of these songs:
‘Young Folks’ by Peter, Bjorn and John
You may not know the title but as soon you hear the whistling section of ‘Young Folks’ you will know exactly what the song is and recall what a phenomenon it was at the time. The track came second in the NME’s list of best songs of 2006 and fifth in the Pitchfork review of tracks from 2006.
‘Hate To Say I Told You So’ by The Hives
Not many bands could announce themselves as your new favorite band and keep a straight face but The Hives aren’t like many other bands. Filled with a confidence that no other band seems capable of matching this track captured the garage rock revival of the early 2000’s to perfection. The snarling guitar riff and stop-start sections provide the perfect accompaniment to Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist’s trademark yelps and screams.
‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ by The Concretes
Starting off with a guitar riff that could almost have come from the Jesus and Mary Chain, it is a shock when the sweet vocals of Victoria Bergsman kicks in and transforms the song into a delightful and melodic upbeat number. The frantic drum build up to the payoff line for the chorus is joyous and although the band has ploughed on since this 2003 release, they have been unable to match its overall quality.
‘Heartbeats’ by Jose Gonzalez
Although this song was written by fellow Swedes, The Knife, Jose Gonzalez brought the track to a wider audience. The almost mourning feel of Gonzalez’s downbeat vocals mixed with a quiet acoustic backing ensures this is a song equipped to tug at your heartstrings. Appearing in a major commercial gave the track worldwide exposure and Jose’s brilliant cover of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Hand on Your Heart’ proved he could take any song and turn it into a downbeat classic.
This is by no means all that Swedish indie has to offer the world but it does offer a fantastic place to start checking this vibrant indie scene in Scandinavia out.
Ian Dougherty is a freelance music writer and lover from the United Kingdom. Dougherty has written for well known music magazines, Ezines, and websites for over fifteen years. For the latest in indie music and indie band reviews, visit MadeLoud.com, where bands keep more from each digital music download.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Dougherty
http://EzineArticles.com/?Indie-Music-is-Pretty-Swede—The-Swedish-Indie-Music-Empire&id=1518942
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