The Best Indie Rock Instrumental Music

Discover the best indie rock instrumental music. From dreamy and ethereal to upbeat and anthemic, find the perfect soundscape to accompany your day.

Introduction

Instrumental music has always been a part of the fabric of rock & roll, sometimes in the form of introspective solo guitar work or extended jams that let bands show off their chops. The best instrumental rock songs can provide a welcome respite from the lyrical side of things, as they allow the artist to tap into more emotions and create an atmosphere without worrying about fitting words into a melody.

The following list takes a look at some of the best instrumental rock songs of all time, from classic tracks by Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin to more modern numbers by Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. These are songs that let the music do the talking, whether it’s telling a story or creating a mood. They’re also just plain awesome to listen to.

What Is Indie Rock?

Indie rock is a genre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock or “guitar pop rock”. In the 1980s, the use of the term “indie” started to shift from its reference to recording companies to describe the style of music produced on punk and post-punk labels. During the 1990s, grunge and punk revival bands in the US and Britpop bands in Britain broke through into the mainstream, bringing with them a new wave of indie rock groups influenced by their commercial success.

The term “indie rock” is sometimes used interchangeably with “independent rock”, but it can also refer to specific genres such as lo-fi or post-rock.

The Best Indie Rock Instrumentals

While some may find the terms “indie rock” and “instrumental music” to be mutually exclusive, we beg to differ. While it’s true that a lot of the music we think of when we think “indie rock” is fronted by a singer-songwriter, some of the best music in the genre is instrumental.

“The Weight” by The Band

The Band was a Canadian-American rock group that formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1967. The band originally consisted of Robbie Robertson (guitar, piano, drums, vocals), Rick Danko (bass guitar, double bass, fiddle, vocals), Richard Manuel (piano, drums, vocals), Garth Hudson (keyboards, saxophone), and Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, guitar, vocals). The Band’s music blended American folk music and rockabilly with blues and country. They released their debut album Music from Big Pink in 1968 to critical acclaim.

“The Weight” is a song by the Band that was released as a single in 1968 and on their album Music from Big Pink the following year. The song was written by Robbie Robertson and is sung by Levon Helm. It tells the story of a traveler who stops in a small town and is asked to do a favor for someone he has just met. The favor turns out to be more than he bargained for, and he ends up having to weigh the cost of doing it against the benefits he will receive.

The song has been covered by many artists ranging from Bob Dylan to Aretha Franklin to Mavis Staples.

“All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix

This song is a cover of the Bob Dylan original, and it is widely considered to be one of the best rock instrumentals ever recorded. Hendrix’s version features his signature wah-wah guitar sound and is one of the most popular songs in his live repertoire.

“I Am the Walrus” by The Beatles

In 1967, The Beatles released their eighth studio album, Magical Mystery Tour. One of the album’s most popular tracks was the John Lennon-penned “I Am the Walrus.” The song was a psychedelic tour de force, with its backwards recordings, sound effects, and surreal lyrics. The song’s instrumentals are just as members of rock royalty; featuring an otherworldly string section arrangement by George Martin and some of the most inventive guitar work of Lennon and Harrison’s careers.

“Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin

Kashmir is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their sixth studio album Physical Graffiti (1975). It was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant over several years in sessions during Led Zeppelin’s travels to Headley Grange, a country house in Hampshire, and events including Kashmiri weddings that they attended while on tour. The song is one of the band’s longest on record, with a duration of over eight minutes. Kashmir was moderately successful when released as a single, reaching number 16 on Billboard magazine’s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

“In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins

“In the Air Tonight” is a song by English singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was written in 1981 and released as the lead single from Collins’ debut solo album, Face Value, in January 1981. The song was an instant hit, reaching number two in the United Kingdom and number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed our list of the best indie rock instrumental music. If you have any suggestions for other great tracks, please let us know in the comments.