The Best Indie Rock Music from the 1980s
Contents
A comprehensive guide to the best indie rock music from the 1980s, including essential albums, artists, and tracks.
The Birth of Indie Rock
Indie rock is a genre of music that emerged in the late 1970s and became popular in the 1980s. It is a combination of punk rock, new wave, and college rock. The term “indie rock” is used to describe a type of music that is released on independent record labels.
The Post-Punk Movement
The late 1970s and early 1980s saw the rise of a new type of rock music that would come to be known as “indie rock.” Indie rock is a genre that is characterized by its DIY (do-it-yourself) approach, its independent status (hence the name), and its eschewing of mainstream success.
The roots of indie rock can be traced back to the post-punk movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Post-punk was a reaction against the bloated and self-indulgent prog-rock of the 1970s. Instead, post-punk bands sought to strip down their sound and return to a more basic, primal form of rock ‘n’ roll. This raw, stripped-down sound would come to be one of the defining characteristics of indie rock.
Some of the most influential post-punk bands include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, The Cure, and The Fall. These bands paved the way for later indie rock acts like The Smiths, R.E.M., and Pixies.
The C86 Compilation
In 1986, the British music magazine NME published a cassette compilation of tracks by some of the best-known and most promising acts on the UK’s independent music scene. The cassette, titled C86 after the issue of the magazine in which it was included, became an instant cult classic, helping to define an entire musical genre – indie rock.
Today, C86 is widely regarded as one of the most influential compilations of all time, not just in terms of its impact on indie rock but on popular music in general. The cassette’s significance lies not only in its role in popularising a new genre but also in its representation of a particular moment in time – the mid-1980s – when youthful optimism and idealism were starting to give way to cynicism and disillusionment.
This was a time when many young people were turning away from mainstream pop music and looking for something more alternative and authentic. C86 perfectly captured this zeitgeist, with its mix of jangly guitars, lo-fi production values, and wry lyrics about everyday life.
The cassette includes such classic tracks as “There She Goes” by The La’s, “Dial-a-Cliché” by Shop Assistants, “State I’m In” by The Primitives, and “I Need More Time” by Primal Scream. If you’re looking for a taste of Eighties indie rock at its best, C86 is the perfect place to start.
The Golden Age of Indie Rock
The 1980s were a golden age for indie rock music. Bands like R.E.M., The Smiths, and The Cure were breaking new ground and setting the stage for the alternative rock explosion of the 1990s. If you’re a fan of indie rock, then you need to check out these essential 1980s albums.
The Madchester Scene
The Madchester scene was a musical and cultural movement that developed in Manchester, England, towards the end of the 1980s. The music that emerged from this scene blended indie rock with alternative dance, which was a major influence on the Britpop movement that followed in the 1990s. The name “Madchester” was originally coined by Tony Wilson, the founder of Factory Records, to describe the buzz around the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses.
The Happy Mondays were one of the key bands associated with the Madchester scene, and their debut album “Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches” is considered to be one of the classic albums of the era. The Stone Roses were another hugely influential band, and their 1989 self-titled debut album is still considered to be one of the best indie rock albums ever made. Other notable bands and artists associated with Madchester include The Charlatans, Inspiral Carpets, 808 State, and New Order.
The Creation of Shoegaze
The Creation of Shoegaze
The term shoegaze was coined in the late 1980s by the British music press to describe a type of music that was being made by bands who were influenced by indie rock and punk rock. These bands were characterised by their use of feedback-laden guitars and ethereal vocals.
The genre emerged in the UK in the late 1980s with the help of several key figures. The first was My Bloody Valentine frontman Kevin Shields, who pioneered the use of feedback-laden guitars with his band’s debut album Isn’t Anything (1988). The second was Ride frontman Andy Bell, who used similar techniques on the band’s debut album Nowhere (1990). The third was Lush singer Miki Berenyi, who wrote ethereal pop songs with catchy melodies.
The genre reached its peak in the early 1990s with the release of several classic albums, including My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless (1991), Slowdive’s Pygmalion (1995), andCocteau Twins’ Heaven or Las Vegas (1990). In the mid-1990s, Britpop took over as the dominant force in British rock music, and shoegaze bands were largely relegated to cult status. However, the genre has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, thanks to a new wave of shoegaze-influenced bands such as Beach House, Wild Nothing, and DIIV.
The Legacy of Indie Rock
The term “indie rock” was first used in the 1980s to describe independent record labels and the do-it-yourself attitude of the bands and artists associated with them. These bands were different from the mainstream rock music that was being produced at the time. They were usually on smaller labels and their music was less polished. Indie rock became a genre in its own right in the 1990s, with bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam becoming global superstars.
The Influence on Britpop
In the mid-1990s, a new wave of British rock bands emerged that were influenced by the indie rock sound of the 1980s. This new generation of bands, who came to be known as Britpop, revitalized the British music scene and had a major impact on popular culture.
Britpop bands such as Oasis, Blur, and Pulp were hugely successful in the UK, achieving massive commercial success and critical acclaim. They helped to return guitar-based rock music to the forefront of popular culture andtheir songs often dealt with specifically British subject matter, such as working-class life, suburban ennui, and youth culture.
The legacy of indie rock can be seen in the continued popularity of Britpop bands like Oasis and Blur, as well as in the success of newer British guitar-based bands like Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead. Indie rock has also had an influence on mainstream pop music, with many chart-topping artists like MIA and Lily Allen incorporating elements of indie rock into their music.
The American Indie Rock Scene
The legacy of indie rock is often traced back to the American underground music scene of the 1980s. Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that typically refers to bands that are not signed to major record labels. In the 1980s, many American indie rock bands achieved commercial success, including R.E.M., Sonic Youth, and Hüsker Dü.
The term “indie rock” was coined in the mid-1980s by British music magazine NME to describe the developing scene of independent and underground music in the UK. The term was later adopted by the American music press to describe a similar set of genres in the US. While there are similarities between the two scenes, there are also important differences.
In the UK, indie rock emerged from the post-punk and new wave movements of the late 1970s and early 1980s. These genres were characterized by DIY ethic, experimentalism, and a rejection of mainstream pop culture. In contrast, American indie rock bands were influenced by punk rock but were more willing to experiment with different styles and subjects than their British counterparts.
American indie rock bands achieved greater commercial success than their UK counterparts in the 1980s, due in part to the then-nascent college radio scene in the US. College radio stations provided an important avenue for promotion and distribution for these bands. However, many American indie rock bands shied away from signing with major record labels, preferring to remain independent.
The legacy of Indie Rock has continued into the 21st century with many successful bands such as Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, and The National achieving both critical and commercial success while maintaining their independence from major record labels. The genre has also been influential on subsequent genres such as emo and lo-fi.
