So Long, Farewell: The Best of Indie Rock Music

In this blog post, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best indie rock music from the past few years. If you’re a fan of indie rock, or just looking for some new music to check out, this blog post is for you!

Introduction

In the past decade, indie rock music has exploded in popularity. Once the domain of a small group of passionate fans, indie rock is now heard on mainstream radio and seen in commercials and movies. If you’re new to the genre, this guide will help you get started.

Indie rock is typically characterized by a DIY ethic, poppy melodies, and a focus on personal expression. The best indie rock bands are able to strike a balance between accessibility and artistry, creating songs that are both catchy and complex.

Of course, with any genre of music, there are countless subgenres and sub-subgenres. This guide will give you a taste of some of the best that indie rock has to offer, from well-known hits to lesser-known gems. So put on your headphones, crank up the volume, and enjoy!

The Early Days

In the early days of indie rock, the defining characteristic of the genre was its do-it-yourself ethos. Indie rock bands were often unsigned and self-funded, and they typically recorded and released their music on independent record labels. This DIY approach to music-making meant that indie rock bands had complete creative control over their music, and they often took risks with their songwriting and sound. As a result, the early days of indie rock were marked by a sense of creativity and experimentation.

The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964 by singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. The band was initially active between 1964 and 1973, and was briefly managed by the pop artist Andy Warhol. Their debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967), is considered one of the most influential albums in rock music history and exerted a tremendous impact on the development of punk rock, noise rock, gothic rock, and alternative music. The band’s second album, White Light/White Heat (1968), showcased their aggressively-distorted sound and is recognized as one of the first proto-punk or art punk albums.

Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth was an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The group was considered to be a pioneer of the alternative and independent rock scenes. Their debut album, Confusion Is Sex, was released in 1983 and was quickly followed by the EP Kill Yr Idols. In 1985, the band released their second album, Bad Moon Rising, which saw them move away from the no wave sound towards a more polished pop-oriented sound. This direction was further explored on their next two albums, EVOL (1986) and Sister (1987), which were both critical and commercial successes.

The group’s next album, Daydream Nation (1988), is often regarded as one of the greatest indie rock albums of all time. It saw Sonic Youth moving away from their noise rock roots towards a more melodic and experimental sound. The album was followed by another EP, 1989’s Goo, which continued in this direction. After a brief hiatus, Sonic Youth returned with Dirty (1992), which saw them returning to a more abrasive sound. This was followed by Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star (1994), which continued in this vein but with less success.

The group then took an extended break before returning with A Thousand Leaves (1998), which saw them experimenting with electronic music. This direction was further explored on 2002’s Murray Street, 2004’s Sonic Nurse and 2006’s Rather Ripped. The group’s final album, The Eternal (2009), was met with critical acclaim and is considered to be one of their best works.

Sonic Youth disbanded in 2011 after 31 years together. Since their break-up, the members of the group have pursued various solo and collaborative projects.

Pavement

Pavement is an American indie rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. The band consisted of Stephen Malkmus (vocals and guitar), Scott Kannberg (guitar and vocals), Bob Nastanovich (drums), and Mark Ibold (bass). Pavement’s first album, Slanted and Enchanted, was released in 1992 to critical acclaim. The band followed this up with 1994’s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, which was also well-received by critics. Pavement’s final album, Terror Twilight, was released in 1999. The band announced their breakup in November 1999.

The New Wave

The New Wave of Indie Rock was a genre of music that emerged in the early to mid-2000s. It was a return to the more guitar-driven sound of early indie rock, and was influenced by punk rock, new wave, and post-punk. The New Wave of Indie Rock was led by bands like The Strokes, The White Stripes, and The Libertines.

Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band based in Montreal, Quebec. The band consists of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, along with Win’s younger brother William Butler, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band’s five members are infrastructure; Butler and Chassagne write the majority of the songs, which the rest of the band arranges and fleshes out during rehearsals.

The group began its musical activity in earnest in 2001, when remaining members of a previous band, Feedback Revival (which had included both Butler brothers and Parry), joined forces with Chassagne and fellow McGill University student Owen Pallett. Arcade Fire self-released their debut EP, Metric’s Old World Romance, in 2002; it sold 6,000 copies within three months. Pallett left the band soon after to pursue a solo career as Final Fantasy; he was subsequently replaced by Kingsbury.

The National

The National is an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 1999. The band consists of Matt Berninger (vocals), Aaron Dessner (guitar, keyboards), Bryce Dessner (guitar, keyboards), Scott Devendorf (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). National’s work has been labeled as indie rock, alternative rock and baroque pop.

The group has released eight studio albums, four of which have received widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. Boxer (2007) peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard 200 and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. High Violet (2010) debuted at number six in the UK and number 11 in the US, while Trouble Will Find Me peaked at number three in the UK and seven in the US. Sleep Well Beast won Best Alternative Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards. All of their full-length studio albums have sold over 500,000 copies in America. In 2013, Pitchfork named The National one of the “100 Best Bands of the 2000s”. In January 2018 they were chosen by Time as one of “The 25 Most Important Bands Right Now”.

Broken Social Scene

Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock group formed in 1999. The group consists of a rotating cast of musicians, with founder Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning being the only permanent members. The band’s sound combines indie rock with aspects of chamber pop, post-rock, and experimental rock.

The band has released six studio albums: Feel Good Lost (2001), You Forgot It in People (2002), Broken Social Scene (2005), Forgiveness Rock Record (2010), Hug of Thunder (2017) and Let’s Try the After – Vol. 1 (2019). They have also released one live album, DOA: Live + Legal Bootleg Series No. 1 (2006).Broken Social Scene’s musical style has been described as “alternative rock”, “indie rock”, “post-rock”, “art rock”, we’ve covered various aspects of light roasts, medium roasts, and dark roasts to help you choose the best roast for your coffee.

The Present

The early 21st century has been a golden age for rock music lovers. Bands like The Strokes, The White Stripes and Arcade Fire have revitalized the genre, mixing classic rock and roll with modern sensibilities. These bands have brought rock music back to the mainstream, and their influence can be seen in the music of today.

Beach House

The Present is the sixth studio album by dream pop duo Beach House, released on May 11, 2018, through Sub Pop. Upon release, The Present received critical acclaim from music critics.

The album was preceded by the lead single “Dive”, which was released on February 28, 2018.

Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes are an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington. The band’s first two albums, Fleet Foxes (2008) and Helplessness Blues (2011), were both nominated for Grammy Awards and peaked at number one and number three on the Billboard 200, respectively. The band released their third album Crack-Up in June 2017.

The five founding members of Fleet Foxes met while attending Lakeside School in Seattle; they used to play music together in a band called the nippleless banquet, before forming Fleet Foxes in 2006. The lineup consists of Robyn Pecknold on lead vocals and guitar, Skyler Skjelset on lead guitar and mandolin, Casey Wescott on keyboard and harmony vocals, Christian Wargo on bass and harmony vocals, and Morgan Henderson on a variety of instruments including violin, viola, cello, trumpet, french horn and drum machine.

The band’s first album was recorded in 2007 at Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, Washington and was self-financed by the band members; their parents also contributed $10,000 towards the project. The album was released through Seattle-based independent record label Sub Pop on June 3, 2008.

The album received positive reviews from critics upon its release; Jason Heller of Pitchfork Media wrote that “their debut full-length is a stunning showcase for what this group does best: marrying classicism with experimentation.”
The A.V. Club ‘s Nathan Rabin called it “an ambitious makeover of bruised Americana that feels immediately timeless” while PopMatters ‘ Steven Hyden described it as “a strong debut that gracefully mines lots of different musical traditions without descending into pastiche or sounding overly academic.”

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. The band consists of Edward Droste (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Daniel Rossen (vocals, guitar, banjo), Chris Taylor (bass, backing vocals, various instruments) and Christopher Bear (drums, backing vocals). Their sound has been categorized as psychedelic pop,[1][2] folk rock,[3][4][5] and experimental.[6][7]

The group began as a duo ofDroste and Rossen who met while attending college. Rossen was studying classical composition and theory whileDroste worked as an intern at a record label. The two failed to find common ground musically and began playing together only sporadically before breaking up. In 2004, after moving to Brooklyn, the pair reconvened and expanded to a four-piece with the addition of bassist Chris Taylorand drummer Christopher Bear. This lineup released the band’s debut album Horn of Plenty in 2004.

Grizzly Bear’s second album Yellow House was released in 2006 to widespread acclaim from music critics. In 2009 Grizzly Bear released Veckatimest to even greater critical acclaim; it was named one of the best albums of 2009 by several publications including Pitchfork Media,[8] The Guardian[9] and NME.[10][11] The album sold over 240,000 copies in North America by 2011. In 2012, the band was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 54th Grammy Awards for their work on Veckatimest.

Conclusion

And so, we come to the end of our list of the best indie rock songs. It’s been a wild ride, full of ups and downs, but ultimately, we’ve landed on some truly incredible music. We hope you’ve enjoyed this journey through some of the greatest hits of the genre. Thanks for listening!