An Introduction to "Indie"

All you needed was a couple of instruments and a few chords and you could be on an indie label.
-David Byrne

This summer I have devoted a vast majority of my time to discovering new music. My tastes have evolved over this relatively short period of time from mostly metal such as Opeth and technical virtuosos such as Satriani, Gilbert and Vai to the vast and mysterious genre known as "Indie". This has been prompted by several things, mostly my preference for more chill, relaxing music to help fit the feel of summer, but also the online music community. These online communities are filled to the brim with the strange creature known as the "hipster".

You may have seen one of these majestic beasts in the wild, as they frequent such places as Starbucks and your local music venue. Generally this hipsters can be identified by their attire, consisting of faded slim cut jeans; solid color high thread count fitted shirt; vans slip-ons or even converse; a fashionable beanie or fedora; trendy square or oval glasses; and most distinctly, the cup of coffee clenched in one hand and the macbook gently dangling from the other. As the accoutrements of the 'hipster' and the 'scene kid' blend ever so closely together, you may find it harder to distinguish one paragon of distinct taste from another. Whilst the scene kid may find their calling in discovering the most horrendous cacophony of noise and breakdowns to force down the throats of society, the hipster devotes himself to finding the most obscure, indie-as-fuck bands and songwriters possible. God forbid you actually engage the hipster in a discussion on music (which, if you were foolish enough to talk to the hipster unprovoked, will be the only topic of discussion) for you will soon be bombarded by a twisting, convoluted listing of bands and genres that you have never heard of and will probably never hear of again. You may be regalled with tales of "That one amazing band that only put out 10 casettes and is considered to be the pinnacle of indie musicianship, but you probably wouldn't get it.", and mired by his undisguised hostility and sense of superiority.

If you should find yourself in a state of mind to continue this innane conversation, you may mention any of the following bands to earn the hipster's undying contempt and hopefully appall him to such an extent that he will consider himself unable to enlighten you to the perfection that is his musical taste. Any hardcore, classic rock(dad rock), or metal(and any variations) will cause the hipster to weep into his caramel macchiato.

However, a very curious thing occurs if you mention the band Neutral Milk Hotel. Either the hipster will recoil in incredulous hosility and disgust, or you will earn his begrudging approval. You may have better luck in earning the hipster's respect by smashing random words together and saying "Oh, well I'm not suprised you don't know who they are, they're pretty underground." This tactic may be dangerous because the hipster may challenge you to an obscure band shootout, which you may not even know you are participating in.

Anyways, back to the original point of this post. I have been enjoying what you would call "Entry-Level" indie lately, as the more underground and obscure bands are often too boring, whiny, or just plain indie-as-fuck for me to enjoy.
Beck, which is pretty mainstream actually, is very enjoyable and easy to get into.


DOWNLOAD
http://rapidshare.com/files/127062864/B-Mdrn_Gu1t-2008_320k.rar

Neutral Milk Hotel is also enjoyable in it's listenability and catchy songs. In the Airplane Over the Sea is the easiest to get into, while On Avery Island is more abstract and indie, but a better album in my opinion.


DOWNLOAD
http://rapidshare.com/files/71119568/hotel.island.rar
PASSWORD
russia

I love Built to Spill. I downloaded the album Perfect From Now On on a whim and it turned out to be one my favorites of the genre.


DOWNLOAD
http://rapidshare.com/files/217232344/PerfectFromNowOn.rar
PASSWORD
www.nattawat.org

Eels is decent, but I think it may be a little to indie for my tastes. Some of the songs are set up in such a way that it distorts the recording, and I did not find that enjoyable at all. The only album I've had the chance to listen to is Hombre Lobo, so perhaps some of his other albums are more enjoyable. The saving grace for Eels is the variety of the music, and that awesome beard.

DOWNLOAD
http://rapidshare.com/files/245150462/Eels_HombrL1_WBB.zip

Iron & Wine has to be my favorite band right now. The beauty of the songs and melodies are just astounding, and there really isn't a song that I don't enjoy on Shepherd's Dog. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in some cool, chill music.


DOWNLOAD
http://rapidshare.com/files/180524458/IaW.rar

Kasabian is a great band, I downloaded both Empire and West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. WRPLA is a far superior album and very enjoyable. A few of the songs are quite reminiscent of Oasis in the musical and vocal style.


DOWNLOAD
http://rapidshare.com/files/262070043/k_wrpla.rar

Modest Mouse's Good News for People Who Love Bad News propelled them into the spotlight, but their older albums are much more experimental and interesting, worth a listen at least. The albums are riddled with some pretty bad filler tracks, but every now and then there is a jem.


DOWNLOAD (Good News)
http://rapidshare.com/files/83985765/Modest_Mouse_-_Good_News_for_People_Who_Love_Bad_News.rar
PASSWORD
p@ss_w0rd

Ever since I heard them in Barnes and Noble, I hesitate to say this, but I really enjoy The Silversun Pickups. They recently came out with their sophomore album Swoon, but I think their first album Carnavas is much better.




So there you have it, what I've been listening to lately in the genre of "Indie". I realize it is all quite 'entry-level', but what can I say, I'm just starting. All the bands are quite lax on the technical side for guitar, but I still get my Satch fix so don't worry.

-Dr.Reeves
http://www.last.fm/user/ryoga415