Well, personally I think these are the best indie bands EVER: -Joy Division -The Pixies -Sonic Youth -Belle And Sebastian -Teenage Fan Club -Franz Ferdinand -The Flaming Lips -Death Cab For Cutie -Built To Spill -Modest Mouse -Yo La Tengo -Pavement -Stone Roses -Grandaddy -The Charlatans UK wow! thats a lot

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For me, this would be the order more or less...

Pixies (4 absolutely brilliant studio records)
Sonic Youth (The longest career. They are respected in almost all scenes)
Pavement (For two first awesome albums, and the rest that are still good)
Joy Division (I wouldn´t call them indie but great influencing band)
Yo La Tengo (These means underground in indie)
Stone Roses (Incredible debut, nice second... but unfortunately that´s all)
Teenage Fan Club (I Liked them when they used more electricity)
Death Cab For Cuttie (Sometimes a very teenage-like band. I love Transatlaticism)
Modest Mouse (Only have last record but it´s like mixig Pixies with The Clash. Very very good one)
Franz Ferdinand (Very refreshing but they still have to make a point in their second record)
The Charlatans UK (They are original but their music don´t say too much to me)
Belle And Sebastian (Too limp for me)


Built To Spill, Flaming Lips and Grandaddy: Only heard singles... so I can´t opine.

I´d add Dinosaur Jr., Weezer, Hüsker Dü, Blur (well, they have an indie side) and Pulp, for example. In fact, I like indie-rock with transgresive music or lyrics more than indie-pop.

 

 

 

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The only bands you guys listed that I'm familiar with are the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Franz Ferdinand, and Modest Mouse. Nothing of the first two really impressed me. FF had a pretty cool single in "Take Me Out," as did MM with "Float On." I don't think I'd buy either of their records, however.

Anyone know if Nirvana's 'Bleach' was released on an independent label? I believe it was Sub-Pop, but I'm not sure what kind of affiliates it had at the time. Thanks in advance.

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Yes, Bleach was recorded in Sub Pop. Later, when Nirvana had a boom in Geffen I think they re-edited the album together with Sub Pop.

By the way... we haven´t mentioned Radiohead, Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine...

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Didn't realize Radiohead was on an indie label...good call with that, though.

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well, I don't think supernknown meant that Radiohead was signed on an indie label. It would be actually almost impossible for me to know these bands if that were the case. Anyway, the term indie mostly apply in those bands with a particular sound. for example, you said something about modest mouse, they were originally signed by an almost unknown label K-Punk, after a few years they met built to spill and then they attracted the band to sub-pop's division Up which is merely distributed by Warner Bros. which happens not to be a so indie label.

anyways, i think the indie term has to do with the sound more than with a simple description as independent.

greetings

p.s. dunno if my english is correct, hopefully you understand the whole idea

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Yes, that exactly what I mean. There are two variants of the indie term.

But it´s not very common to call "indie" a band that makes classic heavy metal, for example. So people use it to talk about bands with an special sound... that commonly in late 80s early 90s was new and fresh (you know, all that explosion of rock and pop bands that came around Nirvana´s success). Kurt Cobain for example was a big fan of Sonic Youth and The Pixies and were the first ones, Sonic Youth the first to tell Geffen about a band in Seattle that sounded really good to sign with it.

Dunno... maybe there´s also some kind of attitude that makes that bands not to behave like old rock star stereotypes...

So it´s not about and specific sound and it´s not about releasing for an indie label or a major. Indie frontiers are not very clear and it´s like all styles... you can´t classify everything without a doubt.

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My apologies, I understand now. I always thought Radiohead to be more "alternative," but I guess I have a new way of classifying them now

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Radiohead is definitely not Indie. Modest Mouse, yeah, Franz Ferdinand, The Pixies, definitely, but Radiohead, no. You are correct Caveman, they are alternative.

As for other Indie bands I like besides those mentioned...
Armor for Sleep
Inspection 12
June
Lovedrug
Daphne Loves Derby (gods)
Faraway
As Tall as Lions
Lakota
Anatomy of a Ghost
Forever in Motion
Gratitude
Like Yesterday

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the term originally came from the idea of a band being independent, selling their own records, etc. but most of these bands sounded the same and major labels weren't signing anyone who had their sound.

so eventually, indie bands grew large from touring and indie labels started popping up to help them out.
but they had a problem, seeing as how all these independent bands had a record label, they couldn't really be "independent" anymore and hence the term indie gradually became the name of their specific music genre instead of their economical status.

but who cares, if it sounds good, hell yeah, if it doesn't, screw it.

we'd all rather listen to what we like than get caught up in trying to label our music
correct?

ps. nice list

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