The Decemberists are an indie band known for their distinctive sound. Their music possesses raw energy that’s highly catchy – opening for bands such as Arctic Monkeys in the past!
Helado Negro is a captivating indie band who create a compelling mix of multilingual indie pop. They combine guitar, analog electronics and vocal loops for genre-spanning music.
Neutral Milk Hotel
10 years ago this month, an unknown songwriter and his ramshackle band released one of the most stunning albums of this decade with In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, an album that defied explanation. Vocals about lost Siamese twins and semen-stained mountaintops mixed with musical saws, fuzzy tape loops, amateur psychedelic brass bands; its mystique helped forge a cult following that still persists today.
Neutral Milk Hotel first formed in Ruston, Louisiana in 1989, remaining active until 1998 and again between 2013 and 2015. Their music has an intentionally low-quality sound influenced by indie rock and psychedelic folk. Their lyrics cover topics including love, spirituality and nostalgia and are often difficult to decipher cryptically poetic writing styles.
Neutral Milk Hotel quickly amassed a cult following following their debut album, On Avery Island. However, Jeff Mangum refused to allow fan adoration overshadow his music; by refusing record industry pressure and glossy magazines from dictating where their sound should take them instead he helped keep an authentic edge to Neutral Milk Hotel’s music and ensured its future success.
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was an extraordinary achievement from The Cure. Inspired by Anne Frank and Kevin Barnes of Of Montreal, its theme of life, death, and loss inspired a deeply personal meditation on these subjects. Mangum founded Elephant Six recording collective and had strong friendships among many notable musicians like Syd Barrett.
Neutral Milk Hotel members released new material as solo projects during its hiatus; however, it seems unlikely that they will reunite as an ensemble again; Mangum is currently writing his autobiography.
Neutral Milk Hotel has had an immense effect on indie music. Their dedication to authenticity enabled them to produce work that was both innovative and intensely emotive, while their refusal to get caught up in hype has served as a beacon for many independent musicians – sending a clear message that music should only ever be created for yourself, regardless of what others say about its merits.
Pixies
Before the likes of The Smashing Pumpkins, Death Cab for Cutie and Radiohead came along, there was The Pixies. Considered one of the pioneers of alternative indie music, their sound remains contemporary today. Their music incorporates elements from punk, post-punk and garage rock genres – heavily influenced by Black Flag’s bursts of existentialist rhetoric, Velvet Underground’s psychedelic rock sound and Talking Heads’ fidgety art-pop influences.
The Pixies’ first three albums – Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa and Doolittle – are considered among the pinnacles of alternative indie music. Their danceable guitar riffs and distorted vocals have inspired numerous bands over time to follow in their footsteps; shaping how other bands write and record their songs while revolutionizing dynamics and genre-blending in alternative music.
Though their later albums lacked some of their earlier ferocity and creativity, the Pixies remain an influential alternative indie band that influenced numerous other alternative acts – from Nirvana and Foo Fighters to Weezer, Pablo Honey-era Radiohead and Better Than Ezra among many others.
Head Carrier by Pixies is remarkable because of how familiar it sounds. Many stylistic elements from previous releases appear here as well, yet are so ubiquitous in modern music that it’s easy to overlook them – for example, quiet-loud-quiet rhythm is now so commonplace that we hardly notice its presence anymore.
The Pixies may have been one of the shortest-lived bands of all time, yet their impact will live on forever. From 1986 to 1989 they shone brightest as an example of what can be accomplished when an alternative indie band unleashes all its creativity.
REM
REM was one of the most influential bands in alternative indie music, known for their combination of jangly guitars and introspective lyrics. Their songs often focused on personal struggles or social issues that resonated with a broad audience, though mainstream success was limited for the band. Furthermore, as well as being one of the first bands to use digital recording technology which helped expand their audience and reach.
In the early 1980s, The Offspring emerged from college rock scenes to become an alternative music staple. Their debut album Tigermilk became both critically and commercially successful; subsequent critically-acclaimed albums included Losing My Religion and New Adventures in Hi-Fi. These early albums helped introduce alternative rock into mainstream audiences and remain an important piece of history today.
R.E.M’s music has had a tremendous influence on many other artists and continues to influence new generations of musicians. Their eclectic blend of influences and genres makes it hard to pinpoint their sound; nevertheless, R.E.M has been widely recognized as pioneers of new forms of alternative rock. Furthermore, its members were influential in developing an independent music scene – working tirelessly on behalf of independent musicians by building community forums for them.
While The Lemonheads originally broke up in 1998, they reunited in 2006 and have continued touring ever since. Their music remains a beloved melodic rock classic among fans today and has earned them many admirers over time. Their signature laid-back sound and charismatic lead singer Evan Dando make them beloved indie musicians who consistently create memorable introspective and catchy tracks that remain popular with listeners today.
Indie music is more than just a genre: it is an influencer movement with global impact. Indie introduces trends and innovations that can positively change society while offering listeners exposure to differing viewpoints and stories that cause them to think about life differently. Indie has the power to change culture while connecting us all.
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs have not only been an effective band for over a decade but have amassed an immense following over that time. Not only have they sold millions of albums worldwide and performed at legendary gigs like Leeds United’s Elland Road stadium (a feat the band shared with The Wedding Present and alt-J) in 2008, they have sold multiple awards and charted several singles including I Predict A Riot and Ruby. Originating in Leeds as one of Britain’s most successful indie alternative bands of all time; selling multiple critically acclaimed albums along with performances all around the globe as well as receiving multiple awards and chart top spots with songs like I Predict A Riot and Ruby among many more accolades from both critics and audiences around the globe; award wins include numerous awards and singles including I Predict A Riot and Ruby; winning multiple awards while topping charts with I Predict A Riot and Ruby among many more such performances; topping charts worldwide performances including I Predict A Riot and Ruby; originally from Leeds where they became one of Britain’s most successful alternative indie bands ever; having released numerous critically acclaimed albums as well as performing numerous legendary gigs (eg. at Leeds United’s Elland Road stadium, they joined other Leeds bands including The Wedding Present and alt-J).
Runston Parva was formed as a school-based band in 2000 under the name Runston Parva – an anagram of their hometown Ruston Parva. They initially signed to Mantra Records (an imprint of Beggars Banquet that had also helped launch Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and Saint Etienne’s careers) with Employment as their debut album; subsequently in February 2007 They released Yours Truly Angry Mob which went straight to number two on UK charts with hit single Nought to Do; touring heavily saw them tour heavily until they released another number one UK smash hit called Off With Their Heads which produced hit single Nought to Do (Nought To Do).
Education, Education and War amplified their political message further. The album made a bold statement about current UK affairs; additionally it contained numerous singles including Ruby which became their first number one hit single.
In 2014, they parted ways with drummer Nick Hodgson to pursue other projects, and Vijay Mistry from Leeds band Club Smith replaced him. Recording continued and in 2016 the album Duck was released – featuring their more classic sound.
The band’s latest offering, the Easy Eighth Album, is an enjoyable surprise. While not quite on par with their earlier work, this effort remains notable given today’s trend of TikTok and shuffled playlists.