Music Banter - first indie band? what was yours?

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iron & wine

edit: thought it said favorite

The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses

I'll say alt, not indie. The first song that really reminds me of that pivotal change as an early teen would be This Is How It Feels: Inspiral Carpets.
Probably my first favourite alt band would have been the cure.

My first indie band was Bloc Party, specifically their album Silent Alarm. It's still such an amazing album since when I first heard it.

I think I was first listened to My Bloody Valentine.

For me, this is an interesting thread to bump, thisisthelasttime. Thanks.

Most interesting to me is the struggle to pin down the sound of the genre:-

Quote:

Originally Posted by a4m (Post 1650780)

Define "indie", because it doesn't really describe any type of music for me. It only defines their status as far as labels go.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchell_stretch (Post 1650924)

Bands not on major labels. So you know the standard definition of indie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon (Post 1674058)

So the music genre is irrelevant then—could be polka or jazz or Andean pan flute music or what have you, just as long as it's not a major label?

As Janszoon neatly implies, "bands not on major labels" is an insufficient definition for a musical genre because it doesn't refer to the sound or style of the music. You might as well have, as a musical genre, "Bands who have Japanese cars".

To me, latecomer to the genre, "indie" is a type of rock, slightly out of the mainstream, because its unpolished , homemade sound isn't as popular as classic pop/rock. Key elements of "indie rock" are grungey guitars, singers who haven't been auto-tuned and lyrics that are quirky/cryptic as opposed to lyrics written to appeal to as many people as possible, as was the unquestioned goal of lyric writing back in the days of Tin Pan Alley. "Indie" also has a date limit, because the term was invented when? In the 90s? Before that, your band couldn't be indie; you were "bubbling under" or "struggling" or "underground" or you had "a cult following."

If my description is accurate in any way, then the first indie band I listened to was Tindersticks. IMO they warrent more attention than they get on MB, so here's a taster:-

EDIT: Some YouTuber has put the label, "chamber pop" on Tindersticks, and they do perhaps sound insufficiently grungy to be true indie rock. But then again, this song has the F word in it, which means it can't be pop, right? It's subversive, man!

Yeah, it's true. That sound was started to extend and bump incredible in my brain waves.

ok ... I am going to guess that the OP meant Indie Rock and Indie Pop, not every kind of musical style ever recorded on an independent record label. I really don't keep tabs on who records on an independent label. Probably why I didn't bother with this thread in the first place. (I did have to do some research to see who's indie so I can pretend to know what I am talking about before I replied to you Lisn.) I'll go with Tiger Trap (not so much my very first) because I'm a fan of the lead singer and songwriter Rose Melberg. Another favorite of mine is Velocity Girl, so as far I know they're only described as Indie Rock. However Tiger Trap is a little tricky, I've seem them as Indie Pop but I've also seen them pegged as Lo-Fi, Punk, Twee/Twee Pop and Cuddle-core etc etc.

Wire doesn't fall into the indie camp cause first off they are already known as a Post-Punk band, plus they didn't record on what would be considered a independent label. However I can't help but think that Outdoor Miner is the archetype of Indie Rock whenever I hear it. You could sum up the 90s with that song and it was recorded in 78! - released in 79 though.

I'm not saying R.E.M. is strictly an indie band. At that time they were considered College Rock to some Post Punk to others. When they started out on I.R.S. they recorded some pretty amazing stuff imo. I.R.S. Records was started by Miles Copeland and a couple of other guys. Miles is brother of Stewart Copeland, who was the drummer for the Police. I.R.S. had a pretty good roster. They sign quite a few popular bands of the 80s - imo they had a decent track record. There is this connection between the label and bands they signed. It'a almost like brand recognition. And that is the point of Indie Rock in the 90s, that the fan had a vested interest in independent record labels because of the types of bands they recorded.

Harvest Records/Capitol Music Group
Wire "Outdoor Miner" (1978)

I.R.S. Records/U.M.G.
R.E.M. - Wolves, Lower (1982)

Slumberland Records
Velocity Girl - My Forgotten Favorite (1993)

K Records
Tiger Trap- Supreme Nothing (1993)