Elitist pop music for people who like to think of themselves as being "artsy" but still want something that adheres to the same general composition formats and harmonic structures of all pop music for the past 70 years, and is sufficiently non-abstract enough to be appreciated without exerting too much intellectual effort.
Indie rock fan: Hey, check out this new vinyl I paid $35 for of the new digitally recorded "Metric" album! They are really pioneering new territory here!
Avant-guard jazz fan: Sigh...
Avant-guard jazz fan: Sigh...
by i_have_feet March 19, 2010
Alternative Rock music that didn't cross over into the mainstream(by choice or not) after the "alternative revolution" of the 90's. Typically, the music is relased on small "indie" labels. Indie Rock bands do music that doesn't necessarily appeal to wide mainstream audiences. There are a variety of reasons for this but some of the more common examples are the sound being to raw and abrasive(i.e to much distortion/feedback), the lyrics being to cryptic and abstract or the production and musicianship being to amateurish. In more recent years however some indie bands such as Modest Mouse, The Shins and The White Stripes have found some mainstream success. These bands however are still considered indie because they still have a decidedly non-mainstream sound.
90's indie rock-Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, Superchunk, Archers of Loaf, Neutral Milk Hotel, Fugazi, Modest Mouse, Radiohead(controversially)
2000's indie rock-The White Stripes, The Shins, The Arcade Fire, Death Cab for Cutie, The Strokes, Artic Monkeys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Subgenres
90's-lo-fi, emo(went mainstream in 2000's), post-hardcore, noise pop, dream pop, neo-psychedelia, shoegaze, indie pop
2000's-garage rock revival, post-punk/new wave revival, freak folk, new weird America, dance punk, indietronica
2000's indie rock-The White Stripes, The Shins, The Arcade Fire, Death Cab for Cutie, The Strokes, Artic Monkeys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Subgenres
90's-lo-fi, emo(went mainstream in 2000's), post-hardcore, noise pop, dream pop, neo-psychedelia, shoegaze, indie pop
2000's-garage rock revival, post-punk/new wave revival, freak folk, new weird America, dance punk, indietronica
by Devmeister July 4, 2009
1. A rock band that hasn't been signed on to a record label. Therefore, an independently managed rock band.
2. A band that fits under the label 'indie-rock' which nowadays rarely actualy means a band without a record label but instead fits the general 'indie-rock' sound.
Their followers may not necessarily follow them because they like their music but just to be able to have something obscure on their I-Pod and to be able to criticize people who don't like or haven't heard of said band.
If a band manages to sign a record deal or get on a popular radio station they will often loose a large chunk of their fan base who now no longer consider them 'indie' enough for them and will deem them as 'sell-outs'.
Indie-rock is usually simply referred to as Indie.
Keep an eye out for people who want to get attention or be considered 'cool' for liking indie music. People like these are often referred to as Indie Posers or Hipsters. These people fall into two major categories:
1. Those who download hoards of indie rock playlists and keep the songs whether they like them or not. They get great enjoyment from watching their friends scroll through their artists and not recognizing any of them.
2. The people who know only four or five indie bands but still think that they're avid listeners to the music. They get really disappointed when they find out that most of their friends know those bands too. They normally only know one or two songs from each artist.
2. A band that fits under the label 'indie-rock' which nowadays rarely actualy means a band without a record label but instead fits the general 'indie-rock' sound.
Their followers may not necessarily follow them because they like their music but just to be able to have something obscure on their I-Pod and to be able to criticize people who don't like or haven't heard of said band.
If a band manages to sign a record deal or get on a popular radio station they will often loose a large chunk of their fan base who now no longer consider them 'indie' enough for them and will deem them as 'sell-outs'.
Indie-rock is usually simply referred to as Indie.
Keep an eye out for people who want to get attention or be considered 'cool' for liking indie music. People like these are often referred to as Indie Posers or Hipsters. These people fall into two major categories:
1. Those who download hoards of indie rock playlists and keep the songs whether they like them or not. They get great enjoyment from watching their friends scroll through their artists and not recognizing any of them.
2. The people who know only four or five indie bands but still think that they're avid listeners to the music. They get really disappointed when they find out that most of their friends know those bands too. They normally only know one or two songs from each artist.
Some of the well know Indie Rock bands are: Arcade Fire, Wintersleep, Arctic Monkeys, the Decemberists, Phoenix, the Holloways, Mumm-Ra, Modest Mouse.
An example of an Independent band is Hawksley Workmen.
Friend: Oh hey, can I see your I-Pod?
Indie Poser: Sure. But you probably won't know any of the artists, they're all pretty obscure.
Friend: Wintersleep, Arctic Monkeys, Arcade fire, I love those bands. Although a couple of songs on the album Funeral took a bit of time to get used to. What did you think of it?
Indie Poser: Er, what?
-Indie Poser pwnd-
Indie Poser1: Do you know -insert obscure band name here-
Indie Poser2: Duh. Of course. How could anyone not have heard of them?
-Indie Poser1 is now deletes that band from their I-Pod. Indie Poser2 adds their entire album since they'd never heard of them before.
The best way to mess with their minds is to ask them if they know a band who's name you just made up. Wait for an appropriate time after they've agreed they're fans of it to say you made it up. Watch them squirm.
An example of an Independent band is Hawksley Workmen.
Friend: Oh hey, can I see your I-Pod?
Indie Poser: Sure. But you probably won't know any of the artists, they're all pretty obscure.
Friend: Wintersleep, Arctic Monkeys, Arcade fire, I love those bands. Although a couple of songs on the album Funeral took a bit of time to get used to. What did you think of it?
Indie Poser: Er, what?
-Indie Poser pwnd-
Indie Poser1: Do you know -insert obscure band name here-
Indie Poser2: Duh. Of course. How could anyone not have heard of them?
-Indie Poser1 is now deletes that band from their I-Pod. Indie Poser2 adds their entire album since they'd never heard of them before.
The best way to mess with their minds is to ask them if they know a band who's name you just made up. Wait for an appropriate time after they've agreed they're fans of it to say you made it up. Watch them squirm.
by MunchingMunster February 19, 2011
indie rock is a sub group and culture of music that is defined by poetic lyrics and instrumentals that follow suit and accent the lyrics.
The thing that many indie rock followers dispute about are posers and sell outs. first i'd like to say that because a band like death cab sign with a big label, their music is still following the same style as it did in their past records.
the other thing that many followers argue about is posers. the indie rock poser is one of two things... 1-the kid who hears about an indie band on tv and begins acting like they have been a follower from the begining... or 2-the indie obbsessor who reads up on bands they don't even like or that don't sound good just because they're indie and they can be added to their iPod to make said kid look more indie.
that being said indie rock is one of the greatest genres of music ever created and i love it.
The thing that many indie rock followers dispute about are posers and sell outs. first i'd like to say that because a band like death cab sign with a big label, their music is still following the same style as it did in their past records.
the other thing that many followers argue about is posers. the indie rock poser is one of two things... 1-the kid who hears about an indie band on tv and begins acting like they have been a follower from the begining... or 2-the indie obbsessor who reads up on bands they don't even like or that don't sound good just because they're indie and they can be added to their iPod to make said kid look more indie.
that being said indie rock is one of the greatest genres of music ever created and i love it.
indie rock bands include... death cab, foals, postal service, wolfparade, explosions in the sky, mogwai, and many others...
by Keon15 July 12, 2008
Arguably the best sub-genre of modern music today, not that that's saying much. Is highly derivative of 80s college rock and 90s alternative rock. The overall sound is often highly pretentious, and it is clear that many indie rock artists consider themselves to be musical geniuses. Never mind the fact that the songs hardly ever deviate from standard song structure and cliche lyrics(albeit in a pretentious fashion, utilizing ridiculous metaphors and overblown instrumentation). Still, a step up from the pop punk and party rap on MTV.
Arcade Fire, Death Cab for Cutie, TV on the Radio, Modest Mouse, Arctic Monkeys, Broken Social Scene, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. These are all indie rock bands. It should be noted that some of these bands take a garage rock approach, yet the ridiculously convoluted lyrics and delusions of genius remain. Sounds like some people missed the point of punk rock's simplicity.
by MusicIsDead December 23, 2007
Independent Rock Music (?):
Generally, a very broad term that has limited use. Most people who like indie rock are too cool to like indie rock, especially now that indie rock is a special feature on a certain cable network.
Generally, a very broad term that has limited use. Most people who like indie rock are too cool to like indie rock, especially now that indie rock is a special feature on a certain cable network.
Many indie rockers/scensters are always in competition with each other. They see each other in public and examine each other, but don't talk. It's one big focked up, confusing, ultra self-consicious nod that hip people give to each other, but never talk about outside the internet. Indie rock nowadays is all about constantly altering your taste, and trying to figure out why you stopped liking all these great bands, but then realizing, "oh yeah, I'm indie rock"
by Chuck October 5, 2003
also known as independent rock music thank god preps havnt descovered it yet, when they do, indie rock will be ruined.
by FoolyCooly August 14, 2003