MorningStar wrote on Thu, 23 February 2006 13:55 |
So whats the deal? Is it a sound?? Like Motown? Surf music of the 60's.... Modern Punk?? Can a jam band be indie? Can a rock band be indie? Can an indie band be rock??
Should I be handeling "indie" clients differntly ? Is the band going to sound indie despite what I do as an engineer? Do I need certain gear to achieve an Indie sound?? Should some gear be avoided because its not indie enough?
I think these are real questions that should be answered. Right???
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Let's see if I can make things even more confusing.
A rock band can be indie. An indie band can be rock. But not necessarily.... Guns and Roses was a rock band. Definitely not indie. Belle and Sebastian are indie, but not rock. Most indie bands are on small independent labels, or unsigned. There are some exceptions who make the jump and keep their indie cred. Modest Mouse would be one example...
Most jam bands _cannot_ be indie rock. Instrumental wanking is off-limits in indie rock. There are very few exceptions... Built to Spill is one of them.
Indie = independent of major labels... fresh, without commercial intent, do-it-yourself, etc. Heritage goes back to punk bands, but the genre is more open-ended. There are indie bands that are inspired by surf music (Los Straitjackets), 70s jazz fusion, or 60s french pop. You get to be called indie pretty easily. You only get to be called indie rock if you bring the rock. Otherwise, you are called twee or more generously indie pop. That's where I get shoved.
As for handling indie rock clients, you might want to get familiar with a short list of indie heroes.
Off the top of my head...
Yo La Tengo
Built to Spill
Sonic Youth
Modest Mouse
Pavement
Fugazi
My Bloody Valentine
Guided by Voices
Neutral Milk Hotel
Flaming Lips
Interpol
Mogwai
Pixies
Sea and Cake
Sigur Ros
Stereolab
Tortoise
More here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_indie_rock_artists