Indie rock recommendations?

Nicholas King62 said:I mean, what even counts as rock anymore?

To me, "rock" isn't really a musical definition. It’s more like a label for an entire artistic era—specifically the second half of the twentieth century.

I mean, you look at Pink Floyd, DNA, or Scott Walker... they're all rock, but musically speaking, how much do they actually have in common? The connection is cultural, not just sonic...

stormyviper11 said:To me, rock isn't really a musical definition. It's more of a label for an artistic era—specifically the second half of the 20th century.

I mean, Pink Floyd, DNA, and Scott Walker all fall under rock, but what do they actually have in common musically? The connection is purely cultural.

That’s true, but it doesn't make talking about it any easier. That’s why we have this massive pack of genres and styles. Classifications exist for functionality, not to be oppressive. People constantly freak out over "x-rock" terms while using them themselves. It's just bad at being precise...
And things like SoundCloud, MySpace, and YouTube basically killed off whatever was left of indie in the 21st century. In theory, it feels like "indie" today is more about glorifying fakeness than sticking to principles, DIY, or any actual substance. Honestly, it's better that it's dead. Real indie only exists where there's no electricity.

Nicholas King62 said:who even talks about post-punk anymore?

I don't think the point of this thread is to whine about bands on MTV—and let’s be clear, this whole debate is getting so overblown that we’re practically one step away from it becoming the modern-day equivalent of hair metal—it's actually about the general state of music. And I maintain that the current situation is nonsense. (The lack of ideology is a separate issue entirely. A broader context...)

Are we looking for villains?

What’s wrong with Clockcleaner? Air Conditioning? Hair Police, Battleship, Lightning Bolt, for God's sake?

The garage scene is absolutely surging right now, and frankly, they aren't even strictly bound by genre anymore.
River City Tanlines, Jay Reatard, Carbonas, Functional Blackouts...

Who knows, you have to go digging, as always.

In this flood of options, it's actually quite cool to find something worthwhile and share it with everyone. Personally, I am not entirely convinced that the list provided here is any good. It all feels a bit suspicious to me. Just throwing ten bands out there without much thought. There was a time when a person actually knew what was good and what wasn't. Nowadays, you can't really trust anyone. What I love about music has its roots in an era when information wasn't everywhere. Just a piece of vinyl and the cover art. You would put the record on the turntable, stare at the sleeve, and that was all the information you needed about the band. To me, those people were mystical heroes. The internet has simply destroyed that aspect of it. It is completely irrelevant whether a band is some MTV post-punk act or a garage band on an iPod; the music industry will attempt to exert control regardless. They did it with indie labels, after all. MTV is a joke; they don't even play music anymore. On what basis are you certain that Bloc Party is a bad band just because they appeared on MTV, or that Carbonas is "good garage" just because they happen to be playing on your expensive iPod?

Back in the day, you actually had to go out and buy a record, or at least borrow one from a friend. You’d end up listening to it over and over again—even if you hated it at first—just because you didn't want to feel like you wasted your money. Eventually, the music would just... click. Nowadays, you just toss an album straight into the digital recycle bin if it doesn't grab you immediately. It totally kills any chance for anything that isn't an instant hit. If I’d grown up with that kind of mindset, I probably would have never given Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, or a ton of other legends a fair shake...

It is perfectly obvious that we have to accept the new reality of the bin recycling scene, but let’s face it: for years now, we haven't seen music that actually moves in lockstep with a social movement. As ridiculous as it sounds, acid house was the last time we truly saw that kind of connection. Maybe something will finally hit this new generation soon, though I still can't quite put my finger on what it might be. Movements like hippie culture, punk, or acid house were tied to a very specific era, and once those moments pass, they're gone. Hopefully, something fresh will emerge. To me, today's scene still feels far too safe.

Maybe I’m just old school, but I think musicians who make the stuff I actually love are total legends—even if they still have a MySpace page...

Plus, I don't even own an iPod 😬
I judge what's good or bad based on—well, maybe it’s a bit simple, but it seems like the best way to go about it—which is just to listen to the music

And honestly, don't be such grumpy old men; that whole attitude is just plain stupid.

It’s honestly good that someone out there still actually listens to music. It seems to me that most kids these days are just collecting albums like they're nothing more than little sticker collections.

I wasn't there personally—or maybe I was just too young—but I doubt things were much different twenty or thirty years ago. Sure, maybe there were fewer ways to hunt down records back then, but I really don't think the percentage of people who actually *love* music was any higher than it is now... I guess not. The internet isn't really the factor here. You either have the passion or you don't.

For me, though, there’s something pretty cool about the idea of some great band from the US recording something on a handheld recorder in their garage, uploading it to MySpace, and me being able to hear it that same day. I mean, they're halfway across the world. To me, that's just as romantic as those old memories everyone talks about—which are romantic too, I suppose. 😍 😳

I can tell you one thing about Nicholas King62—he’s definitely not a collector, considering he flew across the ocean with me just for the sake of rock and roll 😍
I know, it’s hard to believe, but he actually listens to those bands. 🙂 😈

gentlepuma20 said:I have to be honest, on those days when everything just feels completely hopeless, if I lose my temper and let a few choice words fly, I’ll probably just down seven or eight pounds worth of sleeping pills and call it a night forever. 👋 😈

Honestly, we all know how it goes once you stop filtering the damn language...

👋 🙂

Respect!

gentlepuma20 said:Look, don't be such old farts—this whole rhetoric thing is total garbage.

🙂 😬

gentlepuma20 said:about listening to music

Give me a break, kid. What do you little amateurs actually know about this stuff? You should just shut up and listen to us old-timers while we explain how things used to be... 😬

Kids these days have zero respect, man. Seriously. :shocking:

The audio quality from obnoxious kids in the demographic hasn't really changed much either ☕

I mean, if you were any older, you might actually agree—but once people hit thirty, they start acting like they're in geriatric ward just because they're officially "old"

stormyviper11 said:Back in the day, you actually had to go out and find a record—buy it, hunt it down, or borrow it from a friend. And once you had it, even if it didn't immediately grab you, you’d give it another spin just because you didn't want that investment to go to waste! Maybe after a few listens, it would finally click. Nowadays? You just toss an album straight into the digital recycle bin, which totally kills any chance for music that isn't an instant hit on the first listen. If I'd had access to everything like this when I was a kid, I probably would have never grown to love Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, or so many others who took a while to grow on me.

I don't know about all that. Personally, I never delete anything. 😬

I actually have a massive mountain of music I haven't even listened to yet! Whenever I see someone trading something that looks interesting, I'll grab it—sometimes I even pick up stuff just because I saw a review praising it somewhere. Maybe I fall into that "collector" category, but hey, what's wrong with that? At least I’m constantly rediscovering something fascinating within my own collection. 🙂 Like Yngwie Malmsteen, for instance, the other day.

And honestly, there's plenty of stuff I listen to over and over even if it doesn't click right away. I didn't even discover Pink Floyd until my experimental phase (I'm still young, okay? 😉).
Led Zeppelin definitely didn't grab me on the first, second, or even third listen. Same goes for Iron Maiden. But hey, maybe one day they'll actually grow on me—that's why I don't delete them!

I don't stress about the music. And as for "indie"... who cares?

gentlepuma20 said:anyway, if you were even a little bit older, you might actually get it, but apparently once you hit thirty, everyone starts acting like they're some vintage Rolls Royce instead of just getting old... 🙄

I mean, since there are plenty of girls who go crazy for older guys, and I haven't heard of anyone being turned on by some middle-aged dude... 😬 maybe work on your image and watch your mouth...

Edit: a serious moderator? 😲 🙂
what's next?
a polite spider?
Kevin Chavez3 telling funny anecdotes?
some fanatic spreading love and faith?

Going to record what the Ramones are doing this year😳

David Sullivan4 said:they're gonna record something like the Ramones this year😳

The theme is indie rock, not zombie rock, you read it wrong... ☕

ruggedcrane22 said:MTV is pretty much useless these days since they don't actually play music anymore. By that logic, how can you be so sure Bloc Party is a bad band just because they appeared on MTV, or that Carbonas is great garage rock simply because they're playing on your expensive iPod?

Just to clear up any potential misunderstanding... I wasn't suggesting an automatic rule where being on MTV makes a band trash, or where being unknown makes them legendary. I was really just using that as a shorthand for the broader points you were making regarding the music industry, the whole modeling aesthetic, and those types of things.

I make absolutely no guarantees that the artists I listed will appeal to anyone; I was merely offering an example of how easy it is to discover something new if you actually put in the effort, unless, of course, one chooses to be a pessimist. It used to be that you had to hunt through record stores to find an album, whereas today, the challenge is more about filtering through the sheer volume of information available.

As for the rest, I'm in total agreement with gentlepuma20.🙂

stormyviper11 said:Since it seems like women are mostly drawn to younger guys, and I haven't met anyone particularly interested in middle-aged men... 😬 It’s probably wise to work on one's image and be more selective with language...

Well, how would you know? What have you actually tried?😁
I happened to meet an interesting middle-aged guy the other day.😍

gentlepuma20 said:I can vouch for Nicholas King62. He’s definitely not just some collector, considering he’s flown across the ocean with me just to chase the rock and roll life... 😍

So what am I...? Just some fat friend you kept around for a little entertainment?... 😢

Oh, humanity... 🙂

I don't want to drift away from the main theme. I honestly think there’s just as much charm and soul in the old days... back when you’d save up every cent just to grab a vinyl at a local record shop or pass around a blank cassette tape... $6.75 You could go to a concert hall in Chicago and get a live recording of U2, then fill the empty space with The Smiths. But that’s just how it goes. You spend all this time searching, and then you stumble upon a hidden gem... and suddenly you feel like a kid who just got a brand new tricycle...