Indie rock recommendations?

Here’s the real question: what happened to the whole institution of indie rock bands—the raw guitar shredding, the pure noise, the actual rock and roll spirit? Are we just living in an era of absolute nothingness, like a decade of bland pudding? Is there any hope left? Or are we stuck waiting for the old guard—think Mission of Burma—to basically rise from the grave and show us how it's actually done?

Back when you were a kid 🧐

I feel like there’s way too much mindless guitar shredding going on these days.

Though, I'm all for those songs coming back from the dead—kind of like how the future of the Democratic Party might try to revive old favorites... maybe even some Depeche Mode if we're lucky.🙂

Cut it out, you're full of it 😬

I think Ivan makes a really solid point—lately, it feels like there’s been way too much acoustic guitar being played and just not enough heavy shredding. It’s honestly a bit disappointing 😬

So you finally figured out who I really am

Look, I’m all for coexisting with the acoustic types, the hippies, the revivalists, and the LGBTQ+ community. Just give me a decent new album every once in a while that doesn't make me want to roll my eyes. 🙂

I suppose we're all just waiting on the future of the Democratic Party 🙂

Giddy Motors is actually a pretty solid band 👍

I mean, even Jay and his ex aren't exactly playing anything wrong—they actually hold their own on their instruments.

Harold Wright54, man, your very first post makes it sound like you’re some washed-up old rocker from the seventies.

Where’s the Sixth Sense? Where’s the Doors? Where’s Deep Purple?

Good grief, there are just endless bands out there.

As for me, I feel like the new lineup has been pretty lively overall so far, though perhaps it’s better if I just keep that thought to myself for now...

Are we counting New Wave as music, or does it actually have to be musical? 😬

Did anyone catch the Yes live show from 2000?

Tell them, Nicholas Perez33! That was incredible. Man, they still have it. 🙂 <---- fifth solo in the fourth interlude within just 13 minutes

Those hipster types from Brooklyn are the ones to blame for this whole surge of indie boy bands lugging guitars around; they’ve basically dragged us straight back into the eighties. And don't even try telling me they aren't everywhere. The real issue is that it’s just post-punk stripped of any actual ideology, reduced to nothing more than an aesthetic. Back in the day, punks actually felt ashamed of making money, whereas these modern acts are out there practically auditioning for commercials.

Harold Wright54 said:Have you guys ever watched the Yes live performance from 2000?

Oh, come on, Nicholas Perez33! That set is absolutely mind-blowing. Man, they still have so much energy. 🙂 <---- five guitar solos packed into a 13-minute intermezzo

🙂

Who is actually out here talking about post-punk?

I don't think the whole point of this discussion should be bickering over MTV music videos—though, let's be honest, that topic has been blown way out of proportion, to the point where we’re practically one step away from it becoming the modern version of hair metal. To me, focusing on that feels pretty misguided. That’s not even touching on the lack of ideology involved, which is an entirely different conversation when you look at the broader context.

Are people just looking for something to complain about?

What exactly is missing from bands like Clockcleaner? Or Air Conditioning? What about Hair Police, Battleship, or Lightning Bolt for heaven's sake?

The garage rock scene is absolutely surging right now, and honestly, they aren't even sticking to strict genre boundaries anymore.
River City Tanlines, Jay Reatard, Carbonas, Functional Blackouts...

I don't know, I suppose you just have to go out and dig for it, just like you always have to.

Eh. It’s not quite '68, but I guess it isn't half bad either... 😬

The point of this post wasn't about me whining over where things stood back in '91—it was about the absolute dilution of the "indie" label. It’s a textbook case of concept creep. Just try finding any band on Last.fm that doesn't have at least one "indie" tag attached to them. This term is expanding so rapidly every single day that I wouldn't be surprised if, five years from now, the word "indie" effectively replaces the word "music" in the American lexicon.

Honestly, calling something "indie" is just a nonsense concept at this point. It should have stayed strictly as a way to say you aren't signed to a major label, period. But now people try to use it to define a specific sound, which leads to them labeling Depeche Mode as an indie band... and obviously, the die-hard fans can't stand that, so they've started making up all these fake sonic definitions just to justify the term.

Morning.

I mean, where do we even draw the line for what counts as rock?

It’s just common sense that the indie scene in 2007 isn't really a direct descendant of the indie vibe from 1991... which is why I think there's no point in mourning the fact that "indie" has become a catch-all term. There have always been incredible bands across every single genre, so I honestly don't see the logic in being upset about how labels get used today.

Forget about the tagging.

I have to admit, once I hit my breaking point and some idiot says the wrong thing, I might just pop seven or eight sleeping pills and call it a night 👋 😈