Who was lucky to get acquainted with the musical direction of Indie, he certainly did not remain indifferent. Melodious sound, pleasant vocals and unpretentious lyrics - all this pleases the ear and gains sympathy from the first notes.
"Indie" - what kind of music genre?
Indie rock is an abbreviated "Independent rock" - a musical direction free of rules. For indie artists, it doesn't matter what their lyrics are about, how clear the sound will be, or if the guitar solo is too heavy. Melody combines in their songs with the rattle of electric guitars and texts about love, the sea and parties.
The volume and rhythm of the music can be arbitrarily changed, each track is a fun experiment. If in the same love song the performer first wheezes, then squeals, then performs a beautiful melody with an even timbre, and at the end all this drowns out the roar of several electric guitars at once, you can be sure that this is indie music.
Indie rock originated in the UK in the 80s as an alternative rock destination. Today, this name also means Brit-pop, indie-pop, noise-pop and a great many other directions that in the last few decades have appeared on an alternative rock scene, like mushrooms after the rain. After such a characteristic, a reasonable question arises: what is indie music?
Simply put - this is all pop rock, not interested in commercial gain. Indie artists do not seek to sell their work more expensively. They just make music: stylishly, audaciously and wholeheartedly. At the same time, for indie musicians it makes no sense: are they independent or do their thing for sale. It turns out that they are not only free from the thirst for profit and the rules established by music labels and agents. First of all, they are free from themselves: they can do whatever they want.
Dreamers Music
All indie bands play like each other, like one. But, at the same time, you recognize and distinguish each of them from the first chords. Indie music is something “beyond”. The main highlight of the style is its autonomy. It cannot be forced to change, depending on the needs of the public; it cannot be compared with any of the other genres. If it can be difficult to distinguish, for example, hip-hop and rnb, hardcore and screamo, then indie can't be confused with anything. Broadly, indie is everything, but not everything is indie.
Indie music is something that is too unusual and extraordinary, bizarre and dreamy, perhaps incomprehensible and of poor quality, but it's always cool. Indie is mesmerizing and mesmerizing. Without knowing the text, you can guess what the song is about and draw it in your imagination. This is not just once. I want to listen to it constantly.
Stylish of this world
Indie groups are great. Greatest number of performers gave the world the UK, Canada, USA, Sweden and even Russia. All names are mostly short words used in the plural, but not only: The Killers, The Kooks, The Strokes, The Libertines, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, The Hives, I am kloot, Oasis, Arktic Monkeys, Kasabian, Sebadoh and others.
In Russia, indie music can be attributed to the work of the groups Jane Air, Sakura, Animal Jazz. Of course, there are actually more names, but it makes no sense to list them. They need to listen. In addition, it is difficult to talk about any one team that marked the beginning of indie music. The direction arose spontaneously under the influence of different styles and with the participation of many collectives.
You can not name the coolest, most popular or most canonical representatives of indie culture. Here, as in everything related to the direction, there are no rules and standards. You can not talk about the best, but only about the most beloved.
The kooks
The British from Brighton, who created the team in 2004. The first album was released in 2006, after a little more than six months, it became thrice platinum. The name was borrowed from the song of the same name by David Bowie. Today the group consists of 4 people: Luke Pritchard, Hugh Harris, Alex Nunez and Pete Denton.
The killers
All indie music is an alternative, but not all alternative is indie. For this reason, many teams are often referred to both directions. But, since there are no rules, then it’s possible.
The Killers American team, with Brandan Flowers at the helm, was founded in 2002 and by 2004 had become wildly popular. The peak of fame of the "killers" came in 2006-2008. However, their albums are still being released: in 2017, Wonderful Wonderful was released. The most famous songs are “Mr. "Brightsight" and "Somebody told me" are still heard and sound mixed in the best dance floors in the world, and, thank God, are regularly performed live at concerts.
The strokes
Incredibly melodic voice with a tear inherent in the indie style, owned by Julian Casablancas, known to all fans of The Strokes. A few years after graduation, he met with old friends and put together a team with them, which was rapidly gaining popularity in New York. Initially, the guys gathered in the garage, and at the beginning of the 2000s, several music labels were already fighting with them for work.
Franz ferdinand
The dudes from Glasgow, Alex Kapranos and Bob Hardy, formed an indie band in 2001, bearing the name of the Archduke of Austria killed in Sarajevo. They knew each other during their studies, including with drummer Paul Thompson. Guitarist Nick McCarthy later joined them.
The guys rehearsed in an abandoned warehouse, calling it "Castle", before the police visit, and then relocated to the abandoned courthouse. The debut album was released in 2003. To date, the team has more than 3 million copies of albums sold, several Grammy nominations and conquered tops of many charts.
Rem
An American alternative group that emerged in the 80s, to the peak of its fame, completely positioned itself as an indie band. The team experienced a rapid rise, dizzying fame and painful decay. The musicians announced the end of their collaboration back in 2011, but REM, with their “Love is all around” and “Losing my religion”, is still in the hearts of loyal fans.
Indie musicians don't need big labels and the best studios to do cool stuff. They proved to the whole world that the main thing in creativity is to do as the heart suggests, and not fashion dictates.
Today there are more and more supporters of the opinion that indie is dead. The reason for this is the desire of the public to immediately get a thorough definition of a cultural phenomenon. Indie, it's a little different. Indie music is something that touches and captivates. This is something that does not require preparation, it is for the soul.