Am I the only one thats annoyed by the name Indie?

Captain Smiggy

Indie, short for independant, right?

An indie band therefore is surely one on an independent Label, non? The White Stripes are on an independant label, they wouldn't(i don't think anyway) be considered in the same genre as scores of bands that are labeled "Indie" these days. How can a sound be independent? How has this word become a genre? It's profoundly annoying for me, mostly because i listen to a lot of bands who would be labeled Indie.

Other genres have roots, a basis. Motown is a place like, places have sound. Mostly other genres have makey up names that don't mean anything on their own(e.g. Rock 'n' Roll, heavy metal), Independant actually means something.

What I'm trying to get across with this thread is basically two questions:

A)Anybody else agree with me?

B)Anyone suggest a new name for this music, even if it's only for me

Hypnotoad

Someone on another board said something a lot like this.
And I agree with you.

Captain Smiggy

aw crap, i thought i was an Intellectual, like Adrian mole....darn

lordgoat

The definition of the word indie is technically a band on an indie label. It has become more acceptable to use it to describe alternative music or music that doesn't fit the generic brackets or rock/pop/punk.

You need to chill out, it's not worth getting worked up over... seriously have a thtink about it...

klaus flouride

What constitutes indie music these days is pop/rock light guitar stuff. Most of which is pretty horrendous. But its seems to be a name thats sticking- so there you go. I'd rather play jazz-flute (like will ferrel in 'anchorman') than be in an indie band. Actually, I'd love to be able to play jazz-flute.

yevveh

Indie started off with independent labels, and assumably bands on those labels had a certain sound going, probably a guitar sound. That sound is now associated with indie, and not the actual origins. I listen to music that I would refer to as indie, it doesn't bother me. But when bands like Director are called indie its a bit of a toughie, I mean what exactly are they? They're not indie at all but they have a sound that could be passed off as indie. seeing as 'rock' is a pretty all-encompassing term these days, could the bands like White Stripes just be shoved over there and bands like iForward, Russia! get the indie title?

catch--22

Captain Smiggy wrote:

The White Stripes are on an independant label,

They have sinced moved to Warner so not any more!

John

Captain Smiggy wrote:

Other genres have roots, a basis. Motown is a place like, places have sound.

Motown is a label, not a place (hence the Motown sound). I think the name is a play on Motor City, it was a Detroit label.

Like everything in genre land, the name becomes warped as people use it to describe what a band sounds like. Indie music was music on independent labels but as the majors started getting an interest in this new money spinner, bands that sounded like they belong on an indie label were labelled indie. It's like my big pet peeve, industrial music is music that was released on Industrial Records (which only existed in the late 70s) and it's not music like Nine Inch Nails or Skinny Puppy or worse again, any of those horrendous goth disco bands like Front242. Gah! Genres, so ultimately meaningless but so aggravating at the same time!

noby

Indie had a 'meaning' at one stage though - when there was an indie chart, to promote bands on independent records. Then the waters got muddied. I can remember when Nirvana were no.1 all over the world (or something), and still 'qualified' for the indie charts. There was much debate over this at the time.
Then you had all the majors buying out a lot of the indie labels, making them not so independent anymore. On the other hand, you had the majors setting up 'indie' labels to exploit this. I can remember Peter Andre (or an equivelant) being no.1 in the indie charts. That's when the whole indie chart thing fell apart.
For indie as a genre, it's a bit of a catch all - guitar based band - description. I wouldn't be getting too upset about any genre titles, to be honest.

It's funny that you mention Motown. As John said, it's just a label. But you get other artists trying to replicate the motown sound. And there's a lot of stuff on Motown that mightn't be considered the 'Motown sound'.

Like Two tone, Blue Beat etc., Motown is a record label that came to be a genre. Indie is just an extension of this. i.e. a category of record labels that came to be a (vague) genre.

Captain Smiggy

Originally posted by John
Motown is a label, not a place (hence the Motown sound). I think the name is a play on Motor City, it was a Detroit label.

Ah, the motown as a place thing. I never really thought so, as it seemed too perfect, thanks for clearing that up.

I know it's just one of those niggling little things, but when you get things like Interpol shoved in the same bracket as enter sha-fookin-kari or some such garbage it gets a little aggravating. It's like it's causing me to lose sleep or anything, but I just wondered if it had suddenly become something it wasn't. Sadly, as i had thought, it's just cynicism on the part of the music industry. It's particularly annoying when you get people trying to pigeon-hole a band you really like(or are in, as happened to me) with "Indie" or "Alternative". Not to start another chain or anything, but surely any kind of music can be alternative? It's an alternative to something. If you're surrounded by metal fans and music, then surely pop becomes the Alternative, non?

MikeHoncho

Why the need for pigeon holes. I actually prefer blanket terms like Rock / Pop. I would say I like Rock music not Indie music. It has got feckin ridiculous there are so many genres and sub genres see stuff like Math Rock, Screamo, Emo, Punk, Post Punk, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, New Wave, Black Metal Hardcore New Indy Rave (WTF) etc. At its core all guitar based Music is Rock and Roll it all comes from the same roots different people just choose to express the basic principles of Rock and Roll in different ways. Ways that suit them, there life experiences and there beliefs. Its always Guitar, Bass, Drums and most of the time there is vocals and sometimes they ad in other instruments but at its core it is all a lead on from Chuck, Bill, Buddy and Elvis.

I dont like any of these sub genres in particular. I dont limit my musical tastes and choice to pigeonholes. I like a wide range of Music. One day I might be in the mood for some Broken Social Scene. The next I will be blowing out my speakers with some Pantera and every so often when im watching TV I might stay a little longer than I should on the latest Nelly Furtado - Timbaland collaberation (thats some catchy sh!t).

Captain Smiggy

Well said sir. particularly agree with the whole New indie rave blah blah thing....is it like a competition to amalgamate as many names as possible or something?

Rollo Tamasi

So according to your nostalgic definition House music is only House music when you listen to it in a Warehouse?

Get a grip man.

Captain Smiggy

That aimed at me, or mike? inanyway, that wasn't the point. I was merely saying that all of these pigeon-holes are pretty pointless. House is house wherever it is.... as is motown;)

John

They're not pointless though, they let you know roughly what a band will sound like before you hear them. Yes there's fun in the adventure and surprise of listening to an artist at random but if you like Hypothetical Band A and want to hear more bands like them, then being able to say that they are a post-grungecore band will allow you to find other similar bands a little more easily.

Captain Smiggy

AHA! And here is ze crux of my argument. Yeah, so if band A sounds like band B, and i like A i should like B, but then the "indie" tag gets slapped on every guitar band moseying out of art school and the whole thing is cheapened. If Indie actually had a definitive sound, it wouldn't bug me nearly as much, but apparently Arctic monkeys and Radiohead are the same kind of band(that is, both indie).....So the genre thing becomes irrelevant

MikeHoncho

Exactly. Another tragedy of labeling bands as one thing is when good bands get lumped in with sh!t scenes and vice versa. I wonder how Fugazi feel to be described as EMO next to My Chemical Romance and Panic At The Disco. If someone liked Fugazi and then was like "oh I must listen to someother bands in this same EMO genre" they would be like "what the crap is this rubbish".

Miguel_Sanchez

MikeHoncho wrote:

Exactly. Another tragedy of labeling bands as one thing is when good bands get lumped in with sh!t scenes and vice versa. I wonder how Fugazi feel to be described as EMO next to My Chemical Romance and Panic At The Disco. If someone liked Fugazi and then was like "oh I must listen to someother bands in this same EMO genre" they would be like "what the crap is this rubbish".

Who the hell is saying Fugazi are EMO??? Tell me. I'll go beat them.

Personally I like only one type of music:

Good music.

[edit](Oh ok... I like some sh*t music too)[/edit]

MikeHoncho

Jeff_Lebowski wrote:

Who the hell is saying Fugazi are EMO??? Tell me. I'll go beat them.

Personally I like only one type of music:

Good music.

[edit](Oh ok... I like some sh*t music too)[/edit]

I have heard Fugazi described as Emo many times. Easiest way of pointing out is a Wiki.

lordgoat

Dude go beat wiki...

eoin5

Humans have a need to catagorise everything, pity we suck at it.

nlgbbbblth

noby wrote:

Indie had a 'meaning' at one stage though - when there was an indie chart, to promote bands on independent records. Then the waters got muddied. I can remember when Nirvana were no.1 all over the world (or something), and still 'qualified' for the indie charts. There was much debate over this at the time.

Nirvana were signed to Geffen Records for Nevermind and In Utero.
Definitely not an independent label. Nor were they eligible for the indie charts.

Unlike Kylie Minogue's Stock Aiken and Waterman period on PWL records. In the late 1980s it wasn't unusual to see her records in the upper echelons of the indie charts, in company with stuff on 4AD, Creation, Blast First, Mute, Rough Trade, Sarah Records etc.