Indie, derived from "Independent", is an alternative rock genre which originated in the 1980's within the United Kingdom and United States. The term 'Indie' became associated with the music the bands or artists produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock. Due to hip hop and pop becoming more mainstream in the 1990's, Indie was used to describe the 'outsiders' or artists which subverted the typical mainstream genre. Then, in the 2000's as the rise of internet was in full swing, access to these bands became easier and they began to develop more commercial success.
Characteristics of Indie
Indie is used to describe the bands with the "do-it-yourself" attitude or the use of relativity small, in comparison to mainstream, labels used to sign them. Indie bands have a lesser interest in appealing to the mass mainstream market so instead stick to niche markets which allow them to explore and create their own sound of music.
Allmusic defines Indie as "too sensitive and melancholy; too soft and delicate; too dreamy and hypnotic; too personal and intimately revealing in its lyrics; too low-fidelity and low-budget in its production; too angular in its melodies and riffs; too raw, skronky and abrasive, wrapped in too many sheets of Sonic Youth/Dinosaur Jr./Pixies/Jesus & Mary Chain-style guitar noise; too oblique and fractured in its song structures; too influenced by experimental or otherwise unpopular musical styles."
Another characteristic of Indie artists and bands is that they tend to highlight the fact that they are talented musicians who can all play at least one instrument. This can be seen on album covers with the band members holding an instrument as shown below:
No comments:
Post a Comment