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You searched for ‘indie’, which matched 67 songs.
click - person recommending, year, performer, songtitle - to see more recommendations.
per second second  performed by wrens
Recommended by eggplantia5 [profile]

a fast paced song. can't understand a single lyric, but it's a good song to bop to. the wrens are being talked up quite a bit lately, in indie circles, with 'this boy is exhausted' being the center of hype, but 'per second second' is one of my favorites from them right now.





  Open Book: They're new album is absolutely phenomenal, no?
Peace Frog  performed by The Doors
Recommended by Lubi [profile]

From the album Morrison Hotel, Peace Frog is a bouncy toe tapping tune encapsulating funky wah wah with jazzy tones and a hint of country.

What I love about this tune is it's ability to make me get up and dance, head bounce toes tap.

Facinating lyrics, quite contradictory in contrast with the merry, whimsicalness of the music.

"There�s blood in the streets� it�s up to my ankles"

However when your dancing around It has little precedence, the organs and drums take you away and the lyrics are gone.....

from Morrison Hotel, available on CD


brooklyn phone call  performed by all girl summer fun band
Recommended by licoricewhipped [profile]

sweet, indie, girlie, i love it.




fell in love at 22  performed by starflyer 59
Recommended by olli [profile]

I'm not usually too big on this kind of indie pop, but this is just gorgeus. Melancholy lyrics, slow picked guitar, piano, church hall ambience...This could have been just about a zillion bands, yet it manages to have a voice of its own.
Just a great song for me right now.

Sounds eerily similar to Magnet, though.






  Ricard: Christian Rock... aaaggghh!
  olli: Yeah, i know, they're christian.. So was Johnny Cash. it's not like they're spreading propaganda or anything,and this happens to be a minor classic. The fact that I don't share the personal beliefs of the artists involved has never stopped me from listening to interesting music.. I'm not too narrowminded to shy away from music by buddhists, nazis, italians from the 80's, satanists, mooncat-worshippers or even christians, and neither should you be.
  rum: I agree olli. Good music is good music whoever's playing it. Narrow-mindedness will only lead to bitterness in old age, bemoaning all the great things you missed out on. I must confess though, ages ago I did once judge little known 80s Bristolian band, the Waxing Gibbons on their MoonCat worshipping beliefs. A mate of mine was really into them, but I was having none of it, wouldn't listen to their, "mumbo jumbo music". Then one time he played some stuff without me knowing who it was, and I was like, "woah, what is THIS?!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Absolutely awful.
  Ricard: Hmmm. You sound like some sort of preacher to me Olli... a Christian Preacher!!! Using the innocent world of Musical Taste to spread your sinister "Italians from the 80's" message to society's more susceptible elements. Despicable
  olli: Magnificent creatures, mooncats. Indeed. Take a look for yourself: http://www.mooncatstudio.com.tw/fu.jpg
People and places  performed by Constantin Veis
Recommended by moondog [profile]

Of all the releases on spains siesta label i especially hold "Memory La" by Greece`s Constantin Veis closest to me. Constantin veis who along with his brother sang and wrote songs in 80´s group The Fantastic Something. A kind of Simon & Garfunkel for the the indie/twee generation. On Memory La he continues in the simon & garfunkel style but throws in a more singer songwriter vibe along with bits of jimmy and burt. Crystal clear acoustic guitars and a wistful melody dominates "people and places" that removes this listener looking out on the mediterrean sea with a glass of ouzo in your right hand.

from Memory-La (Siesta)


indie rockers  performed by MGMT
Recommended by ashley14 [profile]




little lion man  performed by mumford and sons
Recommended by megan7872 [profile]

The song has more of a folk, indie sound. I like it a lot because of the instruments used in the song, as well as the talent that the members of the band possess.




elephant gun  performed by Beirut
Recommended by maria7 [profile]

eastern europe meets indie




Vapour Trail  performed by The Divine Comedy
Recommended by Mike [profile]

Cover of indie shoegazer band Ride's 1992 song. I never knew the original, which this sounds extremely similar to. As ever I am very quick to enjoy the use of labels with which to typecast.

The song evinces what I consider to be a kind of poetic genius. Musically it mirrors the lyric in its absolute simplicity.




Sea Legs  performed by The Shins
Recommended by supercededman [profile]

Great indie band.




Lust for Life  performed by Girls
Recommended by icerberg [profile]

Idk it's really indie and cool and stuff. It's the best.




Winkin, Blinkin and Nod  performed by The Big Three  1963
Recommended by rum [profile]

If you ask any industry bigwig right now what�s gonna be the next big thing, they�ll all say the same, �Sea Shanties�. Every one of them. You think I�m joking? Well listen up ignorami because I�m not.

You might have noticed ripples rolling in from the Indie scene on both shores of the Atlantic, as The Coral, The Decemberists, and others, have romanticised the plight of the seafarer, but now Shanties are due to hit the mainstream, and hard. As I write this Richard X is in his London studio working on the final mix of �Salty Seadog�, an explosive slab of �neo-shant� purred over seductively by Rachel Stevens. Cathy Dennis, my old pal from our days changing skates at Norwich Rollerama, told me yesterday that she�s just sold three �Shanties� to some �top name artists�. For legal reasons I�m not allowed to say who, but let me assure you these are white hot names. The kind of names that kids get on their knees and pray to. So, you see, Shanties are big business. I�ve also heard that Jennifer Lopez, J-Lo, �Loopy� Lopez, Jell-O, whatever, never one to miss a passing fad, is rumoured to be changing her name to One-Eyed-Jenny. Make of that what you will, might just be street talk. Now what concerns me is the forthcoming release from Britney Spears. This you may have heard about. It�s called, �Wingin�, Blingin� and Not!�, and it�s a �fresh� adaptation of the 19th century poem/song, �Winkin�, Blinkin� and Nod� by Eugene Field. I know this song from the glorious version by Cass Elliot�s pre-fame folk trio, The Big Three. It�s less a shanty than a bewitching lullaby, intended to lull a child into restful slumber, as Winkin� and gang sailed not in rusting trawler through the bleak North Sea, but, �in a wooden shoe/off on a river of crystal light/into a sea of dew.� And it contains some of the most hauntingly beautiful oooh ooohs and aahh ahhs ever waxed, as Tim Rose and Mama Cass harmonise the rolling waves of slumber. Nevertheless because of it�s sea-faring theme (�we�re going fishing for the herring fish/that live in the beautiful sea�), it�ll probably get caught up in the nets of the inevitable �Sea Shanty Fever� cash-in compilations that will soon litter our shores like syringes and floor tiling. I wanted to draw your attention to it now before it gets beaten blue and bloody by the Spears, and rattles out over supermarket tannoys the world over.

from The Big Three



  n-jeff: Obviously Mr Scruff is well ahead of the field then, with three songs about Fish (ing) on his first LP...
  tonyharte: Yo ho ho, me hearties. Well I never. Thanks for the tip/warning Rum (where's the bum and baccy?) I predict that this year (in the UK) will belong to The Coral.
  konsu: Um... what about Weens album "The Mollusk"? That was shit was shanty-city! So, whats next? Weavers laments??
I�ve Got Something On My Mind  performed by The Left Banke  1967
Recommended by konsu [profile]

There really isn't a perfect recommendation for this group,all their songs are fantastic!This one just suits my fancy as of now,and has that great "do the monkey" kind of go-go beat that's just plain infectious.This group was capable of tons of emotion,and their influence can be heard a lot in today's indie pop.Harpsichords abound,and their entire works are available on one CD, and it'll never let you down...

from Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina (Smash MGS 67088)
available on CD - There's Gonna Be A Storm (Polygram USA)




  olli: amazing song, glad someone had already posted it. just picked up the album, it's superb.
White Rabbit  performed by Jefferson Airplane  196?
Recommended by mattypenny [profile]

I'm going to post 3 linked songs. Eventually. This one, Somebody to Love by the same band and then the recent cover of Somebody To Love by the Boogie Pimps.

Anyway I must have heard this before, but sometime within the past few years it popped up on a free magazine compilation. I probably associated the band with their 80s (?) incarnation - the band that did 'We built this City On Rock and Roll'. Each to their own, but I have to say I really didn't like that song at all - to me it was bland, radio and MTV friendly big haired, anthemic music for people who don't like music. Really sorry if it was your favourite, but as I say, each to their own. White Rabbit is to me is the total opposite.

The best way I can think of to describe the sound would be as being like a cooler, more rocking 60s version of 'Metal Postcard' style Siouxsie and the Banshees. The words are a druggie take on Alice in Wonderland, and it finishes with the singer (Grace Slick?) basically shouting 'Feed my head' over and over. Although I wouldn't condone the sentiment (Just say No, kids!), it's all very impressive. It couldn't be less bland, radio and MTV friendly.

If you like the Banshees, Bauhaus, indie in general or on the otherhand the darker Beatles stuff or the Velvet Underground you might enjoy this.




Exaltacao e Lamento do ultimo rei  performed by José Mauro  1970
Recommended by moondog [profile]

The soundtrack to november. This or any other year. Brazilian Jose Mauro only made one album before the brazilian military or drugs (info anyone ?)pulled him in but me oh my how beautful that record is.
If there could be such a thing as bossanova-blues than Jose Mauros "obnoxius" is the blueprint. Joses songs which comes along like a blend of early milton nascimento with doses of Marcos Valle and Edu Lobo. The album was arranged by gaya and is filled with wonderful string arrangements. One modern reference would be another Jose,namely,the swedish indietroubadour Jose Gonzales. The highlight of the album comes at the end, Excaltacao e lamento..,which sends shivers down my spine everytime i hear it.

from Obnoxius, available on CD


This Way Mary  performed by John Barry  1974
Recommended by delicado [profile]

I love John Barry. Actually he doesn't seem like such a great guy personally, but I love a lot of his music. This track was originally composed for the soundtrack of the 1971 film 'Mary, Queen of Scots'. However, the sound is very modern. The track is built around a recurring piano riff (which incidentally was sampled by the group Chapterhouse on their 1991 indie/shoegazing single 'mesmerize'), and the tune is played by a synthesized, echoey harpsichord. It's a delightfully simple but very catchy track which stands up to repeated listening.

from Play it again (Polydor)
available on CD - The very best of (Polydor Europe)



Simply Thrilled Honey  performed by Orange Juice  1981
Recommended by LawrenceM [profile]

one of a clutch of four almost perfect pop songs released by Scots indie outfit on the Postcard Records label in the early 80s. They went on to be slicker, and mostly remembered for their 1985 hit "Rip It Up". But this is them at their best.

from non-LP single (Postcard Recordings Of Scotland)
available on CD - The Heather's On Fire (Postcard Recordings Of Scotland)



Love’s A Lonely Place To Be  performed by Virginia Astley  1982
Recommended by thefamilycat [profile]

This is my favorite song and is very close to a Christmas carol,especially "Walking in the air"
It appeared on the Indie charts in early 1983 peaking at No.5,sharing the chart with no end of punks.
Virginia Astley had little to do with Rock,never mind Punk

from Promise Nothing (Crepsescule)



  shakeahand: Yes quite beautiful, and then so easy to forget how dark and uncomfortable the lyrics are - being in a loveless relationship with, it seems, no way out. See also Some Small Hope, a duet with David Sylvian, another etherial mix of beauty and sadness.
  thefamilycat: Only a few of Virginia Astley's songs related to her own life.Her pet subjects were "having someone" or "almost having someone",tales of childhood or ideas from World War 1 poetry. "Tree Top Club" is actually set in thre village where her family lived at the time":Stanmore North London.The "ruined church" referred to can be seen in the churchyard where it was left after burning down. Her 90s songs continued the poetic and religious imagery she was so fond of and scenes from Alice in Wonderland are quite obvious
Heaven Knows I’m miserable now  performed by The Smiths  1985
Recommended by delicado [profile]

I love this much-derided song. People quote it as proof that the Smiths made morose music for morose people, but if you actually listen, it’s an amazingly uplifting song. Johnny Marr’s guitar is heavenly sounding; it all reminds me that no one else really made pop like the Smiths. What I've just said really completely fails to do the song justice. Ah well...

from Hatful of Hollow, available on CD




  schlemmsy: I quite agree. And this is not due to my love of uplifting house.
  john_l: Yup, this is the one that made me sit up and take notice ...
  raumfahrer1rolf: I love this song too. How is a person "miserable" when singing or hearing this song? It shows quite a bit of Morrissey here - he's "miserable" but it all sounds sublime, with a wistful tongue-in-cheekness to it. It's really pretty actually. If this is "misery" then please give me more of it, I'll get along quite nicely!
  daniela_por: This song will never be forgotten. It's simply great :)
Cecil Beaton�s Scrapbook  performed by Would Be Goods  1985
Recommended by andyjl [profile]


The finest moment of a legendary 80s UK indie label which fused a post-punk spirit with the best elements of 60s pop style - bossa nova, light psychedelia, girl groups. And pre-empted the lounge/easy listening revival by about 10 years. The Would Be-Goods were two sisters, Jessica and Miranda, who couldn�t sing and did so beautifully. The �l catalogue is being re-issued on CD by Cherry Red Records. Well worth checking out.


from The Camera Loves Me, available on CD


Velocity Girl  performed by Primal Scream  1986
Recommended by n-jeff [profile]

First heard on the NME C86 cassette which sort of defined mid 80's indie, and from well before Weatherall, 'Loaded' and samplers comes this gem. Less than 2 minutes long, Bobby Gillespie's sing song voice floats on top of super clean chiming guitars, no real verse/ chorus structure it just builds and leaves on the reverb off the guitar.






  G400 Custom: This comes from the 12-inch of 'Crystal Crescent' as I remember, which I think is a much better song: loads of brass, a bit like the Teardrop Explodes. For what it's worth, I despise 'Screamadelica' like few other albums. The band: bunch of muppet longhairs with guitars. The music: crusty dance shite. Didn't anyone notice the discrepancy? Conclusion: Primal Scream themselves had sod all to do with the making of the album, although they did appear on its follow-up. Which was also crap.
  n-jeff: Har, har. Get it off your chest, mate. I more or less disagree with all of that, but its not for me to criticise anyone for ranting.....
  shaka_klaus: hey! i like that song. but i think it's probably written by beattie/gillespie. beattie later had some adventures in stereo if i'm not terribly mistaken.
Red Sleeping Beauty  performed by McCarthy  1986
Recommended by delicado [profile]

Another of my favorite indie tracks in my youth. Can I say 'indie' anymore? Ten years ago the term had meaning, but I get the impression this has faded. I'm talking about bands who recorded for small independent labels, obviously. Anyway, I have a special fondness for McCarthy, since they played at the first live show I ever attended. It was on March 3rd 1990 at the Bowen West Theatre in Bedford, England. Were you there? I know at least one member of this site was (how's it going, Phil?).

Anyway, this is another superbly evocative track for me, with layers of nicely picked guitars, and some intense drumming. The vocals are heartfelt in a way that unkind people might call 'weedy'; I think they're brilliant, needless to say. McCarthy were a superb indie band with jangly Wedding Present-style guitars and a political edge. Tim Gane later went on to form Stereolab, who I also like a lot, but in a very different way.

from the single Red Sleeping Beauty (Pink Label PINKY 12)
available on CD - That's All Very Well But (Cherry Red)



Where is my mind?  performed by Pixies  1988
Recommended by delicado [profile]

I still find this song as compelling as I did ten years ago. It's simple, crisp, and beautiful, opening with an other-worldly high-pitched vocal hum which is soon joined by a picked electric guitar sound and some tight drums. It's really nothing like anything else I like, but somehow the shouted vocals and indie-rock setting really appeal to me on this track. One of 20 or 30 songs which transport me back to my late teens amazingly vividly.

from Surfer Rosa, available on CD



Anyway that you want me  performed by Spiritualized  1990
Recommended by delicado [profile]

A great version of this Troggs song, which formed one side of Spiritualized's first single. It's a pretty straight cover version, but with a richer production and that probably soon to become hip again early 90s dance/indie crossover sound (wah wah guitars, funky drums). Actually, it has aged pretty well, and I still can't listen to it without singing out loud when I hear it 'I've been watchin' you; and a lovin' you in vain...'

from the single Anyway that you want me (Dedicated)




  tinks: does that mean that it's almost time for a soup dragons revival?? hahahaha...
  shaka_klaus: i heard another version of this one recently in a commercial on tv. don't remember which at the moment. spiritualized gives me goosespots. i saw them in 98 at a festival and they opened up with 'cop shoot cop', what can i say? amazing. this version is also a fav of mine.
  delicado: I've been listening to the original Troggs version a lot recently. The Spiritualized version is a great cover - the same in many ways but also very different and intense. I think they're a good band; not everything they do is spot-on, but when a song by them is good, it's normally pretty mind-blowing.
  shaka_klaus: i forgot to write that the version of the song in the commercial is sung by a female singer.
  artlongjr: The female singer may have been Evie Sands, she sang the original, which was written by Chip Taylor. Chip is famous actor John Voight's brother. My favorite version of this tune is by the band American Breed from about 1967. Haven't heard the Troggs version yet.
Someone you love  performed by Popguns  1990
Recommended by delicado [profile]

A super-simple, super-charming innocent indie pop song from the hazy summer of 1990. The popguns were a nice jangly guitar band with a female singer and the old drummer from the Wedding Present. Their best songs really are excellent; I'm slightly surprised to find myself still enjoying them after all these years.

from Eugenie (Midnight Music)



Indian Ocean  performed by Field Mice  1990
Recommended by delicado [profile]

A beautiful guitar pop track, with superbly recorded 12 string and electric guitars, and an immaculately serious, yet shy vocal. Hearing it now, I'm amazed at how well this track has aged. To me, the beauty of the song lies more in the intricacy of its guitar parts than any musical or lyrical innovation. The guitar playing recalls the best indie guitar music of the 80s, particularly Johnny Marr. I remember seeing the band not long after this record came out. The guitarist seemed very shy, and faced the side of the stage, staring into his Rickenbacker. To cap all of this brilliance, this song features a superb fake ending, after which the instrumental refrain comes back in for a final few glorious moments.

from So Said Kay (Sarah Records SARAH 38)
available on CD - Where'd You Learn To Kiss That Way? (Shinkansen Recordings)




  farawayfriend: The field mice are one of the great unknown pop bands... a truly gorgeous song by an amazing artist.
Vapour Trail  performed by Ride  1991
Recommended by delicado [profile]

However you look at it, this song is simply too good to have not yet been recommended by me on this site. The final track on Ride's 1991 debut, this is simple, formulaic even, but very nicely executed. It opens with the same nice chord sequence that makes up most of the song, played on a solo guitar. Mark Gardner's vocals are wavering and delicate (ok, they're a little out of tune as well), but charming. The drum beat hints at the indie-dance sensibility of the time, and is extremely catchy without being ridiculous.

The real hook of the song for me lies in the harmonies introduced by the string parts which periodically underlay the chords. As the song builds, these string arrangements become more full. The rest of the band fades away and leaves them at the end. I'm surprised at how much I still enjoy this.

from Nowhere, available on CD




  shaka_klaus: ye-ye! nice one!
  andrew76: first you look so strong then you fade away the sunlight blinds my eyes i love you anyway - pure genius - and then one of them joined Oasis. Bugger.
Middle Of The Road  performed by Denim  1992
Recommended by jeanette [profile]

From the era when it seemed every band was named after a fabric, this angular indie gem was, for my money, one of the very best singles of the nascent Britpop era. Precipitating the self-referential indulgences of later bands, but not with the aura of smugness that pervaded the Albarn-esque dahn-tha-dawgs mockernee, the legend that is no-surname Lawrence (from alternative gods Felt) spews forth a classic.

The best way to describe this is 'miserable glam' - a great Mud-style beat clashes perfectly with Lawrence's scathing vocals of how he hates everything about so-called classic rock: "Spector's wall, knock it down; Jerry Lee, run him out of town." He ends up extolling the virtues of MOR and, in a stroke of utter pop genius, segues his tune into Middle Of The Road's hit Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep as sung by the kind of girl who populated the 70's Top Of The Pops LPs.

from Middle Of The Road CD Single, available on CD



For The Dead  performed by Gene  1994
Recommended by LawrenceM [profile]

Gene could be seen as everything that was risible about indie circa 1995. A four peice guitar band, with a Smiths obsessed frontman and a Weller obsessed guitarist. However, despite all this, plus unkind words from the press, gene have released a clutch of excellent, stirring singles full of bedsit miserabilism and gritty optimism. This single, their first, still sends shivers down my spine, 7 years on .....

from the single For The Dead (Costermonger)
available on CD - To See The Lights (Costermonger)



Where will I be tomorrow  performed by Nice Little Penguins  1994
Recommended by Mike [profile]

By one of those beautiful quirks that only occours when you befriend the staff of secondhand shops (and therefore get to hang around, sampling anything that sounds potentially interesting), I discovered this Danish Band yesterday. Well, actually I bought their 1994 album "Flying" yesterday, and discovered it today.

Inhabiting an area that to me is Beach Boys meets Big Dish with flavours of Crowded House blended with a little general indie, the album is remarkably enjoyable after one play. Kind of like a superior version of the Rembrandts. And one of the tracks that struck a particular chord was this one, a slowish number, but only one of several outstanding tracks. I really liked another slowish number "You are" a lot too.

from Flying


Mary-Ann  performed by Holly Golightly  1995
Recommended by jeanette [profile]

Holly's always been prolific, but never more so than in the mid nineties when this fantastic tune was released. There were usually a couple of her own albums out every year, plus releases with her girl group Thee Headcoatees, and the quality never dropped.

This is a typically brilliant slice of Holly's sound - pop blues riffing with her who-cares vocals. It fixes me within such a groove whenever I hear it.

Random reminicense: One of the best live performances I have seen was Thee Headcoats and Thee Headcoatees on stage in North London at Hallowe'en, treating the crowd to the BEST EVER version of Monster Mash. At that gig I saw Holly milling around the crowd before Thee Headcoatees took to the stage and was struck by her luminescent beauty and remarkable poise. Truly she has everything. She's worthy of heroine status.

After her brief burst of mainstream recognition guesting with the White Stripes, Holly's back in the comfortable indie heartland these days. I really can't think of enough nice things to say about her.

from the single Mary-Ann (Vinyl Japan PAD=26)


Jumping Fences  performed by The Olivia Tremor Control  1996
Recommended by PappaWheelie [profile]

From the "Dusk at Cubist Castle" album, there're two indie-pop highlights that shine above all; "Jumping Fences" and "Courtyard". Whereas Courtyard is more of a complete song than "Jumping Fences", it also is the most blissfully guilty of being overly "Beatle-esque". Jumping Fences, however, is even lower-fi, more harmonius, and equally as blissful without sounding completely unoriginal.

from Dusk at Cubist Castle, available on CD



Nature's Hated  performed by Orlando  1997
Recommended by LawrenceM [profile]

One of the few bands involved with the short lived "romo" movement, Orlando were the only ones to release an album, and were far superior to any of the other indie chancers jumping on the badnwagon. This song, along with the other excellent single "Just For A Second", were attempts to meld postcard Records, Motown and PWL into bright, shiny pop. Dickon's keyboards soared, and singer Tim Chipping's vocals sounded like a young David MacAlmont taking flight. Of course, obscurity beckoned - Dickon went on to play guitar for Spearmint and form Fosca, and Chipping's current whereabouts are unknown. A brief, bright moment in pop, snuffed out all too soon.

from Passive Soul, available on CD



You�re So Great  performed by Blur  1997
Recommended by executiveslacks [profile]

Slacker indie rock with a great guitar sound. It also has one of my favorite guitar solos.

from Blur, available on CD


Steal Yo Sixes  performed by Avocado Baby  1997
Recommended by jeanette [profile]

Back in the mid 90's, my booty was real far into the UK underground indie scene. For a short time, I was buying virtually all the 45's from a small coterie of labels and, of course, making sure I kept the inserts intact.

The Slampt Underground Organisation were, for a time, the UK's most uncompromisingly independent label. Their hearts were in the right place and their principles tight - against 'selling out', and for 'making music in your bedroom'. There was a real affinity with the riot grrrl / Olympia scene in the US, and Slampt had a way of looking at things not unlike Calvin Johnson and K records.

Avocado Baby were Pete and Rachel, the founders and organisers of Slampt. They released a handful of tapes and 45s on their own and other tiny record labels.

Steal Yo Sixes is about playing ludo. It's pretty daft, and the lowest lo-fi imaginable with a toy horn, xylophone and tape hiss being the only instruments. Still, it has an undeniable childlike charm, and due to its obscurity and short length, makes perfect mix tape / CD-r fodder.

There a line, "When we play ludo, why do I always lose-o?" that gets across the feel perfectly.

from Foolish And Punk single (Beekeeper-Shakedown Bee21-Step01)



If We Can Land on the Moon, Surely I Can Win  performed by Beulah  1999
Recommended by PappaWheelie [profile]

Where the more known Elephant 6 sound like the Beatles in melody, this track matches George Martin's 'Beatles Mid-Period' production.

from When Your Heartstrings Break, available on CD




  chris kane: If you like that song, you should get into The Broken Family Band ;)
Maybe in the next life  performed by Cinnamon  1999
Recommended by delicado [profile]

What a depressing yet beautiful song... I was thinking of recommending this when I first heard it, but today it fits my mood better and I feel compelled to do so. Bertrand Burgalat's production mixes modern beats and bleepy sound with strings, alongside Cinnamon's old-school tuneful indie guitar pop with a female vocalist. God, this song is depressing; did I say that yet? But it's one of those depressing songs that's actually glorious to hear, accompanied as it is by beautiful, rousing music. The vocal is rather tender; as if she's sympathetic about what a fuckup the listener is.

Those uplifting lyrics in full (actually, there's more, but I'll spare you):
"when you were young/you had the sun in your eyes/the grass was greener/the days were sweeter/in the next life/you know where you came from, but there's no sparkle in your eyes/you're gonna die/and there's nothing in between to shout about'.

Why would you want to listen to something like that? I'm not sure, but I have it on repeat play today; check it out!


available on CD - The genius of Bertrand Burgalat (Bungalow)



  bobbyspacetroup: I'm a big fan of this song as well. The album this if from, Vertigo, is worth picking up if you can find it. Louis Philippe arranged the strings on it with Burgalat producing. I hope this isn't all we are going to hear from Cinnamon.
Maybe Sometimes  performed by Eric Metronome  1999
Recommended by executiveslacks [profile]

Very lo-fi indie pop, there's something incredibly endearing and plaintive about this song. Guitar, drum machine, toy keyboards, and multi-tracked vocals.


available on CD - Blackbean and Placenta Sampler No. 3 (Black Bean and Placenta)


If We Can Land a Man on the Moon Surely I Can Win Your Heart  performed by Beulah  1999
Recommended by tman555 [profile]

Just a catchy song. It's from the Bay Area indie scene.
It starts off as sort of a love song, but turns into a conversation with the listener.

from When Your Heartstrings Break (Sugar Free Records)
available on CD - Yes (Yes)


Let�s Stay Inside  performed by Ivy  2000
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

Sparsely instrumented, bossa nova-tinged ballad by New York-based Indie-Pop trio Ivy. Very breezy, airy sounding due to a delicate muted trumpet riff and Dominique Durand's charming, accented vocals (reminding me of the even more accented singing Claudine Longet).

from Long Distance, available on CD



Falling From Grace  performed by The Gentle Waves  2000
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

"The Gentle Waves" was the guised solo project of Belle & Sebastian's Isobel Campbell, before she eventually recorded under her own name after leaving the group. This is pure etheral, introverted, delicate indie pop with a strong late 60s feel to it. The track starts with toned down drums, bass and acoustic guitar to complement Isobel Campbells's airy vocals. Later a wonderful harpsicord joins in, together with some violins and cello giving it a flowing, autumnal feel.

from Swansong For You, available on CD



Whatever Happened To Claudine Longet ?  performed by The Crooner  2000
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

This is quite a serious question if you ask me, but then again, this might not concern too many people and unfortunately The Crooner isn't able to give an answer. But if you expect some mockingly ironic, tongue-in-cheek lyrics about mademoiselle Longet it surprisingly isn't. It's quite on the contrary actually, a heartfelt homage, though rhyming "footsteps on the sand" with "pussywillowland" might appear cheesy of course. The music itself is a fluffy piece of indie-pop with a bittersweet tone, with soft male vocals, soft synths, a great vibraphone playing throughout and some airy, well, Longet-esque female vocals in the background.

from Soft Escape, available on CD




  konsu: You kind of have to dissapear for a while after you kill someone and get away with it. I mean, you don't see OJ hurdling suitcases anymore do you? Cool song though. I thought it would sound like Momus just from the description, and it does bear a resemblance in a way... maybe more like early Jimi Tenor?
Slipping Through Your Fingertips  performed by The Saturday People  2001
Recommended by LawrenceM [profile]

A brilliant pop song which reminds me in equal parts of the 60s pop of The Zombies or The Lovin' Spoonful, and also of 80s indie like New Zealand's Sneaky Feelings and Scotland's Orange Juice.

from The Saturday People, available on CD


Dreamboat  performed by Mirah  2001
Recommended by mattishere [profile]

lovely indie song by Mirah





jag �lskar dig  performed by franke  2002
Recommended by shaka_klaus [profile]

due to the cheapest swedish lager and estonian vodka i missed most of the bands i wanted to see at rasslebygd, emmaboda, sweden (formerly known as indieboda). me going to the festival was a mistake from the beginning, i hadn't been to a festival since the summer of 2001 and i immediately felt very old. however, i managed to watch franke. this song is great, filled with anguish and dirty guitarshrieks a la jesus and mary chain.

from optimismens h�n (service serv008)


friends of mine  performed by adam green  2002
Recommended by olli [profile]

uplifting, string-laden, lyrically abstract modern indie-pop. i think adam green`s strenght as a songwriter lies in his ability to combine bizarre random lines of text and catchy, but sophisticated melodies to something that`s bigger than the sum of its parts. that`s why i prefer his latest work to what he did back in the moldy peaches, the more well-produced sound really helps to balance out things. the strings on this song, for instance, is what makes it a slice of near-perfect sunshine pop. i really need to get around to actually buying this album soon..

from friends of mine


Lottery Winners on Acid  performed by The Crimea  2002
Recommended by Ricard [profile]

The Crimea are the current guise of 90's Welsh indie band The Crocketts, who were pretty rubbish and best forgotten. However, this song, which I think was their first single as the Crimea, is fantastic. It has a great summery feel thanks to some steel drums, goood weird lyrics, and thanks to Davey Crocketts always ammusing fake American singing voice sounds like its come straight from 60s California. This is the only song I've heard by the band since they became the Crimea so not sure whether it's a one-off or they really have improved since the days of the Crocketts (Aberystwyths most famous band!).




ne�re do well  performed by young people  2003
Recommended by olli [profile]

not really much into indie music, but this song struck a chord with me. comes across as a sort of retro-but-not-really-retro california rainy day sunflower melancholy lo-fi pop version of broadcast, if you can make any sense out of that.
short and sweet at 1:44.


available on CD - war prayers



Season of the Shark  performed by Yo la tengo  2003
Recommended by megara [profile]

Due to the constant everyday trippings, one learns to walk looking down, watching the cracks, watching the steps, watching the pebbles. That's how I found this track. I took a dive recently and came back to the surface with this song.
One little tune, one refrence and one image, these three combined make a lonely humming of this indie tune almost orchestral, de description of the saddest episodes or maybe just the most difficult ones, the unexplainable feeling, translated into a postcard of the big ocean, the clouds, the sun, the isolation, the danger, the sharks down by the surface surrounding your tiny boat, a breeze, a guitar, however you dive, always assured that seasons come and go.

from Summer Sun, available on CD


Teenage Wristband  performed by The Twilight Singers  2003
Recommended by dyfl [profile]

Enormous, gorgeous, hard-rocking (what a silly phrase) song about hedonism/surrender/desperation/"goin' for a ride." Like "Born To Run," "Baba O'Riley," and "Let's Go Crazy" thrown in a blender and soundtracking a black-and-white indie film.


available on CD - Blackberry Belle (One Little Indian)



The Next Step You�ll Take  performed by Club 8  2003
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

Club 8, consisting of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Johan Angergaard and vcalist Karolina Komstedt, started of in the mid 90s with a twee indie pop sound, with jangly guitars (Angergaard being a major Smiths fan) and simple instrumetation. With the release of their self- titled album in 2001 they added some electronica without losing the general tone of their music which is basically well crafted, melodic, gentle, airy, etheral, melancholic indie pop. Karolina Komstedt vocals are quite similar to early Nina Person of The Cardigans or Claudine Longet in their airy, angelic, dreamlike delivery. "The Next Step You'll Take" is a bossa nova influenced track, with gentle acoustic and electric guitars, some percussion and vibraphone. Nothing groundbreaking, but they combine well known elements in such a charming, delicate way i find them hard to resist.

from Strangely Beautiful, available on CD



Photobooth Curtain  performed by School for the Dead  2004
Recommended by catmarigold [profile]

Poppy Rocky Indie. This song is kind of funny but also kind of sad. Power-pop instrumentation with lots of harmonies. Great lyrics and melody, very cool arrangement.

from The New You, available on CD


Suspended From Class  performed by Camera Obscura  2004
Recommended by autopilot [profile]

Do you like soft rock? Belle & Sebastien? 60's pop?

If you answered yes to the above, this song (and the whole album) is a must listen. Twee vocals, cheeky lyrics, delicate harmonies and the occasional trumpet solo fill out a song about a schoolgirl crush gone wrong.

Quite simply a perfect song for lying in a grassy field watching the sun set.

from Underachievers Please Try Harder, available on CD


Side By Side  performed by Labrador  2004
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

This is how indie pop music should sound, at least for me: bittersweet, light'n' fluffy, airy, harmonic and late 60s oriented. Or as the band describes it: The music makes you think of the time when Herb Alpert and Burt Bacharach was young, Brigitte Bardot looked good, and Serge Gainsbourg was alive! Their whole second album, Instamatic Lovelife, is very consistent in quality and thus highly recommended.

from Instamatic Lovelife, available on CD



In us both  performed by madreoceano  2004
Recommended by gomez [profile]

Small song. Written by E.G. from Madreoceano, very personal lyrics. Just electric guitar, voice & crystal glasses. It feels like a soundtrack of an indie.

from " Eleven songs written & recorded on the bathtub" (selfrealesed on the net)
available on CD - www.madreoceano.com.ar (by mail)


Fogo de Saudade (Live)  performed by Beth Carvalho  2004
Recommended by stakadush [profile]

With her deep voice Beth Carvalho always delivers smooth samba rhythms.

from A Madrinha do Samba - Ao Vivo Convida (Indie)



Float On   performed by Modest Mouse  2004
Recommended by ErinRae24 [profile]

This song is labeled "Indie Rock". It always cheers me up. No matter what happens, we'll make it through.

from Good News For People Who Love Bad News (Epic Records)


Float On  performed by Modest Mouse  2004
Recommended by ErinRae24 [profile]

This song is labeled "Indie Rock". It always cheers me up. No matter what goes wrong, we'll make it through.

from Good News For People Who Love Bad News (Epic Records)


Getting Started  performed by Ashby  2005
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

A delicious slice of indie-pop. Very european sounding (influences by early Cardigans, Saint Etienne and Birdie spring to mind), this duo (consisting of Evelyn Pope & Bill Cowie) are actually from Boston. With all ingredients properly in place to conjure up images of a breezy summer day: Warm, analogue keyboards, horns, trumpets and some joyful flutes (played and arranged by Z� Luis) and very light and breezy female vocals.

from Looks Like You've Already Won, available on CD



Butterflies  performed by Secrecy  2007
Recommended by Roro [profile]

My best friend recommended these guys to me recently. She knows how I love the old Curtis Mayfield and Earth Wind and Fire stuff. These guys have that type of favor.

You can hear them on their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/secrecyone

from Love Seasons, available on CD


Uniform  performed by Bloc Party  2007
Recommended by WhiteRose1919 [profile]

Great Lyrically, a brilliant Bloc Party/Indie Rock Song.

from A Weekend In The City (Witchita)


Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa  performed by Vampire Weekend  2007
Recommended by daft [profile]

Indie vibe of Paul Simon orientated African music. It makes me want to do a kwassa kwassa.

from Vampire Weekend (XL)


Asleep At The Wheel  performed by Working For A Nuclear Free City  2007
Recommended by MisterBenn [profile]

Epic instrumental with an awesome pounding drum track. Like The Beta Band but with a heavy dose of caffeine. It moves from shoegaze intro to full on Chemical Brothers style brain-shaking drums. This soars.

from Businessmen and Ghosts


Shake it out  performed by Manchester Orchestra  2009
Recommended by bhahn16 [profile]

Indie rock style song, introspective lyrics, and when the song changes pace and breaks it down, I get chills every time. One of my favorite songs of '09.


available on CD - Mean everything to nothing


Genesis 3:23  performed by The Mountain Goats  2009
Recommended by ghosttomost [profile]

The Mountain Goats are an indie alt country band that are a bit of an acquired taste but they are so talented. this song is totally catchy and the lyrics are superb. the lyrics truly paint a vivd picture for the listener and you feel like you are trapped within the sing.

from the life of the world to come


Silent time of earth  performed by Candy claws  2010
Recommended by wilgodoy [profile]

from Hidden lands


Get In Line  performed by I’m From Barcelona  2011
Recommended by Livy19 [profile]

Indie Pop feel. More than one singer (big group of people singing this song) fun and upbeat!
- I like this because its good to dance to when your with your friends and the lyrics are quick to learn.
- Electric guitar, keyboards,

from Forever Today
available on CD - Yes (yes)


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