UK indie (essentials)

[grab_grab_the_haddock]

Uk indie is a genre which i grew up listening to, and which over the years has produced some sensational bands and fantastic music. Many of these great albums are virtually unknown outside the U.K so the point of this thread is to point out a few key albums so anyone who is interested in the genre has a launching pad to explore further. Also i think some of this music deserves a wider audience.

Joy Division - Closer charts lead singer Ian Curtis' descent into deep depression, which would result in his suicide shortly after the release of this album, just as the band stood on the brink of international stardom. Relentlessly dark, deep and depressing, this album holds some profound insights into Curtis' mental state and into depression generally.

The album is also stunning musically; brilliantly arranged and produced by the band and legendary producer Martin Hannet, the albums signature is the gut wrenching dynamics and snaking rhythms which alternately wind and unwind, echoing the anguished shuttling between release and tension, of placidity and mania of the manically depressive lead singers mental state.

After Curtis died, the group changed their name to New Order and surfaced shortly after with a new lead singer and a very different sound.

The Smiths - Hatful Of Hollow This is the quintessential U.K indie band. probably any newcomer to UK indie should listen to this first, because if you don't like this you won't like any UK indie music.

This album is not as lauded as The Queen is dead, their 1985 tour de force, but I think this collection of outakes and singles gives a more rounded view of the groups style, and the live tracks, especially "William it was really nothing" and "what difference does it make?" have a rawness and an edge which is missing from the studio versions.

The lyrics, which were praised for their shameless intellectualism and and glorification of teen angst and existentialism sometimes come across as slightly pretentious, but I still think Morriseys brilliance as a lyricist glows throughout, and there is alot of dark humour among the bleakness.

The Smiths imploded in a bout of heroin and cocaine addiction, infighting and egoism in 1987, after only three years recording, but in that time made six albums, including three essential classics: this, The Queen is dead, and their eponymous debut album.

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy The Jesus and Mary Chain are the best band ever to come out of Scotland, and this is their greatest triumph. There is nothing complicated about this music. It's wall to wall feedback, screaming guitars and thunderous beats, while the lyrics are all ridiculously over the top odes to sex, girls, motorbikes and drugs. When i bought my first CD player, this was the first CD i bought. My vinyl version was trashed even then.

The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses I'm led to believe that the stone roses second album (the second coming) was quite popular in the States, but in truth it is nowhere near a patch on their eponymous debut L.P.

The rhythm section in this band were top drawer, while John Squire layered the album with wagonloads of icy cool guitar hooks. Some of the music on this album is truly inspiring, and even after many listens has the power to uplift like very little music can.

Supergrass - I Should Coco Exhuberant, raucous and fuelled by a heady cocktail of drugs and alcohol, supergrass reignited the UK indie scene with this album in the mid 90s. Fast, loose tales of sex and young abandon are told by this English trio.

Edited April 29, 2004 by grab_grab_the_haddock

[Umma]

Nice post grab grab... the Smiths were always a tad depressing I thought though I cant claim to have ever really given them much consideration... they just didnt grab grab me ...

[Shawn]

Many of these great albums are virtually unknown outside the U.K

To me at least. the only one of these I've heard has been The Smiths. Interesting lyrics, if I remember the one song had a touching part about being hit by a train. Thanks for the reminder, I'll try them out again.

[grab_grab_the_haddock]

I think the lyric you mean was about being hit by a "ten ton truck". A classic song.

The smiths do have a no undeserved rep for being a tad depressing, for example check out the lyrics to the classic "heaven knows im miserable now":

I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour

But heaven knows I'm miserable now

I was looking for a job, and then I found a job

And heaven knows I'm miserable now

In my life

Why do I give valuable time

To people who don't care if I live or die?

Two lovers entwined pass me by

And heaven knows I'm miserable now

I was looking for a job, and then I found a job

And heaven knows I'm miserable now

In my life

Oh, why do I give valuable time

To people who don't care if I live or die?

alot of their lyrics were tongue in cheek though, and there is also alot of dark humour in there too.

[Shawn]

You're right, it was a ten ton truck.

*pinned

[Umma]

I think it was Morrisey's voice and malnourished look that I found depressing more than what he was actually saying/singing :D

[Psychotronic420]

I remember these bands and have almost all of these albums in my collection, my favorite of the bunch would have to be "The Smiths" although "Jesus & Mary Chain" runs a close second. The first album I picked up by the Stone Roses was their debut album.

I guess I had a bit more exposure than most of my mates here in the US. My dad was an art professor and spent a great deal of time in Europe, so my album collection had stuff you just couldn't pick up here easily.

I just got the new "Supergrass - Supergrass is Ten (the best of 94-04)" its a good album to pick up for someone who isn't familiar with this band.

Thanx for the memories mate

Cheers

[DudeAsInCool]

Sorry, I missed this post. Lots of good stuff here...particularly The Stone Roses and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

[Psychotronic420]

Heres one I forgot to mention in my previous post and should be included in this thread:

Echo & the Bunnymen

:D

[rickio]

Only band I had not heard was supergrass. I will look about for it now that it is mentioned.

Yup, even heard echo and the bunnymen Phil hehe.

I always was a avid music fan and just was open to finding all this stuff. Except being in U.S. I had no idea what these bands were about back in U.K. I simply heard them and liked them. I never bothered to note if they were popular or indie hehe.

I went through periods of reading music mags but essentially would prowl music stores and just get what I thought looked interesting.

I remember really digging Jesus and Mary Chain when I first heard them.

Edited June 22, 2004 by rickio

[Potato]

Those bands are kickass. :)

[jipper]

i wouldnt think supergrass are essential indie, what about blur, suede,or the verve?