Indie Rock.

When I first heard of Indie Rock, way back in college, I had thought it was short for "Indian" Rock because at the time there was this popular Indian rapish-rockish song out. I thought the song was okay, it got annoying after a while and I was baffled to hear that there was this huge underground following for "Indie" Rock. When I finally found out that it was "Indie" Rock for "Independent" Rock first I felt like a complete retard and then I was really interested. Since then I've dived into the genre with the help of my Sirius radio which makes Indie Rock extremely accessible. I know that the popularity of Indie Rock has been steadily growing, even to the point that some Indie Rock bands are getting popular and hitting mainstream markets, so I thought I'd introduce it to those out there who are wondering why Indian music suddenly got so popular!

Indie Rock is so appealing to many because it tends to be more unique and creative, not being stifled or controlled by a huge recording company. It's refreshing to hear some actually new music rather than the same song recycled over and over again as Pop music or even mainstream Alternative music tends to do. Indie Rock has become so popular that there are even rumors that a popular Indie band, The Kooks, were manufactured by a major UK Recording Label in order to capitalize on the recent Indie Rock craze.

So if you are just getting into Indie Rock, let me nudge you in the right direction, which of course are my faves:

• TV on the Radio - This band has quickly become one of my faves. The lead singer is originally from Nigeria, and you can hear the African background in the music. The song I first fell in love with is "A Method." It just sends chills down my spine. Their music is very experimental and creative, mixing rock, electric, jazz among other music genres in a way that is very pleasing to the ears, at least to me.
• Blonde Redhead - I'm completely obsessed with their song "Spring and by Summer Fall" which is a completely awkward name that I can never remember correctly, but there is this one guitar rift (I'm probably using that term so completely wrong) that literally tugs at your innards. I can't even explain it in words, but it's really profound. Overall, their music has an eerie kind of rock flavor going on.
• Sea Wolf - An up-and-coming Indie band. I'm not sure if they really even have a full album out, they might just have an EP. Actually "Sea Wolf" is the stage name for Alex Church with a rotating ensemble of musicians to make up his band. The current single out, "You're a Wolf" has a very unique sound that incorporates I believe a cello in it. I really like this band a lot and am pissed to find out that I just missed them in Carrboro, NC last night!!

Let me know what you think!

And if you didn't already know, Radiohead is at the forefront of innovative merchandising, making their newest release available only from a specific website and the price? Well you can order the "Discbox" which includes extra materials in addition to the album for about $80, or you can download a digital version for... whatever you want. Yup, you heard me, you decide how much you want to pay for the download. To test it out, and sure, I might be a bit stingy with money, but this was for experimental purposes mostly I swear, I said that I chose to pay zero for the album and website said okee dokee and downloaded the album right to my computer! Radiohead has been one of the more unique and interesting bands of the past, but they've really pushed the envelope by not even having a recording label! Talk about Indie Rock. Many record companies are very nervous by this new idea, and they should be. It's fucking brilliant. To read more about it, check out this article. And for those music/techy/computer geeks (I don't even know what category this falls under) read this article about some controversies about the It's Up To You/Free download.