What are the key 'indie' albums of the 00s..so far

Buick6

too punk to drunk
Since I'm an old cnut who hasn't listened to music for the past 12 years, I'm curious to discover from 'the kids' and other 'experts' what are the key or most important indie releases of this new millebnium. For my own two cents:

Jim O'Rourke - Insignificance
The Arcade Fire - funeral

I *know* there are acts more fabber than these two and am completely open and tolerant to being enlightened (and it can be any genre/style).
 

soundslike1981

Well-known member
Wait ten years and see if anything is still being listened to/talked about. That's my approach, anyway, as I haven't the time or energy to spend being frustrated with middling faddish junk.
 

Buick6

too punk to drunk
soundslike1981 said:
Wait ten years and see if anything is still being listened to/talked about. That's my approach, anyway, as I haven't the time or energy to spend being frustrated with middling faddish junk.

Harsh words, but I completely take your point, though under 28's would beg to differ.
 

petergunn

plywood violin
B00009ZYAQ.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg
 

tox

Factory Girl
Well, I'm under 28, so....

Postal Service - Give Up

and

Arab Strap - The Red Thread

I would especially point you in the direction of the Postal Service if you're looking for key albums, rather than just recommendations. I think they've inspired a bit of the stripped down lo-fi electronicy indie mess stuff thats coming out at the moment (Khonnor etc...).
 

killuridols

Change the game
The Strokes - Is this It (Easily the most influential rock album of the 00's)

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Testicicles - For screening purposes only (Shit/brilliant crazy dumb fun)
 
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tryptych

waiting for a time
killuridols said:
The Strokes - Is this It (Easily the most influential rock album of the 00's)

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Testicicles - For screening purposes only (Shit/brilliant crazy dumb fun)


I'd agree with the Strokes, but if you're looking for a UK influential post-punk soundalikes, surely Franz got there first? (despite personal preferences - personally, although I liked the Bloc Party record when it came out, it hasn't really aged well. And I like Franz even less. Don't get me started on the bloody Testicicles).
 
S

simon silverdollar

Guest
killuridols said:
The Strokes - Is this It (Easily the most influential rock album of the 00's)

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Testicicles - For screening purposes only (Shit/brilliant crazy dumb fun)

if they're the 'key' releases, indie's in a fuckload of trouble.
 

3underscore

Well-known member
this is really tricky for me to see an answer. I mean, what are you calling "indie" here? Are LCD Soundsystem indie, or do you consider them too cool and danceable to be indie? Is Sufjan Stevens indie, or is he a singer songwriter? Casiotone for the painfully alone? I don't even see how Jim O'Rourke comes to be indie, but as far as you are concerned he is.

Not an answer by any means, but indie is such a useless term for a question like this. Asking for recommendations about a music catagory that is so ill defined and much disputed is just asking for a big fat mess.
 

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
The first Libertines album is pretty ace, if you can get over the whole media circus thing. I really wish more people had picked up on the bits that made it stand out from generic indie (the rhythms, the constantly falling apart but still tight as hell feel) rather than using it as an excuse to produce even more generic indie.

Something from the Constellation mob deserves to be in there
Flaming Lips - Yoshimi
The Beginning Stages Of the Polyphonic Spree
At The Drive In - Relationship of Command
McLusky - The Difference Between You And Me Is I'm Not On Fire (although I've heard that 'McLusky Do Dallas' is actually better)

I'm sure that there are a lot more, but it's kind of in the nature of indie that it's going to be hard to tell the difference between something that only I like and a future underground classic. And those are off the top of my head - I'm sure I'll think of a good few more when I actually have my records to hand...
 

hint

party record with a siren
At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command
Bonny 'Prince' Billy - Ease On Down The Road
Don Caballero - What Burns Never Returns / American Don
The Innocence Mission - Befriended
Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
Lambchop - Nixon / Is A Woman
Low - Things We Lost In The Fire
Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
The Strokes - Is This It?
 

tate

Brown Sugar
hint said:
Don Caballero - What Burns Never Returns / American Don
i loathe being tacky like this, but What Burns Never Returns was released in 1998. Still, nice to see Don Cab on your list, hint. :) Have you heard anything about the new Caballero? Damon Che is the only original member left, I gather, but an album is scheduled for release May 16, 2006?
 
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hint

party record with a siren
Tate said:
i loathe being tacky like this, but What Burns Never Returns was released in 1998.

No problem - I like to be corrected on such matters. I was trying to be careful too - I even looked up a couple of dates I felt unsure about.

Have you heard anything about the new Caballero? Damon Che is the only original member left, I gather, but an album is scheduled for release May 16, 2006?

Opinion is divided over at The Electrical Forum.

I'm enjoying the Battles collection on Warp (managed to hold off on buying the EP imports). There's a good live video up here.
 

tate

Brown Sugar
3underscore said:
this is really tricky for me to see an answer. I mean, what are you calling "indie" here? Are LCD Soundsystem indie, or do you consider them too cool and danceable to be indie? Is Sufjan Stevens indie, or is he a singer songwriter? Casiotone for the painfully alone? I don't even see how Jim O'Rourke comes to be indie, but as far as you are concerned he is.

Not an answer by any means, but indie is such a useless term for a question like this. Asking for recommendations about a music catagory that is so ill defined and much disputed is just asking for a big fat mess.

Good points.

My problem is the word "key": What does it mean here?

Influential? Or representative of a trend, e.g., all of the boring retro-pastiche bands? Representative of a scene, e.g., freak-folk? Unique and well crafted, somehow transcending the 'indie' denomination, etc?

My answers to these questions would all be very different.
 

zhao

there are no accidents
the bands thus far mentioned in this thread are the sonic equivalent of yellowish green pus oozing from the cancerous udders of a dying cow.

with the exception of Low.
 
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