Pre-Med Indie Music Thread?

[badlydrawnvik]

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Well there seemed to be a good indie music thread going on within the picture thread so I thought I'd start one. Smart people have good taste in music so where better than a pre-med forum? Always good to get new music from others. I'm seeing Jose Gonzalez, The Books, Wolf Parade, Stellastarr, and Editors in the next month or so in Philly. Anyone going to these shows? My avatar is Kele Okereke from when I saw Bloc Party in NYC this summer.

 

[Rafa]

My top ten indie-ish bands at the moment (in no order):

Mazzy Star
Sufjan Stevens
American Analog Set
Elliott Smith
Cat Power
Death Cab for Cutie
Mirah
Regina Spektor
The Innocence Mission
John Vanderslice...

The list goes on. Music is teh hotness.

 

[drmota]

EDITORS, clap your hands say yeah, cat power, belle & sebastian, she wants revenge, the lovemakers.
-mota

 

[jebus]

anyone heard the new flaming lips album that drops in april? For a bunch of weirdos from oklahoma, they do make some good music.
That, and I can't stop listening to any and all Go! Team stuff I hear. Their appearance on morning becomes eclectic is just pure unadulterated energy.
SXSW and Coachella both look hot as hell.
The end.

 

[Rafa]

Also wanted to ask: is anyone else here a member of Indietorrents or Oink?

 

[badlydrawnvik]

Also wanted to ask: is anyone else here a member of Indietorrents or Oink?

i'm an oink man myself. i have a membership to indietorrents but they dont have a very good selection in my opinion.

 

[Rafa]

Sweet. Same here, actually. I put my #iT account on hold, but it was more because I didn't like the forums. The selection's not the best due to the whole RIAA-safe thing. But on Oink, everyone is happy, and you can get pretty much anything you want. Best site ever. 🙂

 

[jebus]

I'm the only one that uses soulseek or just appropriate mp3 blogs who post .zips to rapidshare? I feel so alone.

 

[tkdusb]

Oink is impossible to get a membership into. I can't even buy one.

I make use of an excellent blog to get my RIAA independent music from. I almost never use soulseek or bittorrent now.

 

[badlydrawnvik]

i'd invite but i havent uploaded enough to yet. they require 10 gigs uploaded before you can invite people and i've uploaded like 3.

 

[argonana]

I love Cat Power, but I found her new album (with the exception of Love & Communication) disappointing. 🙁 Too much of a country influence, I think.

Some of my top picks would be Blackalicious, The Avalanches, J5, UNKLE, and anything old skool (Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde, Jungle Brothers, etc.).

I just picked up the first Handsome Boy Modeling School album, and it's a riot. Love the DJ Shadow track..."Holy Calamity."

 

[Medikit]

If anyone is looking for something to listen to when they need to relax during this process I recommend Pinback

 

[Rafa]

I love Cat Power, but I found her new album (with the exception of Love & Communication) disappointing. 🙁 Too much of a country influence, I think.

Seriously. That thing is bland. IMO, You are Free is by far and away her best, followed by Moon Pix (even though I rarely listen to more than three tracks on it because it's so down.)

 

[jebus]

Some of my top picks would be Blackalicious, The Avalanches, J5, UNKLE, and anything old skool (Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde, Jungle Brothers, etc.).

Check out leaders of the new school (busta rhymes' group back in the early 90's before he went solo, and, uh, sold out).
or just ask mota about music. I've got a bunch of good new music because of his recommendations. that boy's got good taste.

 

[Peter Griffen]

Good call on the thread.

The Faint, Cursive, Murder by Death, Pedro the Lion, Bright Eyes, The Rapture, etc. I'll leave some for everyone else

 

[Rafa]

i'd invite but i havent uploaded enough to yet. they require 10 gigs uploaded before you can invite people and i've uploaded like 3.

Also just discovered that since membership is capped at 55k, you've got to check the homepage frequently in order to make use of an invite (you can't register unless there are fewer than 55,000 current members). But don't worry -- people with horrible ratios get bumped off all the time.

(I know you know this, bdv 🙂 Just saying it for others reading the thread).

 

[pagemmapants]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. . .

On "repeat" for me lately? Wolf Parade, the Clientele, the Elected, the Decemberists, the Robot Ate Me, and M83. and Spoon. I've gotten a bit tired of Architecture in Helsinki of late, but still listen occasionally. I've been told the New Pornographers are wonderful but can't get into them for some reason. I thought the new Death Cab album somewhat lacking and prefered Transatlanticism, but I don't think they even really qualify as "indie" at this point. They're even more "mainstream" than B&S by now, not that that makes EITHER band any less good. Far be it from me to be one of those self-righteous, value-is-inversely-propotional-to-notoriety hipster-types. Oh, and I love love LOVE the Long Winters. Pinback, good too. Wauuuuugh, the Books! How's that for needs-real-concentration-to-enjoy music? Hooray.

 

[jebus]

ha ha, thanks for the heads up, rafa.

 

[argonana]

ah, this thread makes me happy. thanks guys.


random question--i know there are a couple other college radio DJs out there. are any of you thinking about doing a show while you're in med school? (is it even possible??) if i end up near or on a college campus, i'd like to get a late night slot once a week...maybe with 2 other students so one person could skip out if they had to...

 

[badlydrawnvik]

i did a show for a few semesters in college, but it seems like it might be harder in med school. one of my interviewers, maybe BU, said it's possible to get involved with some kind of radio.

 

[jbrice1639]

been listening to the decemberists a lot lately...also a big fan of death cab, wilco, the minus 5...

 

[argonana]

anyone listen to telefon tel aviv or the mars volta? thoughts?

"my week beats your year" by telefon tel aviv is fantastic...

 

[badlydrawnvik]

anyone listen to telefon tel aviv or the mars volta? thoughts?

"my week beats your year" by telefon tel aviv is fantastic...

i'm pretty disappointed i never saw at the drive-in while they were around, but seeing both sparta and mars volta would be amazing. i'm more a sparta fan though, mars volta is a little too much sometimes. also totally agree about the cat power album, i dont like it, it's super boring.

 

[bainsstatic]

Good call on the thread.

The Faint, Cursive, Murder by Death, Pedro the Lion, Bright Eyes, The Rapture, etc. I'll leave some for everyone else

Not to be a troll, but these aren't indie bands

 

[etown]

Indie-esque stuff on my current favorite playlist:
Dismemberment Plan, New Pornographers (and AC Newman), Death Cab, Arcarde Fire, Belle and Sebastian, The Postal Service, Doves, Elliot Smith, Flaming Lips, Broken Social Science, Badly Drawn Boy, Gin Blossoms, Magnetic Fields, Pete Yorn, Wilco, Mute Math, Spoon, Thievery Corporation

 

[anon-y-mouse]

Mazzy Star
Sufjan Stevens
American Analog Set
Elliott Smith
Cat Power
Death Cab for Cutie
Mirah
Regina Spektor
The Innocence Mission
John Vanderslice....

Hahaha... that is basically my makeout playlst. Seriously.

+ B&S, I have seen them in concert a few times.

What about The Notwist, anyone? their album "Neon Golden" is so amazing.

 

[badlydrawnvik]

Hahaha... that is basically my makeout playlst. Seriously.

+ B&S, I have seen them in concert a few times.

What about The Notwist, anyone? their album "Neon Golden" is so amazing.

neon golden is amazing. have you evern listened to the side project 13 & god? also good. and regarding certain bands not being "indie." i dunno that's kind of untrue. there's a lot of flexibility as to what's indie and what's not. death cab was indie but isn't technically anymore right? i think it's sort of an ambiguous term.

 

[red dot]

neon golden is amazing. have you evern listened to the side project 13 & god? also good. and regarding certain bands not being "indie." i dunno that's kind of untrue. there's a lot of flexibility as to what's indie and what's not. death cab was indie but isn't technically anymore right? i think it's sort of an ambiguous term.

*i like a lotta that stuff on anticon. you should also check out why? and restiform bodies on those labels. also... i have heard arguments on whether or not it's pronounced no-twist or not-wist. i say the former.

*the new devics album comes out next month! i think on the 7th. i like it so far...

*drmota -- i wonder if you mighta been at the lovemakers show at slims? anyway i think that band is better live or for a party.

 

[funshine]

Mazzy Star
Sufjan Stevens
American Analog Set
Elliott Smith
Cat Power
Death Cab for Cutie
Mirah
Regina Spektor
The Innocence Mission
John Vanderslice....

Oh wow, I only recognize one from that list--Deathcab, and I don't even like 'em that much. Guess my playlist needs some revamping. Hmm, I don't even know what qualifies as indie-music, and truthfully I don't think I'd like it. I do like Velvet Underground, Marcy's Playground, Iche Troje, Belle & Sebastian, The Cure, Dishwalla, and mostly relatively older pop/rock like Garbage, Fastball, Third Eye Blind and others.

 

[argonana]

*i like a lotta that stuff on anticon. you should also check out why? and restiform bodies on those labels. also... i have heard arguments on whether or not it's pronounced no-twist or not-wist. i say the former.

wow, i had never heard of the restiform bodies. 👍 😍 they're excellent.

 

[Rafa]

Oh wow, I only recognize one from that list--Deathcab, and I don't even like 'em that much. Guess my playlist needs some revamping. Hmm, I don't even know what qualifies as indie-music, and truthfully I don't think I'd like it. I do like Velvet Underground, Marcy's Playground, Iche Troje, Belle & Sebastian, The Cure, Dishwalla, and mostly relatively older pop/rock like Garbage, Fastball, Third Eye Blind and others.

:^) W.r.t the Velvet Underground, have you heard Nico's "These Days"? She sang it w/VT, and it's such a lovely song. Belle & Sebastian, most folks would count as indie. Your list suggests you're more into punk, if my terminology is right, as well as alt-rock.

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

Nice...

I saw the Decemberists just recently in Orlando and it was one of the best shows I've ever gone to in my life. Blew me away -- which is especially great considering it was a three-hour drive to the venue.

I would really, really love the opportunity to see Built to Spill. I've been listening to nothing but "Perfect From Now On" for a week now.

Other stuff: American Football, Against Me!, Death Cab/Postal Service, Dredg, Modest Mouse, The Shins, Bright Eyes, etc etc

...I'd also love if Tool releases their next record before I die...

 

[Peter Griffen]

Not to be a troll, but these aren't indie bands

I guess I would love to hear your definition of Indie. I was thinking along the lines of bands not belonging to one of the major record labels. They are just some bands I've been listening to. Sweet.

Why would you say the bands are not indie? Just curious.

 

[funshine]

:^) W.r.t the Velvet Underground, have you heard Nico's "These Days"? She sang it w/VT, and it's such a lovely song. Belle & Sebastian, most folks would count as indie. Your list suggests you're more into punk, if my terminology is right, as well as alt-rock.

Yep, I remember "These Days" from the Royal Tenenbaums...that movie had great music 🙂

Punk? I never would've guessed.

 

[jebus]

I guess I would love to hear your definition of Indie. I was thinking along the lines of bands not belonging to one of the major record labels. They are just some bands I've been listening to. Sweet.

Why would you say the bands are not indie? Just curious.

Yeah, I thought indie was defined more by the labels they were on - and the rapture are on LCD Soundsystem's label. Like any other good homoerotic dance punk, that's got to be indie.
What about more indie hip-hop? Soul Position's got a new album (& tour) coming out soon. So does ghostface.

 

[badlydrawnvik]

Yeah, I thought indie was defined more by the labels they were on - and the rapture are on LCD Soundsystem's label. Like any other good homoerotic dance punk, that's got to be indie.
What about more indie hip-hop? Soul Position's got a new album (& tour) coming out soon. So does ghostface.

i saw this indie/electronic type hip hop band open for bloc party called automato, they were really good. diplo's good if that counts as indie hip hop.

 

[Rafa]

I usually look at it this way: there are two definitions, for me, of indie. One is the technical kind (any artist/band not on a major label), and the other is the more self-dependent kind. My main indie fortes are in the folk and rock spectra. If the band/artist isn't major-lab, then it's a no-brainer. If they *are* major-lab, but did the bulk of their work while on independent labels, I also count them (DCFC, for example). In the end though, it all comes down to 'sound'. If it "sounds" like something I like, and it's folky or rocky and relatively unknown, I'll call it as I see it. FE, Pete Yorn's on Columbia, but he has an indie rock "sound", if you see what I mean. 🙂 It's all rubbish, anyway. What Juliet said about a rose, and all that.

If you're looking for a laugh, go to UrbanDictionary, and check out the defs for your favorite musical genres. The "emo" defs are my favorite.

 

[badlydrawnvik]

in lab my partner was cutting out a picture of a gel and said he wished it was emo so it would cut itself. i thought that was pretty funny.

 

[UCDavisdude]

im surprised no ones mentione The Faint. they are AWESOME!

 

[Peter Griffen]

im surprised no ones mentione The Faint. they are AWESOME!

Look back!!! I did!! I should say again though, they are amazing.

 

[dilated]

Not to be a troll, but these aren't indie bands

The first indier-than-thou post! I was waiting for it. 👍

im surprised no ones mentione The Faint. they are AWESOME!

I dig the Faint. Symptom Finger was my MCAT study song of choice. OK, so it wasn't really appropriate, but it did rock.

 

[argonana]

okay, really dumb/random question--

i just started using oink, and i can't open any of the files i've downloaded. i've tried downloading various converters and archivers, but to no avail whatsoever. i'm sooo confused! can anyone throw me a hint?

 

[jebus]

okay, really dumb/random question--

i just started using oink, and i can't open any of the files i've downloaded. i've tried downloading various converters and archivers, but to no avail whatsoever. i'm sooo confused! can anyone throw me a hint?

download a bittorrent client. just go to bittorrent.com and download the software. other people may have better ideas for software, though. Then come back here with more questions and hopefully we can answer those, too.

 

[SteveHolt!]

no one has mentioned we are scientists. they are great, huge in europe right now, and the best part: they are pomona college alums.

 

[thefafo]

hmm... there's not as much acoustic folky stuff as I would have expected.

lately, I've been liking:
Joe Purdy
Catherine Feeny
The Ditty Bops - they may not be indie, not really sure
Jessie Baylin
Shiny Toy Guns
Matt Hopper
Nemo
Get set go

 

[Ennuity]

One way to seem indie 1337 is to sort Indietorrents by # of seeds and just pick out some pretentious-ass names (preferably in the form of a phrase). Since the Touch and Go label is too recognizable a name in indie circles, I'm going with Half-Handed Cloud and I'm Not a Gun and, of course, They Shoot Horses Don't They as my current "favorites."

Anyway, if anyone wants an OiNK invite (I'll give out only one for now), PM me w/ an e-mail address.

[Edit: Given out.]

 

[BAM!]

Ah, Indie rock.

So it used to be that "indie" was a way to describe bands that were not on major labels. For example, the indie section at Tower would have everything from punk bands like NOFX to total crap like "the Dwarves".

Now indie has become more of a genre. The genre can be described as simple folky rock, with lots of instrumental guitar that explores different chords that still remain more rock than jazz. Possibly some synthesized riffs, but far from techno. I like to think of it as regular rock where they compensate for bad singers with a more interesting instrumental aspect.

btw - mazzy star, gin blossoms, and the flaming lips are alternative, not indie. And yes, there is a difference.

If you want to expand on your repetiore of indie bands, i recomend checking out "Indie Pop Rocks". Google it. it's part of SOMAFM, an internet radio station that has some pretty neat stuff.

http://www.somafm.com/indiepop.pls

 

[tulane06]

Not sure if these bands are truly "indie," but I like Interpol, the Walkmen and the Stills.

 

[badlydrawnvik]

okay, really dumb/random question--

i just started using oink, and i can't open any of the files i've downloaded. i've tried downloading various converters and archivers, but to no avail whatsoever. i'm sooo confused! can anyone throw me a hint?

use ABC (another bit torrent client) or Azureus.

 

[bgreet]

The Weepies, Joshua Radin