GENRE RESEARCH – INDIE

BY JEMMA PINTO

WHAT IS INDIE?• "INDIE" IS REFERS TO MANY SPECIFIC GENRE OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

THAT HAS DIVERSE OVER THE YEARS IN SUBSIDIARY GENRE’S AND CAN CONTAIN THE AESTHETICS OF CLASSIC ROCK, ALTERNATIVE ROCK, PUNK, ALTERNATIVE ROCK-POP, GARAGE AND ART ROCK.

• HOWEVER INDIE MUSIC ITS SELF CANNOT BE DEFINED HOWEVER IT CAN BE RECOGNISED FROM ITS OTHER SUBSIDIARY BROTHER AND SISTER MUSIC.

• EVEN TODAY THE ALTERNATIVE INDIE GENRE TENDS TO SOUND WITH MELODIC SLOW TUNES BUT CAN DIFFERENTIATE TO FAST AND QUICK BEATS, THE INSTRUMENTS ARE SIMPLE BUT WELL TEXTURED AND TYPICALLY CONTAIN A BAND E.G. VOCALIST, GUITARIST, BASSIST, DRUMMER, AND KEYS.

HISTORY OF INDIE?• INDIE IS A GENRE THAT HAS BEEN INFLUENCED BY ALTERNATIVE ROCK THAT ORIGINATED IN THE UNITED

KINGDOM AND THE UNITED STATES IN THE 1980S.

• INDIE ROCK IS EXTREMELY DIVERSE WITH MANY SUBSIDIARY GENRE’S THAT INCLUDE INDIE POP, JANGLE POP, C86, AND LO-FI, AMONG OTHERS.

• THE TERM “INDIE” BECAME MORE ASSOCIATED WITH RECORD COMPANIES AND THE MUSIC THEY PRODUCED, IT WAS INITIALLY USED INTERCHANGEABLY WITH ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC.

• THE INDIE ROCK GENRE HAD BEEN IDENTIFY IN 1990’S TO THOSE ACTS THAT RETAINED AN OUTSIDER AND UNDERGROUND PERSPECTIVE.

• IN THE 2000S, AS A RESULT OF CHANGES IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AND THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF THE INTERNET, A NUMBER OF INDIE ROCK ACTS BEGAN TO ENJOY COMMERCIAL SUCCESS, LEADING TO QUESTIONS ABOUT ITS MEANINGFULNESS AS A TERM.

CONVENTIONS OF A INDIE BAND/GENRE• THE BAND- BANDS TENDS TO BE MORE FEATURES WITHIN INDIE GENRE AND THIS KEEPS

THE IDEA OF LIVE PERFORMANCE WITH INSTRUMENTS PLAYED FROM THE MEMBERS E.G. VOCALIST, GUITARIST, BASSIST, DRUMMER, AND KEYS.

• HAIR AND MAKE UP- THE INDIE GENRE TENDS TO BE MORE DOMINATE BY MALE BAND SO THERE IS MINIMALISTIC OR ONLY A “NATURAL LOOK” IS NEEDED. MOST BANDS TENDS TO HAVE MOST OF THEIR MEMBERS TO HAVE LONG/SIDE SWEPT HAIR WHICH HAS BECOME A FAMILIAR AND ICONIC HAIR STYLE E.G. ARTIC MONKEYS, THE BEATLES, THE CLASH AND OASIS.

• CLOTHING- ALWAYS TENDS TO HAVE SIMPLISTIC CLOTHING AND ASSOCIATES WITH SKINNY JEANS, BROGUES, BLAZERS, STRAIGHT CUT BLACK COATS AND MINIMALISTIC JEWELLERY.

HOW IS INDIE RECOGNISED?• BANDS SUCH AS

OASIS

THE KILLERS

BLUR

CAGE THE ELEPHANT

GORILLAZ

JIMMY EATS WORLD

KASABIAN