About Indie Rock Archives - Rice Pike-Pat https://www.patricepike.com/category/about-indie-rock/ Indie rock music blog Tue, 16 May 2023 07:39:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2 https://www.patricepike.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-rats-g43594ba35_640-32x32.png About Indie Rock Archives - Rice Pike-Pat https://www.patricepike.com/category/about-indie-rock/ 32 32 Common indie rock and pop instruments https://www.patricepike.com/common-indie-rock-and-pop-instruments/ Wed, 17 Nov 2021 07:36:00 +0000 https://www.patricepike.com/?p=45 Despite the wide variety of subgenres and styles, indie music is quite simple in terms of instruments. I would put indie on a spectrum with rock at one end, rap at the other, and pop in the middle.

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Despite the wide variety of subgenres and styles, indie music is quite simple in terms of instruments. I would put indie on a spectrum with rock at one end, rap at the other, and pop in the middle.

Indie rock.
Towards this end of the spectrum, artists tend to use traditional rock band instruments: electric guitar, electric bass, analog drum kit, and synthesizer/digital piano.

Classical guitars are the most popular in this genre, with Stratocasters, Telecasters, 335s, Les Pauls, and Jazzmasters being the most common. The traditional single-cutaway sound can set the tone for most indie bands.

Acoustic guitars are also common for a more intimate sound on select tracks, but are not as commonly seen as electric guitars.

Bass guitars used in indie music are usually Jazz Bass or Rickenbacker, but a P-Bass or Bronco can produce sounds very similar to Jazz Bass. Synthetic basses are less common. 808 basses are almost unheard of on this side of the spectrum.

Analog drums are much more common on the rock. Even if you don’t play the drums yourself, using an analog VST sample rather than an electronic 808-based kit will give you the sound.

Indie pop
This style is usually lighter than rock or rap and more flexible in its instrumentation. Artists range from guitar to synthesizer harmonies, and the drums are usually loops with analog or digital kits. Piano is becoming more prominent here, as well as digital bass tones.

Guitars are still widely used, and they still have classic shapes such as Stratocasters and 335s. Acoustic guitars are very much in use, especially among the “singer-songwriter” types whose musical focus is on melody and storytelling rather than expansive arrangement.

Pianos and synthesizers are often used to complement the chords and bass. Expect to hear ambient pads or reverb-heavy electric piano emulations.

Digital bass is becoming increasingly common in pop music as we move away from traditional rock bank formats, as most indie pop artists are solo musicians who add bass lines during production or “in the box” (meaning electronically in the DAW itself, rather than using analog equipment that must first be recorded). Bass lines are likely to be instant retro grooves played on synthesized slap bass presets, compressed digital piano notes, or thick, buzzy square waves.

Digital drums are likely to be programmed into the DAW as basslines, but many indie pop artists still work with analog samples to get a more traditional rhythmic tone. Electronic samples are common, but they follow simpler patterns than rap, especially for hi-hats.

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Subgenres of indie rock https://www.patricepike.com/subgenres-of-indie-rock/ Wed, 15 Sep 2021 07:33:00 +0000 https://www.patricepike.com/?p=42 Garage rock and the revival of the new wave: The Von Bondies, The Electric Six, The Dirtbombs and The Detroit Cobras

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Garage rock and the revival of the new wave: The Von Bondies, The Electric Six, The Dirtbombs and The Detroit Cobras; Radio 4, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Electric Frankenstein, The Rapture; Billy Childish and The Buff Medways, The (International) Noise Conspiracy and The 5.6.7.8’s. With the Delta blues-influenced rock ‘n’ roll sound of the 1960s, we find artists such as The White Stripes, The Strokes, The Von Bondies, Eagles of Death Metal, The Vines, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Hives and The Black Keys.

Post-punk revival movement: influenced by the new wave, 1970s punk and 1980s post-punk of The Clash, Gang Of Four, Television, Wire, it became popular thanks to bands such as Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, Dirty Pretty Things, Babyshambles, Razorlight, Editors, Bloc Party and The View.

Indietronic: In the early 1990s, Stereolab and Disco Inferno inspired a genre that would evolve through technological innovation in the new millennium, with bands like Broadcast, Justice, Lali Puna, The Postal Service, Ratatat and the BOBBY Project. In the UK, this mixture has become known as new rave, a genre that includes bands such as Klaxons, Trash Fashion, New Young Pony Club, Hadouken!, Late of the Pier, Test Icicles and Shitdisco.

Baroque pop, inspired by the folk music of the 1960s, and the Pet Shop Boys record Pet Sounds. This subgenre includes quiet vocals and orchestral arrangements in bands such as Arcade Fire, Danielson Famile, Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, Broken Social Scene, Islands and Stars.
A new program, a complex, experimental, sophisticated style of rock music with bands such as Mew, Muse and Porcupine Tree.

New Weird America or Freak Folk, a more experimental version of New Folk with quirky folk songs and ballads filled with psychology, featuring artists such as Devendra Benhart, Joanna Newsom, Animal Collective and Six Organs of Admittance.
Psych-Folk, a psychedelic New Folk movement that includes avant-garde noise, drones, dissonance and natural field recordings with artists such as No-Neck Blues Band, Brightblack Morning Light, Wooden Wand and Vanishing Voice.

Psychedelic pop, a revival of 1970s psychedelic pop with artists such as The Shins, Of Montreal and The Flaming Lips.
Disco-punk/dance-punk, a combination of new wave music and punk rock aesthetics with LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, !!!, Out Hud, Liars, Radio 4, Death from Above 1979, Lost Sounds and The Stiletto Formal.

Twee pop with simple sweet melodies and lyrics and jangly guitars with bands like The Boy Least Likely To, Architecture in Helsinki, Belle & Sebastian, Tullycraft, Camera Obscura and Girls in Hawaii.
Bands such as Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, Arcade Fire, The Polyphonic Spree, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, dEUS, The Hidden Cameras and Islands.

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The history and beginnings of indie rock https://www.patricepike.com/the-history-and-beginnings-of-indie-rock/ Mon, 19 Jul 2021 07:25:00 +0000 https://www.patricepike.com/?p=36 When in the 1970s and 1980s it was impossible to release a movie or record a song without the involvement of huge corporations, independent studios appeared

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When in the 1970s and 1980s it was impossible to release a movie or record a song without the involvement of huge corporations, independent studios appeared – indie, from which the acronym “indie” emerged. Thanks to independent studios, many musicians experimented with sound and offered new variations of musical styles and were able to release albums. They promoted creative individuality, were non-conformists, and represented mostly the underground.

And so it came to be that in music, the term “indie” first referred not to genres, but to studios – labels. And only later it began to be applied to the products of such companies.

Many indie musicians even now record albums without help. Their music is considered more free and original, less pop.

It was originally thought that independent musicians created music for themselves and friends, but not for profit and popularity.

The success of indie products was due to the fact that independent labels could create what they wanted rather than what profit-driven corporations dictated. As a result of this, there were musicians on the scene who became world famous. For example, Oasis, Blur and Stone Roses.

The indie trend embraced several spheres, including fashion and film. In 1989 the independent concept released a film made in a different, non-Hollywood tradition, Sex, Lies, and Video, directed by Steven Soderbergh. The picture was considered the best and became a landmark for the underground.

Successful and Sumptuous.
In the mid-1990s there was a strong interest in indie music from corporations. This happened after Nirvana recorded their debut album Bleach, which became mega-popular.

Since successful and independent bands like Oasis and Blur were imitated by many musicians, the tag “indie” was attached to anyone whose sound resembled familiar tunes. And also because the whole independent music movement-parody began and accumulated in Britain, experimental alternative rock music released in England was mostly tagged with the “indie” label.

It is difficult to determine exactly which musicians belong to this genre, as many change their usual sound and experiment within their own styles. However, it is generally accepted that indie is necessarily rock – mellow and unusual.

Indie Rock. Soft rock mixed with Brit-pop, and this is probably the most familiar sound for indie bands. Independent rock has motifs of shoegaze, blues rock, and garage rock. And also this kind of rock has absorbed a lot of other styles, so it’s hard to predict – you can’t buy an indie album and know exactly what it’s going to sound like. It could be punk and post-punk and retro rock and lo-fi.

Indie-rock usually means measured rock – especially in a professional environment. Because of this, not all musicians like to be called indie. For example, if they play neo-rock-n-roll, they have obviously created music not according to the general rules, but it is groovy and expressive, and indie in the general sense is already different.

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What does the future hold for indie rock? https://www.patricepike.com/what-does-the-future-hold-for-indie-rock/ Thu, 20 May 2021 07:31:00 +0000 https://www.patricepike.com/?p=39 There's no doubt that indie rock is in a strong position right now. A whole new generation of fans has discovered this genre

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There’s no doubt that indie rock is in a strong position right now. A whole new generation of fans has discovered this genre, and there is a lot of great music created by independent artists.

So what’s in store for indie rock? Here are a few things to look out for:

More cross-pollination with other genres.
Indie rock has always been a genre open to experimentation, and we’re likely to see even more cross-pollination in the future. expect to see more indie rock bands incorporating elements of hip-hop, soul, and other genres into their music.

More women and people of color in the spotlight.
The indie rock scene has always been pretty diverse, but we’re likely to see even more women and people of color in the future. There are already a lot of great indie rock artists led by women and people of color, and we’re sure we’ll see even more in the coming years.

More DIY venues and festivals.
As the indie rock scene continues to grow, we’ll likely see more DIY venues and festivals popping up. These venues and festivals provide a great opportunity for indie rock bands to get their music out there and connect with fans.

More vinyl albums.
Vinyl albums have been making a comeback in recent years, and there are no signs that this trend will stop anytime soon. Indie rock bands will likely continue to release their music on vinyl, giving fans a more immersive listening experience.

More innovative sounds.
Indie rock has always been known for its innovative sounds, and we’re likely to see even more of that in the future. Bands will continue to experiment with new sounds and styles to create truly unique music.

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