Emo Love

Indie rock is one of those many rock subgenres, and mainly refers to those alternative rock bands and artists that have popular followings, but are not yet commercially signed. Many Indie rock bands belong to independent record labels, and generally produce and distribute most of their own work through various mediums including the Internet.

As with any music genre, there are lots of subgenres within the Indie music scene, and these include lo-fi, sadcore, and indie pop. Lo-fi basically means those bands that are on a tight budget and just starting out, who use low fidelity recording techniques, whereas sadcore covers those songs that contain bleak lyrics and downbeat melodies such as the work of Chan Marshall or Cat Power as she is sometimes known on stage. Indie pop refers to the more commercial element of the music, with upbeat and catchy melodies and less depressing lyrics.

The 1980’s were a golden time for Indie rock, especially in the British music scene with some definitive bands emerging into the mainstream such as The Smiths and The Stone Roses. In the US Indie rock was associated with more aggressive sounds from bands like Sonic Youth and Big Black, which were later followed in the 1990’s by grunge bands such as Nirvana and Alice in Chains.

The widespread success of these major bands inevitably led to the commercialisation of the Indie sound, as major labels became attracted to the marketing potential and lots of manufactured acts began to flood the scene with formulaic and mediocre sounds. Technically these bands were not really Indie rock, and only those artists that remained independent and underground such as The Grifters and Guided by Voices remained true to the Indie rock vibe.