indie rock

18 Stories

Neutral Milk Hotel Is Back, 15 Years Later

Indie band plans international tour

(Newser) - The indie rock band Neutral Milk Hotel has effectively been broken up since 1998—but the group is about to tour again. Right now, Jeff Mangum et al are planning to start in the South (Asheville and Athens, Georgia) in October before heading to Taipei and Tokyo; just five dates...

White Stripes Break Up
 White Stripes Break Up 

White Stripes Break Up

'Myriad of reasons' cited in friendly split

(Newser) - The White Stripes split up today, ending a 13-year career that saw six studio albums and numerous world tours, PopEater reports. Jack and Meg White, who last released 2007's Icky Thump, said there was no hard feelings in a statement posted to their website . "The reason is not due...

Cool Parents Groove to 'Kindie Rock'

Finally, kids music that's actually good

(Newser) - Good news, hipsters: You won’t have to trade in your street cred for Radio Disney when you have kids, thanks to “kindie music.” That’s independent kid music, aka stuff parents can listen to—and enjoy—even when their offspring aren’t around. Even as the music...

Johnny Depp Directs Moody New Music Video

Actor doesn't appear in British indie band's video, but it's beautiful nonetheless

(Newser) - Sorry, fellow Johnny Depp lovers: He’s not actually in the music video he directed for British indie band Babybird, but it’s definitely worth watching anyway. The “Unloveable” vid was inspired by the Ambrose Bierce short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” The Frisky notes....

Animal Collective's Rise Is Well Deserved

They brilliantly mix 'accessible' and 'avant-garde'

(Newser) - The rise of Animal Collective in 2009 is often attributed to concessions to accessibility, Jonah Weiner writes. “Going by the blurbs alone, you might assume that, in a few years, Animal Collective will complete its career-long metamorphosis into ABBA.” But that’s just not the case. The quirky...

Brooklyn Bands Heat Up Music Scene
 Brooklyn Bands 
 Heat Up Music Scene 
the next big thing

Brooklyn Bands Heat Up Music Scene

Dirty Projectors, MGMT just a few of the borough's exciting indie acts

(Newser) - Brooklyn is returning to the forefront of the indie music scene—with a vengeance. New York delves deep into the borough’s offerings with a list of the top 40 songs from Brooklyn musicians, the most important music bloggers, and a map of the best places to see shows. The...

Zooey Deschanel, Ben Gibbard Marry

Indie rock darlings get hitched after December engagement

(Newser) - Indie rock ‘it’ couple Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard married Saturday near Seattle, her rep tells Us. The 29-year-old actress (and She & Him singer) and Death Cab for Cutie frontman, 33, were engaged last December after dating for nearly a year.

Moby's Wait for Me Is Pleasant, Bland
 Moby's Wait for Me 
 Is Pleasant, Bland 
music review

Moby's Wait for Me Is Pleasant, Bland

Pitchfork describes album as 'background music in the purest sense'

(Newser) - Moby’s latest album, Wait For Me, is a pleasant if forgettable trip to the artist’s softer, more ambient side, writes Jess Harvell for Pitchfork. Coming a decade after 1999’s Play, a record that perfectly captured the “post-rave” zeitgeist of pop at the time to become a...

Grammys Don't Get Alternative
 Grammys Don't Get Alternative 
OPINION

Grammys Don't Get Alternative

A new category should recognize real indie music

(Newser) - Real alternative music acts have been shut-out at the Grammys in favor of their major-label siblings, observes James Reed in the Boston Globe. The Alternative Music category, which has been around since 1991, has never exactly been groundbreaking in its choices—an already well-known Sinead O'Connor took home the prize...

British Rocker Has Fans Fund New Album

For a $15 investment, you'll own a piece of Patrick Wolf's music

(Newser) - The British indie musician Patrick Wolf thinks fan involvement is the future of the music industry, and he's willing to put their money where his mouth is, NME reports. Fans who sign up through the website Bandstocks.com will be able to help fund Wolf's album—and earn perks like...

You Are Your Music: Study
 You Are Your Music: Study

You Are Your Music: Study

Study says music reflects our personalities

(Newser) - Our favorite music speaks volumes about who we are, according to a new psychological study. It turns out that Indie fans are miserable, and metal heads act a lot like classical music lovers. The Independent breaks down personalities by genre:  
  • Indie: Low self-esteem and lazy, not to mention selfish
...

New Yorker Pop Critic Admits 'Indie' Gaffes
New Yorker Pop Critic Admits 'Indie' Gaffes
INTERVIEW

New Yorker Pop Critic Admits 'Indie' Gaffes

Says his peers are loath to concede critical mistakes

(Newser) - You may have missed it, but the New Yorker pays attention to pop music. Flip past articles on dead American poets and you might find insightful, sometimes scathing, music critiques by Sasha Frere-Jones. The musician and critic sat down with Gelf Magazine to discuss the problems with defining indie rock—...

Indie Heroes the Vaselines (Finally) Play the States
Indie Heroes the Vaselines (Finally) Play the States
Concert Review

Indie Heroes the Vaselines (Finally) Play the States

Only one date left for US fans to see Scottish group that was Cobain's fave

(Newser) - Known stateside as Kurt Cobain’s favorite band, Scottish rockers the Vaselines finally made their US debut Wednesday—18 years after their only release. To a small, adoring, and cultish crowd, the show was “the second coming of Jesus, John Lennon, and Ian Curtis, all at once," writes...

My Morning Jacket Spreads Rock Gospel
 My Morning Jacket 
 Spreads Rock Gospel 
MUSIC REVIEW

My Morning Jacket Spreads Rock Gospel

At Radio City Southern rockers strut spiritual side, showcase 'arena-rock ascendance'

(Newser) - My Morning Jacket is officially an arena-rock force, Nate Chinen raves in the New York Times. The Southern-rock darlings walked the line between spiritual and sanguine before a sold-out Radio City Music Hall on Friday, playing the majority of new album Evil Urges, which "features some of its strongest...

Weezer Star Needs Help Writing a Song

Fans can work with Rivers Cuomo via YouTube

(Newser) - In yet another example of the Internet democratizing the music industry, Weezer's frontman is using YouTube to get some help writing a new song. Rivers Cuomo is broadcasting himself (don't miss the campy moustache) in a series he's dubbed "Let's Write a Sawng." His latest dispatch asks fans...

Vampires, REM Win Austin Buzz
 Vampires, REM Win Austin Buzz 

Vampires, REM Win Austin Buzz

Emerging acts jostle with old timers for exposure

(Newser) - At least one "buzz band" has emerged in South by Southwest, a music festival that is increasingly dominated by big-name artists: world-beat pop quartet Vampire Weekend. Still hot from a Saturday Night Live appearance last weekend, the Columbia University band has wowed Austin with its clean, poppy sound, the...

Tables Turn on Rebel Festival
 Tables Turn on Rebel Festival 

Tables Turn on Rebel Festival

Austin SXSW now finds itself cast as 'the man'

(Newser) - The South by Southwest musical festival finds itself in an odd spot—the once-tiny gathering is now the big bad authority figure as it tries to keep others from horning in on its success, the Wall Street Journal reports. Festival organizers routinely call the police, revoke privileges, and file lawsuits...

Euro Websites Rock Recording Industry

Slicethepie, Sellaband get visitors to invest in favorite bands

(Newser) - While the recording industry continues to lose profits, two online companies are reinventing the recorded music business model—and raking in the cash. Europe's SellaBand and Slicethepie are getting fans to finance their favorite indie rock up-and-comers. Amazon UK wants in, but online gambling legislation in the US makes it...

18 Stories