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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: indie rock

indie rock stories: 13 news summaries
the next big thing

 Brooklyn Bands 
 Heat Up Music Scene 

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

Nov 9, 09 2:45 PM CST
(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... More »

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music • Brooklyn • indie rock • MGMT • Jay-ZTV • Jace Clayton • Dirty Projectors

 Zooey Deschanel, 
 Ben Gibbard Marry 

Indie rock darlings get hitched after December engagement

Sep 21, 09 9:36 AM CDT
(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. More »

MORE ABOUT:
entertainment • music • celebrity • indie rock • celebrity marriage • Zooey Deschanel • Ben Gibbard • Death Cab for Cutie • She & Him

music review

 Moby's Wait for Me 
 Is Pleasant, Bland 

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

Jul 6, 09 5:29 PM CDT
(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... More »

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music • listeners • reviews • Moby • dance music • music review • indie rock • Wait for Me

OPINION

 Grammys Don't Get Alternative 

A new category should recognize real indie music

Feb 8, 09 3:30 PM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
music industry • Grammy Awards • Recording Academy • indie rock • Alternative rock

British Rocker Has Fans Fund New Album

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

Dec 10, 08 4:03 PM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
music industry • shares • investment • musician • indie rock

 You Are Your Music: Study

Study says music reflects our personalities

Sep 6, 08 6:11 PM CDT
(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
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
music • classical music • list • psychology • country music • rap music • reggae • heavy metal • blues • rock music • survey • dance music • indie rock

INTERVIEW

New Yorker Pop Critic Admits 'Indie' Gaffes

Says his peers are loath to concede
critical mistakes

Sep 1, 08 10:51 AM CDT
(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—... More »

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music • New Yorker magazine • pop culture • critic • Sasha Frere-Jones • indie rock • interview

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

Jul 11, 08 6:16 PM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Kurt Cobain • New Jersey • indie rock • Ian Curtis • Vaselines • Belle & Sebastian

MUSIC REVIEW

 My Morning Jacket 
 Spreads Rock Gospel 

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

Jun 23, 08 4:33 PM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
concert • music review • indie rock • My Morning Jacket • Radio City Music Hall

Weezer Star Needs Help Writing a Song

Fans can work
with Rivers Cuomo
via YouTube

Mar 27, 08 9:05 PM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
music • YouTube • rock and roll • Weezer • Rivers Cuomo • indie rock

 Vampires, REM Win Austin Buzz 

Emerging acts jostle with old timers for exposure

Mar 15, 08 5:31 PM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
music • Texas • Austin • rock bands • indie rock • music festival

 Tables Turn on Rebel Festival 

Austin SXSW now finds itself cast as 'the man'

Mar 14, 08 2:20 PM CDT
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
rock and roll • indie rock • music festival • SXSW • Roland Swenson • VIPs • corporate sponsorship • festivals

Euro Websites Rock Recording Industry

Slicethepie, Sellaband get visitors to invest in favorite bands

Mar 3, 08 12:52 PM CST
(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... More »

MORE ABOUT:
music • MySpace • music industry • online music • recording industry • Slicethepie • indie rock • SellaBand

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