The Album Review Club - Week #191 (page 1286) - Harlequin Dream - Boy & Bear

I don't listen to music on the radio anymore remember? Would Bob Harris have played it?

Anyway, yes, "Last Nite" does sound familiar.

But there again all this indie stuff sounds the same to me:)

Ha I was waiting for that.

But in fairness to you, if there is one instance where that is probably right (broken clock twice a day and all), that song is probably it.
 
Ha I was waiting for that.

But in fairness to you, if there is one instance where that is probably right (broken clock twice a day and all), that song is probably it.
But I'm (mostly) right, aren't I?

I'm not saying that I dislike the album; I've only had one listen so far, but it's indie 101. Maybe they created the template and I'll have to go back and listen to indie albums from the mid 90s to 2001 to find out.

Anyway, I've decided that in order to promote discussion, I should get my initial thoughts down before the more considered review follows.
 
But I'm (mostly) right, aren't I?

I'm not saying that I dislike the album; I've only had one listen so far, but it's indie 101. Maybe they created the template and I'll have to go back and listen to indie albums from the mid 90s to 2001 to find out.

Anyway, I've decided that in order to promote discussion, I should get my initial thoughts down before the more considered review follows.
Per my review: yes, they created the template. That's a key reason I picked this. Saying this is Indie 101 (and Indie isn't really it; maybe Skinny Jeans 101) is like saying Nevermind is Grunge 101 or Bollocks is Punk 101.
 
But I'm (mostly) right, aren't I?

I'm not saying that I dislike the album; I've only had one listen so far, but it's indie 101. Maybe they created the template and I'll have to go back and listen to indie albums from the mid 90s to 2001 to find out.

Anyway, I've decided that in order to promote discussion, I should get my initial thoughts down before the more considered review follows.

Some people can't tell one hot thing from another. Habanero, black pepper, curry, it is all just uncomfortable burn to them. Some people can't tell different fish apart, or distinguish that from prawns. All that country cac sounds the same to me and you can't tell subtleties and layers in indie, where it exists (doesn't always). You are categorically wrong in some instances, right in others. But entertaining in all. As am I, no doubt, to someone who isn't as tone deaf to that genre as I am. The same can be said for most genres though, in that they all have some type of formula. Otherwise they wouldn't be grouped under this banner or that.

As a general point, rather than this album which I don't think I have listened to in a good 20 years now.
 
Some people can't tell one hot thing from another. Habanero, black pepper, curry, it is all just uncomfortable burn to them. Some people can't tell different fish apart, or distinguish that from prawns. All that country cac sounds the same to me and you can't tell subtleties and layers in indie, where it exists (doesn't always). You are categorically wrong in some instances, right in others. But entertaining in all. As am I, no doubt, to someone who isn't as tone deaf to that genre as I am. The same can be said for most genres though, in that they all have some type of formula. Otherwise they wouldn't be grouped under this banner or that.

As a general point, rather than this album which I don't think I have listened to in a good 20 years now.
Yes, I must admit that I have often used the line: "If you don't like jazz, it all sounds the same."

I still struggle to understand the weird popularity of indie when there are so many better music forms :)

Objectively, people in every other genre can sing better, play better, construct better songs, but as ever, I'll look forward so reading about why people like or dislike this week's pick.
 
Yes, I must admit that I have often used the line: "If you don't like jazz, it all sounds the same."

I still struggle to understand the weird popularity of indie when there are so many better music forms :)

Objectively, people in every other genre can sing better, play better, construct better songs, but as ever, I'll look forward so reading about why people like or dislike this week's pick.

Depends on what you are looking for I guess. Assessing music on its technical ability from a distance, or connecting with it or being moved by it in ways you can't always explain.
 
Yes, I must admit that I have often used the line: "If you don't like jazz, it all sounds the same."

I still struggle to understand the weird popularity of indie when there are so many better music forms :)

Objectively, people in every other genre can sing better, play better, construct better songs, but as ever, I'll look forward so reading about why people like or dislike this week's pick.
Wow.

Your penalty for this post should be 24 hours of listening to nothing but Sonic Youth records at full volume. Especially the bad ones. :)

Not only do I disagree with (or maybe not understand) how you are defining "indie", but unless you are a dyed-in-the-wool hardcore middlebrow with Billy Joel, Whitney Houston and Sting (solo) as your three favo(u)rite artists (which I doubt), there is no way in the world your "objective" sentence is anything like "objective."
 
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Rock/Britpop/Indie 90’s/early 00’s will always be my favourite genre, it’s the era I grew up with for Music. Admittedly the chart stuff like this.
Discovering earlier bands and artists when I hit late teens/early 20’s opened my horizons a lot more - but it was to late, Indie was predominantly in my blood.
 
Wow.

Your penalty for this post should be 24 hours of listening to nothing but Sonic Youth records at full volume. Especially the bad ones. :)

Not only do I disagree with (or maybe not understand) how you are defining "indie", but unless you are a dyed-in-the-wool hardcore middlebrow with Billy Joel, Whitney Houston and Sting (solo) as your three favo(u)rite artists (which I doubt), there is no way in the world your "objective" sentence is anything like "objective."
If it hasnae any showboating solos on each instrument, and if the singing strays from what convention dictates, or heaven forbid has an accent, it's indie. ;)

'You white, you Ben Affleck'.
 
I don't listen to music on the radio anymore remember? Would Bob Harris have played it?

Anyway, yes, "Last Nite" does sound familiar.

But there again all this indie stuff sounds the same to me:)
Define 'Indie" mate. Not one of the genres we covered in the history thread.

Seriously, If I was asked to describe typical Indie music I couldn't. I always thought it was more about the type of label than the music itself. Early REM were indie weren't they?
 
Define 'Indie" mate. Not one of the genres we covered in the history thread.

Seriously, If I was asked to describe typical Indie music I couldn't. I always thought it was more about the type of label than the music itself. Early REM were indie weren't they?

Real Indie Music is bands/artist that do so on independent labels and away from the mainstream - problem is when they become good and sell records the same band are then labelled ‘Pop’.
 
Not sure I'd call this indie personally. For me it's more new wave post punk slowed down a little. Indie makes more of an effort
 
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Indie has become a catch all phase to describe any band with a couple of guitars. Record industry plant The Last Dinner Party were described as indie and I nearly fell off my chair.
I put Orange Juice on the playlist thread and they are the very definition of Indie in terms of label (Postcard) and sound. Personally I believe there are 2 types of music. Good and bad
 
Indie has become a catch all phase to describe any band with a couple of guitars. Record industry plant The Last Dinner Party were described as indie and I nearly fell off my chair.
I put Orange Juice on the playlist thread and they are the very definition of Indie in terms of label (Postcard) and sound. Personally I believe there are 2 types of music. Good and bad
There are ten types of music, rated 1 through 10 :)
 
Not sure I'd call this indie personally. For me it's more new wave post punk slowed down a little. Indie makes more of an effort
Assuming the very late-70s to mid-80s was post-punk, and that this record lit the match that created the next (“new”) wave of post-punk, then this is pre-post-post-punk. :)
 
Indie has become a catch all phase to describe any band with a couple of guitars. Record industry plant The Last Dinner Party were described as indie and I nearly fell off my chair.
I put Orange Juice on the playlist thread and they are the very definition of Indie in terms of label (Postcard) and sound. Personally I believe there are 2 types of music. Good and bad
I get the main definitions of genres but when it comes to some of the sub genres I give in as I don't think thy are accurate or helpful. I always believed that the Strokes were post punk indie garage rock. Aren't they?
 
Wow.

Your penalty for this post should be 24 hours of listening to nothing but Sonic Youth records at full volume. Especially the bad ones. :)

Not only do I disagree with (or maybe not understand) how you are defining "indie", but unless you are a dyed-in-the-wool hardcore middlebrow with Billy Joel, Whitney Houston and Sting (solo) as your three favo(u)rite artists (which I doubt), there is no way in the world your "objective" sentence is anything like "objective."
Well, you know, sometimes it’s good to roll in a metaphorical hand grenade to stir the pot and it looks like it’s worked :)

I like some Billy Joel, a couple of Sting albums but not Whitney Houston.

I understand that defining indie is not a simple task; that as others have pointed out it comes from the idea of artists on independent labels but has now changed to encompass guitar-based music that isn’t of the Van Halen, Bon Jovi or Journey variety.

Define 'Indie" mate. Not one of the genres we covered in the history thread.

Seriously, If I was asked to describe typical Indie music I couldn't. I always thought it was more about the type of label than the music itself. Early REM were indie weren't they?
See above.
 

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