How Do You Define Indie Rock?

RecordNote.com's Top Indie Rock Records of All Time

Top Indie Rock Records of All Time - RecordNote.com: How Do You Define Indie Rock?

How Do You Define Indie Rock?

What is “indie music” or “indie rock”? It’s a term people either seem to love or hate, and it probably depends on how you define it. For some it is music that is produced and released by independent record labels, which further begs the question of how you define “independent” record labels.

Others see “indie music” as that which is found at low key, off the beaten path, semi-underground music venues across the world. Still others will see it as a musical recording style, marked by low-fi, seemingly “under- produced” recordings and the “more indie” of these are done using classic second equipment and recording devices.

And I guess lastly, you could define “indie” in terms of the people that created the music, their insights into the world, their attitudes, and how their music and lyrics express their emotions.

RecordNote.com assembled this list of what we thought were the top independent rock records produced in the last 20 or so years based on an aggregate definition of the terms that really encompasses all of the above mentioned interpretations. But really we wanted to identify those albums whose originality, sound, approach and style have stood the test of time, and those which have grown to become major influences on all types of music that followed it. Here is that list, and I should say in no particular order, with some brief captions.

The List Part 1: Neutral Milk Hotel to Pavement
The List Part 2: The Pixies to Elliott Smith
The List Part 3: Sufjan Stevens to Sunny Day Real Estate