The Album Club

[Lexi Darling]

I honestly don't mind artsy pretentiousness, I am a prog fan after all. I like when artists treat their albums like works of art, I think it is valid to make ambitious high concept shit just as much as it is to just make some noise.

My favorite band that would usually be described as indie is probably Stereolab.

[SGR]

I honestly don't mind artsy pretentiousness, I am a prog fan after all. I like when artists treat their albums like works of art, I think it is valid to make ambitious high concept shit just as much as it is to just make some noise.

My favorite band that would usually be described as indie is probably Stereolab.

Agreed - but for me there is a threshold for that kind of music - and that is the artist needs to be able to 'sell it'. If it has the air of artsy pretentiousness, it needs to be good. It needs to endear me to it. It needs to be unique and/or have something remarkable about it, etc.

Stereolab is a great example - even though they're weird and different, the little hooks and flourishes on Dots and Loops (or even Emperor Tomato Ketchup) could make even your average music listener fall in love with it. I guess what I'm saying is that if an album is an indie 'artsy' sort of album, for me, it needs to justify it musically. Some artists do, some don't. Stereolab definitely do. They often sing in French (which I don't understand), and I don't even notice because the songs are that good.

[Toy Revolver]

but their style in some ways apes my favorite band, The Fall

The song "Conduit for Sale!" on Slanted and Enchanted sounds so much like The Fall that I think many Fall fans who have heard that record in passing over emphasize the mimicry on that one song at the expense of other songs that have a healthy and even necessary Fall influence. I, for one, love that song and if you understand Pavement in terms of the personality of their music you (and i mean the universal you not you in particular) will get it as a good natured and sincere nod to The Fall's greatness. Pavement is trusting their fans to understand that and to know they are much more than a Fall rip off. Some of Pavement's greatest moments are when they lean into their Fall influence and that's how it should be.

[Toy Revolver]

I honestly don't mind artsy pretentiousness, I am a prog fan after all. I like when artists treat their albums like works of art, I think it is valid to make ambitious high concept shit just as much as it is to just make some noise.

My favorite band that would usually be described as indie is probably Stereolab.

I love Stereolab, too. I bought their debut when it came out, probably based on a positive review in melody maker or nme, and fell in love immediately.

[DJChameleon]

I think you had similar feelings on this one to me. The album just kind of left me cold. I'm not sure why, but yes, Crystal Lake is easily the best tune.

Like you, indie albums for me are always a red flag in the sense that they're probably not going to live up to the hype. Too much of it is artsy fartsy pretentiousness - just give me some good songwriting and a few hooks, and I'm happy. I don't need the lyrics to be profound.

I'm curious now though - what indie albums do you like? I'm a fairly big Pavement fan myself - but their style in some ways apes my favorite band, The Fall.

whenever I see The Fall mentioned I think of The Unfan and Urbanhatemonger. They were both such huge The Fall stans well most of OG MB liked them too. I like Twin Shadow, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Alt J and Vampire Weekend. If any of those groups aren't technically indie let me know but that's the genre I have them chucked into in my head. Oh Chvrches and Glass Animals as well.

[Lisnaholic]

I'll, uhm, suggest National Health's second album Of Queues and Cures.

I'm sure National Health (the band) just took their name from Britain's National Health Service, the free nation-wide system of hospitals and medical attention. I think today it's more often called "the NHS", but back in the day, a conversation like this would be entirely possible: "Where did you get your teeth done?" "On the National Health." Ditto with glasses, which were considered to be functional, but lacking style:-

 

To his credit, John Lennon singlehandedly took the stigma out of wearing free, state-supplied glasses and made them popular, even cool.

I'll be interested to hear their album, whose title, "Of Queues And Cures" sounds like a ref to the same NHS system.

[Rubber Soul]

I'm curious now though - what indie albums do you like? I'm a fairly big Pavement fan myself - but their style in some ways apes my favorite band, The Fall.

Grandaddy aside, I like some of the Americana artists like Wilco and Sufjan Stevens. I also like me some New Pornographers and Shins. No surprise that I tend toward the more sixties sounding bands.

[Guybrush]

I'm sure National Health (the band) just took their name from Britain's National Health Service, the free nation-wide system of hospitals and medical attention. I think today it's more often called "the NHS", but back in the day, a conversation like this would be entirely possible: "Where did you get your teeth done?" "On the National Health." Ditto with glasses, which were considered to be functional, but lacking style:-

 

To his credit, John Lennon singlehandedly took the stigma out of wearing free, state-supplied glasses and made them popular, even cool.

I'll be interested to hear their album, whose title, "Of Queues And Cures" sounds like a ref to the same NHS system.

Hey Lisna, thanks for your comment! The quote on this goes as follows:

Dave Stewart : "I remember clearly that the band was named after my spectacles (cheap 'National Health' round frames, now wildly popular in Japan for some reason) in that cheery way musicians have of celebrating physical defects. God knows what the band would have been called if I'd had a hernia or worn an artificial limb...".
[Note : The National Health Service is the name of the social security system in Britain]

I didn't realize glasses were issued or might be referred to as if they were issued based on appearance, so thought it might be a brand?

That's many years of confusion cleared up 🙂 thanks again!

The album is mostly instrumental and not for everyone, but it is also rightly considered a classic and one of the best things the Canterbury scene ever produced by people in the know.

[Trollheart]

Personal note: Things are not going well at home and I've been mired in a depression for about a week now. Slowly rising, then falling back in, you know how it goes. I don't want this to impact the club here - especially since I only just ported it over - so for a while I'm going to just curate it. I'll post the new album as it comes due and accept nominations and all that stuff, but I won't be reviewing any of them myself. So nobody wait for me. I just don't feel at the moment able to commit to any time-sensitive project. Hopefully things will pick up and I'll be back in the trenches with you, but for now I'm just going to be watching from the sidelines.
Thanks.

[Trollheart]

Two days late, sorry, but we're onto this now.

[SGR]

Personal note: Things are not going well at home and I've been mired in a depression for about a week now. Slowly rising, then falling back in, you know how it goes. I don't want this to impact the club here - especially since I only just ported it over - so for a while I'm going to just curate it. I'll post the new album as it comes due and accept nominations and all that stuff, but I won't be reviewing any of them myself. So nobody wait for me. I just don't feel at the moment able to commit to any time-sensitive project. Hopefully things will pick up and I'll be back in the trenches with you, but for now I'm just going to be watching from the sidelines.
Thanks.

Take all the time you need buddy! Hope you feel better soon!

[Lisnaholic]

I'm sorry to hear that, Trollheart. I hope things at home improve and that your spirits will lift. As I'm sure you know, don't feel under pressure from here, but also remember that you have a sympathetic audience for anything you want to share. Take care, please, TH.

[Guybrush]

Trollheart, I hope you're taking care of yourself, my friend. Let me know if there's anything anything I can do for you.

[DJChameleon]

Personal note: Things are not going well at home and I've been mired in a depression for about a week now. Slowly rising, then falling back in, you know how it goes. I don't want this to impact the club here - especially since I only just ported it over - so for a while I'm going to just curate it. I'll post the new album as it comes due and accept nominations and all that stuff, but I won't be reviewing any of them myself. So nobody wait for me. I just don't feel at the moment able to commit to any time-sensitive project. Hopefully things will pick up and I'll be back in the trenches with you, but for now I'm just going to be watching from the sidelines.
Thanks.

it's good to step back from time to time and check in with your self care. Take as much time as you need and don't feel obligated to return before you are fully ready.

[Rubber Soul]

Personal note: Things are not going well at home and I've been mired in a depression for about a week now. Slowly rising, then falling back in, you know how it goes. I don't want this to impact the club here - especially since I only just ported it over - so for a while I'm going to just curate it. I'll post the new album as it comes due and accept nominations and all that stuff, but I won't be reviewing any of them myself. So nobody wait for me. I just don't feel at the moment able to commit to any time-sensitive project. Hopefully things will pick up and I'll be back in the trenches with you, but for now I'm just going to be watching from the sidelines.
Thanks.

Hey, Trolls. Not to worry, you know we're not going anywhere.