Every now and then some magazine or other sort of publication decides to trot out their “100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums Of All Time.” The last of note we wrote about was Blender (RIP, dudes) in 2007, so it’s ostensibly time for the folks at Amazon to show their own. Before you guffaw, the list has strengths. Like someone finally remembered Jawbreaker and Unrest’s Imperial f.f.r.r. … albeit the “Deluxe Edition.” (It’s clearly a site designed to sell you these very records, so grains of salt, please.) As with all lists, there are head scratchers, i.e. the Postal Service beating Hüsker Dü’s Zen Arcade, the Replacement’s Let It Be, and the Fall, etc., by a landslide. The criteria:
The term “Indie Rock” is undeniably tricky. We challenge anyone to definitively define what is and what is not indie rock–you will fail. For the purposes of compiling this list we’ve decided to use a combination of hard and fast rules and gut instinct. Our hard and fast rules are listed below, but as for gut instinct–you just kind of have to know. For example: John Oates put out a rock record called Phunk Shui on an indie label, however, in no way should Phunk Shui be mistaken for indie rock. Likewise, Black Flag put out many seminal punk albums on SST, but we’re not talking about punk or grunge or classic post-kraut-rock, we’re talking about indie rock. Are Black Flag really indie rock? Not to our ears.
Important to note that there was only one album per artist, Guided By Voices, Sonic Youth, and Sebadoh (Liz Phair is cool with this rule), plus no singles or EPs or comps or greatest hits. Dig in:
100 Dangerous Magical Noise – The Dirtbombs
99 Passover – The Black Angels
98 To Survive – Joan As Police Woman
97 Ultimate Alternative Wavers – Built To Spill
96 Trans Am – Trans Am
95 The Discovery Of A World Inside… – The Apples In Stereo
94 Waiter: ‘You Vultures!’ – Portugal The Man
93 Alligator – The National
92 Horses In The Sky – Silver Mt. Zion
91 Gallowsbird’s Bark – The Fiery Furnaces
90 Louden Up Now – (!!! Chk Chik Chick)
89 The Milk-Eyed Mender – Joanna Newsom
88 The Power Out – Electrelane
87 Cure For Pain – Morphine
86 Worn Copy – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
85 Vivian Girls – Vivian Girls
84 Hearts Of Oak – Ted Leo/Pharmacists
83 Save Yourself – Make Up
82 The Last Match – The Aislers Set
81 The Sea and the Bells – Rachel’s
80 The Ugly Organ – Cursive
79 De Stijl – The White Stripes
78 Nothing Feels Good – The Promise Ring
77 The Smell Of Our Own – The Hidden Cameras
76 Jane From Occupied Europe – Swell Maps
75 Furnace Room Lullaby – Neko Case
74 The Curtain Hits The Cast – Low
73 The R&B Of Membership – The Delta 72
72 II & III – Camper Van Beethoven
71 Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating… – Spiritualized
70 The Fawn – The Sea And Cake
69 Feast of Wire – Calexico
68 Oh, Inverted World – The Shins
67 Will You Find Me – Ida
66 Milk Man – Deerhoof
65 Coquelicot Asleep In The Poppies… – Of Montreal
64 Rejoicing in The Hands – Devendra Banhart
63 Destroyer’s Rubies – Destroyer
62 TNT – Tortoise
61 Neon Golden – The Notwist
60 Daddy’s Highway – The Bats
59 Set Yourself On Fire – Stars
58 Fabulous Muscles – Xiu Xiu
57 Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes – TV On The Radio
56 The Decline And Fall Of Heavenly – Heavenly
55 The Mysterious Production of Eggs – Andrew Bird
54 Pussy-Whipped – Bikini Kill
53 Sing No Evil – Half Japanese
52 Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express – The Go Betweens
51 Emperor Tomato Ketchup – Stereolab
50 And Don’t The Kids Just Love It – Television Personalities
49 Wild Love – Smog
48 Agaetis Byrjun – Sigur Ros
47 Red House Painters I – Red House Painters
46 Advisory Committee – Mirah
45 How Memory Works – Joan Of Arc
44 On Fire – Galaxie 500
43 On – Imperial Teen
42 Mass Romantic [Remastered] – The New Pornographers
41 Gulag Orkestar – Beirut
40 This Nation’s Saving Grace – The Fall
39 You Forgot It In People – Broken Social Scene
38 I Am A Bird Now – Antony & The Johnsons
37 When Your Heartstrings Break – Beulah
36 Our Endless Numbered Days – Iron & Wine
35 Person Pitch – Panda Bear
34 Let’s Get Out of This Country – Camera Obscura
33 Merriweather Post Pavilion – Animal Collective
32 Let It Be [Expanded Edition] – The Replacements
31 Repeater + 3 Songs – Fugazi
30 Zen Arcade – Hüsker Dü
29 24 Hour Revenge Therapy – Jawbreaker
28 Lift Your Skinny Fists… – godspeed you black emperor!
27 Yellow House – Grizzly Bear
26 The Glow Pt. 2 – The Microphones
25 Black Candy – Beat Happening
24 Funeral – Arcade Fire
23 Moon Pix – Cat Power
22 Diary – Sunny Day Real Estate
21 Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil… – Bright Eyes
20 I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One – Yo La Tengo
19 Kill the Moonlight – Spoon
18 Give Up – The Postal Service
17 Dig Me Out – Sleater-Kinney
16 No Pocky for Kitty – Superchunk
15 I See A Darkness – Bonnie “Prince” Billy
14 We Have The Facts and We’re Voting Yes – Death Cab For Cutie
13 Michigan – Sufjan Stevens
12 Daydream Nation – Sonic Youth
11 69 Love Songs Volume 1 – The Magnetic Fields
10 Bakesale – Sebadoh
09 Either/Or – Elliott Smith
08 Surfer Rosa – Pixies
07 If You’re Feeling Sinister – Belle & Sebastian
06 Slanted & Enchanted – Pavement
05 Imperial f.f.r.r. (Deluxe Edition) – Unrest
04 Exile In Guyville – Liz Phair
03 Spiderland – Slint
02 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel
01 Bee Thousand – Guided by Voices
Yellow House > MPP, for those keeping track. You can see it all in context at Amazon.com. (True, some of the records we chose for our Friendly Deals are on this puppy, too. Including #1. What good taste we have.)
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glad to see Beulah was shown some love
Should have been “Coast…” though.
yeah, either coast or yoko i prefer over heartstrings. but maybe they weren’t as independently made??
my bloody valentine snubbed….criminal
their label was half owned by sony.
My “gut instinct” says Radiohead should be on this list.
They were never on an indie label…….
…pretty sure XL is an indie label
What Radiohead album came out on XL? In Rainbows? Not really considered at conventionally released indie album homie?
Uh… Billboard charts say otherwise. It debuted at #1 If I remember correctly
And i’m pretty sure Radiohead is the last band you can classify as “indie”.
Get real.
III > Bakesale
I agree.
I don’t. III was too long, too full of filler between the good songs.
Bakesale was coalesced songsmithing.
Vivian Girls> Joanna Newsom & The Fiery Furnaces
Hahahaha, how preposterous.
This list is surprisingly relevant. But what makes Michigan a “better indie album” than Illinois? Because I just don’t think makes sense any way you spin it.
I’d actually put Michigan behind Illinois and Seven Swans, kinda weird to see it as the representative up there.
Seven Swans never seems to get any love. If I didn’t have a copy of my own, I’d think I dreamed the whole thing.
NO SMASHING PUMPKLINS? THEYRN THE BIEST INDY 500 ROCK BAND EVER
I can see what you mean by that, but I prefer Michigan a lot more. When I listen to Illinoise, I just kind of get bored of it all about 2/3 into it.
My thoughts exactly.
That was my immediate thought upon reading this. Illinois was EPIC. Also, Seven Swans is fantastic, but I like Michigan just a little more.
I’ll give them am B+ for albums included–you can’t receive an A if you don’t include PInback.
And they can have C+ for order.
Extra credit for not making a list tat makes me want to puke and sticking to their strict self imposed “indie rock” guidlines.
i love how it says “no punk” and then the first band i read is The Dirtbombs and then Jawbreaker, Fugazi, Husker Du, The Replacements, and Sonic Youth all crack the top 30.
Post-punk, my friend. The stuff indie rock was built on.
Jawbreaker played pop punk. Dirtbombs play garage punk. fugazi and husker du were more post-hardcore than post-punk. sonic youth was the closest thing to post punk. replacements were pretty much a college rock band with punk roots.
the operative word here is “punk” and all of those bands have a huge part in punk rock’s history.
also, Bikini Kill is punk, pretty much flat-out. why not the 1st Le Tigre album? that was a great album.
sufjan illinois > sufjan michigan… and vivian girls should not be on this list
There aren’t 100 great indie rock records. Maybe twenty five. Only one of them (“Mass Romantic”) is on the list above. Would’ve been four, if they’d picked “Blacklisted” for Neko, “13 Songs” for Fugazi, and “Highway Strip” for Mag Fields.
You could argue that “13 Songs” isn’t a real album, if you were a moron. But you’d have to be a well-informed moron, and that would overqualify you for assembling these stupid lists.
Repeater + 3 is far superior to 13 Songs. This is a matter of fact, not of debate.
Despite the fact that Repeater has, like, five or six classic Fugazi tracks (let’s see: “Repeater,” “Merchandise,” “Sieve-Fisted Find,” “Turnover,” and “Blueprint”) there’s something about that album that gets a little too “samey.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s a terrific album, but 13 Songs has a little bit more going for it in the dynamics department.
With that said, The Argument is there best.
I’m more of a Red Medicine guy, myself, but you can’t really go wrong with any of those four albums. They’re all pretty close.
Is there another band that needs to end its “hiatus” more than Fugazi? I think not.
I always feel like I’m the only one who likes End Hits. I think it’s a fantastic album. Does anyone agree?
You are not alone, Andrew. Great album.
Agreed on “Blacklisted” over Neko’s “Furnace Room…” That’s a puzzling choice. Both are great albums, but Neko really hit her stride with “Blacklisted.” And I have to wonder how Vivian Girls made that list, but the Breeders or Throwing Muses are nowhere to be found. But I guess that lists are made to be debated. There’s still some good stuff here.
FOX IS THE BEST. CONFIRM OR YOU WILL BE DELETED.
I think she meant “Conform”
circuits must be fried
Why are the Vivian Girls on here? Not only is it a very recent album, they certainly don’t deserve to be on this list. And the gull at putting them any where near Ted Leo! That’s blasphemy! Better than Built To Spill! Come on!
Stereogum blogger using the almighty all-knowing “greater than” symbol with hopes of discouraging the potentially frivolous potentially copious use of the “greater than” symbol in the comments < Amazon making a list of their 100 favorite indie albums < Amazon making a list of their 100 favorite indie albums and putting them all on sale < me having lots of sex < me lying about having lots of sex < SKITTLES: Transplant the Rainbow
You wanna start shit? I wanna start shit.
Merriweather Post Pavilion > Person Pitch?
I’d have to disagree, myself.
GTFO
WHAT THE FUCK, ARE THEY SERIOUSLY NOT GOING TO INCLUDE TWILA PARIS?
No Loveless, eh? Ballsy (and foolish).
I think the key word is “indie” albums. Sire isn’t an independent label….
Ty seriously? Loveless was originally on Creation. Get with it dude.
I stand corrected, though there is a nice/none condescending way to say that……and besides, I’ve never really wanted to be “with it, ” in regards to My Bloody Valentine.
creation is. hello!
hi!
In The Aeroplane beaten by fucking guided by voices…BLASPHEMY
http://www.pandasnare.blogspot.com
I have never heard of Imperial f.f.r.r. (Deluxe Edition) – Unrest.
To paraphrase the owner of the recording studio in Boogie Nights, that’s more of a y.p. than a m.p.
http://www.amazon.com/Imperial-f-f-r-r-Deluxe-Edition/dp/B000QQPL0M
that my friend, is your problem, not the list’s. if you don’t know unrest then you are missing out, big time.
Why are the Vivian Girls on this list? Is it possible that the people who wrote this do not listen to and/or like music? Is it possible that these are the only indie records they’ve heard? Is it possible that they only read Stereogum?
what the fuck is merriweather post pavillion doin on that list?
i like the album, but over song tong? over feels?
also there is a suspicious lack of modest mouse
no lonesome crowded west? come on
i donno if i trust amazons judgment here
Amen. It’s been out 3 months but we already know that it’s definitely better than the records below that have been out 20+ years? Hmmm.
Glad to Bee Thousand get it due though.
Agreed. Modest Mouse should definitely on here. Except I think Long Drive is slightly better.
And Sad Sappy Sucker… jk
exactly. what the fuck. number 33 no less.
Interesting that British bands don’t seem to qualify as indie rock unless they’re twee Glaswegians… (not that I have anything against ‘Tweegies’ – Let’s Get Out Of This Country and If You’re Feeling Sinister are both great records).
Why Spiritualized and the Fall, and not Cocteau Twins or Teenage Fanclub?
because CT and TF are both Scottish and they wanted to give the English a chance.
The fact that Sufjan Stevens makes any best-of list at all is comical, to say the least.
I hope all of these sell for $4.99 since this is sort of a promotion/advertising thing.
where is Q AND NOT U. ‘different damage’ should be on this list. pretty good list though. glad to see silver mt zion get some love. criminally underrated band. also on dismemberment plan ‘emergency and I’ was the predecessor to every dancy indie band (and better than them)…should be on.
Agree. D-Plan’s Emergency and I was overlooked.
Alligator over Boxer…uhh, no! Also, Moon Pix over You Are Free?? And no Lonesome Crowded West or At Dawn makes me sad.
moon pix is so much better than you are free. what would the community think is better than moon pix, though. shoulda been on here instead.
I’d put Alligator over Boxer. I’d put Alligator over many things.
i agree. i could listen to alligator every day.
I dig the “one album per artist” rule, but I have to say it’s quite strange that “Ultimate Alternative Wavers” is their choice to represent Built to Spill. Really?! Ever hear of a little album I like to call “Keep It Like a Secret”?
Definitely! Or There’s Nothing Wrong With Love. Hell, Perfect From Now On is way better, too!
Everything from “Perfect From Now On” to the present is on a major label. That being said, “There’s Nothing Wrong With Love” is should be their representative on this list.
Agreed. Keep It Like A Secret is infinitely better
Say what you will about the list, at least they picked honest-to-god indie rock albums. Although…Vivian Girls, really? Isn’t it a bit too soon to be canonizing them?
haha Vivian Girls are on this list..there goes its credibility. I’m pretty sure that the band was concieved as a social experiment to see how many zombie tools fall for the ridiculous amount of unfounded hype that is contaminating modern indie rock and the blogosphere so associated with it. I mean, their songs are cool if you’re into talentless idiots picking up instruments and putting out horrible recordings of the experience. Wait…were we just talking about No Age?
p.s. You Forgot it in People should be closer to the top 20.
please don’t compare Vivian Girls to No Age. Or please listen to more music so you know what you’re talking about. Thanks.
good point, Bearface…because no age and vivian girls are two compleeetely different kinds of unoriginal, uninteresting garbage.
It’s official! Grizzly Bear (27) > Animal Collective (33). Amazon has finally settled the great stereogum debate.
Never thought I’d agree with amazon, but I’m wiht them on this one!
I am really glad to see yellow house up there. Although I understand why the new album is ridiculously amazing, I am with people who say they haven’t changed that much. It’s just that for me this is a good thing. Yellow House has a lot of intricacies that Veck has, they are just more deeply ingrained.
Built to spill should have been higher.
I personally think the Glow Pt. 2 should have been higher.
no Turn on the Bright Lights?
no Modest Mouse record?
no Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? (or A Ghost is Born)
Overall though, the list could be worse.
Iron and Wine only #36? Ugh.
That’s a good question, Big Red.
Seriously, I think they tried to pick albums that people probably wouldn’t own by artists that were already popular. The purpose of the list is to sell albums. And the only people interested in it are people that are already interested in this kind of music. So this list comes off as a “If you like *Artist*, Check out *Album*”. Examples: “Slanted & Enchanted”, “Surfer Rosa”, “Michigan”, “No Pocky for Kitty”, “Alligator”, “Ultimate Alternative Wavers”. All good albums, by great artists, but not what most people would typically already own. The only thing that doesn’t fit with this theory is “Meriweather Post Pavilion”. Amazon should have tried to point out to all of the band wagoners that Animal Collective has older albums that are just as good/better, rather than making them think this is seriously there peak.
I’m with you for the most part. However, I have to disagree on Slanted & Enchanted. Not only is that Pavement’s best album, but it is also likely their best known and most critically lauded release. Otherwise, I think you have a valid point.
hah, maybe they have an overstock of MPP that they wanna get rid of ;)
not only did they get the album wrong (perfect from now on, please), but how is built to spill only #97?
too much emo.
This seems short sighted. Are these the albums that are overstocked in Amazon’s warehouse?
in the aeroplane over the something something licorice should be number 1, not 2.
but it’s great to see beulah getting some much deserved love!
I’m not familiar with a lot of these albums (read: not indie enough), so i guess i should get to listening. I’m a bit confused by Milk Man by Deerhoof. That’s not the album i would have picked by them. The Runners Four or Apple O’ are better in my opinion.
Perfect from Now On and Keep It (and everything after) are on Warner Bros, so I guess that eliminates them. Should have been Love over Ultiimate
Since when is Joanna Newsom indie rock?
Chutes Too Narrow>Oh, Inverted World.
I completely disagree. Am I the only one that sees a lot of these albums and thinks that’s not even the best album by that band? I would definitely pick The Photo Album over We Have The Facts… and Twin Cinema over Mass Romantic. I like Elliott Smith’s self-titled and Figure 8 better than Either/Or as well. What about Explosions In The Sky or matt pond PA or The Decemberists for crying out loud.
This list is clearly the work of people over 30, ’cause no one else remembers Unrest (sadly). But I still like Cath Carroll (unfortunately out of print) better than Imperial f.f.r.r.
I agree, but in the text they state: “no singles or EPs or comps or greatest hits”
Right, meant Perfect Teeth. With a comb.
Really? No love for Dinosaur Jr…? I love Sebadoh too, but Lou’s roots should be remembered too.
Pleasantly surprised with this list. Nothing too get too worked up about.
Ouch, *nothing to
other then the totally undeserved inclusion of the vivian girls
Beat Happenings – Black candy…….come on You Turn Me On is miles better.
i am better than everyone
I looked a few times and didn’t see any Modest Mouse. I hope I’m mistaken. Also they did a so-so job with the artists, a bad job with the albums, and an even worse job with the order. I liked that Xiu Xiu was on there though
Holy shit your right……..How could they not include Lonesome Crowded West? Though all in all a pretty decent list…..
Also no Interpol – Turn on the bright lights
Good call on Turn on the Bright Lights, that deserves to be on there.
what about danse macabre?
Danse Macabre should absolutely be on there. That album has never gotten enough cred.
Glad they picked We Have the Facts and We’re Voting yes. It tends to be overlooked by Trans and Photo Album.
id have to disagree, alot. dont get me wrong, great album. but it lacked the power and emotion of transatlanticism. and im very glad plans was never meantioned. :/
The west just got less crowded and more lonesome.
Pretty solid list. The only glaring omissions are MBV, Modest Mouse and The Unicorns.
This is just a promotional tool in sheeps clothing.
Amazon is great at marketing.
Top 3 are good although I might put Slint #1 for importance and influence. Also Rusty by Rodan should be there. Agreed that the absence of Modest Mouse, Lovless and Dinosaur Jr. is bullshit. It shouldn’t be an either/or between DJr and Sebadoh. Also Bubble & Scrape is more important that Bakesale. You can see the roots of so much indie rock going through Slint, Fugazi, Pixies, Rodan (I think although they could be seen as a result of Slint), Palace Bros more than Bonnie Billy, Pavement, Built to Spill and Modest Mouse. I like the idea of the list but obviously Amazon can’t be trusted to do a well researched and honest list.
Everybody knows the ten greatest indie rock albums of all time are:
Please Stop Biting Gravity-The Icicle Firetoads
The Journey Is Greater Than The Arrival- Minnie Pearl Price Tag
This Album Will Give You Cancer- Robocop Dance Party
Flustered- Crystal Horse Girls
Indie Rock Is Dead(Let’s Buy A Boathouse)- Habichuelas Rosadas
The Cost Of It All- The Pretentious Sailors
Tin Beef- Sally Makes A House Call
Ninjas Ate My Baby- Musicale Top Hat
Learn To Drive The Armenian Way- Soup Is For Slurping
The Square Root Of Your Hands In My Mouth Equals Birthmark- Our Name Is Beth
I own all of those. On vinyl.
i own them on cassette – as taiwanese import of course – because of the bonus tracks and alternate versions.
Please, I have them all in .txt format…
You forgot “Mexodus of the Zebrass” by Eeltit
If, against all logic, my band one day becomes world-famous, and you see an album called ‘Indie Rock is Dead (Let’s Buy a Boathouse)’ in the charts, I’d like to thank you and give you credit for it now, pre-emptively.
In know lists like these are subjective, but seriously not having Lonesome Crowded West on there made the entire list worthless.
Yay for Beulah making the list and for Elliott Smith being so high. Oh Aeroplane, so close to being #1 but your still my favorite.
Yellow House > MPP
Where’s Black Flag and Minutemen? Also, Zen Arcade should be number one.
More constructively, is indie only defined as anything released on an indie label? Because then, how do you define an indie label? Is Sub Pop an indie label?
good list….only a couple of changes i would of made…
i would have slanted & enchanted and in an aeroplane over the sea #’s 1 & 2 over bee thousand
de stijl should have been higher ranked…
i always thought liz phair was overrated…but that’s my own hangup…
kill the moonlight and let it be and repeater are way too low on the list…imho
and where in the hell is reo speedwagon? jk
bubble and scrape > lll
nice to see red house painters’ self-titled debut finally cracking one of these lists…
you never really hear that album mentioned in these things, and it really deserves to be.
and now it is…
I appreciate the inclusion of Cursive. Most would not consider them good enough to make any “best of” list, other than emo (which this list is heavy on), but to me, they are. They’re one of my favorites, so I like to see them get some love, you know? Also, a band whose greatness is not debatable, Sunny Day Real Estate, finally made a “best of” list, which warms my broken, emo heart. Seriously, have you listened to that lately? It’s fantastic. Vivian Girls, though. What? Overall, an interesting list.
A shockingly good list, aside from the notable exclusions of:
Silver Jews/American Water (my pick for greatest album of all-time)
Chavez/Ride The Fader (seriously u guyz, listen to Chavez)
Big Black/Atomizer
Royal Trux (I guess Twin Infinitives wouldn’t qualify, but something like Pound For Pound or Cats and Dogs would suffice)
Grandaddy/The Sophtware Slump
Les Savy Fav/The Cat and The Cobra
And if they aren’t picking albums released by major labels, why are Emperor Tomato Ketchup (Elektra) and Ladies and Gentlemen . . . (Arista) on here? Not that they shouldn’t be, mind you, since ETK is one of the ten best albums ever, but this list would be a lot better if Perfect From Now On and The Soft Bulletin were here.
Tired of lists.
Yet still took the time to check out this post. Kyle loves lists, but loathes himself for it. Sad :(
It’s a fine list, but they picked the wrong albums by The Shins, Built To Spill, Deerhoof, Of Montreal, Cursive, Neko Case and Sufjan Stevens…and arguably Pavement (I always liked their other albums more, but understand the S&E is the “big one”), Fugazi, The New Pornographers and Ted Leo (Tyranny of Distance and Shake The Sheets are both better, imo).
i am bewildered that yet again, dispatch is receiving no love
Probably because they suck.
Wankers – “Indie” isn’t a sound (or a look North America) and how can it not be punk. The first indie records were self financed 7″ punk singles in hand made sleeves circa 77/78.
thanks for the lesson on DIY “sidewinder” …so cool, so so cool.
oh and subtle jab at the US……maybe you should head over to the NME site with that shit.
Say what you will about hype and being over rated but Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes is a glaring omission along my Modest Mouse and The Decemberists
No Modest Mouse Lonesome Crowded West. I’ll join the chorus and call major bullshit on that one.
guided by voices? neutral milk hotel? zzzzzzzzz boring, people really like this?
how about The More Shallow, “a history of sport fishing”, Mogwai “happy song for happy people” instead
Should have been Doolittle for Pixies.
it just occurred to me that some of the glaring fuck-ups – Ultimate Alternative Wavers and no Modest Mouse are very good examples – were probably committed with the intent of starting sentimental debates such as this.
on the other hand, pretty much anybody else’s list is going to be necessarily worse than My List or Your List because My List is My List and Your List is Your List and we’re all a bunch of fucking Israels and Palestines with our fucking lists.
Great to see “We Have the Facts..” so high, that may be the album of the decade for me
Yeah, I love the fact that dcfc got some major love. I just think In an aeroplane over the sea should have jumped Bee Thousand for the simple fact that it is a perfect album and it’s fucking timeless.
and bee thousand isn’t?
no way. it seems they the just used the musical formula that joy division and the smiths created which dates them and makes them just another part of that early alternative movement. NMH fucking rulez.
If anything, GBV ripped off The Who.
Black Foliage should DEFINITELY be on there.
Apologies to the Queen Mary should PROBABLY be on there.
The Vivian Girls should NOT be on there.
I love the Vivian Girls, but really?
The fact that they didn’t include ANY Dinosaur Jr. renders the list completely invalid. Yeah, I know it’s just my opinion, and opinions usually come nowhere near objective fact… except for this time. Seriously, 80s Dinosaur Jr is one of the first bands I think of when I think “indie rock”. They practically defined the indie aesthetic. Every would-be indie shithead in the world has read “Our Band Could Be Your Life” at this point, so this isn’t exactly esoteric indie knowledge either.
Sure I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dino Jr high up on the list, but I don’t think leaving them off invalidates the whole list. First, Bug and living all over me, have a lot of bad songs 20 years later. Every song on Let it Be by the replacements still sounds great. On by Imperial Teen Sounds as good as the first day I heard and all the songs are great. Second, just leaving one deserving mention doesn’t mean the rest aren’t worthy. Don’t be so dramatic.
A lot of bad songs? Yeah right. I’d go so far to say that “You’re Living All Over Me” is good all the way through(except maybe “Poledo”), which is why it’s such a revered album. Even the relatively weaker material on “Bug” is really engaging because there’s lots of cool headfuck guitar stuff going on. The Replacements have always been boring to me.
Sure I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dino Jr high up on the list, but I don’t think leaving them off invalidates the whole list. First, Bug and living all over me, have a lot of bad songs 20 years later. Every song on Let it Be by the replacements still sounds great. On by Imperial Teen Sounds as good as the first day I heard and all the songs are great. Second, just leaving one deserving mention doesn’t mean the rest aren’t worthy. Don’t be so dramatic.
its like they picked all the right artists, but all the wrong albums
Dr. Dog – Easy Beat! redo this list and call me in da mo’nin.
o-ueah! easy beat is great.
if i call you in the mornin will you tell me what to do?
There is no fucking way that Sufjan, The Postal Service, or Death Cab deserve to be in the top 20. It’s cool to see Swell Maps, Galaxie 500, The Fall, Beat Happening, Television Personalities, and The Replacements on here…but there are a lot of really boring MOR indie records on this thing. Where is Big Black?
I love that ‘wild love’ is the smog choice (i agree!), but ‘ultimate alternative wavers’ as the built to spill selection !!?!?!?!?!!
Yeah, ok list, but there are some missing. Bloc Party: Silent Alarm has to be on this I think. Other more recent indie records that are deserving: The National: Boxer, Band of Horses: Everything All the Time. Also the 1 album per artist rule is bad for Pavement and Ted Leo as well.
what about the Strokes – Is this It? I know its RCA but the Strokes really did open up this new wave of bands coming out in 2001 with the White Stripes, Interpol, the Yeah Yeahs. They were the first to break through from all that Limp Bizkit/Korn type stuff that was dominating the airwaves at that time. Nowadays the Internet has totally changed things and mainstream isn’t as mainstream used to be but back then it was a big deal. Like them nowadays or not (and I do) Is This It is a classic. Also, no Arcade Fire?
No, it really wasn’t. It only seemed like a big deal to people like you who were being exposed to the 70s NY punk rock/garage aesthetic for the first time. Anyone who was into that stuff before it hit the mainstream wasn’t that impressed by the Strokes. I eventually grew to like them, but I was a huge detractor when they came out, and so were lots of underground music fans.
so who has it right steve? the guy who listened to the strokes and was a fan of their MUSIC or the guy who thought he was really cool because he listened to 70′s NY Rock superstars like Television and the VU and thought he was too cool to like the Strokes..only to realize that they were and are in fact, pretty f’in good. Is This It is a classic.
My point was, you’re talking about them as if they were pioneers who ushered in a new musical era or something, when in fact there’s always been a flourishing garage punk underground. That whole “garage rock revival” thing wasn’t a revival at all, because the stuff never went away. This “revival” that the Strokes led was a mainstream music trend, not some sort of cultural happening. It’s also irritating to me to see people suddenly get into something as soon as TV says it’s ok to like, after willfully ignoring it for years.
I stand corrected, though there is a nice/none condescending way to say that……and besides, I’ve never really wanted to be “with it, ” in regards to My Bloody Valentine.
i didn’t know guided by voices,i went to amazon.com and listened to samples and i vomit
Maybe you should try Miley Cyrus?
You’re an idiot.
F#A#00 > Lift your skinny fists
Also, where the F are Will Oldham’s recordings? If anyone can look me in the eye and tell me why Diary by Sunny Day Real Estate is better than I See A Darkness or Viva Last Blues, I will give you a Sacajaewa dollar coin.
#15 > #22
Um… I’m actually surprised there’s no Ani DiFranco on here. I’m not a huge fan, but she’s kind of the 90s DIY cover girl.
It’s a better list than I would have expected from Amazon.
This list lost all credibility when they implied that “indie rock” is a genre… because it’s not.
If we are talking about albums released on independent labels, where are The Smiths?!
Now please let this be a massive CD special. *crosses fingers*
Exile in Guyville can’t touch Slanted And Enchanted. Also, no Three EP’s? Isn’t Regal an indie label? Likewise, no Vs. or Signals, Calls, and Marches by Mission of Burma = EPIC LIST FAIL. That was on Ace of Hearts, which was most definitely an indie label.
I’m guessing vivian girls was intended to be a joke but as long as slanted and enchanted in the top 5 makes me happy enough. what else would you expect though?
Ctrl+F. “Tullycraft”. No results. Meh.
No Califone. Thrill Jockey gets the shaft on this list as a whole. I hope all end of the year lists stop using number rankings and move on to the new hipster standard the greater than symbol. How bout this one for riot starting…Face Control > MPP
what about green day, nickelback, and disturbed? they are indie right?…
lolllz, when i think indie, i think nickleback
it’s interesting how the TVOTR album they chose was desperate youth, no love for the others. And also, how person pitch is two places below merriweather, btw i just scoped this out over on the forum of drownedinsound, http://thebricabrac.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/panda-bear-interview-with-details-on-his-next-solo-record/ , maybe panda’s next will top merriweather?!
They also completely left out Unwound, who put out classic noisy indie rock records that actually rocked(imagine that), then broke up after releasing a psychedelic double album that was way ahead of its time. Again, it’s not as if Unwound is all that underground, so omitting them for a bunch of random boring-ass college music like Rachel’s and Joan of Arc is unforgivable.
Also, their “we’re not talking about punk” explanation makes no sense, since Bikini Kill’s “Pussy Whipped” is obviously a straightforward punk rock album to anyone who actually takes the time to listen to it… which they obviously didn’t.
I disagree with Bright Eyes being higher on the list than Funeral. I got sick of “Lifted” when I was still in high school but I’m pretty sure I will love Funeral until the day I die.
Yo La Tengo’s And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out beats I Can Hear the Heart… in my book.
also, just to throw this out there…The Mountain Goats? I think there should have been some Mountain Goats on this list, either Tallahassee or All Hail West Texas.
Yep… Sebadoh’s “Bakesale” definitely deserves to outrank “Daydream Nation” by two spots. And apparently Lou Barlow was right – Sebadoh ARE better than anything Dinosaur Jr. ever did. It’s nice that that’s now official, thanks to the hip young tastemakers at Amazon.com
You smoke crack, Thats why Lou is back in Dino.
Aeroplane should be higher.
Violent Femmes?
ASTRAL WEEKS…GLAD TIDINGS….PANDA PITCH PERFECT?
Imperial Teen deserved to be in the top 20. ON is epic record.
postal service definitely deserves the top 20, give up is an absolute masterpiece!!