A gradual transition from major corporate labels resulted in the establishment of a new music genre known as indie rock. Moving away from independent record stores and toward digital consumption facilitated this emergence, ultimately enabling independent (indie) artists to flourish (Covach and Flory 564). The first known example of a chart topper was Wilco, an indie band that broke away from corporate contracts and responded to the pirated content online by streaming their “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” album charge-free (Covach and Flory 564). This decision brought the band unprecedented fans’ love, perhaps partly due to the album being free and readily available. Moreover, fans’ loyalty could be explained by the consistent stylistic features of Wilco’s music, such as alternative country elements, the singer-songwriter production, and the unusual incorporation of ambient noises (Covach and Flory 564). Vampire Weekend and Connor Oberst were next: the former being dance-oriented and afro-pop-influenced creators and the latter being an indie-maker who worked with a range of labels (Covach and Flory 565). Thus, the journey of indie-rock expansion began, slowly gaining popularity through the 2000s. Several indie labels contributed to the genre’s success and promoted indie artists. The most notable ones were Merge Records and Rough Trade. Merge Records recorded bands such as Arcade Fire and Spoon (Covach and Flory 567). With Arcade Fire’s music sometimes described as “dance-oriented” and Spoon’s groovy style, both bands featured stark, touching, and honest texts, which invoked the public’s love (Covach and Flory 567). Listeners, composed chiefly of college-aged youth, appreciated the ingenuity and authenticity of production, drawn heavily to unusual combinations and obscure origins. This interest supported many local ‘garage’ bands that later skyrocketed. Two telling examples are The White Stripes and Sufjan Stevens (Covach and Flory 569). Sufjan Stevens, based initially in a dreamy college town, combined some of the iconic features of indie: singer-songwriter creation, conceptual and thematic albums, and surreal stage performance (Covach and Flory 570). These elements were met with enthusiasm and a growing following, and novel aspects continue to be incorporated today. Indie is no longer a synonym for exclusive or underground – examples of artists like Arctic Monkeys, who became one of the most popular bands in the world, are evidence of that (Covach and Flory 571). Thus, indie-rock revolutionized the industry by demonstrating that bands can retain their authenticity while successfully selling and, curiously, becoming mainstream.
Work Cited
Covach, John Rudolph, and Andrew Flory. What’s That Sound? An Introduction to Rock and Its History. 5th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2018.