Top 5 Indie bands

If you haven’t read "High Fidelity" by Nick Hornby, at the very least please rent the movie (both available in the Pima County Public Library). As music fans I think you will find this an essential and brilliant drama/comedy of a man named Rob looking back at the five loves of his life and as they relate through personal songs. Rob compiles top five lists through the story and speaks directly to the us, the audience, to demonstrate a love of music as he soul searches through the women who meant so much to him.

In cheesy honor of this great story, I have created my own top five list, hopefully of bands you may never have heard of. I am diving heavily into my love of British glam rock here. 

1    1.  Pulp. You won’t find Pulp anywhere in Freegal or the library catalog, but Pulp is probably the most well known of this list and you can find their music elsewhere. Starting off as a Disco-pop-Britpop band in 1978, they bounced around with creator/lead singer Jarvis Cocker until the 1990s when they scored gigantic hits in the UK. Pulp made the airwaves in the states for its huge hit "Common People" which has since been covered by none other than Star Trek actor William Shatner (you can find it on Freegal!)

           

Do you enjoy David Bowie? Radiohead? Elvis Costello? Pet Shop Boys? You might like Pulp.

2    2. Jason Falkner. One of my most favorite and unknown musicians. Jason started out in a 1-hit wonder band in the 1990s named Jellyfish (The hit was “Ghost at Number #1”) and has gone on to release several  albums, has worked with Sir Paul McCartney himself, and works on many funky and strange projects. If you saw “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” you heard Jason’s bass playing. He continues to work in the Los Angeles area. His voice is not the greatest for a solo singer, but the melodies pop and he keeps putting out albums. Since Jason is a huge Beatles fan, he released two albums of lullabies for children set to the tune of the Beatles, and you can enjoy these beautiful tunes on Freegal by searching for “Jason Falkner” and “Bedtime with the Beatles.”

3    3. London Suede. You won’t find this band very easily since they broke up long ago, but this is the best in recent Britpop glam rock, inspired heavily by David Bowie and Adam Ant, Suede has dark melodic guitar heavy tunes which often explode with orchestral backing. They scored a huge hit with “The Downers” which I love, as well as a personal favorite “The Next Life.” Some of Suede’s songs have made it into movies like the Charlie Sheen film “The Chase” and Mike Myer’s “So I Married an Axe Murderer.” If you find yourself on some free music sharing programs, look for Suede if this sounds like a band you would enjoy.

4    4. The Manic Street Preachers.  As a British band that started out influenced by Guns & Roses in the early 90s, this is a group who astounds me and continues to perform to this very day. The “Manics” have grown into a glam rock band fused with politically charged lyrics and hard rock guitar crunch. The band has seen the loss of its main songwriter, but rebounded and scored a huge American hit with the album “This Is My Truth Now Tell Me Yours” which scored heavy airplay (and could be quite possibly the most depressing sounding album I have ever heard). I had the joy of hearing this band live in Denver a while back, and the Manics are also known for performing in Cuba in front of a huge fan of the band: Fidel Castro.

Freegal has free tracks of the Manics available on the album “Lipstick Traces.” It’s mainly a collection of covers of punk bands.

Do you enjoy Lou Reed, The Cardigans, The Clash, the Sex Pistols? You might like the Manics.

      5. Cameras. I have to admit, I don’t even know who the Cameras are. I know they have free tracks on Freegal for their debut album “In Your Room.” They’re from Australia. They alternate between a male and female singer and the tunes are haunting and beautiful. The music is atmosphere, light and dark, and all I can do to define them is say they are “indie” and “alternative” which are generic terms.

As I conclude my top five list, I added this band quite by accident.  On my last night in the big apple I heard this song come on a delightful indie station that sent shivers up and down my spine, literally! If this song grabs you, I suggest listening to the others. It’s called “Polarise” and you will find it on Freegal for free download in the library.

I hope you enjoyed reading this list and find something worth listening to!