<p>There was a big surge in the popularity of so called "indie rock" this year. Franz Ferdinand and Modest Mouse both had hugely successful albums, and Snow Patrol and Keane haven't done badly for themselves either. I noticed that Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service became much more well known also. I personally enjoyed all this. I was surprised to find a lot of people listening to some of the same music as me, but I liked it because I like to talk to people about music. </p>
<p>Anyway, I like a mix of popular/less popular stuff. It really is "whatever sounds good" for me. Some of my favorite bands are: elliott smith, belle and sebastian, the beatles, death cab, the decemberists, modest mouse, the good life, tegan and sara, neutral milk hotel, rilo kiley, etc. </p>
<p>indiegal- I just bought the Arcade Fire album, "funeral" because so many people told me it was great, and I have to say, I really like it. Do they have any other albums?</p>
<p>I agree with vegangirl. It's definetely a growing trend--Death Cab just signed to Atlantic. </p>
<p>I just listen to what I like, and I like a lot of different stuff--all the bands that vegangirl listed plus more, and rap and even some old stuff. You know, whatever floats your boat.</p>
<p>indie movies are getting really trendy as well. the only thing i find sort of weird is that a lot of indie bands and movies are being financed by major studios. i mean, popular indie flicks like garden state, sideways, and finding neverland were all funded by fox. and modest mouse is backed by sony. i just found that sort of ironic.</p>
<p>uhhh... getting off subject here. I just wanted to see if CCers knew Reindeer Section and Snow Patrol ( I like their second album best!). I believe that the UK has the best music! and Snow Patrol is not really indie, I think, they are getting "mainstreamed." ( I made up a word!)</p>
<p>I think it's strange to classify things as indie or not indie in terms of popularity, especially because the line gets pretty blurry. I refer to things as indie rock or just indie because then people know what sound I'm talking about, even if I'm referring to a band that's big like Franz Ferdinand. </p>
<p>It's been cool to see how big Franz Ferdinand and Snow Patrol have gotten. I went to see Franz in May, and they played at a small theater here. After their show, my friends and I waited for a while until they came out (the front door), and they stopped and talked to us for a few minutes, gave us hugs, and then went into a bar across the street. I think now they'd be flocked by fans if they pulled that. I saw Snow Patrol in September at the same small theater, and it occurs to me that if/when either of them come back here, they certainly won't play in that theater anymore. They'll be playing much bigger venues. That's great for them, although kind of sad from a concert-attending perspective, because smaller concerts are much more fun:-)</p>
<p>I wanted to go to the Snow Patrol concert in September but it was on the first day of school! =( So, I couldnt go. But, I agree that smaller venues are more fun then the crazy large 1000000000 people concerts.</p>
<p>I think you can classify Garden State as sort of an indie movie. If you've seen it you know what I mean.
Vegangirl, thank you so much for your recommendations on that old "band recommendations" thread. The Stills are seriously like one of my favorite bands now, as are the New Pornographers. I owe you one.
I think a good way to find some great, unknown bands and to be able to like a band for their music rather than because "it is the cool thing to do" is to jot down the lyrics of a song you may like in a show or movie. I have found that MTV uses songs from some great, but unknown bands, such as The Honorary Title. I was watching Real World today and they played a little bit of their song called "Cat in Heat"; I wrote down what I heard, and now im hooked on them. Romantic comedies tend to have the best songs actually. Just wondering, does anybody else do that or am I weirder than I thought?</p>
<p>Tenacious J- I'm glad you like those bands! They're both awesome, especially the stills. </p>
<p>I've never written down lyrics from a show on mtv before, but now that you mention it, it occurs to me that it might be a good idea, because I'm always hearing bits of songs I know (and like) on their shows.</p>
<p>Actually vegangirl i am not sure really...lol. But i must say they rock! It is funny how so many of us were supposed to go to/saw Snow Patrol in Sept. Just out of curiosity were you guys supposed to see them in Irving? Anyhows, I must agree that bands are much better when you see them in small venues...much more fun, intmate feel. My friend for instance, saw Maroon 5 at Maxwells-small club in NJ and she got to meet them and have coffee with them and everything. NOW this of course is impossible...Maroon is huge, same with a lot of bands I like...i remember the Strokes and Coldplay playing smaller venues...but being young nobody was really going to concerts or listening to anything remotely good...lol! Anyhow I remember I saw (ok embaressing to admit) AAR at a REAALLLLLLLLLLLY crappy venue in NJ and outside people were begging kids to go see then, a relatively unknown band, HOT HOT HEAT...who were playing in an even smaller room. Me, being a dumb idiot, was like nahh...what is this hot hot heat they speak of. BIG MISTAKE...I mean AAR was good and MOTION CITY-AMAZING...but yea. I would have loved to see Hot Hot Heat with like 10 kids in a room the size of my living room (seriously this club was so small and crappy i think they had to take it down...i think some VFW halls are bigger...l</p>
<p>It is funny how everyone here loves British music, my friends always tell me to stop my obsession with British bands/artists...they are awesome. Keane, Travis, Manic Street Preachers (omg I Love em...nobody listens to em...so i can't talk to anyone about them :(), Coldplay, David Gray, Snow Patrol, THE LIBERTINES (damm pete dougherty and drugs for breaking it up), etc. Keep on listening to great music CCers!</p>
<p>anyone here like Ambulance LTD. elefant, LONGWAVE( i love emm...so sad I couldn't see them at Maxwells), the bravery, the faint, clinic?</p>
<p>I think it is awesome that DCC/Postal Service is getting huge. Kind of funny at the same time...the most random kids are like have you heard of this band have to do with mail...lol. I swear they got a wide variety of kids addicted recently! Regarding to Franz I remember when I was supposed to see them in June...thinking about this in April...then like 2 months later THEY EXPLODED and i couldn't get tickets...that is the negative side of bands getting big. Sometimes I wish they were still on Domino (oopss this is bad I am saying this... I intern with Sony Music...lol)</p>
<p>the Gun Shys sound like some other band I know of but I dont know which one! and yes, I was supposed to go to the Irving Plaza concert I think. Can I get recommendationso for other british rock bands?</p>
<p>british sea power, razorlight, the libertines (now broken up), manic street preachers, travis, supergrass, ummm when i think of more i will list em'</p>
<p>ooo the doves; ash; umm classic stuff-the smiths, morrissey, the cure, the stone roses, the jesus and mary chain, joy division, u2 (probably know them...but some of their old stuff is amazing), radiohead (probably kno em 2), hmmm...what else</p>
<p>For anyone in the LA area, the futureheads are playing at amoeba sometime soon. Free. I like mull historical society a lot, and morrissey is a joke lol.</p>