What’s the Alternative? II

I don't know if the genre even exists anymore but I guess what’s always drawn me to indie/alternative music is the edge, the mystery, and not knowing what comes next. Traditionally, indie artists do whatever they want. They sing and play like they have nothing to lose- sometimes loud and fast, other times slow and mellow- and if their little songs somehow become popular then so be it. There are worse ways to make a living (and indie artists need lots of money to buy more vinyl for their record collections).

Beck

To me, the best of the indie/alternative artists burn the rulebook while stealing from their predecessors and, hopefully, a few of these Gen X pretenders will manage to give us something fresh and worth listening to. Sometimes the whole indie scene feels like one long continuous line of artists with each one passing down- by album and word of mouth- what they’ve cribbed from Dylan, the Beatles, the Velvet Underground, and everyone who came after those boomers; while the new kids just want to put their own unique twist on a dying genre and get it down on tape before the muse fades. Works for me. Here’s some (more) of my favorite indie/alternative songs. Enjoy!

The Magnetic Fields

01. The Magnetic Fields – “Papa Was a Rodeo” (1999)

02. Belle and Sebastian – “Another Sunny Day” (2006)

03. Cornershop – “Good to Be on the Road Back Home” (1997)

04. Eels – “P.S. You Rock My Old World” (1998)

05. Beck – “Asshole” (1994)

06. Beck – “Jack-Ass” (1996)

07. The Replacements – “Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghost” (1989)

08. Beck – “The Golden Age” (2002)

09. The Killers – “Runaways” (2012)

10. R.E.M. – “Nightswimming” (1992)

11. Sebadoh – “Think (Let Tomorrow Bee)” (1993)

12. The Replacements – “Waitress in the Sky” (1985)

13. Sonny & The Sunsets – “Green Blood” (2013)

14. R.E.M. – “Femme Fatale” (1986)

15. Camper Van Beethoven – “Take the Skinheads Bowling” (1985)

16. The Smiths – “Girlfriend in a Coma” (1987)

17. The Smiths – “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” (1987)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify... 

Recommended Links:

Wheat – “Don’t I Hold You”