North American Indieism...a quick study

I don’t know the grammatical correctness of the word ‘indieism’, mainly because I sort of just made it up, oh well…
Now to the point. Those of you ‘in the know’ may be aware that North American indie bands of the moment seem to be out-doing their British counterparts (sweeping generalisation there). You might also recognise there is a quite often a distinct difference in sound between British and American/Canadian bands within this genre- Remember back when The Killers broke through with ‘Hot Fuss’? Well if you don’t, you won’t also remember that they were often called ‘the best British indie band from America’ or various silly things in that vein. They were so called because they didn’t really fit the sonic mould of the American indie scene then (or now). I think it was actually meant as an insult in some cases, not that they cared I imagine.
But anyway, there are certainly a lot of stonking (yes, stonking) bands coming out of that land mass over the Atlantic these days, so I thought I’d give you a little run down of a few you should take notice of. As ever, this is only an exercise in scratching the surface.

The National



Gone a bit mental in the last few years- they actually released their debut a decade ago this year. They’d almost be worthy of a mention for the fact they’ve stayed active without spades and spades of record sales for that long, which is no mean feat these days. But as it happens, they’re also pretty handy when it comes to writing spaced out, ‘big skyline’ indie belters, which has gained them some very devoted fans and worthy critical praise. Since 2010’s High Violet was released they’re starting to get the wide spread recognition they deserve. One to watch high up on the bill at Reading this year.

Modest Mouse

Another long serving member of indie-kind, these guys have had a tonne of stateside success which they haven’t quite mirrored over here at all times. That being said, they are one of a few bands to have had Jonny Marr as a member and they have been putting out quality records since the nineties. In fact you’ll often find their ‘classic’ albums in those long ‘100 Best Albums of the Decade’ lists. They also seem to like writing songs about the sea…



Band of Horses



Newer band here, having really come to prominence in the last couple of years, they’ve supported Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters recently and their latest album is a bit of a beast. Not going to lie, my personal knowledge isn’t too great of much more than their recent releases, but on the basis of that alone, they’re worth a check out.

Wilco

Kind of like The National’s older, wiser brother. Folky indie-rock. Just listen, that is all that needs to be said.

Grouplove

Mentioned them in the Los Campesinos review the other week. Psycadellic inspired euphoria type stuff going on here. One of the best live acts I’ve seen of the year so far and their debut EP is a must own for anyone who thinks they have a half decent grasp on what’s ‘happening’. Currently on the NME Radar tour, so try and catch them as they pass you if you’re reading this in the UK.

Besnard Lakes



These guys must be tired to the bone of being compared to Arcade Fire. Canadian, husand and wife couple, a bit weird…the list goes on. But the music itself is very different, rendering all such comparisons tired and lazy. Atmospheric, delay heavy and a bit like My Bloody Valentine if they’ve lost all their distortion pedals. A few years back they had some modest success over here, but they are still very much an underground thing. Which, I think, is very sad indeed.

Pavement




Mention North American indie without these boys? Impossible.