MUSIC

All the Pretty Verses, Indie Style

Alternative bands once avoided melody. No longer.

By Seth Colter Walls | NEWSWEEK
Published Mar 5, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Mar 16, 2009

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  • Posted By: louisMMVII @ 03/14/2009 5:31:52 AM

    Don't u just love it when some mainstream expert opens their clueless sound hole. Where the hell has the clueless, tasteless mainstream been stealing ideas from for the last decade or so? They rip-off the sub culture and then turn around and piss on us. Rediculous, MELODY, a new thing to the underground ?????

  • Posted By: deadcityrebel @ 03/10/2009 2:26:08 PM

    i've never read anything so uninformed in my life

  • Posted By: sejqc @ 03/10/2009 1:05:36 PM

    This reminds me of my irritation with the new "emo" kids of today. 10 years ago I didn't have black hair, skinny jeans, and was obsessed with My Chemical Romance. What happened to Sunny Day Real Estate, Mineral, The Promise Ring? I miss my cardigans and Sub Pop catalogs....

  • Posted By: Brien Comerford @ 03/08/2009 2:31:21 PM

    Neko Case is a very talented vocalist and lyricist who also cares deeply about the environment and the humane treatment of the animal kingdom.

  • Posted By: Dogstarr @ 03/06/2009 12:22:56 PM

    With the economy as it is, I think it's time to have some real innovation in music, as well as resurrecting the spirit of bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash. I haven't heard anything truly alternative, or indie in 10 years or more, nearly every new "alternative" band has sounded exactly like either Alice in Chains, or tried to sound like Nirvana for how long now?.

    There was a nice scene with bands like Olivia tremor Control, Guided By Voices and Neutral Milk Hotel that seemed to be the start of a new home recording based underground pop, but it seems to have fizzled out quite a bit at this point and where are things headed now?

    The state of Rock and Roll, "Alternative" and radio friendly pop is that it now exists only as an anachronism, it's an imitation of what once was inspired and original, but now is simply a re-enactment, sad, rock is dead.

  • Posted By: johnny_mayday @ 03/06/2009 12:17:35 PM

    Neko Case is awesome, but this article is just crap. First off, calling her indie-rock is completely ill-informed, and the whole American Idol element is stupid. Case makes great records--"Thrice All American" is a beautiful track--and she deserves a lot better than this "review." Don't hold it against her.

  • Posted By: leccino @ 03/06/2009 3:01:26 AM

    Neko Case: alt-country, not "indie-rock". Get is straight or go back to Kelly Clarkson.

    • Posted By: steve7701 @ 03/06/2009 11:46:44 AM

      I thought the purpose of alt- this or indie- that was to avoid labels. How silly to get combative about what label a critic uses. Concentrate on the positive comments that will hopefully help sell some more CD's for a very deserving artist.

  • Posted By: coreyhjones @ 03/06/2009 11:11:47 AM

    @leccino

    I'd say the main issue is distinguishing between "indie-rock" and independent music, two concepts people often mistakenly use interchangeably. Yes Case's music falls under the "alt-country" label, but it is the independent spirit of her music and efforts that perhaps make her music very alluring. I think this article brushes on the surface of this issue ... but falls short of getting it right. Love the new album!

  • Posted By: dane1971 @ 03/06/2009 10:46:32 AM

    this is one of the laziest album reviews ever. half the fluf here isn't even about case at all, and what is said about the actual music is just grafted from neko's press kits and other scribes. middle cyclone is a fantastic , alluring album that will continue to blossom more with every listen. not every song is immediate, and that's the way a good album is supposed to be.

  • Posted By: LyeDye @ 03/06/2009 9:49:22 AM

    I don't even know how to comment on an article that so clearly misunderstands the indie-rock genre. Avoiding repetitive pop hooks in favor of unique styles does not equate avoiding melody. Confusion perpetuates confusion.

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