One genre of music I don’t quite understand is “Indie” rock.
Don’t misread that, I’m not saying I don’t like it, I just don’t understand it.
“Indie”, of course, stands for “independent”, and started a few decades ago by
bands, well, basically being independent. They recorded the music themselves,
distributed it themselves, etc. The part that confuses me is; if, say a heavy
metal band, like the next Metallica, were to record and distribute music independently,
they still wouldn’t be considered “indie” because they don’t have that sound
that “indie” bands have; a sound that isn’t harsh and requires the main instruments
of a rock band; guitar, drum, bass and vocals, maybe keyboards and other
instruments if wanted. These bands don’t sound similar to each other, but they
have something in common with their sound that keeps them indie. I guess a
better way to describe my confusion is, when did “indie” become an actual sub-genre
rather than just a title, and why when a band, such as Metric, becomes big and no longer distributes their own music, are
they still considered “indie rock”?