The 50 Most Influential Indie Rock Bands
 

Cool band at number one, but otherwise I think Moshe just wants to see us fight.

Haha, I read that list backwards and though it sucked, but then I realized I'm stoned and its in reverse, and I more or less agree with most of it ;)

I'm not sure what offends me more about this list: the depressing predictability of most of it; the mind-boggling incomprehensibility of the rest of it, or the frankly staggering omissions both too numerous and blindingly obvious to list

:D.

I disagree. While a lot of those bands at the top of the list evolved into mainstream, they didn't necessarily start that way, and realistically, isn't part of the definition of influence inherently include scale and range of audience? A larger band is naturally going to have more influence than an obscure local pub band. So if we want to be snobs, we could name a list of 50 of our personal favorite indie bands that nobody else has ever heard of, but how does that fit into "Most-Influential"

I'd say just about every band on that list between 35-1 had a major influence on thousands of garage and pub bands. That being said, is the list perfect? Hardly. Is it relatively inclusive do those bands who have had the biggest influence? I'd say yes.

t-rex? indie?

According to this article, SY is continuing to release critically acclaimed albums all the way through 20009. I really hope that's true.

So much post 2000's american snoozindie.

So where the fuck are The Fall?

this shit would not open up for me yesterday. gonna take a look now.

So far I truly hate choices 50-37.

I actively HATE 80% of that shitty list.

That was my first thought.

When you have such influential and wonderful indie bands like The Unicorns around, there's no room for the likes of The Fall.

Does the guy who wrote this article know what influential means?

LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, Interpol, & most everything from 25-50 (with a couple exceptions) are bands that literally haven't had enough time to influence anything & will be forgotten about in 10 years because they're not that good.

20 years from now when we look back on 2000-2013 Arcade Fire & that shit might as well be flock of seagulls.

You know what people will remember? Deerhoof.


BTW: Where are (since this list seems to be more of a list of bands that influenced alternative/indie whatever):

VU, the Stooges, Television, Roxy Music, King Crimson, David Bowie, Daniel Johnston, Big Star, Mission of Burma, Polvo, Archers of Loaf, The Melvins, & The Ramones?

I think LCD is a legitimate choice for the bottom end of a list like this. More culturally than musically influential, but still, I have a feeling that name is going to be remembered for a long time. Their music was, at its best, brilliant, and at its worst, still better than most. Plus, the guy struggled in NYC for a decade before having his first hit, and three albums later he was selling out Madison square garden, bringing the basement to the arena. I've no beef with James Murphy.

And I think it's safe to say Arcade Fire has also earned their stripes. Even if you hate them, you probably love at least one song so much it makes your teenage heart break. Again, no beef. They've done fine, and they've helped make "rock" and alternative at least a little bit more classy and intelligent than it was.

Not that I like Mumford and sons.

LOL. Pitchfork journalist wannabe.

There is NOTHING "Rock" about arcade fire. that shit is so stupid soft.

Another list by a self-absorbed, deluded pseudo-muso-journo thankfully ridiculed and scorned by the public.

Where are HUSKER DU, THE MINUTEMEN, the Meat Puppets, Butthole Surfers, Beat Happening, Big Black, ETCETC this was one of the stupidest lists I have ever seen. Sonic Youth is of course my favorite band so yeah i'm stoked that they're number one but whoever wrote this is an idiot. Is LCD Sound system technically a band?

has to be somewhat old to be influential. otherwise how are you to judge?

I'm 22. I just know that Grizzly Bear has never influenced me to do anything but barf.

Depends. They can be pretty irritating, and they can sound good. You should probably listen before judging, but in the long run I'm sure that your life is not going to be left incomplete by not hearing Arcade Fire. Plus, you probably have heard them by now, even if you don't realize it.

I definitely think they overdid it with the whole "3/4 of the list still being under 30" thing. But I didn't realize until you listed them out like that that so many vital bands were missing. Seriously? No Husker Du?

I don't even get the strokes being included. Aren't they considered a 1 for 5 band by even their biggest fans at this point?

Well, the radio seems to think there is, and that's l that counts for discussions like these. You're right, but who cares? A lot of music is played on a lot of hip hop stations that isn't hip hop. Tons of non-metal is played on the stations that claim to be the heaviest. All I mean is they are a band whose songs play along side-- and whose albums share chart space with-- Coldplay or OneDirection or whoever the hell people like these days... Black Keys?

Anyway, it's not unthinkable to call them "rock." It's a time saver at the very least, and I'm sure it's clear that I'm not saying they're Led Zeppelin or Hendrix or whatever the hell rock is if it's not just guitar-based songs by white people.

All I meant was that for a band that started out with a Canadian import EP, and within a decade won over larger and larger demographics until they won a grammy for album of the year, I would say they probably "belong" on a list that measures influence more than just about any other band I can think of for 2001-2010. Are they the fucking Velvet Ubderground? Are they Slint? Fuck no! But that's why I find them a reasonable choice for bottom this list that sucks anyway.