Genre Research

A Brief History of Indie Rock

The Vaccines are an indie rock band from England. Indie rock came about in the UK and US in the 1980s, and has been developing ever since. Indie rock used to mean music that wasn't in the mainstream charts; music that came from 'indie' (independent) labels but then came to generally mean any music that is still seen as "outsider" rock in the late 1980s/early 1990s. During the 2000s it then developed even further as it became increasingly popular, enjoying commercial success for the first time due to the rise of the Internet and important changes in the music industry. This means that the term 'indie rock' has lost most of its meaning as 'independent rock', but has now come just to define a specific genre of music, to which the Vaccines belong.

As indie rock has now branched away from its original meaning, it is hard to define exactly what it is. No band can be defined by one singular genre as a lot overlap, and bands like to take inspiration from different genres to create their own style. For example, within the genre 'indie rock' there are several other sub-genres: 'indie pop', 'jangle pop' and 'lo-fi', among others. These are called sub-genres as they contain the main features of indie rock, but are slightly different, and can produce a different look and style. Indie pop tends to differ from indie rock by being more melodic, less abrasive and generally more angst free, whereas jangle pop differs as it encompasses bands that indie rock doesn't; for example, folk music.

   Analysing and comparing bands
One way we can try to define indie rock is by looking at other bands that belong to the genre, and looking at what they share in common; for example, the band Kids in Glass Houses.

Kids in Glass Houses are a Welsh indie rock band that consist of a vocalist, rhythm guitarist, lead guitarist, bass guitarist and drummer. This is similar to the Vaccines who also have a guitarist, vocalist, bassist and drummer, showing that the two bands put the same sort of emphasis on their music, rather than pop bands such as One Direction who have four singers and no instrumentalists. The two bands also have similar looks:  

 As you can see, the two bands consist of all male members with a very specific style. They all have messy hair, some of which is longer than average. However, they do differ slightly with The Vaccines having nice, tucked in shirts and Kids in Glass Houses having a scruffier style. 

This is all a style we must stay away from, as we do not want the style of our band to get confused with the actual band. However, we can use some elements as the genre of the song does not change, but within reason.

   Analysing and comparing videos

When thinking about the genre indie rock, we have more to think about than just the style and history of the genre: we need to know how it is practically used in music videos. For this, I have looked at several music videos within the genre to see what elements they share in common. 

The main feature of Kasabian's 'Fire' is the symbolism used in their video. The narrative shows them robbing a bank, and eventually getting caught, but what's interesting is the fact they've substituted guns and money for guitars and lyrics. When they enter the bank, they are holding the guitars like guns: this could symbolize how they use their music like a weapon, a way to express all their most passionate feelings. As people in the indie rock genre tend to connect emotionally with their lyrics more than some other mainstream genres, I feel this may be a convention of the genre: having symbolism showing the deeper meaning of their songs. Similarly, they use the music sheets as currency, suggesting the importance of music to them as they try to rob the bank and also showing how music is universal and helps everyone. The fact that both the police and the band are using the guitars as weapons could also be symbolic of the band's battle with society and with other artists to get their music known without losing its integrity. 

Kasabian also use some special effects in their video. As a successful band, their music video budget is substantial (and a lot higher than ours), meaning that they could spend a lot of time and money in post production focusing on effects.

One video that is especially good for looking at the use of special effects is the Killers 'Runaway'. They have done their video as a completely performance scene, using black rooms, lights, and a lot of post production to create the effect they need. The backdrop is what is edited the most: he lead singer stands in front of blackness, fiery skies, stages with coloured floors, walls and ceilings  and more. They also use clever shots to make it seem like the singer and band members are in more than one place at a single time: this helps with the idea of 'Runaways' as they are hard to track throughout the video.

They also use symbolism in this video with the shots of the road: by using this tracking shot they are bringing through the theme of running away as the shot looks like driving, very fast, as if to escape something. This suggests that symbolism might indeed be a convention of the genre.

A third video that demonstrates the genre is Snow Patrol's 'Run'. This video demonstrates the two key concept of symbolism and special effects highlighted above, but also brings in an interesting new concept: the use of lighting and colour. After watching this video it is made evident that another feature of the indie rock genre in music videos means dark locations, that are lit up with strips of colour. This was common to the Killers video and this one, as the band use red lights to light up the darkness. The lighting was particularly key in this video and the lyrics contained the words 'light up, light up', and they illustrated this by the use of flares, lit by the band, which lit up the dark scene. The dark background was also used to allow the singer to connect with the audience: as he sang directly into the camera, the dark background let him get his message across and led the audience to focus more on the lyrics. 

As far as symbolism goes, this video demonstrates it particularly with the use of the motorbike. The lead singer is seen walking alongside it in the first scene - he then leaves it and later it is set of fire and completely destroyed. This is symbolic as the lyrics say 'I'll be right beside you dear', and the motorbike can symbolize journey and escape: by destroying the bike, they are suggesting that escape is not possible, and that they will indeed stay. Special effects are also used in this video, by changing the lighting and amplifying that of the flare in post production. 

   CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the indie rock genre displays several key conventions.
- A general scruffy look with long shaggy hair. 

- A use of special effects in their videos in order to connote a specific meaning.
- The use of symbolism to connect to the audience and bring across a deeper meaning.
- The use of lighting and colour.
- They typically have a four or five piece band, containing a vocalist, lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, bass guitarist and drummer.
- Usually all male bands.