Recently, I tried out one of the AOL Radio channels, titled "Indie Rock". I was pleasantly surprised at the string of quality independent/alternative songs that they played. For about a year, I had some difficulty with hearing music from this genre after the local radio station that supplied it changed its format. My cable TV service had a channel on it with this type of music, but the AOL channel is much better. Here are some of my favorites that I recently heard on it:
Don’t You Evah--by Spoon. This may be Spoon’s best so far, although I still am partial to the earlier, bass-driven I Turn My Camera On. Don’t You Evah also has a very strong bass component to it. Spoon reminds me quite a lot of Beck, another act which I greatly respect.
No One’s Gonna Love You--by Band of Horses. Just a sweet, beautiful, melodic tune. Their (officially-sanctioned) video was hilarious.
The Con--by Tegan and Sara. Twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin once again produced a memorable song (I loved their earlier Walking With a Ghost). The Con is a fast-paced, frantic piece.
Chicago--by Sufjan Stevens. This extremely talented and inspired young man reminds me a bit of Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett, without the drugs and mental breakdown. His music goes everywhere, and the song Chicago is so different from anything else on the air that it almost defines a genre of its own. Chicago is part of a state-based theme album that Stevens made and titled Illinois. Chicago actually came out a few years ago, but since I just heard it for the first time, I regard it as a “2009” song. After hearing it, I checked out a few other Sufjan Stevens songs. "Incredible" is an understatement!
The Fear--by Lily Allen. More popular in Britain than here in the U.S., Lily Allen already has a hit with her Smile. The Fear, I think, is even better and may yet hit the charts big over here. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t.
That’s just a smidgen of what’s out there. I'm grateful to AOL for having this channel on their radio lineup. I should get into the habit of turning it on whenever I use the computer. Who knows what great music I’ve been missing!
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