• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • Archives
  • Contact

Medialoper

We're Not Who You Think We Are

207 Of The Greatest Indie Rock Songs Of All Time

March 2, 2007 by Jim Connelly


I will acknowledge up front that this is a total rip-off of homage to a post that I saw last week at HearYa which listed their Top 100 Indie Songs of All Time. It’s a pretty great list, and inspired me to do one of my own.

While I’m not a total indie snob — artists I totally love like Bob Dylan, The Clash, Neil Young & The Who have spent their entire careers on major labels — I find that “mostly indie rock” is the best shorthand answer to the “what kind of music do you like?” question. That’s what I like: Indie Rock.

But what is this “Indie Rock?”

Right. No way I’m going to answer that question to anybody else’s satisfaction. My take on it is that it was kickstarted by three different, but related, events:

  • Musicians hearing punk rock and deciding that anybody can play it. And should! So, suddenly, loads of bands were forming everywhere.
  • The major labels hearing punk rock and deciding that it will never sell, so why sign any of these bands? Suddenly loads of bands were never going to get signed to a major label.
  • The economics of recording and releasing music got to the point where you didn’t absolutely need the financial backing of a major label to get it out there. So D.I.Y.!

My take on it is that these things happened at the exact moment that I started paying serious attention to music, which means that I’m either a) lucky b) wrong c) both. But this is a topic that has been endlessly discussed, so lets get to the list of my favorite Indie Rock songs.

I thought about doing a list of albums, but there is essentially a canon: start with Let It Be, and work a few years backwards, then keep moving forwards until right this second. Besides, a list of songs is much more personal, ya know?

Here are the rules:

  • One song per artist. Which means that it is probably my favorite song by that artist, though not always, if they split their career between majors and indies, so, no “All Her Favorite Fruit” or “Mohammed’s Radio (Live).” And it also means that I cheated with Robert Pollard & Grant Hart.
  • Generally, if the label that the song was released on was considered an indie at the time of release, it was eligible for the list. This is difficult, of course, because a lot of indies have always struck deals with majors for distribution. To be completely arbitrary (and because I don’t want to have huge fights), I’ve left Sire, Elektra & Island off — despite the fact that these labels all started as indies — but included I.R.S., Slash and (of course) Matador. Which means no to Ramones, Love, or U2, but yes to R.E.M., X and Pavement.

    However, I have cheated in a different way: a lot of bands — Buzzcocks, Smiths, Pixies, etc –were signed to a major in the U.K. but an indie here, or vice versa. I counted them. So sue me.

  • This list isn’t meant to be definitive, even for me. I make no claim that these are the Greatest Indie Rock Songs Of All Time. It’s just bunch of songs that I love and that I could come up, that’s all. But, it’s presented in rough, rough, rough rough order; it isn’t exact by any means. So don’t go, “how could you possibly rank ‘Spiders (Kidsmoke)’ over ‘How Soon Is Now?'” That said, I would argue that the songs near the top of the list probably do belong on any “greatest songs” list. And if you think that it leans too heavily towards scruffy boys with barely in tune guitars . . . yup.

Finally, as you can probably tell, this list got away from me. I added songs right up until I hit publish. Luckily, I’ve been obsessively documenting my musical tastes for a long time, so it was mostly about research — old journals where I recorded every song from the dozens of mix tapes I made from the late 80’s to the late 90’s; and the directories that I keep the rips of the mix CDs I made from ’98 until just a couple of years ago, where the most recent mixes now live on a server on my network.

And thanks to the Wikipedia and All Music, where I did tons of research on bands and labels, so at least I had some kind of answer to the inevitable “that’s not indie!” charges. Which is why I didn’t put the label or album or year on any of the songs. Ya wanna know more, look them up!

Now with links to my Certain Songs posts about these songs!

    The Very Very Best

  1. The Replacements – Answering Machine
  2. Husker Du – Keep Hanging On
  3. The Dream Syndicate – Then She Remembers
  4. Billy Bragg – Levi Stubbs’ Tears
  5. 28th Day – 25 Pills
  6. The Jesus and Mary Chain – Something’s Wrong
  7. The Hold Steady – The Swish
  8. The Miss Alans – The Shiny Unfeeling
  9. X – Universal Corner
  10. Magnolias – One More Reason
  11. Rank and File – Coyote
  12. New Order – Ceremony
  13. Arcade Fire – Rebellion (Lies)
  14. 54-40 – The Sound of Truth
  15. Close Lobsters – Knee Trembler
  16. The Cat Heads – Apologize
  17. The Chant – For You
  18. Superchunk – Mower
  19. Big Star – September Gurls
  20. Modern Lovers – Roadrunner
  21. dBs – Black and White
  22. Breeders – Cannonball
  23. Dinosaur Jr – Freak Scene
  24. Uncle Tupelo – Whiskey Bottle
  25. Guided By Voices – I Am A Scientist
  26. Buzzcocks – I Believe
  27. R.E.M. – Pilgrimage
  28. Grant Hart – 2541
  29. Drive-By Truckers – Outfit
  30. The Soft Boys – Underwater Moonlight
  31. Shoes – Not Me
  32. Wrens – This Boy Is Exhausted
  33. Rage to Live – My Heroine
  34. Pavement – Unfair
  35. Stone Roses – Waterfall
  36. Toots and the Maytals – Funky Kingston
  37. Ambulance LTD – Stay Where You Are
  38. Liz Phair – Divorce Song
  39. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Put It On
  40. Yo La Tengo – Pass The Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind
  41. The Very Rest

  42. Paul Westerberg – AAA
  43. Pop Art – The Party
  44. The Jazz Butcher – Girl Go
  45. Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlanticism
  46. Udokotela Shange Namahaha – Awungilobolele
  47. Robert Pollard – Pop Zeus
  48. Rilo Kiley – Portions For Foxes
  49. Sedan Delivery – Untitled
  50. Paul Kelly & The Messengers – Look So Fine, Feel So Low
  51. Victoria Williams – You R Loved
  52. Primitives – Crash
  53. Sugar – Changes
  54. The Silos – Start The Clock
  55. Wilco – Spiders (Kidsmoke)
  56. The Smiths – How Soon Is Now?
  57. Robyn Hitchcock – Airscape
  58. Low – When I Go Deaf
  59. SVT – Heart of Stone
  60. Broken Social Scene – Anthems for A Seventeen Old Girl
  61. Jason Falkner – In Your Eyes (alt. version)
  62. Archers of Loaf – Greatest of All Time
  63. Nirvana – Sliver
  64. Sonic Youth – Teenage Riot
  65. N.W.A. – Gangsta Gangsta
  66. The Soundtrack of Our Lives – Sister Surround
  67. Alter Boys – Dry-Out Center
  68. Bobby Sutliffe – Same Way Tomorrow
  69. Walkmen – The Rat
  70. Feelies – Slipping (Into Something)
  71. Joy Division – Dead Souls
  72. Sufjan Stevens – Chicago
  73. Violent Femmes – Add It Up
  74. The Neats – Pop Cliche
  75. Whiskeytown – The Battle and The War (Live At the Fillmore)
  76. Nada Surf – Blankest Year
  77. The Reducers – Out of Step
  78. Nikki Sudden & The Jacobites – Big Store
  79. Dogmatics – Thayer St.
  80. Sidewinders – Witchdoctor
  81. Dan Bern – Simple< /li>
  82. Pixies – Distance Equals Rate Times Time
  83. Beulah – Wipe Those Prints and Run
  84. Goo Goo Dolls – There You Are
  85. Swervedriver – Son of Mustang Ford
  86. XTAL – Domino’s Theory
  87. Mike Doughty – No Peace, Los Angeles
  88. My Bloody Valentine – Soon
  89. The La’s – There She Goes
  90. Brian Eno – The True Wheel
  91. Sparklejet – 4x60AC
  92. Minutemen – History Lesson Part II
  93. Freedy Johnston – Trying to Tell You I Don’t Know< /li>
  94. White Stripes – Little Room
  95. Chris Bell – I Am The Cosmos
  96. Dramarama – Anything, Anything
  97. Joseph Connelly – Hold On
  98. Magnapop – The Crush
  99. Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out
  100. The Rose of Avalanche – Velveteen
  101. The Long Winters – Ultimatum
  102. Mysteries of Life – Shiver
  103. New Pornographers – Letter From an Occupant
  104. Soul Asylum – Long Way Home
  105. Magnetic Fields – All My Little Words
  106. Posies – Fall Apart With Me
  107. Imperial Teen – Pig Latin
  108. Amy Rigby – Time For Me To Come Down
  109. Bloc Party – So Here We Are
  110. Belle & Sebastian – I’m A Cuckoo
  111. The Stratford 4 – Telephone
  112. Pale Fountains – Jeans Not Happening
  113. ISM – Nixon Now More Than Ever
  114. Lloyd Cole & The Negatives – Vin Ordinaire
  115. Caitlin Cary – Cello Girl
  116. Preston School of Industry – Monkey Heart and The Horses Leg
  117. Steve Malkmus – Jenny and the Ess Dog
  118. Neko Case – The Tigers Have Spoken (Live)
  119. Camper Van Beethoven – Ambiguity Song
  120. Libertines – Can’t Stand Me Now
  121. Joe Strummer – Burning Streets
  122. Fountains of Wayne – Little Red Light
  123. Biff Bang Pow – She’s Got Diamonds in Her Hair
  124. Died Pretty – Out of the Unknown
  125. The Connells – Get A Gun
  126. Interpol – PDA
  127. Black Flag – Rise Above
  128. Dead Kennedys – Holiday in Cambodia
  129. Three O’Clock – I Go Wild
  130. James – What’s The World
  131. Verlaines – Joed Out
  132. Squirrel Bait – Kid Dynamite
  133. Long Ryders – I Had A Dream
  134. Individuals – Walk By Your House
  135. Icons – Trouble in Havana
  136. Agent Orange – Living in Darkness
  137. Heptones – Book of Rules
  138. Neon Boys – That’s All I Know (Right Now)
  139. Rikk Agnew – Everyday
  140. The Outnumbered – Sit With Me in The Dark
  141. Green on Red – That’s What Dreams
  142. Cat Burglars – Song For Julie Newmar
  143. Naughty Sweeties – Alice< /li>
  144. Tonio K – H-A-T-R-E-D
  145. Monsoon – You Can’t Take Me With You
  146. Rancid – Black Derby Jacket
  147. Made for TV – So Afraid of the Russians< /li>
  148. Godfathers – This Damn Nation
  149. Zeitgeist – She Digs Ornette
  150. Sleater-Kinney – Combat Rock
  151. Similar Animals – Better Than Nowhere
  152. Tift Merrit – Shadow in the Way
  153. John Holt – Ali Baba
  154. Blackbird Stories – 25
  155. Din – Rejection
  156. Pop O Pies – The Catholics Are Attacking
  157. Moving Targets – The Other Side
  158. Felt – Primitive Painters
  159. The Go! Team – Ladyflash
  160. Culture – Calling Rasta Far I
  161. Trouble Funk – Drop The Bomb
  162. Arctic Monkeys – The View From The Afternoon
  163. Jens Lekman – Black Cab
  164. Romeo Void – White Sweater
  165. Vaselines – Dying For It
  166. Teenage Fanclub – Broken
  167. Patterson Hood – Miss Me Gone
  168. Jenny Lewis – Rise Up (With Fists!)
  169. Velocity Girl – Forgotten Favorite
  170. Nick Drake – Pink Moon
  171. Sebadoh – Willing to Wait
  172. Western Chapter – Across The Sea
  173. Marshall Crenshaw – Better Back Off
  174. Spoon – Sister Jack
  175. The Undertones – It’s Gonna Happen
  176. Kathleen Edwards – One More Song The Radio Won’t Like
  177. Chris Stamey – The Plainest Thing
  178. Cat Power – Living Proof
  179. Richmond Fontaine – Polaroid
  180. Theolonius Monster – If I
  181. Warren Zevon – Keep Me in Your Heart
  182. Grant Lee Buffalo – Dixie Drug Store
  183. Kelly Willis – Not Forgotten You
  184. Promise Ring – Emergency! Emergency!
  185. UB40 – Don’t Let it Pass You By
  186. The Royal Guardsmen – Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron
  187. Lucinda Williams – Something About What Happens When We Talk
  188. Tommy Keene – Back Again (Try)
  189. The Seeds – Pushing Too Hard
  190. Clem Snide – The Junky Jews
  191. Steve Earle – Transcendental Blues
  192. River Roses – Dark Stroll
  193. The Barbarians – Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl?
  194. Aimee Mann – Deathly
  195. Slobberbone – Sweetness, That’s Your Cue
  196. Jayhawks – Six Pack on the Dashboard
  197. Embrace – Someday
  198. Go-Go’s – We Got The Beat
  199. Town Cryers – Love In The Cool Part of Town
  200. Too Much Joy – Even The Queen
  201. Dag Nasty – Things That Make No Sense
  202. True West – Hollywood Holiday
  203. Steve Wynn – There Will Come a Day
  204. Meat Puppets – Up on The Sun
  205. Transplants – Tall Cans in the Air
  206. Funkadelic – Can You Get to That?
  207. Continental Drifters – Snow< /li>
  208. Lucia Pamela – Walking on the Moon
  • Top 100 Indie Songs of All Time
  • 18 Musical Moments to Die For
  • 19 Musical Moments to Die For
  • 20 Musical Moments to Die For
  • 21 Musical Moments to Die For
  • 22 Musical Moments to Die For
  • 23 Musical Moments to Die For
  • 24 Musical Moments to Die For
  • 25 Musical Moments to Die For
  • Wikipedia
  • All Music

Filed Under: Music, That's What I Like

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. tunequest says

    March 2, 2007 at 9:15 am

    I won’t comment as to the particulars of the list, but I do appreciate the broad definition of “indie rock.” Like the word “alternative,” I too often hear it in reference to a particular style or sound rather than the motivation or the ethos behind its creation. So, kudos!

  2. Kirk says

    March 2, 2007 at 9:24 am

    No Galaxie 500 or Luna??

  3. Jim says

    March 2, 2007 at 9:37 am

    I never really liked Galaxie 500: I . . . thought . . . that . . . their . . . music . . . was . . . too . . . slow.

    And I just realized that I misread Luna’s entry on Allmusic, which means that while they started on a major label, I totally coulda included “U.S. Out of My Pants!”

    D’oh!! Must. Resist. Temptation. To. Change. Post.

  4. John says

    March 2, 2007 at 11:19 am

    Nice list Jim. Much better than the other one you referenced.

    ……but, where is The Church? 🙂

  5. Jim says

    March 2, 2007 at 1:01 pm

    John,

    As much as it pains me to admit this to someone who put a Church album as #1 on his 2006 list, I actually parted ways with The Church somewhere around Gold Afternoon Fix. I think that all of those early albums that I still love, were on majors, otherwise nothing would have kept “Dropping Names” from making the tip-top tier of my list.

  6. john r says

    March 2, 2007 at 4:34 pm

    Phenomenal list of tunes !!! I have totally forgotten about some of those songs. My only petty quibble would be : No Lyres, No Mission of Burma, No Minor Threat or Big Boys.

  7. Jim says

    March 2, 2007 at 6:18 pm

    Sure. But besides “Academy Fight Song,” which I totally forgot about, I never really loved any of those bands.

    But crap, I was just reminded of a Tuxedomoon song I used to love from one of those old Ralph Records comps, but can’t even remember the name of.

    However, I really should have included “The Secret Seed” by The Residents.

  8. Alicia says

    March 3, 2007 at 9:16 am

    What a fabulous list. I was about to quibble about Guadalcanal Diary till realizing they were on Elektra. That said, I’m impressed you included Zeitgeist – you’re the first person I’ve met outside of my family who even know who they were (or didn’t refer to them as the Reivers). The same goes for 28th Day, for that matter! I’m seriously contemplating forcing this onto a mixtape.

  9. Kirk says

    March 3, 2007 at 11:36 am

    And furthermore, I can’t believe you left out The Oil Tasters. “My Girlfriend’s Ghost” was a classic.

  10. Jim says

    March 3, 2007 at 9:31 pm

    Alicia,

    Thanks! Actually, I think that the first Guadalcanal Diary album may have come out as an indie before being re-released on Elektra. But don’t quote me on that. In any event, “Watutsui Rodeo” never quite grabbed me like it probably should have. As far as the whole Zeitgeist/Reivers thing goes, alas, it just means that I’m old enough to remember the original album. That said, I really wanted to include the near-perfect “Ragamuffin Man,” but while the Zeitgeist album was indie prior to being major, the Reivers album it was from was on Capitol.

    As far as a mixtape goes, there are several songs on this list that I have yet to find in any digital format, and if anybody can point me to digital versions of the following, I would be eternally grateful:

    Pop Art – The Party
    SVT – Heart of Stone
    Pale Fountains – Jeans Not Happening
    Icons – Trouble in Havana
    River Roses – Dark Stroll
    Din – Rejection
    Moving Targets – The Other Side
    Pop O Pies – The Catholics are Attacking

  11. Jim says

    March 3, 2007 at 9:38 pm

    Kirk,

    Oil Tasters? Sure. I might have, if I could even remember how that “My Girlfriend’s Ghost” song went. Amazingly enough, that album was re-released on CD just a couple of years ago. Looking at the song titles on Allmusic, I seem to remember that I liked “Get Out of The Bathroom” a bit more.

    However, I am now chagrined that I forgot to add Let’s Active – “Every Word Means No” and Lords of The New Church – “New Church.” Both on IRS, and both songs that I loved.

  12. Lou Grubious says

    March 3, 2007 at 10:25 pm

    I love Swervedriver but I’m almost positive “Son of Mustang Ford” was originally released on A&M. You could replace it with The Chills “Pink Frost” or Eastern Dark’s “I Don’t Need The Reasons”

  13. Lou Grubrious says

    March 3, 2007 at 10:53 pm

    I’m wrong !! Swervedriver first 3 Eps were on Creation than released on A&M. Sorry.

  14. Jim says

    March 4, 2007 at 6:11 am

    “Lou,”

    Yeah, I double-checked on Swervedriver, who still sound great today. (A comp came out a couple of years ago.) It was a choice between “Son of Mustang Ford,” “Duel” and “Rave Down.”

    I had the same problem with The Eastern Dark as I did with The Oil Tasters: I used to own the “Long The New Flesh” EP (at least I think that’s what it was called), but none of the songs from the listing on allmusic jumped out at me.

    However, none of that is any excuse to not have included “Heavenly Pop Hit.”

    And finally, I really also should have used the Creation cheat to include either “Live Forever” or “Morning Glory” by Oasis. When I do the inevitable revision of this list, I probably will.

  15. Tim says

    March 5, 2007 at 2:49 pm

    What’s great about Jim’s list is that Kirk or I or anyone from Central Control could compile one just like it, and there would be, I don’t know, no more than a dozen songs that crossed over. Which is a good thing. I would attribute that to musical tastes, the sheer indie variety, shared radio station experiences and way too big musical collections.

    I would love to compile a list like this, but I will have to leave it to my alt. universe self.

  16. sally says

    March 7, 2007 at 4:22 am

    It felt good to see Swervedriver on the list … and choosing between “Son of Mustang Ford” and “Rave Down” must have been an killer internal struggle.

    However, “Combat Rock” for Sleater-Kinney?! Really? What were the close seconds for them?

    And while I’m at it, “Sister Jack” for Spoon? I’m surprised!

    All in all, great list. Much better than I anticipated.

  17. Jim says

    March 7, 2007 at 8:53 am

    Sally,

    Thanks!

    The other Swervedriver song that was in the running was “Duel.” There’s a repeating instrumental break verse alternating power chords and fuzzy jangly guitar that just kills me.

    Swervedriver might be one the most overlooked bands of the 1990s.

    As far as Sleater-Kinney and Spoon go, I admire both bands more than love them. I probably could have easily gone with “You’re No Rock and Roll Fun” and “The Way We Get By.”

  18. scott7103 says

    March 14, 2007 at 9:33 am

    Jim,

    Although I respect your taste in music (I too am a huge GBV and Husker Du fan) I have to say that you did not even pick the 50th best song in the Husker Du catalog to put at #2 for all-time best indie songs. What about “Celebrated Summer”? And “Answering Machine” as the #1 indie song…. c’mon…. if you had said “Bastards of Young” then maybe. Thanks for the article though!

    scott

  19. Jim says

    March 14, 2007 at 11:14 am

    Scott,

    Thanks!!

    “Keep Hanging On” just barely nosed out “Celebrated Summer,” “New Day Rising” “Pink Turns To Blue” and that titanic cover of “Eight Miles High,” which still might be the best punkrock cover version ever: a perfect reinterpretation that somehow stays totally faithful and comes across as utterly new all at the same time. The only analogous thing to in all of pop culture (that I can think of right now) is the U.S. version of The Office.

    As far as “Answering Machine” goes, I’ll ignore that “BOY” came out on Sire and by the rules I set, was technically ineligible. Or that I like “Left of the Dial” better. The point is that “Answering Machine” has been pretty much my favorite song by just about anybody, ever since, well, the moment it came out.

  20. Lindsay says

    April 14, 2007 at 12:33 am

    You’re missing Elliott Smith!

  21. Jim says

    April 18, 2007 at 11:56 am

    Lindsay,

    Unlike a lot of like-minded people, I never really got Elliott Smith.

  22. Nellie says

    April 29, 2007 at 3:40 pm

    WeRRR iis nelli Fjurtado an’d kelly klarkcon

  23. Bottom AsianMan says

    May 31, 2007 at 1:11 pm

    It would be nice if you include a sample of each song before I head out to buy them.

  24. Jon says

    July 12, 2007 at 2:07 pm

    Not one Modest Mouse song? They did revitalize indie rock in the late 90s. Any song off of “The Lonesome Crowded West” is amazing. A few off of “This is a Long Drive” and “The Moon and Antarctica” are incredible too. A few of their songs that I believed should have been considered: “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine,” “Cowboy Dan,” “Lounge (Closing Time),” “Polar Opposites,” “3rd Planet,” “Gravity Rides Everything,” “Paper Thin Walls,” “Dramamine,” and finally “Custom Concern” are all amazing songs and all stand as both musically and lyrically beautiful songs. Also, no Shins songs? WTF?

  25. Jim says

    July 15, 2007 at 8:09 am

    Hi Jon, it’s of course a very personal list by definition. And while I’ve never really got Modest Mouse (until this last record — thanks Johnny Marr!) and the Shins (thought that first album was a snore –Natalie Portman lied about “New Slang” — though *Wincing The Night Away* was pretty good) , I don’t think that any single artist — not even my beloved Pavement or Guided by Voices — ever “revitalized” indie rock.

    Part of the point of this list is that indie has been doing pretty consistently great for the past quarter-century, whether or not anybody has noticed it, thank you very much.

    The other point is that someone that I think is awesome, you might think is crap — and vice versa — but its a long enough tail that we can all play.

    That said, now that I’ve figured out how to listen to Isaac Brock, I will go back and check out the early stuff. But this most recent Shins album was — how you say? bo-ring!

  26. AAABBBCCC says

    December 23, 2007 at 11:30 am

    This is a creative list, but it shouldn’t be called “207 Of The greatest Indie Rock Songs Of All Time”. N.W.A. isn’t even rock…
    it should be called Jim’s Favorite Indie Songs.

  27. Jim says

    December 23, 2007 at 2:47 pm

    Mr CCC,

    Perhaps, but thousands of people wouldn’t have clicked on something with the title you propose. But my title is absolutely correct. Out of all of the greatest Indie Rock songs of all time, these are 207.

    As far as N.W.A. go, they released their album on a label supposedly financed by drug money. How much more rock can you possibly be? The answer: none. None more rock.

  28. Mike says

    July 25, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    Excellent list, Jim!
    mine would include:
    Meat Puppets – Our Friends [to me, that song is the birth of the Meat Puppets sound….you can hear it happening right on the record!]
    Minutemen – This Ain’t No Picnic
    Mudhoney – Touch Me I’m Sick
    Butthole Surfers – Cherub
    Wire – 12 X U [although that might be major]

    hmm….strangely, most all are in “M”…..

    p.s. yo Kirk and Tim!

  29. Jim says

    July 28, 2008 at 3:08 pm

    Thanks Mike!!

  30. platinumhands says

    August 18, 2008 at 1:09 am

    sweet list.

  31. William says

    August 18, 2008 at 5:54 pm

    Wow. Just stumbled across this list looking for an mp3 of Sidewinder’s Witchdoctor (to no avail) and all I want to know is: How much would it cost to buy a pre-loaded iPod from you? 😉 Best list I’ve seen in years.

  32. Chelsa says

    October 5, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    I hate to say this because I really do not like the two most recent Modest Mouse Cd’s. But Modest mouse pre Good news for people who love bad news would definitely go on my list. As well as Mew, Beulah,wolf parade, andrew bird, sufjan stevens, and the decemberists but I believe everyone has their own particular taste.

  33. Anthony says

    November 22, 2008 at 9:13 am

    I am missing songs (in this case a song) from the Infadels and Hard fi. They made some songs that are worth to be placed in this list…

  34. Eryn says

    December 25, 2008 at 7:23 pm

    I’m sure there must have been quiet a few bands you left out..and im sure people will tell you and wont let you forget it.

    But, I’m just curious to know why you didn’t name Daniel Johnston? To me, as a person who likes most of the bands you named (which its true you left way too much out) as indie wouldn’t mention him.

    I apologize if he is on your list and i looked over it.

    peace.

  35. carey says

    March 26, 2009 at 10:37 pm

    Although I feel that you have left out songs …. this has brought a lot of great bands to my attention that i was to young to ever know about ……. so thank you

    and very glad to see …. Grant Lee Buffalo and the long winters made the list

  36. morgan says

    April 16, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    so, i looked over your list, and being a new fan of indie music, took the liberty of downloading a lot of it. i’d have to say, that this is a pretty fantastic list.

  37. Jim says

    April 21, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    Thanks Carey & Morgan,

    Nearly two years after initially publishing this list, I’m very grateful that people are still going to it and finding value!!

  38. scott says

    April 27, 2009 at 7:37 pm

    This list is pretty good but there is SOOOO much awwsome indie and alternativ rock out there. Def one of the best places to find indie and alt music (esp alot of great stuff u probably never heard of), I review, listen and download songs from IRC. They post daily new and classic indie and alt, folk, pop, rock, electronica. But the best thing is their choice of music is amazingly astute.

  39. someone says

    September 18, 2009 at 4:44 am

    Errrr…no offense but this list is clearly your own personal opinion and not factual. If you put 10 critics in a room and told them to make this list I assure you they would have put How Soon Is Now by The Smiths or This Charming Man by The Smiths in the top 5 at least.

  40. Jim says

    September 18, 2009 at 8:56 am

    Er, no offense, but, duh.

    As I wrote in the introduction:

    “This list isn’t meant to be definitive, even for me. I make no claim that these are the Greatest Indie Rock Songs Of All Time. It’s just bunch of songs that I love and that I could come up, that’s all.”

    Though I do love how you know — as a fact, not an opinion, of course — one of the song that would make a “factual” list.

  41. Eduardo says

    October 25, 2009 at 11:04 am

    Elliot – Lie Close

  42. KAN says

    November 10, 2009 at 12:04 pm

    what about the killers and kasabian?
    they’re two great bands, don’t they deserve a room in your list?
    (though they probably wrote their best songs after you published this list…)

    (oh, and sorry for my english, i’m drunk from italy)

  43. kevin says

    November 28, 2009 at 2:34 pm

    For the past year or so my favorite indie rock blog is http://www.indierockcafe.com – they consistently publish the best playlists, new releases, bands to watch, special mix series and break new artists that few people have heard of, some who have gone on to bigger things because of being featured on IndieRockCafe. Just my two cents.

  44. chelsea says

    April 15, 2010 at 6:20 pm

    how are the strokes not on here????

  45. Jim Connelly says

    April 18, 2010 at 6:46 am

    @Chelsea, The Strokes were on RCA, and therefore ineligible by the rules.

    It’s absolutely true that they sounded indie. But then again, so did the New York Dolls, the Stooges and The Clash.

  46. Ivan says

    May 9, 2010 at 11:34 pm

    Pretty nice list, but The Strokes should be there somewhere

  47. someone says

    July 24, 2010 at 7:48 am

    No offense but why are The Smiths shoved down the ladder to #55? That is a crime against musical humanity.

  48. Tam. says

    September 1, 2010 at 10:06 am

    207 Of The Greatest Indie Rock Songs Of All Time ??

    your having a laugh…. weres the pixies. ?

  49. Steve Milne says

    March 10, 2011 at 8:28 pm

    Alright, how could Built to Spill be left off this list? There’s Nothing Wrong with Love is one of the best indie album’s ever made…

  50. chuck says

    May 24, 2011 at 6:55 pm

    Pinback… seriously.

  51. Tman says

    August 8, 2011 at 9:23 am

    How are toots and the maytals indie? An why are they on indie rock list? They are a classic reggae and ska band.

  52. Pete says

    October 2, 2012 at 9:33 am

    god I swear to you Jim, I swear!!! yeaughhhhh

Primary Sidebar

Lopy

Search

Previously on Medialoper

  • Certain Songs #2540: Sufjan Stevens – “Djohariah”
  • Certain Songs #2539: Sufjan Stevens – “Heirloom”
  • Certain Songs #2538: Sufjan Stevens – “Casimir Pulaski Day”
  • Certain Songs #2537: Sufjan Stevens – “Chicago”
  • Certain Songs #2536: Sufjan Stevens – “Decatur, Or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!”

Copyright © 2023 · Medialoper