Everone luvs a list. With the "Best of the Year" list burnout now a distant memory (happy Spring, all!), the time seem right to ooh and ahh and quibble over another ranked list. This one comes from Entertainment Weekly, of all places, and gives a year by year account of the top 25 indie releases ever.
Here's that list... via the hat-tipped stereogum:
1984: The Replacements - Let It Be
1985: The Smiths - Meat Is Murder
1986: R.E.M. - Life's Rich Pageant
1987: Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me
1988: Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
1989: The Pixies - Doolittle
1990: Fugazi - Repeater
1991: My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
1992: Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
1993: Built To Spill - Ultimate Alternative Wavers
1994: Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand
1995: Archers Of Loaf - Vee Vee
1996: Belle And Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
1997: Modest Mouse - Lonesome Crowded West
1998: Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
1999: Sleater-Kinney - The Hot Rock
2000: Yo La Tengo - And then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
2001: The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
2002: Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
2003: The White Stripes - Elephant
2004: Arcade Fire- Funeral
2005: Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
2006: The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
2007: Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
2008: Radiohead - In Rainbows
It's a pretty strong list. I was particularly impressed with 1986. I might have picked Nothing's Shocking in 1988 (and replaced Daydream Nation with Goo in 1990). And my bias for 1999 would be 69 Love Songs. (I was alwas partial to SK's Dig Me Out in 1997... but good luck toppling Modest Mouse). 2000 is Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea all the way. It also seems weird to already have a winner for 2008 when it's only March.
Overall though -- the list is pretty impressive, I think. What say all of you?
Head to EW for the full report.
1 Justin Koeppen said on March 20, 2008
I agree with your comment on 2008's choice, I consider In Rainbows to be a 2007 release since I got the digital version, but hey, whatever. Overall it's a good list and it's refreshing to see one that throws some new names into the mix. I mean how many lists have you seen claiming that OK Computer is the greatest album ever or that Citizen Kane is the greatest film ever? It's also kinda funny to look at how many of these bands are now on major labels.
2 Erik Gonzalez said on March 20, 2008
You know, I really dislike the Hold Steady. Sorry, but 10 years from now no one will remember that album. I might go with the Thermals or Art Brut for 2006. I am excited to see Neutral Milk Hotel, one of the most brilliant albums ever. And 2003 ... um, Elephant over Give Up? Yeah, whatever. I think its no surprise that the farther back in time we go, the better the picks seems. Perspective does a lot for a list ... and I do like the "pick a year" approach.
3 Imaginary Shrie said on March 20, 2008
Yea, the Hold Steady BLAH. I'm in love with NMH, Archers of Loaf, YLT, Fugazi and motha f-ing GBV, so much of this list makes me happy.
4 Al said on March 20, 2008
I am so pleased to see Archers of Loaf getting some recognition. That's one reunion tour i'd have to follow!
5 joleen said on March 20, 2008
ok, what kind of messed up name is ARCHERS OF LOAF anyway?
give me a break
6 imaginary serotonein said on March 20, 2008
AUDIOWHORE!
the archers' bassist did one tour with crooked fingers, and we got a cover of "chumming the ocean" during the encore. that may be the best we get.
as to the list, i definitely agree that time matters. even though the whole list is subjective, the last decade's picks are much more open to debate... only fans of bright eyes care about their next release ;)
7 Imaginary Kiku said on March 20, 2008
Aw, Belle and Sebastian, Built to Spill, Neutral Milk Hotel and The Pixies! This list has a lot of great stuff for sure c:
8 ChrisB said on March 20, 2008
Hey! Something Dana and I can agree on - that SK's best record is Dig Me Out. I think is vastly superior to The Lonesome Crowded West, btw. The Hot Rock is actually one of my least favorite records from my absolute favorite band of all time, so its inclusion still makes me the happiest.
Exile In Guyville was hands-down the best record of 1993, but EW already settled on Sleater-Kinney to be their token chicks and there just wasn't room.
9 The Grim said on March 20, 2008
Uh, when did freakin' EW become a trusted source for indie-rock information? Isn't that a magazine partially devoted to covering reality television and Jackie Chan movies?
With that said, I'll say I don't really think this list is worth debating.
10 Imaginary Shrie said on March 21, 2008
Archers of Loaf are amazing. If you had listened to them, you'd have known to overlook a supposedly "messed up name".
11 Al said on March 21, 2008
I was always shocked when I first came to Seattle how everybody loved Crooked Fingers but hadn't heard of AOL. Then when I played them they didn't seem to be that into it. What the hell? They were the GREATEST OF ALL TIME people! I remember reading that their bassist toured briefly with Band of Horses. That would've been great to see.
As for the name...not the best but with music like that, who cares.
12 ChrisB said on March 21, 2008
OK, I read on Idolator that part of EW's criteria is that no solo records could be included. That seems like bullshit to me, but whatevs. And doesn't Bright Eyes count as a solo artist? Liz??
13 Philip said on March 21, 2008
No Tsunami? No Unrest? I can't claim enough familiarity with Built to Spill to judge Ultimate Alternative Wavers fairly, perhaps, but the fact that the band's music has never grabbed me enough to make me remember what they sound like suggests to me that either Unrest's Perfect Teeth or Tsunami's Deep End would be better choices for 1993. (Not to mention that the leaders of each band ran their own indie labels - does anyone from Built to Spill run their own label?)
I am pleased though that they chose The Hot Rock for Sleater-Kinney's entry - although it seems to be the least-liked of their albums by "true fans" (see ChrisB's comment, for example), it's always been my favorite of their albums, perhaps because it was the first one I got.
14 ChrisB said on March 21, 2008
Another reason this list is faulty: I didn't even think people were listening to Modest Mouse back in 1997, so I went to look at where The Lonesome Crowded West placed in Pazz and Jop survey and it wasn't in the top 40 (actual ranking, I don't know). While I would definitely want Dig Me Out to be the record of that year (and I believe it was), something called OK Computer also came out that year. But I guess EW wanted to make some point with In Rainbows being the album to define this year. In March.
Philip @ 13. The first SK record I bought was All Hands on the Bad One and I'm certain I'm not a "true" SK fan, whatever the hell that means (although they truly are my favorite band). If there was ever an SK convention, I'd be the one getting all the weird looks and people whispering to their friends, "what's he doing here??" I just find myself grabbing The Hot Rock less often than the others. I still think it's a great record and was very happy that a band I genuinely love was represented on the list.
15 Erik Gonzalez said on March 22, 2008
Phillip @ 13: As for Built to Spill, Ultimate Alternative Wavers is not even their best release on an indie label. That would be 1994's There's Nothing Wrong with Love. I personally think the best Built to Spill is Perfect From Now On, but that was put out on Warner Bros.
And I still think Sleater-Kinney best disc is Call the Doctor, which came out in 1996. I might even be tempted to place it ahead of Belle & Sebastian almost solely on the greatest break-up song ever written, "Good Things".
16 stella on vacay said on March 22, 2008
I love that 1985 went to Meat is Murder -- so I can understand how EW thinks they've already covered The Smiths. But no Queen is Dead for '86? I don't deny R.E.M.'s influence, but the Queen is Dead is arguably one of the best indie releases of *all time* -- let alone for that year.
17 Ben Funkhouser said on March 23, 2008
From about 1992 on, the records you've picked are total surface indie-rock. Those are the bands that my mom knows, none of them are remotely "independent".
Im quite frustrated with this, as i find the same issue at KEXP and other places.
18 Ben Funkhouser said on March 23, 2008
and i failed to notice that this wasnt a TIG list, but an EW list.
19 KS said on March 23, 2008
Chris @ 12: I'm pretty sure Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis are the two official members of Bright Eyes, or were when I'm Wide Awake came out.
Ben @ 17: That depends on your definition of independent. Their criteria were that the albums had to come out on an indie label, which sounds pretty legitimate to me. Why can't a band be indie and well known at the same time?
And Eric @ 2: while I love the Thermals and Art Brut, I think they're both more likely to be forgotten in ten years than the Hold Steady are.
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