Independent Label, Independent Spirit: 10 Top Indie Rock Albums

Although the term "indie-rock" has come to represent a musical genre, it was originally used to describe rock music produced and distributed by independent music labels. Large record labels tend to want music that already has a proven base. Meanwhile, underground music - which may be more vital, critical, and experimental - struggles to be heard without wider distribution. This isn't as much an issue in the age of the internet, when a band like Radiohead can release In Rainbows online, or Smashing Pumpkins can distribute Machina II for free - although both of those bands were already very successful by that time. Still, artists rely on production and distribution partners to help handle the business and sales of music, and a good record label can be an important ally.

Many artists who start out on independent labels switch to larger ones when they achieve mainstream success. So bands that are associated with indie or alternative roots may, at some point, no longer be "indie" in terms of distribution. And the term "independent label" can be somewhat elastic as well, encompassing both DIY small companies and "sister" companies of major labels. However, indie is as much a state of musical control as it is of label size.

My own personal biases are evident in this list - for example, I'd rather gauge out my own eyeballs than name Nirvana's Nevermind as a Top 10 anything even though the success and influence of the album are indisputable. And although The Arcade Fire has been the band of choice for indie hipsters, they are just not my cup of tea. So take this list with a grain of salt, and remember that the amount of independent music in distribution today is so vast that a list of 10 albums is just the tip of the iceberg.

1. Madness, One Step Beyond, Site Records/Stiff Records, 1979. Madness was part of the 2 Tone movement in England, a cluster of multi-racial working class ska bands represented by 2 Tone Records. The single, "One Step Beyond..", caught the eye of the MTV American viewing audience and boosted the popularity of punk/ska, Cockney accents, and British music.

2. Porcupine Tree, Lightbulb Sun, Snapper, 2000. Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree has long been a hyper-vigilant architect of his band's music. In Lightbulb Sun, Porcupine Tree moved farther from its psychedelic rock influences and closer the progressive metal they are now known for. It's well crafted, interesting, and lovely to listen to. "Shesmovedon," one of the more downbeat of the album, is a great starting point for those new to Porcupine Tree - the perfect blend of bittersweet lyrics and tight production values.

3. Ween, GodWeenSatan: The Oneness, Twin/Tone Records, 1990. Dean and Gene Ween are like the court jesters of rock. They're musically accomplished and can imitate anyone from The Beatles to Pink Floyd, but choose instead to record exactly what they feel like recording. The result is an eclectic bomb of toe-tapping fun and sophmoric humor. "Nan" is hilarious and head-bouncing, and "LMLYP" is quite possibly the greatest Prince remake ever.

4. Sun Kil Moon, Ghosts of the Great Highway, Caldo Verde Records, 2003. Sun Kil Moon is Mark Kozelek of Red House Painter's alt-country side project. Ghosts of the Great Highway is a simple album, underscored with poignant lyrics and graceful finger picking. You can hear Sun Kil Moon on the "Shopgirl" soundtrack.

5. They Might Be Giants, They Might Be Giants Bar/None, 1986. If Ween are the court jesters of rock, then TMBG are the sideshow two man band. Their self titled album was a refreshing blast of existential nonsense in the middle of the fashionable 1980s. And many alternative music fans "of a certain age" that I know remember this album fondly.

6. Elliott Smith, From a Basement on the Hill, ANTI-Records, 2004. It wasn't his first album, and it wasn't even released while he was alive. But it's excellent. Elliott Smith has long been a favorite of mine. His music was poetic and deceptively simple sounding. Following Elliott's career was painful - it was obvious at all times that he was uncomfortable with the stardom that followed "Good Will Hunting," and his relationship with DreamWorks Records was uneasy. After Elliott's death, ANTI-Records released the material he had been recording, with the permission of Elliott's family. Even in unfinished form, the album was possibly his best.

7. REM, Murmur, I.R.S., 1983. Say what you will of REM, but the band turned down RCA Records in favor of I.R.S. as a home for their deliberately unfocused, shabbily dressed, political college rock. Later I.R.S. would come to regret it - as they were frustrated with REM for resisting mainstream success.

8. Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine, TVT, 1989. There's almost nothing to say about Pretty Hate Machine that hasn't already been said. Pretty Hate Machine was a groundbreaking record, a cult favorite, a one man accomplishment of relationship rage - and critically panned upon release. It brought industrial music to a more mainstream audience. And though some of the synth doesn't quite hold up twenty years later, it's still quite listenable.

9. Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures, Factory Records, 1979. I was going to include Interpol's Turn on the Bright Lights on this list, and then decided that Joy Division had done it better. Minimal, dark, nearly monotone music that is still viewed as one of the prime influences of today's "goth" genre.

10. The Shins, Oh, Inverted World, Sub Pop, 2001. The Shins mastered jangly alt-folk with Oh, Inverted World. "Caring is Creepy" was used for the Garden State soundtrack, itself a collection of worthy indie music.