According to the BBC website, “In 2008, The Word magazine coined the phrase “indie landfill” to describe a seemingly endless parade of identikit bloke-bands cluttering the airwaves.” Apparently, according to the BBC anyway, those bands are reforming and playing to bigger audiences than they had in their heyday. Leaving aside the BBC’s inability even to get the two words in the right order, surely this is bad news? But there must be plenty of other genres we’d also like to consign to the dustbin of history.
Prog is the wrong answer, by the way.
Among the bands listed in that article.is Hard-Fi.
I think of Landfill Indie as being (apart from the majority of the acts put on Word cover CDs), the sort of lumpen n’est and potatoes 1 lead guitarist, 1 rhythm guitarist/singer, 1 bassist, 1 drummer who churn out indistinguishable power pop.
I picked up the first Hard Fi album for buttons after they’d split the first time, thinking it would be like that. But it wasn’t. Dynamic, exciting songs which reminded me of the Clash, and made me wish I could have seen them live. Now they’re back again, apparently (20 years later, gulp), with inspiration from cumbia. I look forward to hearing more.
I saw them live at the local poly a year before the debut album came out. They were really good but the LP was a disappointment. Ditto: Editors (except they were called Snowfield for the gig and changed their name before the album was released).
Stars of CCTV is being expanded and re-released in July, “curated” by John Earls.
The first Editors album is still a good listen- no way is it part of the landfill genre. It’s just a rock band with loud guitars and good songs.
Yeah, but I meant it’s nothing like as good as Snowfield were live.
I wouldn’t put Stars of CCTV down as landfill either, but the follow-up Hard-Fi albums definitely were. Even at chazza prices, they were a hard sell (and went straight back to the shop).
for me ‘landfill indie’ was things like the Pigeon Detectives, Reverend and the Makers, the Wombats, Scouting for Girls and things that Chris Moyles loved to play during that time that I had to listen to on my hours drive to work.
Stars Of CCTV … a regular in Charity Shops in the late 00s.
And I tend to agree, as I member (cos I’ve not heard it for years) it was better than it’s 50p price tag suggested.
I just read an article on the Hull Daily Mail website (ok, don’t judge me) announcing the lineup for the forthcoming Humber Street Sesh extravaganza. One of the bands, Divorce, is described as ‘contempory alt-indie’. 🤔 Doesn’t ‘alt-indie’ just signify ‘mainstream’?
Prog
I fear you are on the wrong site.
It’s one thing I don’ t really understand, why others ( not all by any means) here are very into prog? Never particularly struck me that The Word magazine was. However this site covers lots of stuff so I don’t think I am on the wrong one thank you very much.
It’s an age thing.
I think it’s because people here generally have broad tastes. Prog is just one thing, and also the marketing for new prog releases here tends to bring out discussion. It’s all good: I’ve been turned on to music I wouldn’t hear otherwise & I love that.
This ⬆️ – I listen lots of stuff, not just prog.
The difference was that Word mag didn’t just automatically slag off prog, like some of the other publications. They had the odd article which wasn’t sneering or ironic in tone – and anyway, Fraser liked a bit of prog and seemed unashamed. It was refreshing at the time.
This site not prog-centric (as you and others amply demonstrate, dai) but there are enough fans here to make a review or a discussion post possible without a negative pile-on (well, mostly…)
The Word Blog was more conservative and backward looking than the magazine, which was quite open to different styles and eras, including the then current one, the pop of the day. The Afterword seems more varied and open-minded than the original Blog, what with changing members.
As for whither prog? I think prog as an idea of being ambitious and flying in the face of pretentiousness lives on in new ways as well as being rediscovered by younger listeners and artists. Then you’ve got prog metal which I believe continues. Orpeth and the like. Would the old progress like it? Possibly not.
Slightly patronising – at least I can spell Opeth.
…and yes: I like them (what I’ve heard to date, anyway)
I rather like “ambition flying in the face of pretentiousness” – you’ve invented a new definition of prog! Especially when pretentiousness was used as the big insult when musicians were perceived as getting a bit above their station – ie, ambitious.
On the basis, should Prog be rechristened Reg?
Would that be post-prog, nu-prog, prog-prog, jazz-prog, mellotron-induced-prog, folk-prog, etc etc?
The Novelty Song. Once bestrode the giddy heights of the chart like a crazed loon. Now forgotten. Benny Hill, Ray Stevens et al. We salute you, blinking.
And it’s sub-genre the football team song. It’s as if finally having a half-decent one in World in Motion broke the witch’s spell and released cup final teams from the obligation to keep recording them.
we have still had LadBaby and Kunt and the Gang in the last few years
What a time to be alive!
Indie Landfill is indie music you don’t like.
Prog is music you don’t like because you are under 65 years old.
I am in my 50s and like prog.
I’m 69 and I don’t like Prog.
I will join in the 60’s in August.
18th.
You are both the exception that proves the rule.
P – you are always ahead of your time
I am under 65 and like old 70s prog.
I’m 60 and I’ve liked prog since I was 13. That assumes Rush counted as prog at the time of 2112 and A Farewell To Kings – which I think they clearly did. Then I got into Gabriel-era Genesis when I was 14 and there was no going back.
I was a teenage Marillion fan (which is neo-Prog, apparently).
Apart from being a great title for a memoir, Prog remained a passing yet minority interest, and then it hit like a train around the age of 46 (a couple of years after I finally “got” Bob Dylan).
Were you also a teenage armchair Honved fan by any chance?
I got into Marillion when the first album came out. Script For A Jester’s Tear – they nailed their colours very firmly to the prog mast right at the outset didn’t they?
Fugazi (or more precisely Assasing single) was my starting point, followed by the absolutely magnificent Misplaced Childhood.
Misplaced Childhood is still one of my favourite albums by anyone ever. I can vividly remember buying it on the Monday morning of its release in June 1985.
Is Prog progressive enough?
Could there be a sub-genre … Progressive Prog
Excellent! Copyright that, Mr RD!
The correct answer of course is jazz. Man sawing wet log.
Sawing wet log on the chaise longue?
Isn’t that an album by Caravan?
Going back to indie landfill I also had that Hard-fi album and also the Editors – both played once. Awful.
But the one for me was British Sea Power – now Sea Power. I had not one but two of their albums. Then I had the misfortune to see them live. Truly dreadful.
Never again will I knowingly listen to their drivel.
Any genre that includes Taylor Swift. 😉
Using the term ‘Old Skool’. Meaningless now.