A Chronological History Of Epic BRITISH Indie Angst - Updated

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Here's where we've got to (I've added in a handful more myself):

1966 - Johns Children - "Smashed Blocked"*
1973 - Mott The Hoople - "All The Young Dudes"
1975 - Pink Floyd - "Wish You Were Here"
1980 - Joy Divison - "Atmosphere"
1981 - ???
1982 - The Associates - "Party Fears Two"
1983 - Echo And The Bunnymen - "The Back Of Love"
1984 - The Smiths - "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"
1985 - Jesus And Mary Chain - "Some Candy Talking"
1986 - The Smiths - "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"**
1987 - ???
1988 - House Of Love - "Destroy The Heart"
1989 - The Wedding Present - "Bewitched"
1990 - Inspiral Carpets - "This Is How It Feels"
1991 - Teenage Fanclub - "The Concept"
1992 - Manic Street Preachers - "Motorcycle Emptiness"
1993 - Suede - "Animal Nitrate"****
1994 - Blur - "This Is A Low"
1995 - Radiohead - "Lucky"*****
1996 - Skunk Anansie - "Weak"
1997 - The Verve - "The Drugs Don't Work" OR Placebo - "Nancy Boy"
1998 - Mansun - "Legacy"******
1999 - ???
2000 - The Delgados - "American Trilogy" OR JJ72 - "October Swimmer"
2001 - ???
2002 - ???
2003 - ???
2004 - Snow Patrol - "Run"
2005 - ???
2006 - ???
2007 - ???

Annotations:

* moar prehistory needed! Surely...the VU!!? (tho see *** below)
** non-Smiths suggestions welcomed for these years though they'd need to be pretty hott I guess.
*** most WP feels cramped rather than epic to me. Also shouldn't there be some Nirvana somehow, or NIN or something? On the other hand there's quite a good case for sticking to the UK tradition, in which case the 00s need even more work. (EDIT - have gone with this)
**** I'd be more tempted to go for something off the (rubbish, sorry) second alb than this jaunty number.
***** Are there more apt Radiohead tracks?
****** After this point I haven't actually heard most of the nominations which is surely how it should be!!

Also - more 00s angst pls!

Comments

[sbp.livejournal.com]

1958 - Lonnie Donnegan - "Does your chewing gum lose its flavour on the bedpost overnight?"

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yeah I think sticking to the UK tradition is advisable* - Hole and REM look really out of place in that list!

*for purposes of list only obv

[ms-bracken.livejournal.com]

1994 was an excellent year for angst, clearly - I was going to suggest Basket Case, even though it's possibly insufficiently epic.

I should also be much better at this game, given my love of angst. This Ain't A Scene might qualify for 2007, though, as it covers a range of topics (things that are wrong with the world, things that are wrong with the music industry, pressures of being in Fall Out Boy) and if I was 15 I would almost certainly have imagined that it was intended as a direct address to my SHALLOW FRIENDS.

[damnspynovels.livejournal.com]

Is Street Spirit more angsty than Lucky?

[agincourtgirl.livejournal.com]

The angst hottness you want for Smiths rivals would be Echo and the Bunnymen! "Back of Love" or "The Cutter" would work well here, I think.

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

Where does 'All The Young Dudes' fit in?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

1973 I guess!!

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

wait, does evanescence count?

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

1987 - True Faith is really quite angsty, and literally indie, but i don't know if it sticks to the spirit of the list.

[the-roofdog.livejournal.com]

Wot no Mary Chain ? Poss. Some Candy Talking for 1986 ?

Also there should be some Bunnymen:

1985 Bring on the dancing horses ?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Some Candy Talking was 85 wasnt it - I put it in there anyway.

[(Anonymous)]

Some Candy Talking is 86. Up The Hill And Down The Slope by The Loft is from 85, as is Hymn From A Village by James.

[(Anonymous)]

And the original release of Whole Of The Moon (epic? certainly. indie? maybe not)

[infov0re.livejournal.com]

More apt than "Lucky", surely, would be "No Surprises" in 1997, which is much better than the Verve, and manages to be one of the jauntiest Radiohead tunes despite its theme of autoasphixiation by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Just saying.

I think there's a place for the wailing angst of Muse somewhere in this, perhaps "Hysteria"?

[mippy.livejournal.com]

Muse aren't that indie, though, are they? They've always had pretensions to stadium rock.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

They were indier on the first two albums, and they are certainly epic and angsty. Perhaps 'Newborn' (from the 2nd album) for 2001?

[mippy.livejournal.com]

Good call on October Swimmer. 2001 needs some Elbow, I think. I wouldn't go with Mansun for '98, I'd pick some Hefner, if you're not going for strictly chart indie here. Also, Trees and Flowers by Strawberry Switchblade!

[mippy.livejournal.com]

Oh aye, Shine On, not Destroy The Heart.

[mippy.livejournal.com]

Also, Fake Plastic Trees for yr Radiohead pick. I also think No Distance Left to Run or Tender.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

1999 must surely be Travis' 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me?'

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

The 93 Suede might be New Generation: "Like allll the boys in allll the cities, we take the poison, take the pity"

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

I haf 0 clue what this thread is about.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Can anyone remember any King Adora songs? They sound like likely suspects.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

For 1999 I'd say 'Here It Comes' by Doves. I still like that album. Um.

Um also Lucky by Radiohead was released '97 wasn't it? Do you mean Street Spirit?

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

1987 suggestions:

"Just a City" by Voice of the Beehive (honorary UKers)
"The Things You Said" by Depeche Mode (OH YES THEY WERE well at least when Martin sung)
"There Is No Love Between Us Anymore" by Pop Will Eat Itself (haha sorry)

I agree with mippy abt "Trees and Flowers" -- proper angst there, not just oh noes i'm a bit sad.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

(i nearly suggested the PWEI there AS A JOKE too.)

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

Teenage Fanclub are angsty???

[koganbot]

Prehistory might be the Beatles' "Girl" (1965) and the Kinks, um, well, depends how you define "epic" (grandiose miniaturism?) - I think w/ "epic indie angst" we're after something that's making gestures towards expansiveness while still being recessive in its heart - but I see scores of Kinks songs starting with "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?" (1965? 1966?) until they started to really suck badly in 1973 or so. "Sunny Afternoon" or "Dead End Street" for 1966, "Waterloo Sunset" or "Death Of A Clown" for 1967 (but not "I'm Not Like Everybody Else," which is a raving rocker, hence not indie), "Picture Book" for 1968 (was going to choose "Phenomenal Cat" for man's anxiety in relation to felines, but song not genuinely anxious enough), "Shangri-La" or "Victoria" for 1969, "Lola" for 1970, "20th Century Man" for 1971, "Celluloid Heroes" for 1972.

By the way, I challenge your inclusion of "All The Young Dudes." Epic angst, for sure, but where's the indie? If that's indie angst, then so are "Midnight Rambler" and "Billie Jean." (Also, if you were counting non-Brits I still wouldn't count the Velvets as indie, no matter how many indie boys build altars to the third Velvets album; soft or loud, the Velvets were throwing crud in the world's eye.)

Can Canadians count as Brits? There's be a vote here for Leonard Cohen's "Stranger Song."

[ijgrieve.livejournal.com]

OK then. 2001: King Adora - 'Suffocate'.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

2001- surely 'Dark Is Rising' by Mercury Rev y/n? Also I am aware this is the slowest response in the world ever, just getting back to the internets after two weeks of binge drinking shame.