Encyclopedia of Indie Rock

by Kerry L. Smith

Overview

Independent rock, known as indie rock (rock independent of the major label corporations), is music dedicated to the art of rock: it's adventurous, eclectic, defiant, inventive, and restlessly creative. For over 40 years, indie bands have prided themselves on the back-breaking efforts of self-promotion, self-produced albums, homemade album cover art, and even, for the stalwart artist, self-run record labels. Encyclopedia of Indie Rock chronicles the history and development indie rock, providing students, scholars, and music fans with an extensive overview of the musical and cultural phenomenon.

Inside this engaging volume readers will find over 150 entries on the singers and songwriters, producers, labels, and icons who have shaped the genre from the humble beginnings of lo-fi homemade records in the 1960s through the history of seasoned veterans who mastered the fine art of staying afloat despite every obstacle that the cutthroat industry threw at them.

This work also includes a timeline; a resource guide, which includes recommended books and articles, Web sites, and festivals; and indices in both the front and back of the book to make navigation very user-friendly. Necessary and entertaining reading for any indie rock fan who has ever adorned their locker, backpack, or car with a band's logo, Smith captures the history and evolution of the movement in this thorough, illuminating encyclopedia.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313341199
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/30/2008
Pages:	440
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Kerry L. Smith is Boston-based music jourbanalist who has written for Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone online, Vh1.com, MTV.com, the Associated Press, Time Out New York, Allmusic.com, Music.com, Alternative Press magazine, The New York Sun, and The Boston Phoenix.

Table of Contents

List of Entries
Foreword by Marcus Congleton of Ambulance LTD
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Timeline: 1952-2007
The Encyclopedia
Appendix A: Top 10 Influential Indie Rock Artists
Appendix B: Most Significant Indie Rock Albums
Resource Guide ndex

Editorial Reviews

The only field-defining encyclopedia to date, this guide defines indie rock practioners not as a group of unsigned musical artists but as tenacious do-it-yourselfers whose defiant resourcefulness sparked other independent creative movements. . . . Alphabetized entries run several pages and include band photographs whenever possible. Included are indie rock's subgenres, like shoegazing and sadcore. A time line designates 1952 as indie rock's spiritual inception. . . . Recommended for all musical history collections.” —Library Jourbanal

“In this encyclopedia, music jourbanalists Kerry Smith surveys the history of this movement from the Velvet Underground, Talking Heads and Black Flag to Arcade Fire, Cat Power and the Decemberists. Most of the 189 entries feature bands and individual artists who have jealously guarded creative control of their own music and consequently led the independent rock movement. Other articles highlight music festivals and publications that have brought attention to the work of independent artists. . . . This entertaining guide will find avid readers of obscure musical tastes in high school, public, and academic libraries.” —Lawrence Looks at Books

“Smith (freelance music jourbanalist) covers 152 independent rockers and related topics. The entries and 1952-2007 time line both give priority to the period 1980 to present. . . . Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers.” —Choice

“. . . the Encyclopedia of Indie Rock is a fun read. . . . a K-12 or a public library would be the most appropriate place for this work.” —ARBA

From the Publisher

The only field-defining encyclopedia to date, this guide defines indie rock practitioners not as a group of unsigned musical artists but as tenacious do-it-yourselfers whose defiant resourcefulness sparked other independent creative movements. Smith, published in Rolling Stone and Allmusic.com, writes in an informal style with the occasional trace judgment that precludes objectivity. Alphabetized entries run several pages and include band photographs whenever possible. Included are indie rock's sub-genres, like shoegazing and sadcore. A time line designates 1952 as indie rock's spiritual inception. Recommended for all musical history collections.

—Savannah Schroll Guz

Library Journal