INDIE POP:
The following post will be dedicated to analyzing indie pop music and pop, comparing the two genres.
What is Indie Pop?
As much as we would like the Indie in Indie pop to reference India the country and culture Indie is short for Independent, as in the independent record lables that would sign on these bands that were stylistically different from most genres and from what the general public was consuming.
That would explain why this:
Sounds so different from this:
This is the kind of music I thought of the first time I heard the term Indie Pop:
Indie pop is a genre of music that mixes musical elements of many different genres of music and folk musical techniques, from many different cultures, this is what makes this genre so diverse and subject to being further split into smaller subgenres.
What’s its Origin?
The origin of Indie pop is actually the United Kingdom with “Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s such as Orange Juice and Josef K and the dominant UK independent band of the mid eighties, The Smiths. .. the key moment in the naming of the genre was the release of NME's C86 tape in 1986.” (Liane)
How is it Similar to Pop?
Many artists tend to use a wide variety of musical techniques in their music writing and will steal elements of pop music, certain rhythms, driving melodies, short text repetition while on a different song they may choose to use more classical or jazz styles.
What are Related Subgenres?
Baroque Pop, Indie Folk, Indie Rock, Folk Rock, Sunshine Pop
Some Musical Examples:
Vance Joy- “Georgia”
Important factors:
Musical Characteristics: B Major
Instrumentation: Guitar, bass guitar, drums
Similar to pop: percussion, foundational rhythm similar to a pop ballad
Similar to other Indie pop: Accoustic guitar, folk rugged sound, more words
Unique: This song has a lot of folk influence. Suspended chords. The melody is slow in tempo
Text/Themes: Its about love. The poem uses feminine pronouns but in the video it depicts the love between to male comrades. There is a lot less text repetition in this than there are in many pop songs.
Phrases compared to musical phrasing:
Poem structure is also a different aspect that can completely change the rhythmic and ultimately the melodic phrasing in a song.
I am sure that is pattern may look familiar to many who have studied Shakespeare and iambic pentameter in high school: -/-/-/-/-/
The - represents stressed syllable. / represents the unstressed.
what is interesting is that this is not the following traditional stress patterns, it seems to even have a different stress when speaking than how the melody dictates by note duration. The rhyme scheme is also not as regular as well but this is not unique to Indie pop, pop music does this as well.
Text: "Georgia" written by James Keogh
From a-zlyrics.com
Song Structure/poetic stress
highlights are to show phrases
A/Verse 1
- / / - - / -
She is something to behold
- / - / -
- / - / -
Elegant and bold
- / - / - / -
She is electricity
She is electricity
- / - / -
Running to my soul
Running to my soul
B/Chorus 1
/ - / - / - - / -
And I could easily lose my mind
And I could easily lose my mind
/ - / - / - / -
The way you kiss me'll work each time
The way you kiss me'll work each time
- / - / / - / -
Calling me to come back to bed
Calling me to come back to bed
/ / - / - / -
Singing Georgia on my mind
Singing Georgia on my mind
C/Chorus 2... beginning
/ -
And I...
/ -
/ -
And I...
/ -
And I...
A/Verse 2
- / - - / -
Lips generous and warm
- / - - / -
Lips generous and warm
/ - / - / -
You build me up like steps
You build me up like steps
- / - / / -
Eyes innocent and wild
Eyes innocent and wild
Remind me what it's likeB/Chorus 1
And I could easily lose my mindThe way you kiss me will work each time
Pulling me back into the flames
And I'm burning up againI'm burning up
Pulling me back into the flames
And I'm burning up againI'm burning up
C/Chorus 2
And I, I never understood what was at stake
I never thought your love was worth it's wait
Well now you've come and gone
I finally worked it outI worked it out
D/Bridge
I never should have told you
I never should have let you see inside
Don't want it troubling your mind
Won't you let it be[x4*bold because this part in the music is very distinctly different]
B/Chorus 1
And I could easily lose my mind
The way you kiss me a work each time
Pulling me back into the flames
And I'm burning up again, I'm burning up
And I could easily lose my mind
The way you kiss me a work each time
Pulling me back into the flames
And I'm burning up again, I'm burning up
C/Chorus 2
And I, I never understood what was at stake
I never thought your love was worth it's wait
Well now you've come and gone
I finally worked it outI worked it out
And I, I never understood what was at stake
I never thought your love was worth it's wait
Well now you've come and gone
I finally worked it outI worked it out
Kings of Convenience- “I’d Rather Dance With You”
Important factors:
Musical Characteristics: The intro starts as a classical waltz esque piano solo starting on G natural but the Eb is emphasized as tonic making it start on the 3rd in EbM. Then C natural minor is emphasized (still using 3 flats) as we start into the actual song.
Piano: has many interludes that are based on the Eb Major scale pretty much stating it in full with little alteration, reflective of classical music traditions then it also takes on the role of percussion playing an VI Ab Major chord and a G minor.
This is not an entirely accurate transcription of the four measures of the song, which follows the little opening dance class sequence in the music video but you can get an idea of the way it is layered together to have this nice syncopated feel. The first measure almost feels like it is in 7/8 because of the syncopation in the violin part.
This violin part is looped through most of the song, this a quality that takes a page from the pop music book to use short, catchy riffs to carry a song. A few measures before “The music’s too loud” this violin riff is stripped a way along with the other instruments from piano part that continues to play in a more percussive way than the chords are played in the intro. There is a continuous beat that never leaves at any part of this song, which is very pop esque. Little solo licks are played by each instrument that keep it really interesting to listen to.
Instrumentation: Piano, guitar, bass guitar, and violin.
Similar to pop: Has a clear beat that keeps the song upbeat and moving. Has a lot of repeated text of little phrases over and over before moving on to knew text. The chorus is all one phrase repeated 3 times before moving to the next verse and the bridge of this song
The rhythm has a lot of syncopation
Similar to other Indie pop: Has a lot of outside genres that they mimic, the guitar finger style especially accomplishes that in this song.
Text/themes: This is about being yourself, embracing differences and having fun, especially in a budding relationship.
Phrases compared to musical phrasing:
Text: "I'd Rather Dance With You"
Written by Eirik Glambek Boe and Erlend Otre Oeye from a-zlyrics.com
(the highlights are there to show how the musical correspond with the text a new color is a new phrase)
I'd rather dance with you
than talk with you,
so why don't we just move into the other room.
There's space for us to shake,
and 'hey, I like this tune'.
Even if I could hear what you said,
I doubt my reply would be interesting
for you to hear.
Because I haven't read a single book all year,
and the only film I saw,
I didn't like it at all.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
The music's too loud
and the noise from the crowd
increases the chance of misinterpretation.
So let your hips do the talking.
I'll make you laugh by acting like the guy who sings,
and you'll make me smile by really Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance with you.
I'd rather dance with you.
so why don't we just move into the other room.
There's space for us to shake,
and 'hey, I like this tune'.
Even if I could hear what you said,
I doubt my reply would be interesting
for you to hear.
Because I haven't read a single book all year,
and the only film I saw,
I didn't like it at all.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
The music's too loud
and the noise from the crowd
increases the chance of misinterpretation.
So let your hips do the talking.
I'll make you laugh by acting like the guy who sings,
and you'll make me smile by really Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
Getting into the swing.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.
I'd rather dance with you.
I'd rather dance with you.
