Blender picks the best 100 indie rock albums ever
But before we unleash the list, here'''s the mag'''s introduction, giving us a nice little stereotypical snippet of what indie rock is all about: ''"Mumbled lyrics, couldn'''t-care-less strumming, white dudes in sweaters''what'''s not to love about indie rock? Born 25-odd years ago in suburban garages and spread via college radio, it has made distortion into something hummable, boredom into something thrilling and aimlessness into a raison d'être''and these days, thanks to blogs and the fine people at Grey'''s Anatomy, it'''s more popular than ever.''"
Mmkay, then if that'''s indie rock, what'''s M.I.A.'''s Arular doing on here.? Not that there'''s anything wrong with the album; It'''s a splendid. But I doubt it was made in a suburban garage, I'''ve never seen her lazily strum a guitar and I don'''t thinks she'''s ever been a white guy in a thrift-store sweater. De La Soul (again, a wonderful group) doesn'''t exactly scream gimme indie rock either. Read on, find the albums that aren'''t here, debate in chat rooms.
100 The Shaggs - Philosophy Of The World
99 Dream Syndicate - The Days Of Wine And Roses
98 Palace Music - Viva Last Blues
97 The Mekons - Rock 'N' Roll
96 TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
95 The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
94 Half Japanese - Greatest Hits
93 Big Black - Atomizer
92 Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables
91 The Chills - Kaleidoscope World
90 Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
89 Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll
88 Daniel Johnston - Yip/Jump Music
87 Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
86 Flipper - Album - Generic Flipper
85 The Clean - Anthology
84 Beat Happening - You Turn Me On
83 The Misfits - Walk Among Us
82 The Embarrassment - Heyday 1979-83
81 The Vaselines - The Way Of The Vaselines
80 Feist - The Reminder
79 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
78 The 13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators
77 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
76 Le Tigre - Le Tigre
75 Galaxie 500 - Today
74 The Fall - 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong
73 Meat Puppets - Up On The Sun
72 The Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed
71 Stereolab - Refried Ectoplasm
70 Mudhoney - Superfruzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles
69 Nick Drake - Pink Moon
68 Descendents - Milo Goes To College
67 Hüsker Dü - New Day Rising
66 Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth
65 Various Artists - No New York
64 Cat Power - The Greatest
63 Nirvana - Bleach
62 The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms
61 LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
60 Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
59 Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
58 Built To Spill - There's Nothing Wrong With Love
57 Bikini Kill - Pussy Whipped
56 Archers Of Loaf - Icky Mettle
55 Bad Brains - Bad Brains
54 Unrest - Imperial F.F.R.R.
53 Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
52 Bright Eyes - Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground
51 Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
50 Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
49 Spoon - Kill The Moonlight
48 Mission Of Burma - Vs.
47 Green Day - Kerplunk
46 Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
45 Fugazi - Repeater
44 Various Artists - Wanna Buy A Bridge?
43 Black Flag - Damaged
42 Brian Eno - Another Green World
41 Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
40 New Order - Power Corruption & Lies
39 Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
38 The Strokes - Is This It
37 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell
36 Elliott Smith - Either/Or
35 Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville
34 Superchunk - On The Mouth
33 The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
32 Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
31 Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand
30 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
29 Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
28 The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
27 M.I.A. - Arular
26 Belle And Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
25 Sebadoh - III
24 The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
23 Yo La Tengo - Painful
22 Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II
21 The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
20 The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
19 Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
18 Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
17 The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
16 Slint - Spiderland
15 X - Wild Gift
14 De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising
13 Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade
12 Dinosaur Jr - You're Living All Over Me
11 Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
10 The Smiths - The Smiths
09 Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers
08 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
07 The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground
06 Arcade Fire - Funeral
05 Pixies - Surfer Rosa
04 R.E.M. - Murmur
03 The Replacements - Let It Be
02 Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
01 Pavement - Slanted And Enchanted
95 Responses
| mk |
um...funeral is better than loveless? and arular is better than 69 love songs? |
| John Zeiss |
What the hell was their criteria for this list? TV on the Radio is on Interscope, which isn't exactly a struggling little indie label. Throwing in best ofs and anthologies? The Misfits, Fugazi, X and Black Flag are punk. Nine Inch Nails is industrial Stereolab is too sophisticated to be indie, and that's not the band's best album. Eno, Big Star, and the Modern Lovers are almost unclassifiable, but I don't think I'd classify them as indie. And VU and Nick Drake so predate the term "indie" as to be ridiculous. |
| Dave Park |
I think the list should've been labeled "Best 100 Albums Indie Rockers Like" The list then would also be missing the Clipse, Ghostface, etc. haha.It was murky in the 90s calling certain bands "Indie Rock," but now it seems even more pointless. |
| Dave Park |
As for TV on the Radio I think that the label indie rock no longer necessary means indie label. "indie rock" is more like a sound or aesthetic. so bands like tvotr, feist, bloc party, etc get thrown in there. not sure where the "rock" part comes in on an artist like MIA and De La Soul though. |
| Sean Nelson |
They must've had some criteria, seeing how Radiohead isn't on there. |
| mk |
and no beulah. that is just wrong. |
| John Zeiss |
We definitely have a Beulah love society going on on this site, huh? Definitely count me a member. I've recently been rediscovering how great all of the band's albums are after not really listening to them that much after college. |
| Vitaminic |
[...] I 100 migliori indierock album di tutti i tempi secondo Blender (non così prevedibile) [...] |
| Juicy |
Arcade Fire number 6, Feist in the top 100? Huh? Guess the folks that created this list were either too lazy to discover real indie music or just stupid. |
| jeezuz |
I agree with most of this with the exception of a few omisions.. Where is Sparklehorse and Sigur Ros? |
| IndieJoe92 |
Funeral better than Loveless? Without a doubt... |
| bradford |
Wow. Wow.So Feist lands on the list of best...ever!!, and yet there's only ONE Sonic Youth album in there? There's so much wrong with this list. But still... ONE Sonic Youth? Nuts. |
| John Hoeffleur |
All these lists are always ********, and you're full of it too when you make yours or "correct" others'. Truly the mark of a philistine. |
| Jeff |
Some great albums listed, but....Where are Opal, Frank Zappa, Sigur Ros???FZ, it seems, is almost always forgotten on these trendy lists.Jeffswampgasgraphics.com |
| Punkrock Cowboy |
Works for me! (Or, taste is subjective, so whoever compiled this list shares my opinions.) |
| bradford |
John H, of course lists are subjective and stupid... but how is it the mark of a philistine to discuss our opinions on music? I mean, this is a music site and all. |
| the fuzz |
pretty crap list. Loveless was something new and influenced more musicians than anything above it except the Velvets and Sonic Youth.Looks like their criteria are albums that initially didn't come out on a major label. So... Creation Records you got the first two (go with the first) Oasis albums and Primal Scream's Screamadelica and Ride's Nowhere, etc. Where they at? Blur? JAMC's Psychocandy? Doves Lost Souls? I could spend all day listing "great" albums "better" than half on here.Art Brut? Rilo Kiley? Arcade Fire? Arctic Monkeys? Tv on the Radio? come on. Too new and too crap for a best of indie rock list. |
| johnnywhassup |
And the point of this is...? |
| aaron |
here's all the reasoning behind each album's placement on the list lol http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2974&src=dx15:mtd |
| meh |
m.i.a. before guyville? you stupid f-cks |
| Phil M. |
Perfect list from top to bottom. Best. List. Ever. |
| tk001 |
http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2983#4's album name typo made me laugh. (4. R.E.M., Mumu, I.R.S., 1983 for the record...go spellcheck?!?) |
| SprkJonz |
I'm certain this was made by several 23 year old, misguided, short sited, wastes of space. When half of the list is laughable you know something is wrong. My issues: - Obligatory old school punk albums included - Inclusion of fringe hip hop albums to prove its not just about white boys playing in their garage - Absurd inclusions: Arcade Fire, Nick Drake, Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Rilo Kiley, Feist - Absurd album choices (not bad albums but clearly the only ones by these artists that the 'critics' have heard: Cat Power, Animal Collective, Stereolab, The Clean, Brian Eno, Sebadoh, The Smiths, Superchunk, Yo La Tengo - Includes albums like Nirvana 'Bleach' even those these messy-haired-kids wearing-carefully-selected-ironic-TShirts listened to Nevermind far more. |
| msubear |
I guess any album by The Skeletons, named by Rolling Stone in the 90's as "the best unsigned band in America", was omitted because Rolling Stone named The Skeletons as "the best unsigned band in America." |
| sandro |
How about early Cure?! |
| deer game hunting play |
Morelli hunts for big gameAnthony Morelli clears his mind by hunting deer in Pennsylvania'''s woods or fishing for bass in Pennsylvania'''s streams. The only |
| jid |
No dirty three? That's a shame. |
| Hathaway |
I wonder how many 13 year old girls begged for their indie rock crushes to get put on this list. Ridiculous. |
| Indierocker |
Where is Flaming Lips, Jesus & Mary Chain and Radiohead!!... where are the albums nevermind, doolittle, closer, queen is dead, elephant, forever changes, and the first album of Velvet Underground!! |
| GbVlifer |
Guided By Voices should have at least six albums on here!!! MIA?????? Feist??????? wtf? New Order, Brian Eno, indie rock? I dont know what this is. |
| john |
elliott smith should've been a lot higher and they could've at least thrown a few more albums by him on there...ya know he was only the greatest musician throughout the 90's. and no yo la tengo?...depressing.. |
| tim |
where is lonesome crowded west? |
| Grantimus |
lonesome crowded west is decidedly missing, that's for sure. and where are the decemberists?? other than that, this list coud have been faaaaar worse. t least they got number 1 more or less "right". opinions may vary but it's hard to argue just how amazing that album is. |
| rick |
wher the hell is oasis |
| coletrain |
i like indie, but don't give me that self-righteous crap and stop taking it so seriously. it's music retard shut up and enjoy it. |
| B.E. devel |
I love the fact that Pavement-Slanted and Enchanted got #1, but there's no way in hell that you can keep Firehose out of the top 20, let alone the entire list. |
| Roy |
uuuhhh! The Stone Roses anyone???? Probably one of the greatest British albums of all time and directly influenced the Brit pop era! This is the most ridiculous list I’ve ever seen! |
|
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de la soul are my favorite indie rock group. so glad they made the list. and i actually used to think they were a hip-hop group. stupid me. |
| pc |
Cat Power is the new Norah Jones minus the label backing and with a dash of previous substance abuse sprinkled in for flavor. Don't get me wrong: she's not bad and easy on the eyes, but worthy of any best-ever list and good enough to bump Radiohead? I know these lists are meant to be taken with a pinch of salt, but a pound? How about Betty Serveert, Death Cab for Cutie, The Flaming Lips or Violent Femmes? Kinda' some glaring oversights here... |
| butterface |
The Grifters "Crappin' You Negative" |
| weare all scared rabbits |
This list seems to miss many great bands,Public image ltd., definatley think the group CAN should be included on this list, if i had to pick one Sonic Youth album to put on this, it owuld have to be Daydream nation. Radiohead should def be included on this list, and wuts the deal with arcade fire being in the top10? Flaming lips transmission from the sattelite heart should be on this. Apples in stereo fun trick noise maker is kick ass should be included, dont think i see new order either. screw oasis im happy there not included. and whats goin on with greenday appearing on the list........ |
| ertgerg |
The Smiths! |
| Echoes In Night |
The list is ok, why Interpol at 51? More like in the top 20 or 10 |
| cloverarm |
I agree with so much here, however, I do agree with MK. No Beulah? WTF? I feel they should have been here along with "The Unicorns" and Imperial Teen. But good list. |
| Dapper Dan |
Maybe i'm hallucinating but lonesome crowded west, violent femmes and Yo la Tengo are all on the list despite some of the above comments. Im not seeing things am i? |
| Doxxman |
Those who bitch about placement, shut up please! "Loveless is so good and revolutionary..." it is still damn high, what are you complaining about?? Maybe some people think it is not the most consistent album in the world? Anyways, this is not that bad of a list, and it just represents part of the cycle of the mainstream trying to embrace alt rock once again. With the internet, REALLY obscure bands become more cool to like (Dream Syndicate, Chills, Embarrassment, etc) while overhyped stuff gets more unpopular (Radiohead, White Stripes, evidentally not pavement hmmm). The only thing bad about this list is that 1)they did not put a year limit on it, hence the endless bitching and 2)the comments made by editors are laughable, like the introduction. - Trevor e.y. |
| Girshwin |
Most of these are punk albums and to put the whitestripes far far above Built to spill is BLASPHEMY!! |
| w00000000 |
awesome list none of that hard rock Led Zeppelin crap that is on most lists |
| Led Zeppelin Crap?! |
Wooo has zero brain cells. Woooooo, and I qoute, "None of that hard rock Led Zeppelin crap". This is an indie list. Zeppelin does not qualify as indie and if they did, they would be number one. Clearly you are no musician and if you are its the skin flute that you play... often. The coming together of those four musicians is perhaps one of the greatest formations in rock n roll and without bands such as Led Zeppelin laying the groundwork, there would not be any indie rock. I understand that you want to be an individual and that its cool to you to listen to the most underground stuff possible (regardless of what it sounds like) just for the sake of being different but don't be an idiot, we do not have time for shenanigans. And where are the Spacemen 3, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Blood Brothers... thats indie rock. Kooks. -lg |
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WHAT? DAMN YOU, BLENDAR! |
| anesthetic |
Led Zeppelin Crap?! is absolutely right. |
| Banks |
This is a very lonely list without " the Brian Jonestown massacre, |
| G |
Sublime? |
| Seb |
14 De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising Ahhhhhahahahahhahahahahahaa!! Hehehehehe |
| Devon |
C'mon no Radiohead? And how come Elephant by The White Stripes and Doolittle by The Pixies aren't on there? Nothing by The Flaming Lips or Bjork either. |
| Collin kritz |
I literally read this lsit and could not understand how in the world pixies doolittle was not on here. If they actually remembered it, im sure it would be on here |
| DonnyD |
NO Brian Jonestown Massacre?!?!?! This list is suspect!!! |
| adrian |
Take this list as merely a guide for the new generation to find and begin their journey into good music, not as an indictment of your personal taste. I imagine the hours I could have saved when I was 16 had I a list similar to this. But, alas I did it the old fashioned way of pestering the guy at the record store. There are several ommissions that I would present, most of them a little more aggressive than the rest of this list. At The Drive-In, The Refused, Boy Sets Fire, Minor Threat, Fugazi, to name a few. Surely 13 Songs stands up better than MIA. BUT I REPEAT THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON PERSONAL PREFERENCE! |
| Chris |
De la soul is a good group but not indie rock.Shouldve been titled indie albums instead then you would need the roots or freestyle fellowships to whom it may concern classic album is a gym in the underground hip-hop scene.Mya isnt underground either blender should never comment on hip-hop again they dont know it.Im surprised blender didnt include the slim shady ep or infinite.Love eminem but mags overrate the guy hes no nas maybe a 20-10 type rapper. |
| Karen |
Oh wow, No The Queen Is Dead. I love the self-titled Smiths album, but the Queen Is Dead is so much better. Wolf Parade should be further up there, too, not just stuck up somewhere so they can squeeze in their Canadian music quota. And Funeral shouldn't be so high up. It's good, but not the end-all be-all musical indie orgasm that so many people depict it as, ick. I guess that's what you get when it's Blender, though. You can't expect much from it. |
| James B. |
Hahah, Arcade Fire above Loveless???? AND The Velvet f*cking Underground and Nico?? Artic Monkeys above The Clean, Dead Kennedy's, Flipper, Beat Happening? Green Day above Vs by Mission Of Burma? The order is certainly screwed up here. Nice to see so many great influencial underground acts on here though I gotta say. Also wasn't Psychocandy or an indie label? And Joy Division/New Order?? (Factory Records). |
| Nick |
I'm not sure I understand what Indie music is. Is it a sound, an attitude, a type of record label, or all of that together? Is it different than college rock? does it have a specific time period? Does it all depend on who you ask? I am not trying to be smart I would just like some insight. |
| billy |
Yeah, the list definitely could be better, but be grateful for how good it is. This is Blender we're talking about here. Just be glad they didn't make, like, Franz Ferdinand or something first. The top 3 seem pretty spot on. |
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wow. this is bad, this is really bad. 10. 13 Songs should most definitely be on any list of best albums period. |
| j. m. |
In The Aeroplane Over the Sea is worse than Mass Romantic and 69 Love Songs?? Smiths should be numero uno, and NMH Number 2 with Joy Division, Pixies and Pavement following after, because, while the pixies and pavement and joy division both sound like new and old artists, there's really nothing that sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel. Jeff Mangum had an honestly new take on things, and made some mesmerically beautiful music that no one else has done or did. Besides, it's like a slap in the face to not have more of the E6 bands on here. |
| anna |
you should all chill, it's just someones opionion obviously |
| left of center |
It's someones opinions. Calm down. You all sound stupid. Obviously the mag can't make everyone happy. Who cares? I download all my songs that's what! |
| Hipster Douche |
Best List Ever. |
| gotcha! |
APRIL FOOLS! |
| McAllen |
This list was rendered bogus at #98. |
| I love the Shaggs |
The Shaggs' Philosophy of the World was on the top list of worst albums ever for years... I am glad they made top 100 indie albums ever. Shaggs Shaggs Shaggs. I love my The Shaggs album. I put it on in my dorm room and leave the door unlocked because I know that nobody would ever enter a room that was playing The Shaggs if they had a choice. THE SHAGGS!! |
| Lux |
I didn't care that In The Aeroplane Over The Sea was at 32 or that Either/Or was 36 despite being my favorite albums of all time until I saw The White Stripes rated higher. What an insult. And Funeral at 6 just killed me. |
| Crystal |
I agree, Aeroplane Over the Sea should be a lot higher. MIA doesn't deserve to be so high.They are basing this list on popularity it's like they didn't even listen to the albums. |
| Haddles |
Hi. My name is Neutral Milk Hotel, and I should be a lot fxxkin higher on this list. I was thinking more like #1. Ever. No argument. |
| MannyMook |
Good list all in all, just think Built to Spill should have gotten better recognition. |
| it's not me it's you |
Dude where are The Stone Roses or Radiohead and Nirvana's Nevermind |
| Chien Andaluz |
Nevermind and Doolittle. Where the hack are they!!! |
| YouKnowIT |
Nevermind is not Indie. It is Mainstream and it always was. Remember now? |
| Holy Moles |
Broken Social Scene? |
| TSH |
Arcade Fire deserves it. Arctic Monkeys deserve to be higher on the list. |
| alvin |
My music is cooler than you're music, blah blah blah. What, are you people 18? Oh, wait, you are 18. |
| R. |
How about "Logic Will Break Your Heart" by the Stills? |
| Chris |
OK.... Computer is missing? WTF gives, as well as no Moon and Antarctica, Doolittle, Nevermind, F#A# Infinity, Sigur Ros, Young Team, I mean come on.... why are you even a magazine? |
| Myself |
Big Black is indie?? What?!?!?! |
| Russ Dean |
Nearly all lists like this are a form of mental masterbation where in the creators spew out the same albums that have been critically acclaimed already as the best "Indie" albums - it provokes interest by those who already have an opinion on these bands or the ones they consider "Indie" that were left off. What may be more helpful for the adventurous is a list of albums by bands that dont get talked about and are really independently released - R. Stevie Moore's tapes / Walt Mink's "El Producto" / Eskimo's "Jack" / The Mermen / Charming Hostess / & even Bran Van 3000's "Glee" - great bands I have found over the years that seem to have never made or fallen off the national radar... |
| Alex |
Fantastic to see The Mountain Goats "We Shall All Be Healed" on there :) |
| Matt |
tired of all these websites saying belle and sebastions best album is that if anything there bbc sessions are amazing |
| A.P. |
Pavement, Replacements etc are OK I guess, the top 20 or so are ok. But then the pills start affecting the maker's mind. I mean, The Strokes below MIA?? And what do you mean when you put Feist and Mudhoney(???) with Archers of Loaf, Young Marble Giants etc? AND TRAGICALLY HIP? BLACK KEYS? KINGS OF LEON? ARCTIC MONKEYS? |
| Leza Zaman |
Are you kidding me??? Where the hell is Radiohead?? Your list is suspect because you left Radiohead out! |
| Brendan Z |
Naming the best indie album is impossible. I personally think that Loveless is better than Funeral... way better, and I'm an Arcade Fire fan too. Also, the fact that this list lacks Paranoid Android or Kid A from Radiohead is a crime, but it's ok to have mother-f*cking Green Day on the list? There's nothing indie about Green Day or their music |
| joe |
Greenday are you sreious othe than that its really good however, spiderland should be number 17 |
| Mehd10s |
Where the f**k are Radiohead and Portishead ???!!! |
| Kramer |
Well, this is a great list, Replacements, Sonic Youth and Pavement in top 3 is f*ckin' awesome. One of the greatest list ever, because is decent and have not only indie rock albuns, but indie bands, with indie labels, etc. Other lists would have Oasis, Weezer, or Guns'n Roses, just bullshyt. Ok, there's no Flaming Lips or Jesus and Mary Chain, but this list, in the actual critical music scene is really awesome. |
| Leviticus |
For what it’s worth, Fleet Foxes’ self-titled album is supreme, as is “Merriweather Post Pavilion” by Animal COllective. |









Oh for the love of Shiva will they please stop...