The Single Life: Janelle Monáe, The Vaccines & More

Let us of speak of the many of faces of ‘Indie’. It used to be so easy to identify. Slightly scruffy at the edges, happier to deal with the minutiae of life rather than looking for a way to play stadiums. But like those days when R.E.M. were called ‘alternative’, even as they signed a five-album, $80m contract, things are getting blurry. This is now a world where the likes of the utterly self-effacing Courtney Barnett – indie girl incarnate, right down to the soles of her slightly battered Blundstones – is one of the most talked about artists in the world. But the I-word turned up in the explanatory attachments to many of the below – although sometimes finding the connection to it was a bit tenuous. 

Ok, Alpine are in the Indie ‘Yes’ column. But as their tunes become almost obligatorily added to radio playlists of a national youth network variety they’re electronic edges are getting shinier, but they keep a sort of puzzled suburban charm about themselves. Foolish (Ivy League) continues their seemingly inexorable rise they are taking in even and unhurried steps, with a clip of colour and movement – which you watch going ‘oh, that’s rather clever’ rather than wondering how much it cost. 

Round the badlands of Sydney’s inner-west, Darren Hanlon would be almost synonymous with the indie ideal. Even as he seemingly endlessly toured overseas, you imagine he was kipping on friends-of-friends’ sofas, rather than Hilton – or even the local Motel 6 or YMCA. But what he saved on couch surfing, he’s apparently put into the recording budget. For while Fear Of Civil War (Flippin’ Yeah) is typically intimate, the backing is delivered by elements of Muscle Shoals’ musical community – session guns of almost frightening pedigree. It’s a kitchen sink drama, as directed by James Cameron. 

Meanwhile, others are unashamed in their desire for a wider screen, or bigger stage. The Vaccines have kicked around English second-division or so for a few years. But here happily admit that Dream Lover (Columbia) is deliberately ‘the poppiest thing we’ve ever written’, ending up with it being rock enough to sound like its designed to get them the support spot to Muse. But is ‘Arena Indie’ something to be aspired to – or a new sub-genre just to be looked at slightly askance?

And apparently things go from that kind of different to just plain weird in Denmark – Mew even describe what they’re aiming for as ‘indie-prog’. That particular juxtaposition of pigeonholes actually hurt my brain. Water Slides (Play It Again Sam) is all moody gazes into the middle distance, or directly down the camera lens. But thankfully, it ends up owing more to month-long cold nights huddled around a logfire than visions of Viking funerals and Valhalla. Which is a bit of a relief.

Meanwhile, closer to home Forest Falls are probably closer to Arcade Fire than Kumbaya round the campfire in what their handlers call ‘anthemic folk’. Hounds (Independent) opens its arms in welcome with confidence. A confidence that even allows for an ‘80s sax solo among the well-wrought harmonies. Again, that slightly unsure default of the Indie is increasingly replaced with an assurance that they know what they’re doing, and it’s good. 

And Day Ravies – still one of the great band name puns, even if they probably have to explain it to many of their audience – continue their wide-eyed wander through what Indie meant in terms of pop music of the 1980s as Hickford Whizz (Beko Disques) stumbles down the streets of a Go-Betweens town and throws in a trademark cameo of that era in the squelchy, slightly-out-of-tune, slightly-out-of-place plastic organ solo, possibly done on a contemporary Casio or one of the band member’s iPhone. 

Lisa Caruso has one of those affecting voices, and the slightly wistful air that a title like My Romantic (Independent) would suggest comes with a waver of true feeling. She’s the support act you should turn up early to see, even over the clinking glasses from the bar as the room fills, because that smaller-than-later crowd at the gig are going to annoy you with telling you how good she was. Because she was. 

You can’t get much more bravely independent in these stream-driven days than setting up your own record label for yourself and others. Janelle Monáe remains supremely soulful, hella funky, and of individual fashion sense. Yoga (Wondaland) with second voice from Jidenna in the ‘Ft.’ part of the equation on the billing. It’s every bit as limber and stretchable as the title suggests.  For those songs like the rather fabulous Tightrope – as still soundtracking commercials for a telco and/or pay-TV network as we speak – you somehow think there’s still that one truly classic song to define her on the way. We await it expectantly. 

Then there’s the truly uncategorisable independent spirit. Mark Oliver Everett, aka ‘E’ of Eels has made further reputation for himself by recasting some of his already damn fine tunes just about every time he takes an incarnation of the band out on tour. To go with a video and audio document of his last live go-round – Live At The Royal Albert Hall, no less – that gets previewed with a take on his once-wistful, always-wry I Like Birds (E-Works/PIAS). The band is a five-piece classic pop unit this time (as opposed to chamber orchestra with strings, or almost hard-rock power trio among other guises under the name) who take this tune through breezy, via a bit of skiffle, to downright funky as it goes. Look, just enjoy yourself – coz that’s what he’s doing.