Shoplifting from American Apparel - An Indie Sleaze Mixtape
A C90-style mixtape capturing the highs and forgotten gems of 2000s indie music nostalgia: big names like LCD Soundsystem, The White Stripes, and Justice / overlooked gems by artists like The Jaguars, Wintersleep, and Free Energy.
A while back a playlist made the rounds. It was called Indie Sleaze, and it was a look at indie music from about 2002-08, or thereabouts. I remember these days well: buying CDs at the local store, grabbing music off playlists posted to Usenet and Bittorrent, listening to CBC Radio 3 on weekends.
I think the decade of 2003-2013 was a good time for indie rock. There was a whole thing that came out of New York City thanks to The Strokes, a bunch of English bands that always promised more than they delivered, and scenes in cities like Detroit and Toronto which somehow kept a regional identity. MySpace was still a thing and so were MP3 blogs like Pretty Much Amazing. Carles at Hipster Runoff hadn’t worn out his welcome yet, and Kill Rock Stars had an enviable roster of musicians: The Decemberists, Corin Tucker Band, Deerhoof, Gossip. At the same time, social media was still in its infancy, and while people could easily connect and share music across long distances, there wasn’t the same kind of cross-pollination one sees now. Instead scenes were still regional and each had their share of homerism: bands from Toronto had a bit of rivalry with bands from Vancouver or Montreal, for example.
It also helped that Pitchfork wasn’t quite the juggernaut it now is.
The playlist making the rounds has all the big names and some also-rans, but it’s got two things going against it: a lot of bands there had better songs, and some of the bands on it were barely part of the scene as I remember it. It feels too formal, too sterile. Part of the fun of this period was downloading those playlists that’d make the rounds on Bittorrent sites and featured all kinds of bands who were, well, not really all that memorable. Sure, CSS was on an Apple commercial and Matt and Kim were promoted by Starbucks (remember those little cards with free downloads on them?), but what about The Joy Formidable, Jukebox the Ghost or Love of Diagrams? Or any number of those forgotten bands that only weirdo music junkies like myself still have records by. And hell, still play them sometimes, too?
With all this in mind, I’ve thrown together my attempt at a C90 mixtape that I hope captures some of the highs and lows of this period. I was inspired by the stuff Rhino Records used to put out back like 20 years ago, stuff like their Postpunk Chronicles series. Like they did, I’ve put commentary on every song, which I hope makes this something of an enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half.
Side A
The Apples In Stereo - “Same Old Drag”
To some degree, The Apples in Stereo might be the prototypical indie band. Formed in 1992, they’ve been kicking at the edges of popular success (an appearance on the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack alongside Shonen Knife and DEVO, for example) but never quite crossed over. They also did a weird record where they tried to invent a musical scale or something? I just looked them up and I guess they’re still around even if they don’t play much anymore.
“Same Old Drag” opens with piano, keys, and layered vocals before it slides into a singalong chorus. A finely crafted tune that draws on elements of 70s rock and a warm analog sound, it sets a nice template for this mix.
Jukebox the Ghost - “Good Day”
Formed in Washington DC back in 2006, Jukebox the Ghost is represented here with one of their first singles “Good Day” from their debut record Let Live and Let Ghosts. A trio of piano/guitar/drums, to my mind they were like a less twee Matt and Kim. I liked them a bunch - especially the Andrew Muray remix that is oddly absent from Spotify. Do track it down.
LCD Soundsystem - “Drunk Girls (Holy Ghost! Remix)
This one’s a nice mix of two the hallmarks of late 2000s indie in New York: James Murphy and Italo disco. Holy Ghost’s a duo of two guys who, I assume, have a loft apartment full of old disco 12” singles and old synth equipment. This remix brings all the energy out of the original, which was something of a Velvet Underground pastiche. At over seven minutes, it admittedly goes on a little long, but the shorter edit (once available from the Adult Swim Singles series) absolutely whips ass. This one makes of think of a young woman I used to know who’d tell me stories about doing coke in NYC bathrooms and staying up all night. Wonder whatever happened to her.
Justice - “D.A.N.C.E.”
There was a moment where Justice seemed like the next Daft Punk. They had all the credentials: 70s pop hooks, hard-edged beats, analog synths. They were even French! Their debut album came out with a lot of buzz and all the cool kids seemed like they had this one on their ipod nanos. A requisite MSTRKRFT remix soon followed. And then? Dance music sort of shifted on to dubstep’s even harder beats and bros waiting for the DJ to drop the beat; Justice’s career kind of stalled. Last I heard they were playing corporate gigs for Google staff.
Ambulance LTD - “Primitive (The Way I Treat You)”
The NYC buzz band that wasn’t. When The Strokes got snapped up by RCA and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs by Interscope, Ambulance LTD signed to TVT. They put out an EP in 2003 and their only full-length the next year. Anchored by this lead single, a wonderful piece of twin-guitar rock that draws on everything from the Velvets to Television, their record showed a band just dripping with potential. They even played The Tonight Show! And then: TVT got into a few legal battles and by 2008 was out of business. Ambulance was a casualty of this: the band splintered apart after a 2006 EP and a planned followup LP never came to pass.
Sia - “The Girl You Lost To Cocaine”
Before the wigs and multi-platinum records, Sia put out a record on Starbuck’s in-house label Hear Music. They tried to re-invent the singer as a quirky pop songstress, somewhere along the lines of Fiest. The music was pretty good and sales were brisk, but she ended up going in a different direction. Here, with a country-tinged pop song, she sings about a broken relationship with more pep and energy than she’d previously toyed with.
Broken Social Scene - “7/4 (Shoreline)”
The first of three Toronto tunes in a row, this was the second single off Broken Social Scene’s third record. At the time, this group was the biggest name in Canadian indie circles and their ranks swelled up to over 20 musicians. I actually remember them getting pushback for having “too many chefs in the kitchen” at the time. Indeed, this record was a little bloated, even coming with a bonus EP in the initial pressings. But the highs showed a band that had found a way to merge their more experimental leanings with crossover indie rock: a tricky time signature meets layered vocals and a driving guitar riff. Finally things explode with a tasty guitar break; I think this single might be the long-running group’s high-water mark.
Jason Collett - “Reunion (Stars cover)”
Stars breakthrough album was 2004’s Set Yourself on Fire, a record built around a killer set of songs and performances. A few years later, Stars put out Do You Trust Your Friends, where the album was remixed and re-interpreted by a collection of their, well, friends. Everyone from Owen Pallett to Metric to The Russian Futurists (aka one-time Indie 88 host Matt Hart). My fave track from that one is this, roots-rocker Jason Collett’s boot-stomping cover of “Reunion” which strikes a nice balance of indie and alt-country.
The Deadly Snakes - “I Can’t Sleep At Night”
I remember seeing this video back on MuchMusic’s The Wedge back like 15 years ago. Over two chord, played at a punishing tempo, singer Max Danger snarls and shouts. Slowly other elements pop out: horns, a trumpet, a guitar break. This was a garage band with ambitions! They’d build on them for their last record, 2005’s Porcella, a record that sounded like they were falling apart - it’s right up there with Big Star Three/Sister Lovers in the “sad rock” category. They broke up shortly after it came out.
The White Stripes - “My Doorbell”
I always thought The White Stripes were a bigger deal than they might’ve been. They soundtracked my life for a couple of years and it seemed they were the first indie band that really caught on with people I knew who didn’t listen to indie. Maybe they were just bigger here in Canada, I don’t know. They’d started as a blues-rock band, slowly morphing into garage rock by the time they scored a hit with “Fell In Love With A Girl.” But by 2005, they were expanding their bag of tricks: this one’s driven by Jack White’s percussive piano playing and Meg White’s sparse, straight-ahead drumming. Jack can’t seem to get the words out fast enough, almost tripping over himself in his rush. For a band that’s remembered mostly for guitar heroics or quiet acoustic ballads, “My Doorbell” shows yet another side.
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - “Being Bad Feels Pretty Good”
Their name taken from a stray The Office line, British act Does It Offend You, Yeah seemed to emerge out of a mass of British bands that never caught on over on this side of the Atlantic. With layers of keyboards and vocals, stop-start drumming, and a memorable guitar riff in the bridge, this one immediately won me over. Does it hold up? Well, it still makes me want to dance, so maybe. It also feels like something that should’ve been over the end credits to a movie.
Side B
Friendly Fires - “Blue Cassette”
One of those records I see all the time at thrift stores now, Friendly Fire’s 2011 LP Pala showed this English group coming into their own. This one, which builds up to a giant chorus that’s buoyed by percussion, was a nice slice of stadium rock, its lyrics tinged with nostalgia. The album sold pretty well, but they kind of fizzled out after. A 2019 album came and went without much fanare and I haven’t heard anything since.
CSS - “Move”
CSS (aka Cansei de Ser Sexy) was a group from Brazil perhaps best remembered for “Music Is My Hot Hot Sex,” which was featured in an Apple ad back when that could still break a band. They put out a few records on Sub Pop - my fave was their first, but Donkey was a pretty solid one, too. That’s where this comes from. Over a slinky beat and chirping keyboards, singer Lovefoxx sings and busts out some bars. Try not to shake your ass over the chorus. The video’s pretty sick, too.
Camera Obscura - “French Navy”
Twee Scottish indie rock. They still occasionally get radio airplay - I heard “French Navy” on CBC Radio 2 the other day. Tracyanne Campbell has a good voice and can write a good, maudlin pop song. I feel like I used to see Let’s Get Out of This Country around all the time, but no longer. Too bad - it’s a nice record that stands apart from the similar-minded group Belle and Sebastian.
Beck - “Orphans”
After 2002’s Sea Change, it seemed Beck was headed in a new direction, away from sample-heavy and ironic pop. Instead, he leaned into weird glitch-pop with Guero (dig the weird video for “Hell Yes”) with mixed results. By 2009, he’d started working with Danger Mouse and was more fully at ease with trends in indie rock. Modern Guilt came out that year and with singles like this or “Gamma Ray”, showed him hitting his stride. Against guitar strums, a driving drum pattern, and a bed of ambient keyboards, this one is Beck at his best.
Fleet Foxes - “White Winter Hymnal”
There was a time when Father John Misty was just a working musician, drumming for Fleet Foxes. They were a band with a lot of potential, as this single suggests: Brian Wilson-like harmonies, a wide-open sense of ambience, gentle musical backing. They were great! But then drama in the band, when Josh Tilman decided he’d rather do his own thing, sidelined things. Before you knew it, lead singer/songwriter Robin Pecknold was getting a degree and the band was on hiatus. They’re still around - I should catch them live sometime.
Wintersleep - “Archaeologists”
Took me years to actually look up the lyrics to this one, a short little piece about trying to make sense of a mystery. I guess it’s about a boy with wings, who was swallowed by a whale, and then the whale died. But it’s more than that, it’s a great riff and I love the breakdown.
Free Energy - “I’m Going Down (Bruce Springsteen cover)”
I swear, these guys got hype like almost nobody else did at the time. Whoever ran their marketing did a bang up job. Within something like two years of forming they were on Letterman, getting nods from Rolling Stone, and working with James Murphy. And then - they kind of just fizzled out. Here, I went with one of the earlier releases that got them so much attention back in the day: a cover of Springsteen’s “I’m Going Down.” They do a good job with a song that’s already been played to death. Wonder what they’re up to now.
TV On the Radio - “Wolf Like Me”
Can’t remember how I first heard of them but I remember staying up to watch them on Letterman because Rolling Stone was gushing about how good they were. I wasn’t let dow. Like a month later they were in a Nike ad, and then they sort of vanished. But Return to Cookie Mountain is just about perfect.
The Jaguar Club - “Sleepwalking”
I barely remember these guys, to be honest. Another Brooklyn based band who got a lot of buzz and sort of vanished? But the hazy guitars, the way the bass kind of has this heavy reverb, and the thin, wiry vocals slots this one nicely next to what Kurt Vile would ride to mainstream-ish success. Looks like this one’s out of print, but thankfully some of their records are on Bandcamp.