Indie Rock '88 to '98

Oral Listening/ Discussion

Keywords:
Culture, Discussion, Film, Intensive Reading, Listening, Literature, Presentation, Research, Speaking, Vocabulary, Web Activities

The Fall 2020 semester is fully online.

授業の実施形態/Delivery
完全オンライン/Fully Online

Indie rock: Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock. As grunge and punk revival bands in the US and Britpop bands in the UK broke into the mainstream in the 1990s, it came to be used to identify those acts that retained an outsider and underground perspective. [from Wikipedia]

This class will explore indie rock from 1988 to 1998. It will be a firsthand account of album (cassettes/CDs) buying and concert going during that time period. We will discuss bands and solo artists within their cultural and historical contexts. We will analyze albums, song lyrics, music videos, and footage of live performances. We will have discussions based on these materials. Students are expected to participate enthusiastically. There will be weekly homework that relates to the in-class topics. There will be a midterm essay test and a final presentation.

Students will

1. gain insight into indie rock and why it was/is significant,

2. improve listening skills through the use of authentic materials,

3. analyze and discuss challenging artistic content,

4. gain an appreciate of subcultures and music scenes,

5. choose an artist/album to focus on for the final presentation.

Attendance/Participation: 30%
Homework: 40%
Midterm essay test: 15%
Presentation: 15%

1	Introduction, discuss syllabus 1988: Jane's Addiction –Nothing's Shocking, R.E.M. –Green, Living Colour –Vivid, The Sugarcubes –Life's Too Good, Cowboy Junkies –The Trinity Sessions, Morrissey –Viva Hate
2	1989: Soundgarden –Louder Than Love, Pixies –Doolittle, Nine Inch Nails –Pretty Hate Machine, The B-52's –Cosmic Thing, Beastie Boys –Paul’s Boutique, Lou Reed –New York, The Cure –Disintegration, Red Hot Chili Peppers –Mother's Milk, Bad Brains –Quickness, The Replacements –Don’t Tell a Soul, Ministry –The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste
3	1990: Sonic Youth –Goo, Ween –GodWeenSatan: The Oneness, Social Distortion –Social Distortion, Fugazi –Repeater, Sinéad O'Connor –I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, Happy Mondays –Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, The La's –The La's, They Might Be Giants –Flood, Midnight Oil –Blue Sky Mining
4	1991: Dinosaur Jr. –Green Mind, My Bloody Valentine –Loveless, Nirvana –Nevermind, Pearl Jam –Ten, Primal Scream –Screamadelica, Primus –Sailing the Seas of Cheese, The Smashing Pumpkins –Gish, Fishbone –The Reality of My Surroundings, U2 –Achtung Baby
5	1992: Pavement –Slanted and Enchanted, Rage Against the Machine –Rage Against the Machine, Tori Amos –Little Earthquakes, Tom Waits –Bone Machine, Arrested Development –3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of..., Alice in Chains –Dirt, Faith No More –Angel Dust *midterm take-home essay test
6	1993: The Breeders –Last Splash, The Flaming Lips –Transmissions from the Satellite Heart, PJ Harvey –Rid of Me, Liz Phair –Exile in Guyville, Björk –Debut, Urge Overkill –Saturation, B. Surfers –Independent Worm Saloon
7	1994: Beck –Mellow Gold, Guided by Voices –Bee Thousand, Hole –Live Through This, Daniel Johnston –Fun, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds –Let Love In, Blur –Parklife, Stone Temple Pilots –Purple, Weezer –Weezer (Blue Album), Jon Spencer Blues Explosion –Orange, Sebadoh –Backsale
8	1995: Oasis –(What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Pulp –Different Class, Supergrass –I Should Coco, Son Volt –Trace, Palace Music –Viva Last Blues 1996: Belle & Sebastian –If You're Feeling Sinister, Suede –Coming Up, Wilco –Being There, V-3 –Photograph Burns, Brainiac –Hissing Prigs in Static Couture, Fiona Apple –Tidal, Cibo Matto –Viva! La Woman
9	1997: Radiohead –OK Computer, Sleater-Kinney –Dig Me Out, Stereolab –Dots and Loops, The Verve –Urban Hymns, Spiritualized –Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, Smog –Red Apple Falls, Cornelius –Fantasma, Cornershop –When I Was Born for the 7th Time, Yo La Tengo –I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, Elliott Smith –Either/Or
10	1998: Neutral Milk Hotel –In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Mercury Rev –Deserter's Songs, The Afghan Whigs –1965, Cat Power –Moon Pix, Silver Jews –American Water, Tortoise –TNT, Boredoms –Super æ
11	Final presentations wk. 1
12	Final presentations wk. 2
13
14
15

There is no textbook for this class, but I strongly recommend that students get a Spotify Premium account to gain access to the albums we will discuss.

Recommended reading:

Novara, Vincent J. and Vincent J. Stephen Henry. “A Guide to Essential American Indie Rock (1980–2005).” Notes 65 (2009): 816 - 833.