Indie Update

What do you get when you throw a circus, some emo music, heavy electronica, punk, and laternative together? You might get one of the most successful indie bands ever, and certainly the most successful of 2005.

Panic! At the Disco has built on an unlikely yet incredible mixture of eclectic tastes and exploded onto the rock scene. The band’s debut album A Fever You Cant Sweat Out sold more than one million copies in the first year of its release.

Perhaps the very mix of styles is responsible for the Las Vegas’ band’s huge success. Certainly, there is something here for everyone. The punk is to the forefront in “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage”, although the introduction and the verses have definite Spanish dance vibes to them as well as an incredibly brave synth solo. “But It’s Better If You Do” is definite funk mixed with some circus tent solos, while “Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off” is an emotional trip from creepy anger to blazing anger, Brendon Urie’s vocals fearlessly followed by both his and Ryan Ross’ guitars.

If you can’t guess from the song titles, the band really tends to focus on early adulthood issues like split romances and triangle tragedies, all tinged with a growing awareness of the sad state of the human condition. Not many bands can really claim to have broke out of every mould and fashioned a sound all their own, destined to be emulated, but Panic!  might have opened the door to what might be the new millenium’s first definitive genre.

Straight from Austin, Texas is acoustic and alternative rock from the Indie artist Five Times August.  His music is quickly  hitting the streets and running with a great sound.  Beyond his influences of several other rock and acoustic bands is the sound that can best be attributed to acoustic rock stars such as Ben Folds. 

Five Time August has released the album Fry Street, which includes several hit songs.  Not only has this artist become a known entity among Indie music, but is also reaching broader venues, including MTV’s Real World, and Oxygen’s Bad Girls Club, both which have featured his music as part of their episodes.  Five Times August is considered the #1 unsigned Texas artist on myspace, with continuous growth and popularity of his sound. 

Five Times August, beyond the promotions that he has been busy with, is also moving throughout the country on tour in order to continue to bring music to individuals.  His focus on getting his music out has grown into a large venue created through his own initiatives.  You can check out Five Times August at myspace.com or at www.fivetimesaugust.com. 

Reunited after the release of their greatest hits album in 2006, Candlebox founding members Kevin Martin, Peter Klett, Bardi Martin, and Scott Mercado appear to be enjoying a renewal of popularity.

Candlebox hit the peak of their fame in the early 1990s, in part due to their Seattle origins and some similarity in tones to grunge bands. Candlebox have always claimed that their sound is more akin to traditional rock and roll, with some definite blues-y riffs thrown in, than it is to the post-grunge sound. The dark guitar tones and some of the ringing solos (such as those showcased on the 1994 hit “You” from their eponymous album) are reminiscent of the popular grunge bands, but in many other ways the band channels more of the energy from the South rather than the Northwest. In fact, in songs such as “Blossom”, Kevin Martin’s vocals are much more akin to Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes than the growling baritone of Vedder or Weiland in their early days.

The post-grunge label that has followed so many bands that came out after the successes of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Nirvana has often been an extreme misnomer, and Candlebox is no exception. Perhaps a resurgence under an indie label will allow them to put the past pigeonholing behind and have them receive the rock title they deserve.

For those that are into Alternative Rock, Tenpenny Joke is an Indie Band that you don’t want to miss.  Not only are they able to keep the rock beat in style, but have also added their own flavor of harmonies and musical tastes into the rock scene. 

Tenpenny Joke is originally from Melbourne, Australia.  They began their band in 1997, and since have gained global airplay with their unique rock sound.  They have 3 CD releases currently in stock, including their first CD from 2000, Tenpenny Joke, the 2003 CD, Even Harbour, and their most recent album from 2005, Ambush on All Sides.  They have recently signed a record deal with an UK indie label, MSR, which will be bringing their new debut album, She, in 2007. 

You can listen to Tenpenny Joke’s current songs on MySpace or on their website, www.tenpennyjoke.com.  You won’t be disappointed with their unique sound. 

Anyone who thinks that indie music only includes tunes that make the ears bleed is in for a totally different experience when they listen to Boys Like Girls. The Boston band formed in 2005 and released their debut self-titled album in August.

The album is a collection of listener friendly hits, chock full of poppy guitar licks surrounded with heavy beats and the occasional dabble into a hard driving riff; apparent on the video single, Hero/Heroine. Lead singer Martin Johnson has a signature sound that is also reminiscent of some of the better light rock acts on radio, such as the All-American Rejects and Dashboard Confessional (the latter of whom the band counts among its influences, along with Jimmy Eat World). Don’t let the tone fool you, though, Johnson is perfectly capable of hitting lower tones as he demonstrates in the acoustic version of Thunder.

Listeners looking for heavy social messages might not be totally satisfied with Boys Like Girls, whose themes revolve around romance and relationships. Nevertheless, the band does take a step in the right direction with songs like Dance Hall Drug, discouraging the trends among today’s youth to leave their childhood behind too early.

For a band that has just formed, Boys Like Girls definitely produces a sound that makes it seem as though they have been together for a while. Some good advice might be to catch them early if you like indie music, because the sound they put out is exactly the sort that people are listening to.