Greatest Indie Songs

The greatest indie songs are tunes that let you appreciate the state of indie music as something still raw and real in this day and age of manufactured music like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Indie songs come from indie bands which are not associated with major record labels and, thus, are able to take an independent track in recording their music.

1. "Teenage Riot." Without much thought, those who follow indie songs and music can put this one by Sonic Youth at the top of their list for a number of reasons. For one, "Teenage Riot" is supposed to be about an alternative reality where Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis is president. Ironically, for an indie band like Sonic Youth and what is really an indie song, "Teenage Riot" achieved a lot of mainstream success all the way back in 1989 when it was first released, as many radio stations added it to its play list. So vintage Sonic Youth takes the top spot on this list of the greatest indie songs ever.
2. "Dig Me Out." Amid all that Seattle noise distortion and angry lyrics called grunge music, there existed a little band by the name of Sleater-Kinney. "Dig Me Out" is an amazing indie song and the second one on this list because of its garage band-feel that you can get a good sense of from its guitar-driven attack. Named by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest guitar-driven songs of all time, "Dig Me Out" is also an example of the band's riot girl and punk foundation that made it popular for so many years, locally, in the Pacific Northwest area.
3. "Cut Your Hair." This is a perfect indie song to be included in this list because it comes from the standpoint of Pavement writer Stephen Malkmus' animus against the over-importance of superficial things like image in the music industry. At the same time, this song also despises the absolute decline of real musicianship in the industry. Again, a perfect topic for an indie band that sets itself apart from a major record label in its approach to recording. With some irony, this song actually became the biggest hit for Pavement in their entire career!