Bootstrap Example

Definition:

My Indie genre tag is especially wide-ranging, with a spectrum that ranges from the twee (BMX Bandits, Beat Happening) to the muscular (Sonic Youth, Pixies). Although very often tagged as Indie, the Indie Rock and Riot Grrrl sub-genres present a fair degree of challenge. The grungey, riff-heavy tracks of the indie rock variety are filed under Alternative Rock, whilst some of the Riot Grrrl tracks are often filed under Punk wherever the song's structure merits it.


The Jukebox Pick (of 12,415):

 Geraldine [single version]

 (James Allan)

 Glasvegas

 10 out of 10 “Utterly perfect” Indie

 It's surreal to me that, in his previous career, James Allan took to the football field with his sole ambition for the afternoon being to defeat Partick Thistle. So brilliant was his new career as a shades-on black-rebel rock-star that I now forgive him his previous sins. Building on a string of excellent singles - “Go Square Go!”, “Daddy's Gone” and “It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry” - “Geraldine” was the one which broke his band in mainstream terms, giving them a Top 20 hit in the official UK singles chart in the summer of 2008. All the way from the ethereal opening bars to the devastating finale, the song is profoundly perfect. This is a band well-versed in the rich tapestry of the black pop song, at once evoking memories of Phil Spector's wall-of-sound, the Shangri-Las sense-of-drama, Moe Tucker's bull-free percussive directness, Joy Division's bleak beauty and the Bunnymen's ear for a soaring anthem. This base-power would be enough for a perfect 10 in it's own right, but the emotional integrity of the lyrics and vocal delivery raise it to the rarefied levels of music's all-time elite classics. “I wanted to write a poem about a person showing another person compassion” said Allan, and it's fair to say it was mission accomplished. The power certainly hit Geraldine Lennon, friend of the group, who found herself at the centre of the poetic narrative: “I worked for Glasgow city council social work department, on the addiction side. It was a thankless job, but very rewarding at times, too. You learn very quickly that if you expect people to change their life overnight, you'll be let down. But you learn not to judge. James's sister Denise worked in the same office as me. I think a lot of the lyrics come from her going home and talking about difficulties in her relationships with clients. Usually the only time you hear about social workers is when something's fucked up and has been horrendous. I've spoken to social workers who've said, 'That song gets me to work in the morning', and it was the same for me. Somebody has put value on what we do. When James said he was writing a song called 'Geraldine' I thought he was taking the piss. When I heard it I was blown away. A lot of tears. It's probably one of the most special things anyone will ever do for me.” To all of whom this immensely beautiful song concerns, hope springs eternal.


Some favourite artists:

Echo and The Bunnymen, The Fall, Half Man Half Biscuit, Pixies, Sonic Youth

The Jukebox pick:

 

Video problem? Please do let me know