Scotch Sampler

There are some vintage indie songs that have become staples of the genre, and as I've already featured some of them, I'd like to round out the category. The Magnetic Fields has a few of these songs, enough to make a post about. The name is one of the performance monikers of Stephin Merritt (yes, spelled correctly). His songs are mostly comprised of himself, perhaps with some filler instruments.

In 1999, he famously released the album 69 Love Songs, which contains - you guessed it - 69 love songs. This is one of the popular ballads

The Magnetic Fields - The Book of Love



And this is a peppy, bouncy little ditty

The Magnetic Fields - I Think I Need a New Heart



My favorite from him is actually a song he released on an EP in '98, but then reworked it for a 2004 album. The album version is the one that's stood the test of time, as it sets a nice tone with the cello and banjo and all.

The Magnetic Fields - I Don’t Believe You
 
Chan Marshall (pronounced Shawn - I don't know why) has been making music for a number of years, by the stage name Cat Power. Way back in '96, she had an indie hit with this song, which - like much of her music - starts subtly, and builds emotionally

She really looks like a kid in this video

Cat Power - Nude as the News (live)


A few years later, she got radio airplay with the song Cross Bones Style. But I was totally sucked-in by her 2003 album You Are Free. It even has Dave Grohl on drums in a few tracks.

Here's the simple but catchy, rhythmic title track

Cat Power - Free



This song is really a masterpiece

Cat Power - Speak for Me



And this builds into an impactful piece

Cat Power - He War



Her follow-up album The Greatest was even more popular. She performed the title track and Lived in Bars on Jools Holland, and this one on Letterman

Cat Power - Living Proof (live on Letterman)
 
And here's another good track from the album

Cat Power - Love & Communication



She followed this with an album of mostly covers. Her next original album, Sun, came out in 2012. Although it was another popular album, it wasn't on my radar.
 
The singer/songwriter Sia has had a whole career of making music, but only two of her performances have become favorites of mine. In 2001, she was a feature vocalist (along with Sophie Barker) on a song by the ambient chill group Zero 7, which became a hit in the US

Zero 7 (ft. Sia and Sophie Barker) – Destiny (live)



And in 2005, when the excellent TV series Six Feet Under aired its final sequence, they used this Sia song to wrap everything up

Here it is with original video

Sia - Breathe Me
 
scotchandcigar said:
Chan Marshall (pronounced Shawn - I don't know why) has been making music for a number of years, by the stage name Cat Power.
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I kept hoping that her songs would build up to some fever pitch jams.
Shes got a great voice and gets that smoldering foundation to the songs going pretty well, but I want to see them burst into flames and catharsis.
 
There must be people who are big fans of Wilco, but I don't know any. However, everyone I know likes them. They're one of those bands that are just always there, filling-in the gaps in the radio playlists, year after year. I think these 2 guys in one of the concert videos sums it up perfectly.
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Anyway, they've been making hit songs since the 90s, as with this one from '99

Wilco - Can’t Stand It (live on Jools)



In '02, they gave us this tune

Wilco - Heavy Metal Drummer (live)



Some of their hit songs are ballads, like this one from '07

Wilco - What Light (live on Letterman)



And here's one of my favorites from '09, which seems to have a George Harrison sample in it

Wilco - You Never Know (live)



While not a favorite, this popular ballad features Canadian singer Feist, which makes it worth posting

Wilco (ft. Feist) - You and I (live on Letterman)
 
Moving on to 2011, this one has a nice groove

Wilco - I Might (live)



And finally, this 2015 tune is mighty catchy

Wilco - Random Name Generator (live on Jools)
 
I’m a passive Wilco fan. I like em, and will stop and listen when they are on the radio or a thank show, but I don’t own any of their stuff.

Maybe it because I’m listening on my iPad, but I can’t hear the Harrison sample.
 
sadchild said:
I love that Peter Gabriel cover of "Book Of Love", it was my #14 song of 2005.
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According to Wiki, he released an album of covers in 2010 (recorded in 2009), and it included a cover of that Magnetic Fields tune.

HecticArt said:
Maybe it because I’m listening on my iPad, but I can’t hear the Harrison sample.
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It doesn't really come out until about 3 minutes in, and then is repeated around 3:30. The guitarist uses the upper neck for it. You can hear it better on the studio version
 
scotchandcigar said:
According to Wiki, he released an album of covers in 2010 (recorded in 2009), and it included a cover of that Magnetic Fields tune.
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The film Shall We Dance came out in late 2004 and this song was on the soundtrack. He actually recorded it before that - while making his album Up, which came out in 2002.

This was the track that stood out to me on 69 Love Songs and we were working on the strings for my track 'Signal to Noise' at the time.
 
The supergroup Velvet Revolver paired Slash with the shooting star that was Scott Weiland. I was a fan of their first collaboration in 2004, which resulted in the album Contraband. Here's two great songs from that album

Velvet Revolver – Slither (live on Letterman)



Velvet Revolver – Fall to Pieces (live on Conan)



I wasn't really into Libertad when it came out in 2007. Some of their music also made its way into the movies of that time.
 
The British group Kaiser Chiefs are unsurprisingly big in Britain. But they pop up a lot on the alt/indie stations in the US. One of their songs will play, and the reaction is usually along the lines of "that's good; who is that?". And then five minutes later, you forget who they are.

Right off the bat, they scored a big hit with this song off their 2005 debut album

The Kaiser Chiefs – I Predict a Riot (live)



Also off the same album is this tune, which deserves to be near the top of any list of inappropriate wedding songs

The Kaiser Chiefs – Everyday I Love You Less and Less



Their 2007 sophomore album actually produced their biggest hit song, maybe because it has a girl's name in the title

The Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby (live)



And finally, their next album, which came out a year later, contains this groovy, riffy tune, which is popular on alt rock radio

The Kaiser Chiefs – Never Miss a Beat
 
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