In popular music, independent music, often generally abbreviated as “indie”, is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing. – Wikipedia

I was having a conversation the other day about where exactly the line is drawn. Sure, it’s easy to say bands like Paper Rival as truly indie. They were unsigned and still made a mark on the genre/industry. On the other hand, you have bands like The Dears who are label mates with Silversun Pickups. Not exactly bargain basement and do-it-yourself.

Leave us a comment, and tell us what your answer to the question “What is indie music?”

The Dears is an indie rock band which formed in 1995 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band consists of Murray Lightburn (vocals, guitar), Natalia Yanchak (vocals, keyboards), Jason Kent (guitar, vocals), Christopher McCarron (guitar), Lisa Smith (bass), Laura Willis (keyboards, vocals) and Yann Geoffroy (drums). Lightburn and Yanchak are the only original members remaining in the band.

The indie band formed in 1995 and released their first album, End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story, in 2000. Their orchestral, dark pop sound and dramatic live shows cemented The Dears at the foundation of the then-emerging Canadian indie rock renaissance. In 2001 and 2002, they released two independant albums, EPs Orchestral Pop Noir Romantique and Protest, respectively, as well as a collection of unreleased songs, Nor the Dahlias. In 2003 they released their second full-length album No Cities Left, and a string of highly anticipated shows at SXSW ’04 launched their international career.

The latest album, Missiles, was released on October 20, 2008 on Dangerbird Records.