Some musicologists argue that with alternative rock having been rock's primary direction since the early '90s, the term indie rock has become meaningless -- that with major labels having signed hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of alt rockers since then, there isn't a true indie rock scene like there was in the '80s. But in fact, the indie rock mentality is still alive and well in the 21st century. Alt-rock has a long list of polished, big-budget, major-label acts, but there are still plenty of alt rockers whose belief system is stubbornly planted in the indie aesthetic -- artists like Big Big Car, whose Limestone Throne/Kid Fight is a quirky, eccentric, goofy effort that, according to a press release, is about an adolescent male's "trials and triumphs" in middle school. This 2006 release draws on a variety of influences, ranging from Primus to the Rolling Stones to hip-hop to folk to new wave, but unlike the Stones, Limestone Throne/Kid Fight doesn't groove in a straightforward fashion. The Indiana-based Big Big Car's rhythms are often jerky, and their songs can be defiantly angular; Limestone Throne/Kid Fight never goes out of its way to be accessible. But the more one listens to this album, the more its oddball charms reveal themselves. This 41-minute CD is undeniably self-indulgent, and some of Big Big Car's off-center tunes work better than others. But overall, Limestone Throne/Kid Fight is an oddly appealing, if somewhat uneven, example of what indie rock had to offer in 2006.
02.10.07