The Indie 500 Podcast

This week the Indie 500 spins Screaming Trees' Dust from NME's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. We're joined by music journalist and author Gillian G. Gaar, a longtime writer for The Rocket, Seattle's legendary free music paper, and a contributor to Mojo, Rolling Stone and Goldmine. Her new book, Grunge: The Story of the Music That Redefined Rock (Quarto), is out October 13, 2026.

Gillian takes us inside The Rocket's offices in the years before grunge exploded. That was a Seattle of chainsaw-cut exit doors, punk shows at Elks lodges, and a 1984 poster that declared the local scene "found dead." She explains why Deep Six and Sub Pop 100 make 1986 the starting line, and how Jack Endino's cheap Reciprocal Recording became the scene's sound. She also looks at how Sub Pop's hype turned into self-fulfilling prophecy, and why Seattle bands helped each other instead of competing. From there we cover the pressure that money and major labels brought, the losses of the early '90s, the Soundgarden and Alice in Chains reunions, and the Pacific Northwest bands history skipped over. We also discuss why grunge may have been the last great organic music movement.

Catch Gillian at Elliott Bay Book Company on Capitol Hill on October 14 (free, all ages), and later next month October 24th at her event in Aberdeen at Unplugged at The Music Project

Chapters

• 0:37 Intro: Gillian G. Gaar and The Rocket
• 1:46 Who was G3? Writing for Backlash
• 6:24 Getting hired at The Rocket (thanks, Kate Bush)
• 10:32 Seattle's punk scene in 1979
• 13:57 "Seattle Scene Found Dead": the 1984 poster
• 16:15 Why 1986? Deep Six and Sub Pop 100
• 18:28 "A Bunch of Noises, All Distinct"
• 24:03 Why Seattle cooperated instead of competed
• 25:43 Black Flag, Big Black and touring punk
• 26:52 Jack Endino and Reciprocal Recording
• 28:39 Sub Pop, hype and "world domination"
• 34:11 Women and diversity in the early scene
• 40:44 When Nevermind hit #1
• 43:48 How money changed the scene
• 47:58 Grunge's "jump the shark" moment
• 52:30 "The best of times and the worst of times"
• 56:34 Grunge on the NME 500 list
• 59:13 The last organic music movement
• 62:23 Instant oatmeal trivia and the bucking spitting mummy cat
• 65:23 Collecting grunge memorabilia
• 69:55 Reunions: Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Mad Season
• 72:40 Overlooked Seattle records
• 78:32 The Indie 500 time machine
• 82:43 Book events and where to find Gillian

• Pre-order Grunge: The Story of the Music That Redefined Rock
• Elliott Bay Book Company event, Oct 14
• Aberdeen event Unplugged at the Music Project
• Gillian on Instagram: Gillianthegaar
• X @Gilliangaar
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GillianGaarWriter

Thank you to Quarto Publishing for the complimentary copy of the book. There was no money exchanged and we were free to speak our minds on the book.

#244 Wild Beasts - Smother

The Indie 500 Podcast is back from a long summer hiatus, and Season 3 opens with Wild Beasts' 2011 album Smother, sitting at #244 on NME's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Neither host had heard it before this week — no Limbo Panto, no Two Dancers, no Hayden Thorpe falsetto — which makes this a genuine first-listen deep dive into one of the strangest, most committed art-pop records British indie produced in the 2010s.

We start with a Season 3 warm-up: 90s guilty pleasures, top three each. Eurodance obsessions (Alice DJ's "Better Off Alone," Culture Beat's "Mr. Vain"), George Michael's "Freedom! '90," Madonna's "Like a Prayer," The Cardigans' "Lovefool," and the strange true story of Stardust's "Music Sounds Better with You" — the one-off Paris side project that turned down $3 million from Virgin and quietly became the prototype for Daft Punk's Discovery.

Then the band history: two 16-year-olds at Queen Katherine School in Kendal, Cumbria, naming themselves after the Fauvist painters because there was nothing else to do; the move to Leeds; Tom Fleming joining on bass and bringing the baritone that makes the two-voice Wild Beasts sound work; Bad Sneakers Records, the signing to Domino, Limbo Panto, and the Mercury-nominated breakthrough Two Dancers.

Our World Context segment plants Smother in May 9, 2011: Katy Perry's "E.T." at #1 in the US, LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" all over the UK, Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party rising out of post-recession anger, the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, the royal wedding, the bin Laden raid, the debut of Minecraft and Angry Birds, and Rebecca Black's "Friday" inventing the modern viral pile-on.

The making of section covers the East London basement demos, the retreat to Bryn Derwen studio in Snowdonia, producer Richard Formby as unofficial fifth member and tiebreaker, and a recording philosophy built on subtraction, improvisation, and one-take crudeness — including a piece of "Albatross" tracked into a MacBook mic at 3 a.m. Plus Thorpe on intimacy, lust, and lyrics as self-discovery, and the near-unanimous 2011 press: NME 9/10, Pitchfork 8.2, a UK #17 chart peak.

Then the honest verdict — a divisive falsetto, an acquired taste, and two hosts who land on real respect for a record they may not revisit — with time for "Bed of Nails," "Plaything," "Loop the Loop," "Burning," and the closing stretch of "End Come Too Soon," and an argument that Smother is secretly the best 80s throwback of 2011.

The Eye of Agamotto hits #244 across the multiverse: Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak, Pavement, Dazed and Confused, Twister, and J.G. Ballard's High Rise. We spin the wheel for next week and land on De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising — plus an upcoming interview with grunge author Gillian Gaar.

Rate, review, and subscribe. Questions to theindie500podcast@gmail.com.

The IFP boys drop everything they’re doing to address a moment in the recent news that may be the most IFP thing to ever happen.*recorded prior to passing of Dolly Parton r.i.p.*

#63 Joni Mitchell - Blue

Joni Mitchell's Blue album review and music history deep dive — Episode 37 of our indie music podcast covering NME's Top 500 albums. We take on Blue, Joni Mitchell's 36-minute tour de force of poetry and unconventional guitar tunings, a landmark feminist album and a consensus classic on nearly every "greatest albums of all time" list. This episode continues where our recent interview with music journalist Annie Zaleski left off — with the added bonus of finally avoiding the "two old dads talking about a landmark feminist album" problem.

Inside this episode: the history of Blue, a look at Joni Mitchell as an artist and the era she was recording in, and why her songwriting and open-tuned guitar work still influences indie folk and singer-songwriters decades later. As always, we follow the rabbit down the hole — this time into color-themed music festivals, video game speedrunning, the "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" ad campaign, and the abolition of the shilling, the sixpence, and the farthing.

If you're searching for a Blue album review, Joni Mitchell music history, or an in-depth breakdown of one of the most acclaimed folk albums of all time, this episode's for you.

Rate, review, and subscribe to get notified on new episodes — we're working through NME's Top 500 Albums list one deep dive at a time.

Description: "In preparation for our deep dive into Joni Mitchell's landmark album Blue, we sit down with New York Times bestselling author Annie Zaleski for a wide-ranging conversation on Joni Mitchell's music history and trailblazing impact on pop music. This indie music podcast interview covers Joni Mitchell's influence as a songwriter, her open-tuned guitar innovations, and the long shadow she's cast over generations of artists.

Annie Zaleski is an acclaimed music journalist and author — find her at anniez.com or on Instagram @anniezaleskiauthor. Her new book, a deep dive into the catalog of Dolly Parton, arrives August 2026 and is available for pre-order now.

This conversation sets the stage for our full album review of Blue — a consensus masterpiece and one of the most influential feminist albums in music history. If you're searching for Joni Mitchell music history or context on her impact on pop music, this episode's for you.

Rate, review, and subscribe for more indie music history, artist interviews, and album deep dives from NME's Top 500 Albums list.

Find Annie on the web at https://anniez.com/

or an instagram @anniezaleskiauthor

She has a new book arriving in August of 2026 deep diving into the catalog of Dolly Parton that can be pre-ordered here!

#351 The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo

The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo album review and music history — Episode 36 digs into NME's #351 album on the Top 500 list, The Byrds' pioneering foray into Nashville country rock. This indie music podcast episode traces how the album helped invent country rock, ties back to an album we covered in a previous episode, and profiles the band's shifting lineup during this era.

Inside this episode: the country cordyceps growing in Gram Parsons' brain, Chris Hillman's poker problem, how to correctly pronounce SZA, correcting Bob Dylan lyrics on the fly, and why the UK economy is booming — just kidding, it's not.

If you're searching for a Sweetheart of the Rodeo review, The Byrds music history, or the story behind a founding album of country rock, this episode's for you.

Rate, review, and subscribe to catch new episodes covering NME's Top 500 Albums, one deep dive at a time.

Tiers in Heaven is our recurring segment where we rank the albums we've covered on this indie music podcast — and this time we've got some catching up to do. We meant to check in every 10 album episodes, but let 23 go by, so it's officially time to get organized before things get out of hand.

In this episode: a full tier ranking of the NME Top 500 albums we've reviewed since our last check-in, a catch-up on what we've been listening to lately, bragging rights for scoring tickets to Angine de Poitrine, and a familiar face reappearing when we roll up the next album for the queue.

If you're searching for indie album rankings, a music history podcast that revisits its own back catalog, or want to know where your favorite NME Top 500 album landed in our tier list, this episode's for you.

Be there and be square. Rate, review, and subscribe for more indie music history and album deep dives

Krautrock music history meets New German Cinema in this episode of Recorded On a Podcast With Better Equipment (ROAPWBE), the Indie 500 Podcast's music history sub-series. Host Kyle Reiff explores the deep link between the German Krautrock scene and the New German Cinema movement of the 1960s and '70s, tracing the melodic brilliance of Popol Vuh, Tangerine Dream's breakthrough into Hollywood film scoring, and the creative partnerships between these Krautrock pioneers and legendary filmmakers like Werner Herzog.

Follow along with Kyle's curated playlist for this episode.

Recorded On a Podcast With Better Equipment is a sub-series of The Indie 500 Podcast spearheaded by show contributor Kyle Reiff, diving into music history topics alongside our main NME Top 500 Albums coverage. Check out Kyle's Bandcamp store for Krautrock ephemera and posters, and give his music group Eerie Indiana a listen.

If you're searching for Krautrock history, Popol Vuh, Tangerine Dream, New German Cinema, or the music behind Werner Herzog's films, this episode is for you.

Like and subscribe to this series to get notified of new episodes — we're aiming for a monthly release.

Follow along with Kyle's curated playlist for this episode!

Recorded on a Podcast with Better Equipment is a sub-series of The Indie 500 podcast spearheaded by show contributor Kyle Reiff. Be sure to check out ⁠⁠⁠Kyle's bandcamp store ⁠⁠⁠for some incredible krautrock ephemera and posters. He is also a member of the music group⁠⁠⁠ Eerie Indiana ⁠⁠⁠Give them a listen!

Be sure to like and subscribe to this series to be notified of new episodes of this show as we are aiming for a monthly release of this sub-series

#49 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

Breddy gets a big ol' thing off his chest that's been bugging him for maybe a minute or two. Helio finds inspiration in one of the great late bloomers in 21st century music. The normally positive guys share times "artists pissed them off" and embark on the usual travels through time and space.

#290 The Bluetones - Expecting To Fly(Solid Snake Voice) Kept you waiting, huh? The boys are back in town after a short hiatus with one of those albums they’ve never heard of before. Come soak up the history of Hounslands own don’t-call-us-Brit-pop band, who perhaps represent the 90s UK rock lifecycle better than anyone. Elsewhere on the pod you get Parappa the Rapper protips, Hideo Kojima, Morrisey and the rock hall of fame get their regular check ups, and Breddy makes the case for Bayonetta as more than just T n’ A.

In this episode of ROAPWBE, Kyle takes a deep dive into the relationship between Brian Eno and the Krautrock movement of the 70's. From collaborations with Cluster to being a part of Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy" and finding new usages for tape delay machines with Robert Fripp; Brian Eno pops up all over the 70's landscape including some groundbreaking material of his own!

Follow along with Kyle's curated playlist for this episode

Recorded on a Podcast with Better Equipment is a sub-series of The Indie 500 podcast spearheaded by show contributor Kyle Reiff. Be sure to check out ⁠⁠Kyle's bandcamp store ⁠⁠for some incredible krautrock ephemera and posters. He is also a member of the music group⁠⁠ Eerie Indiana ⁠⁠Give them a listen!

Be sure to like and subscribe to this series to be notified of new episodes of this show as we are aiming for a monthly release of this sub-series

#4 The Strokes - Is This it

Miss the last bus, take the next train and brace yourself, as we finally enter the hallowed hall of the top ten albums with #4, The Strokes’ historic debut that yanked rock back from the precipice and re-kindled the worlds love for things like NYC Art rock, leather jacketed pretty boys and guitar solos. The IFP boys also talk cringe artist moments, whether getting gay with your bandmates helps, and GTA Online kind of being shitty.

Breddy and Helio relish in the opportunity to speak with former NME writer (now associate editor for culture at The Guardian) Tim Jonze about his time with NME, the impact The Strokes had on his life and some of his almost too incredible to be true stories!

Find Tim's writing about music, film, tv , theater etc

Helio and Breddy are joined by Kyle and some contributors in determining what albums they think SHOULD be on the top 500 list. There are definitely some petty squabbles, some car talk, and more hate on the Gorillaz than even Harambe got! We go march madness style in determining which of our 32 nominations will reach the final four and have their own episodes!

HELIO REGION(1) The Cars — The Carsvs(8) King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — Murder of the Universe (RULED INELIGIBLE, RELEASED AFTER 2013) replaced by Faith No More - The Real Thing(4) Muse — Absolutionvs(5) Van Halen — Van Halen(3) King Crimson — Redvs(6) Gary Numan — The Pleasure Principle(2) Nine Inch Nails — The Fragilevs(7) The Mars Volta — De-Loused in the ComatoriumBREDDY REGION(1) Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers — Damn the Torpedoesvs(8) Justice — Cross(4) Queen — A Night at the Operavs(5) Opeth — Blackwater Park(3) Megadeth — Rust in Peacevs(6) Gorillaz — Demon Days(2) My Chemical Romance — The Black Paradevs(7) Tyler, The Creator — WolfKYLE REGION(1) Tom Petty — Full Moon Fevervs(8) Daughters — Hell Songs(4) Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats — Blood Lustvs(5) Joanna Gruesome — Weird Sister(3) Haruomi Hosono — Pacificvs(6) VIDEOTAPEMUSIC — 7泊8日 (Nana-Haku Yo-Ka)(2) My Bloody Valentine — EPs 1988-1991vs(7) Steve Reich — Music for 18 MusiciansCONTRIBUTORS REGION(1) Peter Gabriel — Sovs(8) Cocteau Twins — Heaven or Las Vegas(4) Brian Eno — Another Green Worldvs(5) Public Enemy — Yo! Bum Rush the Show(3) Fiona Apple — When the Pawn…vs(6) The Replacements — Let It Be(2) Tom Petty — Wildflowersvs(7) Laurie Anderson — Big Science

Episode 32 - Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours - How lucky can one pod get? UK tech week has now been put to bed, as a fella once said, ain’t that a kick in the head?This week we must be sitting on the table because we’re looking at the chair, man: Frank Sinatra, king of Vegas and weaponizer of bbq meats is the star this week as we talk about his major comeback album “In the Wee Small Hours” a relaxing (maybe TOO relaxing) collection of American standards through the prism of 1955’s most divorced man. Also featuring the return of a beloved game with a bit of a twist.A boop a Dee wah dee waah it’s the indie 500 podcast shooba do woo a waaaah

IFP contributor, Kyle Reiff, takes us on a tour of the commune living scene and the music that arose from it in the late 60's and early 70's and examines their role in culture, politics and the music tapestry of Germany. Kyle is joined by IFP co-host, Helio, to talk through some tracks that define the commune era as well as discuss the bands that made the impact during this generation,

Listen along with the playlist curated by Kyle

They discuss the evolution of Amun Duul and Amon Duul II, the punk pioneers that were Ton Steine Scherben as well as the variety of sound from groups like Harmonia, Faust as well as jazz flavored performers like Kraan and Missus Beastly.

Recorded on a Podcast with Better Equipment is a sub-series of The Indie 500 podcast spearheaded by show contributor Kyle Reiff. Be sure to check out ⁠Kyle's bandcamp store ⁠for some incredible krautrock ephemera and posters. He is also a member of the music group⁠ Eerie Indiana ⁠Give them a listen!

Be sure to like and subscribe to this series to be notified of new episodes of this show as we are aiming for a monthly release of this sub-series

#121

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92

SELECKTAHHH! The selected ambient works are selected to be the album of the week to round out the impromptu UK 90s electronica mini-series. In addition to the ever fascinating Aphex Twins history, an exhaustive breakdown of his equipment, and a few patented Richard D James tall tales, we ask: is Sky People a slur on Pandora? Is it ok to not sleep? What if Breddy did the Meat Me in the Bathroom segment? And why did Kiefer Sutherland replace David Hayter as Snakes voice actor in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phanton Pain????

#249 - Prodigy - Fat Of The Land

OH MY GOD THAT’S THE INDIE SHIT. It’s an album that needs zero words of explanation so naturally the Indie boys (with an alley oop from Professor Rave, Martin James) are providing 3 hours of them. From PlayStation to Glastonbury to Whitney Houston to Dubstep, culminating in a random roll that introduces one of music history’s greatest crimes (according to Breddy anyway) it’s all covered in an action packed ep.

Professor Rave, Martin James, is back! He’s here to break the IFP guest appearance record and he’s here to expand your knowledge about The Fat of the Land, The Prodigy, and the moment in time when the worlds eyes and ears were trained on them. We talk controversy, extreme sports, crossover appeal and how he was personally responsible for some of the delay in the album arriving.

IFP contributor, Kyle Reiff, takes us on a tour of Berlin in the late 60's and early 70's to explore the roots of what created one of Germanys most impactful music contributions of the late 20th century. Kyle is joined by IFP co-host, Helio, to talk through some tracks that define the Berlin School sound and have become staples of the Krautrock era.

Listen along with this playlist

They discuss Tangerine Dream and their sonic evolution, Klaus Schulze and his place in the Krautrock canon as well as innovator Manuel Göttsching and his usage of the guitar where a synth might be found and his album E2-E4 being a genesis moment for the techno genre.

Recorded on a Podcast with Better Equipment is a sub-series of The Indie 500 podcast spearheaded by show contributor Kyle Reiff. Be sure to check out Kyle's bandcamp storefor some incredible krautrock ephemera and posters. He is also a member of the music groupEerie IndianaGive them a listen!

Be sure to like and subscribe to this series to be notified of new episodes of this show as we are aiming for a monthly release of this sub-series