10 Indie Rock Bands That Released 5 Great Albums In A Row
6. R.E.M.
R.E.M. should really get the credit as the indie band to define all indie bands. Whereas the rest of the '80s rock scene was either swamped in hair metal or chasing after a more synthy tone, this little band from Athens, Georgia stripped everything back to just bare instrumentation and oodles of raw emotion. For as much as people go on and on about their debut Murmur, the band ended up releasing their best work nearly half a decade after their formation.
Starting with Document, R.E.M. began to bridge the gap between more pop sensibilities and DIY approaches to recording. While songs like "The One I Love" did have that dark energy, that melody was impossible to get out of your head. Going into Green and Out of Time, the band got both weirder and more radio-friendly at the same time, with cheesy hits like "Shiny Happy People" being balanced out with sonic experiences like "Losing My Religion."
Once grunge hit though, R.E.M. brought out the big guns right beside their Seattle brethren, with Automatic for the People and Monster being reflections on the band's state of mind in both an emotional and visceral sense. Right when you thought Murmur was just a fluke indie hit, R.E.M. blossomed from obscure indie band to one of the most tried and true groups to ever play rock music.