# Indie/Alternative Instrumental song recs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-alternative-instrumental-song-recs/599010 "2011-10-08T16:56:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-alternative-instrumental-song-recs/599010/1 "2011-10-08T16:56:39Z")
I’m not a fan of classical music, but I _do_ like some songs by instrumental songs done by indie and alternative groups…no vocals, but guitars and other string instruments and/or electronic music. I’m basically looking for some new songs without words as writing music, since lyrics tend to distract me and silence instead is little better. If I give you links to some I already like, could you recommend some more? Recs for other songs by the same artists are fine, because I’m not very familiar with most of the artists I’ll list, either. Rob Dougan - [Furious Angels](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wdf3_YtwL8) (instumental version) Don Davis - [Struggling to Escape](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSyUHFfO3EM) Shattersphere - [The Concept of Infinity](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTa5WfMUqI4) John Murphy - [In the House In a Heartbeat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSYYEDXaGo0) Devotchka - [Dark Eyes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Purx3PMkBmo) Orbital - [The Box](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q25Zx6B5HJA) I also like but can’t find links for Magnétophone’s “Kel’s Vintage Thought”, Black Dave’s “I Digress” (he’s a lot like Ratatat, really), and Tim Lee’s “Bed Sheet Shuffle.” I’m okay with recs for _nearly_ instumental songs too like “[17 Years](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYCKGG4VOZY)” by Ratatat, “[Quand Est-Ce Qu’on Arrive](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAeu11m6Lhg)?” by Balkan Beat Box,“[Ghosts](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMZV7LY3OYs)” by Hardstyle Kings, and “[A Mouth Of Fingers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHRrb8hPkEs)” by Telephone Jim Jesus. Thanks in advance 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-alternative-instrumental-song-recs/599010/2 "2011-10-09T15:08:37Z")
The Smiths - [Oscillate wildly](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXLJElH_OR4) and [Money Changes Everything](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqjkbvs8A4s) Shelleyan Orphan: [Amanita Muscara](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veWhTaktv_w) This Mortal Coil: [The Horizon Bleeds (and Sucks its Thumb)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x1G_9Fjx6s&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL19210C4A06BF6845) and [Meniscus](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CaUGYW70N0&feature=related) Otherwise, how do you feel about glossolalia? Foreign languages? Or lyrics so distorted and unintelligible they may as well be either? Because there’s an awful lot of Cocteau Twins out there : Soft -[Feet-like Fins](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeRd2YSa9I0) or [Throughout the Dark Months of April and may](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw5cvsNphCY) (both off Victorialand, awesome album to study to, IMO) Hard - [Musette and Drums](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znmfxmHA_Ac) or [Tinderbox of a Heart](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KX8J31N15w) There’s also Dead Can Dance - [Cantara](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEu9kdR4bxM) and [Saltarello](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQILvRxj7rs) and [Echolalia](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twogF75dQgk) and [The Writing on my Father’s Hand](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5mZzJmky1M) and [Radharc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm3TX6eYryU) (although they may not be Indie-sounding enough for you, more worldbeat, but then you do have Devotchka listed) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-alternative-instrumental-song-recs/599010/3 "2011-10-09T17:43:22Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Foreign languages? Or lyrics so distorted and unintelligible they may as well be either? Languages other than Spanish might be interesting. Spanish doesn’t help because I find myself translating rather than ignoring it. I find tracks like “[Remmidemmi](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_A4cfcH9fw&ob=av3n)” by Deichkind, “[Für Euch](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8TY2a0sIU0)” by Schelmish, “[Un peu de nous deux](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M38sRtSw_68)” by Steeve Estatof, “[Wer Hat Dich Bloss So Ruiniert](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOo0o3Glz_8)” by Metallspuerhunde and “[Flugufrelsarinn](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfKFFeHjgTI)” by Sigur Ros interesting to listen to without any need to think about what the songs are about. However, songs that have an English translation are right out. “99 Luftballons” by Nena, the French remix of “As is Above, So Is Below” by the Klaxons, “Mes Reves de Satin” by Midnight Movies might as well be in English considering I know more or less what each line means considering the English equivalents. As for distorted lyrics, the only one I can think of off the top of my head is “[11h30](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr-iawLvNr4)” by Danger, and my mind does badly want to make it into English words even though I know how the song was made. I’ll check out the songs you suggested later today. Thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-alternative-instrumental-song-recs/599010/4 "2011-10-09T18:54:33Z")
Check out the bands Explosions in the Sky and Tortoise. Both produce mostly instrumental music. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-alternative-instrumental-song-recs/599010/5 "2011-10-09T19:08:13Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Check out the bands Explosions in the Sky and Tortoise. Both produce mostly instrumental music. Thanks for the tip. I only know a couple of Tortoise songs, both with Bonnie ‘prince’ Billy, and those have words, so I had no idea they were mostly instrumental. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-alternative-instrumental-song-recs/599010/6 "2011-10-09T19:16:47Z")
[Aphex Twin - Flim](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhHkUg-QCwk) [Aphex Twin - Avril 14th](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfYl6_f2Mdg) [Broken Social Scene - Ambulance For The Ambience](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWVg4ROARg8) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-alternative-instrumental-song-recs/599010/7 "2011-10-09T19:19:52Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Check out the bands Explosions in the Sky and Tortoise. Both produce mostly instrumental music. Same with Mogwai. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-alternative-instrumental-song-recs/599010/8 "2011-10-09T19:24:53Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Same with Mogwai. And pretty much anything labelled “post-rocK”. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-alternative-instrumental-song-recs/599010/9 "2011-10-09T19:45:40Z")
[The Grizzly Man Soundtrack](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BqEM5J8Hgw) by Richard Thompson ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indie-alternative-instrumental-song-recs/599010/10 "2011-10-12T00:00:35Z")
Second **Aphex Twin**. Incredible catalogue of an incredible (and incredibly strange) mind. Practically invented a handful of techno music genres, too. **edIT** - [Ants](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGT8VnHy34g) **Four Tet** - [My Angel Rocks Back and Forth](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_POkOLy2rM&feature=related) **RJD2** - [Ghostwriter](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKJeLG8-M5I) **DJ Shadow** - [Building Steam with a Grain of Salt](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32X-ieCav-M) (contains spoken word samples a la _Seventeen Years_) **Mux Mool** - [Get Better John](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IExfiDYHuQ4)