Expert novices help define indie rock

Think back to the worst band in your high school. The one with that awful singer, that dude who could barely play guitar and that drummer who couldn't keep a steady beat. In their best moments, they were still barely holding it together. Then imagine them sticking it out for twelve years and becoming one of the most influential indie rock bands in history. In fact, they basically invented the genre. This is the story of Beat Happening.\nBy their last album You Turn Me On, Beat Happening had toured the world, received critical acclaim in major music magazines and founded K Records which would become indie rock's most prosperous record label. They still couldn't play their instruments that well and their singer's rumbling bass singing still wasn't quite in tune. These idiosyncrasies are what make them so influential. They made the best of what they had.\nYou Turn Me On is genuine and unpretentious, two peculiar qualities for the majority of indie rock. As outsiders to the music world, Beat Happening was able to cultivate it's idiosyncrasies to the point of virtuosity. The simplicity of music on this album is perfectly paired with its lyrics' childish nostalgia.\n"Pinebox Derby" explains how to catch a witch, "Teenage Caveman" is a Neanderthal love song and "Tiger Trap" is a treasure map for finding way into your lover's heart. Although these songs are steeped naiveté, they are emotionally complex. "Noise" features the lyric "Our hearts beat now, but it's only noise." The title track is pays homage to the Beatles with its chorus of "Turn me on dead man."\nYou Turn Me On is very simple musically. It's obvious that the band still isn't great their instruments. This simplicity is what makes this album so endearing. So much of indie rock is built around a very technical framework and ends up lacking emotion. Beat Happening is all emotion and not in a saccharine or angsty way.