Camper Van Beethoven, Casey Neill and the Norway Rats

[INDIE SHAPE-SHIFTERS] An argument can be made that Camper Van Beethoven is every bit as pioneering an indie-rock band as R.E.M. or the Replacements. Emerging from Northern California in 1983, before the term "indie" had any real meaning, the group was casting a variety of folk styles underneath the umbrella of punk, proving that truly independent music didn't have to be limited by genre conventions. Naturally, that put them at odds with the punk-rock purists of the time, but over the years, as bands became more willing to experiment and branch out beyond the Sturm und Drang of hardcore, CVB's stylistic potpourri and sly irreverence started to look mighty forward-thinking. If the recently released La Costa Perdida—the band's first all-new studio album in over 10 years—sounds a bit ho-hum, that's only because the foundation it laid down 30 years ago is now overcrowded with imitators.