Pop Is the New Metal!
As a huge music fan devoted to certain genres I often get quite offended when certain genres get completely abused. When certain bands get placed into genres that I hold near and dear to my heart my first instinct is to argue because nothing is quite worse than saying to people "Yeah I like Punk" and then they go on to say "Oh so you like bands like New Found Glory and My Chemical Romance." Three genres that I feel get completely destroyed by ignorant music listeners is Alternative, Punk and Metal. The only genre I am going to focus on out of the three is Alternative mainly because it is pretty late and I'm a bit tired.
Alternative is probably the genre which receives the worst of band placing. I once knew a person who claimed that what she listened to was Alternative music, but what I ended up finding out was that all of the bands she listened to in no way fit into the Alternative category. To me when someone says alternative a few bands that come to mind are Radiohead, The Flaming Lips and Beck. These three bands I feel very well describe Alternative which is basically a classification of a different sounding type of music, I like to describe it as the progressive music of the modern era. The classification of alternative is quite obscure but yet even with such a broad meaning bands which have no right being placed there are. To name a few bands which are placed under alternative music by many is Fall Out Boy which is clearly an Emo band (Emo being a classification of emotional music with the simplicity of punk but yet lyrics are whinny as well as the vocals being whinny) another is Lifehouse which is Pop Rock (basically simplified rock music with catchy lyrics and riffs.) To me these two bands should not be in any way synonymous with Alternative music, their simplicity screams the antithesis of Alternative. To add on top of the simplicity is the way these bands are following the standards of popular music, in no way are choosing an "alternative" style of music.
To just touch on the other two genres, Emo music is always labeled as a sub genre of Punk, to me this is incredibly wrong. Punk was a music which called for rebelling against society and the current music scene, the simple three chord songs along with extremely raw sound made punk what it was. Punk was not a genre which got touched up in the studios, when you pick up a true punk album you should be picking up something which sounds like the band is playing in your room examples of true punk bands are The Sex Pistols, The Dead Kennedy's and The Bad Brains. Emo music the so called sub genre of punk music prides itself on whinny and sappy vocals along with lyrics which do nothing to promote rebelling against society, the only promotion it does is the promotion of depression and worthlessness. The other genre Metal has been injured by one terrible sub genre and that genre being Glam. Bands like Poison, Motley Crue and Skid Row to me are the complete opposite of metal. Metal is heavy and hard, bands which are prettied up and care more about their hair than their music shows clear signs of anything but metal. I know real metal bands such as Metallica and Slayer are outraged by Glam rock bands and rightfully so.
I guess in the end the problem is not the bands which are being placed into certain genres but those who are placing those bands into them. Society is more or less to blame rather than these individual bands. Genres are there to give an explanation for the sound of a band, with the creation of genres people can easily describe what music they like, but when bands are being misplaced in genres the genre as a whole is being tarnished. To me genres are a good thing, and I know many would like to do without them but without genres how hard would it be to describe the music you like, I would much rather tell people I like classic rock rather than listing bands. If there are major errors in this please forgive me, but I felt it was something I should write about. I know many will disagree with my point of view and that comes as no surprise so I would love to hear more opinions.
Alternative is probably the genre which receives the worst of band placing. I once knew a person who claimed that what she listened to was Alternative music, but what I ended up finding out was that all of the bands she listened to in no way fit into the Alternative category. To me when someone says alternative a few bands that come to mind are Radiohead, The Flaming Lips and Beck. These three bands I feel very well describe Alternative which is basically a classification of a different sounding type of music, I like to describe it as the progressive music of the modern era. The classification of alternative is quite obscure but yet even with such a broad meaning bands which have no right being placed there are. To name a few bands which are placed under alternative music by many is Fall Out Boy which is clearly an Emo band (Emo being a classification of emotional music with the simplicity of punk but yet lyrics are whinny as well as the vocals being whinny) another is Lifehouse which is Pop Rock (basically simplified rock music with catchy lyrics and riffs.) To me these two bands should not be in any way synonymous with Alternative music, their simplicity screams the antithesis of Alternative. To add on top of the simplicity is the way these bands are following the standards of popular music, in no way are choosing an "alternative" style of music.
To just touch on the other two genres, Emo music is always labeled as a sub genre of Punk, to me this is incredibly wrong. Punk was a music which called for rebelling against society and the current music scene, the simple three chord songs along with extremely raw sound made punk what it was. Punk was not a genre which got touched up in the studios, when you pick up a true punk album you should be picking up something which sounds like the band is playing in your room examples of true punk bands are The Sex Pistols, The Dead Kennedy's and The Bad Brains. Emo music the so called sub genre of punk music prides itself on whinny and sappy vocals along with lyrics which do nothing to promote rebelling against society, the only promotion it does is the promotion of depression and worthlessness. The other genre Metal has been injured by one terrible sub genre and that genre being Glam. Bands like Poison, Motley Crue and Skid Row to me are the complete opposite of metal. Metal is heavy and hard, bands which are prettied up and care more about their hair than their music shows clear signs of anything but metal. I know real metal bands such as Metallica and Slayer are outraged by Glam rock bands and rightfully so.
I guess in the end the problem is not the bands which are being placed into certain genres but those who are placing those bands into them. Society is more or less to blame rather than these individual bands. Genres are there to give an explanation for the sound of a band, with the creation of genres people can easily describe what music they like, but when bands are being misplaced in genres the genre as a whole is being tarnished. To me genres are a good thing, and I know many would like to do without them but without genres how hard would it be to describe the music you like, I would much rather tell people I like classic rock rather than listing bands. If there are major errors in this please forgive me, but I felt it was something I should write about. I know many will disagree with my point of view and that comes as no surprise so I would love to hear more opinions.
posted by Jeff at 2:09 AM
8 Comments:
I think genres are generally useless, except for the big ones (rock, pop, country etc). Beyond that, it's so hard to put bands in the right slot. I've never really understood the term "alternative". I guess in its day, alternative meant an alternative to hair "metal" like Poison. I do agree that metal, real metal, deserves its own place, but everything else just sounds like rock to me. It's either rock I like, or rock I don't like. That's it.
My biggest problem with emo is the huge lack of creativity in the music. They pump out the same chords, all at the same time, with the same drumbeats. There are no solos, no interesting parts in songs, and no attempts at making a completely new sound beyond the heavily distorted crunching guitars.
Ok, last thought. In my opinion, people should do less whining about which category a certain band should be in, and more time enjoying the music. Not that this was a bad post. I just think time should be spent enjoying music as much as possible.
Excellent Post and I agree with you. Although as I read I was hoping to heck that I have not mislabled any bands - but I am sure that I have. I like genres for the same reason you do. It defines something without having to go through a whole list of bands.
Yet...some groups my fit into more than one genre, do you think that's possible?
For example - David Bowie. I add him in "classic rock" because to me I put the emphasis on classic more than the rock.
Where do you put David? He was definitely very Glam, is he rock? what is he? (besides amazing?)
Loved this post
Russ - I definitely understand why you would like to do away with genres, well at least smaller generes. I am a person who is very defensive of the music I like and also one who has strong feelings about music I don't like. It is probably an immature thing to care about but that is just me I guess.
Layla - Thanks, I was actually going to delete this post when I was done in fear of offending someone or anything along those lines. I definitely feel that many bands can be applied to more than one genre and I think Bowie is a great example of an artist who can be put into more than one genre. Bowie is an evolving musician and I do feel a little bit later on in his career he could be seen as Glam Rock. P.S. if there was a genre of Amazing, Bowie would certainly be near the top of that list.
I generally don't care for labeling genres in general either. I like what I like without apologies. I don't care what genre it is. If it gets to me it gets to me and I don't really care whether the rest of the world calls it rock, pop, prog, neo-prog, emo, piano rock, folk, folk-rock, classical, neo-classical, etc. etc.
Perplexio - I will listen to music regardless of what genre it is in but for me I think for the sake of coversation and such I perfer there to be genres.
I like that genre: AMAZING!
Agree with you on how various 'genres' are destroyed by ignorance (and, i would add, by marketing). Just one note. You actually seem to refer more to 'alternative rock' rather than to the entire scope of 'alternative' music . I mean, i'm totally with you- i love Radiohead and Beck and Flaming Lips and Cocteau Twins and hoardes of other bands- but what about Bjork, or The Shamen, or Stereolab or Aphex Twin, or Depeche Mode,(the list could go on for ever)?
By the way, i believe that David Bowie stands tall as one of the true Alternative heroes (no pun intended). 'Alternative' as in 'Invention'. That is what i believe 'alternative' initially stood for. Invention, revolution. And that goes for rock (which you clearly favour :)), electronica, jazz- hell, even country!
*** Nice blog, just discovered it.
Alex, a Romanian music lover. Don't bother checking out my blog, cos it's not in english :))
Well, here is my first blog... Discovered this thread, whilst attempting to determine the genre of THE FLAMING LIPS & THIEVERY CORPORATION. Being of OGR (old guy rock) decent, [early 50's] and a music aficionado, the aforementioned is recently purchased new music to me. Definitely, Cool Music! As if it really matters - where to place the CDs in my collection and catalog category, I supposed simple alphabetical works. It seems in order for the world to function, everything and everyone must have a label to exist, therefore, I can a) participate and create new genre terms, b) no worry about it and simply go with simple alphabetical order, or c) defy convention and remain in the OGR realm of Rock, Jazz, Lounge/DJ, Country, World Beat and Holiday music. It’s been a pressure blogging with ya’ll. As an aside - where does "3 Doors Down" and "Nickelback" & "Ben Harper" belong?
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