Genre Research

Alternative rock is a rock music genre that originated back in the 1990s to describe the sound of rock bands inspired by punk rock, but refused to subscribe to the mainstream of genres of all time. Rock genre is a popular music that has roots to rock and roll it’s heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music. Rock music drew strongly on a number of genres such as blues and folk and influences in Jazz, classical and other musical sources. Rock is often associated with electric guitar, bass guitar and drums.  Rock is also linked with the lyrics to romantic love but also address a wide variety of themes that are frequently social or political in emphasis. Rock music has also embodies and served as the vehicle for cultural and social movements, leading to the major sub cultures of alternative rock in the UK. Rock music also became associated with political activism as well as changes in social attitudes to race, sex and drug use and often seen as expression of youth revolt against adult consumerism and conformity. The sound of rock is traditionally linked with the sound of electric guitar and emerged from modern form in the popularization of bass guitar pioneered in jazz music in the same era and produced from the drum kit. Classically, a rock band takes the form of a quartet whose members show the following a vocalist, lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, bass guitarist, drummer and keyboard player or other instrumentalists.  Rock music is built by a foundation of simple rhythms in a 4/4-meter with a repetitive snare drum backbeat on beats two and four. Melodies are derived from older music modes such as Dorian and Mixolydian as well as major and minor modes. Rock songs are using verse chorus structure derived from the blues and folk music but have been considerable variation from this model of theories. Rock lyrics have dealt with a wide range of themes such as romantic love including sex, rebellion against the establishment, social concerns and lifestyles. Rock has a complex history which preference to rock and roll while contrasting with pop music with sharing characteristics but from being distanced by an emphasis on musicianship, live performance and focus on the serious and progressive themes as part of an ideology of authenticity that is frequently combined with an awareness of the genre’s history and development. Rock musicians combine an emphasis on skill and techniques with the romantic concept of art such as artistic expression, original and sincere. Rock is mostly linked to the forms of pop, reggae, soul music and hip-hop which is influenced but often contrasts through much of its history. Alternative rock music etherises subgenres such as indie rock- a genre which is extremely diverse with sub genres including math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sad core, riot grrrl and emo. Math rock is a rhythmical complex guitar based style of experimental rock and was very influenced by progressive rock; complex, atypical rhythmic structures, angular melodies and dissonant chords characterize it. Math rock shares underground music and some earlier bands have post rock characteristics as well. Math rock has a basic 4/4-meter while using time signatures or frequently using changed meters on various groups. This rhythmic complex groups show a lot of critics and listeners the sound is usually dominated by guitars and drums in traditional rock and because of the complexity rhythms, drummers or math rock groups have a tendency to stick out more often than in other groups is commonplace to find guitarists in math rock groups using the tapping method. Indie rock is derived from “independent” describing the small and low budget labels which is released and attitude of bands and artists involved. Distribution is involved with corporate companies and bands that attempt to retain autonomy. Influences and style of the artists are extremely diverse and interchangeable to distinguish between bands working in a variety of styles that don’t pursue or achieve commercial success.  Guitars are often played in clean tones more than in other rock songs but distortion is used depending on the group. Lyrics aren’t the main focus of math rock, the voice is treated as another sound in the mix, and Indie rock is a separate movement when Nirvana broke into the mainstream along with several other bands taking the alternative with them. Many artists are disappointed with this identity due to becoming conventional that it seems to be an inappropriate term for those who have no desire to be included in the mainstream movement.  The next sub genre associated with alternative rock is soul music has a distinguished sound, which goes back longer than the style originally found.  It combines elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul is the music that shows the experience through transmutation of gospel and rhythm into a form of funk and testifying genres. Soul roots into a gospel music genre that allows describing its style with secular lyrics. The majority has narrative and a monotone colour scheme, which is frequently, used also slow cuts and editing with no special effects. The next is reggae which is a music genre developed in Jamaica with a broader sense to types of rhythmic accents on the off beat usually played by guitar or piano known as skank. This patterns accents second and fourth beat in each bar and combines with the drums emphasis on the beat. The tempo of Reggae is usually focused on creating a unique feel and sense of phrasing in contrast to most other popular genres focusing on a slower and melodic tempo. This usually differentiates reggae from other music, although the musical styles have incorporated some of these innovations separately. Reggae has musical elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, African and Latin American music with other genres. It’s usually played in 4/4 swing times due to the symmetrical patterns, which don’t lend it to other time signatures. The concept of “call and response” can be found through out reggae music in the lyrics but also in the parts are composed and arranged for each instrument. The emphasis on the “third beat” of the bar also results in a different sense of musical phrasing with bass lines and melody lines often emphasizing while considering the notes in other genres. Particularly a snare drum is often used to achieve high itch allowing an additional timbale or high tunes snare to create this cross stick technique. The next genre to be affiliated with alternative rock is hip-hop which is a musical genre consisting of rapping, and rhythmic speeches chanting. It currently has characteristics by 4 key stylistic elements graffiti, Djing, breaking, MCing. Other elements include sampling and beat boxing. Hip-hop denotes the practice of the entire subculture. Hip hop music originated as improvisations made to existing music by DJ’s although hip hop predates the introduction of rapping into hip hop culture, the majority of the genre is accompanied by vocals. Hip-hop was influenced by disco and a backlash against it. Divisions between fans and detractors of disco music characterized hip-hop. Hip Hop has emerged as a hard basic proponent in the eventual decline in disco popularity. The next genre associated is pop, which is the abbreviation of popular music. This is an ample and imprecise category of modern music not defined by artistic audiences or prospective market. Pop music composed with deliberate intent to appeal to the opposition to music that requires education of formation to appreciate, a defining characteristic, which is complex, and aesthetics towards the primary objectives being audience enjoyment and commercial success. The term is referring to influences from most popular genres of popular music. Early pop music refers to sentimental ballad from its form gained for its use of vocal harmonies from gospel and soul music, instrumentation from jazz, country and rock music, orchestration from classical music, tempo from dance music, backing from electronic music, rhythmic elements from hip hops music and has appropriate from rap.  It usually uses technological innovation which is influenced has made pop music something of an international monoculture but most religions and countries have their own form of pop music, something producing local visions of wider trends. Most theorists associate the genre as an aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a specific sub culture or ideology, an emphasis on craftsmanship rather than formal artistic qualities, an emphasis on recording, production and technology over live performance, a tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments and pop music is intended to encourage dancing or uses dances beats and rhythms The main part of pop is the songs, which builds the general rhythmic element a mainstream style and a traditional structure. Common verses include a thirty two-bar form and a harmonic verse. The beat tends to be simple and the lyrics focus on certain simple themes often love and romantic relationships although there are notable exceptions. Harmony in pop music is often including barbershop harmony and blues scale influenced harmony. There are also other tendencies such as he language of rock and soul.  Another sub genre is grunge, which is characterized by guitar sounds that use high distortion level and feedback effects. It fuses the elements of hardcore punk and heavy metal, although some bands performed with more emphasis on each other. The genre shares sound and lyrical concerns in order to involve slower tempos, dissonant harmonies and complex instrumentation referring to heavy metal. Some individuals associate it with the development of grunge addressing themes such as social alienation, apathy, confinement and desire for freedom.  A number of factors influence the focus on the subject that many grudge magicians display a great disengagement of society and discomfort of social prejudices.   The next sub genre is gothic rock, which is a hybrid genre of post punk, and alternative rock that grew from the strong connections for English punk rock. It gave a rise to a broader subculture that includes clubs, fashion and publications that grew in popularity. Gothic rock synthesises post punk and constructs sorrowful and epic atmospheres that standardised musical fixtures of the genre include high-pitched baselines that use the melodic role with hypnotically or tribal rhythm.  Many gothic rock themes deal with dark themes addressed through lyrics and musical atmosphere. The poetic sensibilities of the genre lead the gothic rock genre to express themselves through romanticism, morbidity, religious symbolism, and supernatural elements. Musicians initially shape the aesthetics and musical conventions of gothic rock to influential and influence for darkness, love and relationships. The sub genre also grows strong ties between the separate movements of punk with heavy, depressing and sadistic lyrics allowing developing a broader gothic subculture. The next sub genre is Britpop, which is associated to a specific musical affiliation of dramatic aesthetics. It has employed both radio melodies and brand of perfect rock for tours of large areas. The sub genre emerged from British independent music scene and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music. Britpop groups were defined as being focused on bands rather than solo artists having drums/bass/guitar and vocals line ups, singing in British regional accents, references to places and cultures in lyrics and imagery and fashion consciousness. Britpop bands relies on lyrics and relevant to British young people of their own generation. The imagery associated with Britpop is with British and the working lass. The emphasis on British culture made it difficult for the genre to achieve success in the US. This movements is being represented by Blur, Oasis, Suede and Pulp was the British equivalent of the grunge explosion, the artists propelled alternative rock to the top of the charts in their home country. Specific movements and genres such as British invasion, Glam rock and punk rock influenced Britpop. The Britpop phenomenon culminated in a rivalry between the two chief groups.  And the final sub genre is new wave. Britpop also New Wave is a subgenre of rock music that emerges from punk rock. As a genre, it incorporates much original punk rock sound and ethos such as short emphasis on short songs; it is characterized by great complexity in both music and lyrics. Characteristics of new wave music aside from its punk influences including the usage of synthesizers and electronic productions, the importance of styling of arts and diversity. New Wave is often to use to describe music, which is electronic and pop at heart. The genre started to fade out and became a fixture to MTV and the popularity of several new wave music videos became a commercial success, it was criticised by some of the specific style and music. The term fell out of favour in the United Kingdom during the early stages. New wave causes groups and the mainstream of pop and rock groups to sound more alike and show connections and relationships with each other.  Many bands have influenced the alternative rock genre such as U2, the Feelies, Husker Du, Sonic Youth and the Cure. Alternative rock owes its stylistic origins largely to punk rock and was heavily influenced by reggae and jazz. Alternative rock artists and bands don’t generate spectacular album sales and aren’t in major record labels. Characteristically, alternative music can be identified by the emphasis on the guitar which uses the power chords, riffs and uses creative distortion also complex electronic beats and bass drums are heavily used. The lyrics used in alternative rock records and CDs are rooted in a general discontent with stance against commercialism and he mainstream as well as recurring themes such as drugs, depression, rebellion, ethic, independence, artistic authenticity and other social, economic and environmental concerns. The influence for alternative rock music continues to evolve and diverse on focusing more conventional indie sounds. Despite it’s early roots in anti commercialism and independence, alternative rock music will never have enjoyed the mainstream success. The alternative rock genre serves under as a umbrella term for underground music that has emerged in the wave of punk rock. Throughout history, the genre has been largely defined by its rejection of commercialism of mainstream culture, although this could be contested ever since some of the artists have achieved mainstream success. British alternative rock was distinguished from US on by more being a pop oriented focus and a lyrical emphasis on specifically British concerns. The music industry was enticed by alternative rock’s commercial possibilities and labels.  Another associated genre is dream pop that dream pop begins fusing post punk and ethereal experiments with pop melodies into dream, sensual atmospheres. The essence of the music is a focus on textures and moods rather than on prospective rock riffs. Shoegazing influenced the genre with key bands such as Lush and Ride and levitation, these build up atmospheric qualities of dream pop but added intensity of post punk bands creating a variety of textures of moods. It often acts as a creative anti rock catalyst for textual based musical styles such as trip hop, slow core and post rock. The next rock is noise rock that mixes atonal noise or feedback with melodic instrumentation and production elements found in pop music.  Noise pop has been described as the halfway point combining elements of pop and distorted guitars and drones. Velvet underground was influenced with feedback and distortion on their early albums. Space rock is the next sub genre, which is characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, guitars and science fiction.  This drew earlier influences to create more ambient but still melodic forms of pop music. This referred to the ideas and sounds of both waves of the genre’s founders. It’s closely associated with progressive rock movements in the same era. And the final sub genre associated with alternative rock is sad core, which is identified as describing examples in bleak lyrics, downbeat melodies and slower tempos to become unspecific and often being dismissed as a label in the bands they would describe.