Genrification

Speaking of genres (well, I was two posts ago), wasn’t it all so much easier when we though of everything as just pop – or rock ‘n’ roll (take your pick)?

But this genre thing is outta control.

I mean, I get that Easy Listening and Pop and Rock and Folk and R&B and Hip Hop just don’t cross paths too much any more(except maybe on awards shows).  I’m inured to the fact that rock has gone through all this cell division so we’ve got Folk Rock, Punk, Metal, Alternative, Prog, Indie and so on and so on and even more so on.

I’ve slowly come top recognize that we need additional labels such as House and Psychobilly, and Emo and Hardcore.  I guess they serve a purpose.

But brother, when I browse some online music sites, I’m overwhelmed by all these weird genres:  Doom?  Sleaze?  Sadcore?  Red Dirt?

Really?  What are these about?

OK, you can kinda guess what Melodic Death might be like, or Screamo, or Horrorcore, or Trip Hop.  Gothabilly you can almost picture (or hear, I guess).  Ditto Acid Folk, even Swamp.  I think.

And it turns out most ‘em have entries in Wikipedia, so I suppose there’s more than one band doing them.  But simple folk like me have to be enlightened as to why we need Shoegaze, Glitch or Grime.

But some of this sub-genrification is kinda pointless isn’t it?  I mean, Wikipedia defines Street Punk as “a working class-based genre of punk rock.”  Hello?  Was normal Punk something reserved for the upper class?  Like The Sex Pistols gave us music for Toffs?

Maybe some of these bands are just trying to distinguish themselves in ways that don’t involve their actual music.  Maybe they’re having us on.   Noir?  Heartfelt and Lyrical?  Youtube?  Jack Daniels?

I think I need a swig.

Pop Boom Fizzle

One of the sub-genres you might have noticed missing from my music map is Power Pop.

And sure, it's just Pop, but it's heavier, right? More to the right to reflect that Metal, Blues Rock influence.

Well, it's omitted because I was never a fan. Foreigner, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Styx ... all those power ballads to me were just a compromise. I disagree here with Wikipedia, which describes Power Pop as Pop music with a Rock edge, and lists The Beatles, The Who and The Kinks as early examples. Fair enough, but I'm talking about the bands that specialized in rather soppy ballads that just happen to have a furry guitar in the song.

As for the compromise, guys wanted to listen to Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, but their girls wanted Lionel Ritchie and The Bee Gees. Foreigner was the middle ground. Good musicians and all, but so what if they had electric guitars? The songs were really Easy Listening, most of 'em ones on the outside of my Rock circle.

Overlaps and blends that create something new: exciting.

Ones that are a shotgun wedding to keep the peace: not so much.