Thursday, January 22, 2004
Beat them daddy eight to the bar dept.
From A to Z and back again a new book:
"Writing about music is at times a near-impossible feat. Of course, that hasn't stopped critics or fans from trying to bag the one term that describes the indescribable.
"In most cases, these definitions do nothing but cloud the issue; perhaps this is why the dictionary of musical descriptions has become a ridiculous parody of itself in recent years.
"Surely, there haven't been 3,274 new genres of music in the past few decades, so why do we need that many words to describe them? To quote Billy Joel, "It's still rock 'n' roll to me." Or at least a variation of it.
"To help matters (or make them worse if you were befuddled to begin with) we've come up with a small list of musical genres and sub-genres that begged to be explored further.
"This list barely touches the sublime idioms that have become common-speak in some circles. But it's a start. Let's hope it's the end as well.
"- Alt-country, also called "alternative country," is a brand of country music peppered with the outlaw spirit of rock 'n' roll. It has seen a rebirth of late thanks to acts like Wilco and Steve Earle, troubadours who have achieved critical and commercial success outside the confines of Nashville's current pop formula. (Origin: late 1980s. Leaders: Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Robert Earl Keen, Uncle Tupelo.)
"- Big beat is a highly commercial style of club music punctuated by sampled breakbeats and a distinct hip-hop influence. It was birthed in England but later became popular in North America, where it peaked after just a handful of years. The rock vibe of big beat makes it palatable club music for people who don't like club music. (Origin: mid-'90s. Leaders: Fatboy Slim, the Prodigy, the Chemical Brothers.)
"- College rock is the pre-cursor to modern-day alternative rock. It took its name from the dominating presence it had on campus radio stations in the '80s and beyond. College rock bands are often independent acts who receive airplay nowhere else, and thrive in their cult-ish existence. More college bands than ever are breaking into the mainstream, however, leaving college radio behind. (Origin: early '80s. Leaders: early U2, early R.E.M., the Replacements.)
"- Electronica is among the most vague of all new-school musical definitions and can technically be used to describe any DJ-based act that uses turntables and a sampler to get their groove on. First used by dance purists in the early '90s, the term electronica became widespread once dance DJs gained mainstream fame in the latter part of the decade. By default, the term is now used to describe all sorts of electronic music. (Origin: mid-'90s. Leaders: Everyone from Air to The Orb.)
"- Folk is now one of the most widely used terms in modern music and is often used with a prefix or suffix to narrow the definition (i.e. traditional-folk or folk-rock.) Folk pioneer Bob Dylan is largely responsible for that; after his rise to international fame in the '60s, the genre became divisive. From then onward acoustic guitar-strumming songwriters were either on the bus (contemporary) or off it (traditional). (Origin: early 20th Century. Leaders: Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger.)
"- Gangsta rap got its start in Compton, Calif., in 1988 when pioneers Ice-T and N.W.A. released their controversial breakthrough albums. Once rap music reached its commercial genesis with Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys in the mid-'80s, this sub-genre laced with violent imagery and profanity emerged. (Origin: mid-'80s. Leaders: Ice Cube, N.W.A., Ice-T.)
"- Hip-hop contains four elements -- breakdancing, graffiti, DJing, and rapping -- but as a catch-phrase it can be used in a myriad of fashions. The terms hip-hop and rap are for all intents and purposes interchangeable, but not for purists. (Origin: late '80s. Leaders: A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One, Jungle Brothers.)
"- Indie rock is, by definition, independent or out of the mainstream. However, bands of this D-I-Y genre often find a large audience. As indie record labels gain a higher profile, acts are beginning to reach a higher visibility. A forefather of early alternative rock, it is marked by a do-it-yourself attitude and a strict code of anti-mainstream ethics. (Origin: early '80s. Leaders: Superchunk, Dinosaur Jr., Yo La Tengo.)
"- Lounge music would forever be tied to '50s and '60s groups like Esquivel and Sergio Mendes if not for a very brief but low-key rebirth in the late-'90s (thanks to bands such as Combustible Edison). As it stands now, the bossa nova pop of lounge music seemingly knows no decade. (Origin: 1950s. Leaders: Henry Mancini, Sergio Mendes, Esquivel.)
"- Nu metal is an outgrowth of both alternative rock and heavy metal that first rose in popularity during the late '90s. This form of contemporary heavy metal is punctuated by gritty guitars, teenage wasteland lyrics and screeching vocals, all set to a jackhammer beat. Nu metal-heads also occasionally sport clown make-up at concerts. (Origin: late '90s. Leaders: Slipknot, Korn, Mudvayne.)
"- Old-timey -- the first form of country music -- has been in practice for nearly a century and it grew to new heights in early 2001 through the period-perfect soundtrack to the film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Punctuated by elements of yodelling, harmony singing and stringband music, old-timey's rural and mandolin-heavy sound gave way to country music in the 1940s. (Origin: early 1900s. Leaders: The Carter Family, The Blue Sky Boys, The Louvin Brothers.
"- Prog rock songs tend to run ridiculous lengths, feature fantasy and science fiction elements, and reach epic levels of technical prowess. If progressive rock was a movie, it would be The Lord of the Rings trilogy. By the mid-'70s, prog rock had fallen out of vogue, but its influence can still be felt today in rock bands such as Tool. (Origin: late '60s. Leaders: The Moody Blues, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes.)
"- Quiet storm was started by Smokey Robinson, perfected by Marvin Gaye, and killed by Babyface. Quiet storm is a romantic brand of R&B popularized by Robinson's hit 1975 record, A Quiet Storm, which gave male R&B performers the confidence to wax soulful and sexy at the same time. The trend continued to the genre's demise in the late '80s. (Origin: mid-'70s. Leaders: Smokey Robinson, Keith Sweat, Al Green.)
"- Rockabilly is the southern cousin of early rock 'n' roll. The poly-rhythms of rockabilly fuse jump blues, country and rock 'n' roll into one primal blast. Many of rockabilly's big names came from Sam Phillips' Sun Records in Memphis, whose output of hits is still unrivalled. (Origin: mid-'50s. Leaders: Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley.)
"- Western swing, the offshoot of big band swing, also had its roots in the traditional stringband movement, which left it sounding like a musical kitchen sink. The genre's most popular group, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, was a traditional dance band with a country string section that who played both pop and jazz numbers. After television rose to prominence, western swing faded away, however, acts like Merle Haggard and Asleep at the Wheel revived it in the '70s. (Origin: mid-'30s. Leaders: Bob Wills, Asleep at the Wheel, The Sons of the Pioneers.)
"- Yodelling, thanks to Jimmie Rodgers, dubbed America's Blue Yodeller and The Father of Country Music, is a vocal performance style that has become one of the most recognizable aspects of country music. This falsetto brand of singing was developed centuries ago as a means of communication for mountain dwellers, but once Rodgers let loose with his yodel country music has never been the same. (Origin: 1920s. Leaders: Jimmie Rodgers, Wilf Carter, Hank Snow.)
"- Zydeco is an accordion-based stream of Creole dance music that was born in Southwestern Louisiana in the mid-'20s. However, this offshoot of Cajun music didn't become a worldwide sensation until 1984, when Rockin' Sydney's smash novelty hit, My Toot Toot won a Grammy Award. (Origin: 1950s. Leaders: Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys.)"
(VICTORIA TIMES COLONIST)
© Copyright 2004 The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) ¶ 1/22/2004 10:57:00 PM
From A to Z and back again a new book:
"Writing about music is at times a near-impossible feat. Of course, that hasn't stopped critics or fans from trying to bag the one term that describes the indescribable.
"In most cases, these definitions do nothing but cloud the issue; perhaps this is why the dictionary of musical descriptions has become a ridiculous parody of itself in recent years.
"Surely, there haven't been 3,274 new genres of music in the past few decades, so why do we need that many words to describe them? To quote Billy Joel, "It's still rock 'n' roll to me." Or at least a variation of it.
"To help matters (or make them worse if you were befuddled to begin with) we've come up with a small list of musical genres and sub-genres that begged to be explored further.
"This list barely touches the sublime idioms that have become common-speak in some circles. But it's a start. Let's hope it's the end as well.
"- Alt-country, also called "alternative country," is a brand of country music peppered with the outlaw spirit of rock 'n' roll. It has seen a rebirth of late thanks to acts like Wilco and Steve Earle, troubadours who have achieved critical and commercial success outside the confines of Nashville's current pop formula. (Origin: late 1980s. Leaders: Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Robert Earl Keen, Uncle Tupelo.)
"- Big beat is a highly commercial style of club music punctuated by sampled breakbeats and a distinct hip-hop influence. It was birthed in England but later became popular in North America, where it peaked after just a handful of years. The rock vibe of big beat makes it palatable club music for people who don't like club music. (Origin: mid-'90s. Leaders: Fatboy Slim, the Prodigy, the Chemical Brothers.)
"- College rock is the pre-cursor to modern-day alternative rock. It took its name from the dominating presence it had on campus radio stations in the '80s and beyond. College rock bands are often independent acts who receive airplay nowhere else, and thrive in their cult-ish existence. More college bands than ever are breaking into the mainstream, however, leaving college radio behind. (Origin: early '80s. Leaders: early U2, early R.E.M., the Replacements.)
"- Electronica is among the most vague of all new-school musical definitions and can technically be used to describe any DJ-based act that uses turntables and a sampler to get their groove on. First used by dance purists in the early '90s, the term electronica became widespread once dance DJs gained mainstream fame in the latter part of the decade. By default, the term is now used to describe all sorts of electronic music. (Origin: mid-'90s. Leaders: Everyone from Air to The Orb.)
"- Folk is now one of the most widely used terms in modern music and is often used with a prefix or suffix to narrow the definition (i.e. traditional-folk or folk-rock.) Folk pioneer Bob Dylan is largely responsible for that; after his rise to international fame in the '60s, the genre became divisive. From then onward acoustic guitar-strumming songwriters were either on the bus (contemporary) or off it (traditional). (Origin: early 20th Century. Leaders: Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger.)
"- Gangsta rap got its start in Compton, Calif., in 1988 when pioneers Ice-T and N.W.A. released their controversial breakthrough albums. Once rap music reached its commercial genesis with Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys in the mid-'80s, this sub-genre laced with violent imagery and profanity emerged. (Origin: mid-'80s. Leaders: Ice Cube, N.W.A., Ice-T.)
"- Hip-hop contains four elements -- breakdancing, graffiti, DJing, and rapping -- but as a catch-phrase it can be used in a myriad of fashions. The terms hip-hop and rap are for all intents and purposes interchangeable, but not for purists. (Origin: late '80s. Leaders: A Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One, Jungle Brothers.)
"- Indie rock is, by definition, independent or out of the mainstream. However, bands of this D-I-Y genre often find a large audience. As indie record labels gain a higher profile, acts are beginning to reach a higher visibility. A forefather of early alternative rock, it is marked by a do-it-yourself attitude and a strict code of anti-mainstream ethics. (Origin: early '80s. Leaders: Superchunk, Dinosaur Jr., Yo La Tengo.)
"- Lounge music would forever be tied to '50s and '60s groups like Esquivel and Sergio Mendes if not for a very brief but low-key rebirth in the late-'90s (thanks to bands such as Combustible Edison). As it stands now, the bossa nova pop of lounge music seemingly knows no decade. (Origin: 1950s. Leaders: Henry Mancini, Sergio Mendes, Esquivel.)
"- Nu metal is an outgrowth of both alternative rock and heavy metal that first rose in popularity during the late '90s. This form of contemporary heavy metal is punctuated by gritty guitars, teenage wasteland lyrics and screeching vocals, all set to a jackhammer beat. Nu metal-heads also occasionally sport clown make-up at concerts. (Origin: late '90s. Leaders: Slipknot, Korn, Mudvayne.)
"- Old-timey -- the first form of country music -- has been in practice for nearly a century and it grew to new heights in early 2001 through the period-perfect soundtrack to the film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Punctuated by elements of yodelling, harmony singing and stringband music, old-timey's rural and mandolin-heavy sound gave way to country music in the 1940s. (Origin: early 1900s. Leaders: The Carter Family, The Blue Sky Boys, The Louvin Brothers.
"- Prog rock songs tend to run ridiculous lengths, feature fantasy and science fiction elements, and reach epic levels of technical prowess. If progressive rock was a movie, it would be The Lord of the Rings trilogy. By the mid-'70s, prog rock had fallen out of vogue, but its influence can still be felt today in rock bands such as Tool. (Origin: late '60s. Leaders: The Moody Blues, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes.)
"- Quiet storm was started by Smokey Robinson, perfected by Marvin Gaye, and killed by Babyface. Quiet storm is a romantic brand of R&B popularized by Robinson's hit 1975 record, A Quiet Storm, which gave male R&B performers the confidence to wax soulful and sexy at the same time. The trend continued to the genre's demise in the late '80s. (Origin: mid-'70s. Leaders: Smokey Robinson, Keith Sweat, Al Green.)
"- Rockabilly is the southern cousin of early rock 'n' roll. The poly-rhythms of rockabilly fuse jump blues, country and rock 'n' roll into one primal blast. Many of rockabilly's big names came from Sam Phillips' Sun Records in Memphis, whose output of hits is still unrivalled. (Origin: mid-'50s. Leaders: Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley.)
"- Western swing, the offshoot of big band swing, also had its roots in the traditional stringband movement, which left it sounding like a musical kitchen sink. The genre's most popular group, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, was a traditional dance band with a country string section that who played both pop and jazz numbers. After television rose to prominence, western swing faded away, however, acts like Merle Haggard and Asleep at the Wheel revived it in the '70s. (Origin: mid-'30s. Leaders: Bob Wills, Asleep at the Wheel, The Sons of the Pioneers.)
"- Yodelling, thanks to Jimmie Rodgers, dubbed America's Blue Yodeller and The Father of Country Music, is a vocal performance style that has become one of the most recognizable aspects of country music. This falsetto brand of singing was developed centuries ago as a means of communication for mountain dwellers, but once Rodgers let loose with his yodel country music has never been the same. (Origin: 1920s. Leaders: Jimmie Rodgers, Wilf Carter, Hank Snow.)
"- Zydeco is an accordion-based stream of Creole dance music that was born in Southwestern Louisiana in the mid-'20s. However, this offshoot of Cajun music didn't become a worldwide sensation until 1984, when Rockin' Sydney's smash novelty hit, My Toot Toot won a Grammy Award. (Origin: 1950s. Leaders: Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys.)"
(VICTORIA TIMES COLONIST)
© Copyright 2004 The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) ¶ 1/22/2004 10:57:00 PM
