=
×

Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

Head To Head
Log In
Register
Unsung Forum »
The pop of today
Log In to post a reply
97 messages
Topic View: Flat | Threaded
Dog 3000
Dog 3000
4611 posts

Re: Curmudgeon, but it's the economics of media
Feb 27, 2008, 01:32
Didn't Aaliyah die, like, ten years ago? She was hooked up with Missy & Timbaland, so her stuff didn't totally suck. I was still hearing pop I liked as recently as about 2002.

I don't really make any distinction between the "pop" and "popular rock" -- which is to say, I wouldn't call Nickleback (or whoever) a "rock band" but rather a "pop group with a rock image." Same for skate-punk (Blink 182), emo (My Favorite Dashboard, Tomorrow's Fiercer Breakfast*), and most rap (50 Cent, Ying Yang Twins, etc.)

It seems to me that the "actual rock genres" like punk, metal, rap, reaggae, etc. are primarily defined by allegiance to subculture codes ("real metal" bands don't do ballads, etc.) -- though the surface appearances are easily appropriated as pop imagery (but just cuz Pat Boone once did a metal album doesn't make him "metal"!)

Subcultures happen outside of the mainstream media almost by definition -- and once the media picks up on them, they aren't subgenres anymore (as soon as the 80's underground thing was packaged as "grunge", complete with official uniforms and slang, it was OVER.)

Seems to me the historia de la rock is mostly a story of different subgenres bubbling out of the promordial pool of music to replace/revitalize/transform those that came before. 70's punk is partly inspired by glam which fed off of garage rock which fed off of old timey 50's rock; in turn the 70's punk inspire the 80's indie scene which leads to grunge and eventually reachs maximum commidification as the soundtrack for skateboard promotions (Blink 182 et al! No longer a musical subgenre, now just another "pop image.")

I can't think of anything "new" in popular music or "rock" since the grunge/rave/hiphop trifecta in the 90's. If something's been happening lately that I missed, please fill me in!







* if nothing else the emo movement provides endless fun making up fake band names!
In reply to:
Re: Curmudgeon, but it's the economics of media (singingringingtree)
Topic Outline:
Unsung Forum Index