R+P Post 3: Music genres that interest me

Indie/Alternative Rock


Indie rock is the primary genre that I listen to, and as such is the one that I know the most about. The primary lo-fi , looser sound of Independent rock arguably started with the release and of the album 'The Velvet underground and Nico' in 1967, which is cited as a major influence by many subsequent, more successful indie bands. The image and ideology of indie rock however, started later with the release of the Buzzcocks 1977 EP, which was created and released without any influence from a major label, the first time this was done to large public attention. However, at this point 'Indie' tends to refer to the sound rather than a band actually creating material independently.

Indie reached more mainstream attention in the 1980s with the success of bands like R.E.M and The Smiths who were notable for their jangly guitar sounds that contrasted with the new-wave and synthpop acts that were seen as the prevailing genres at the time. The 90s saw indie and alternative rock split into different genres, with alt-rock reaching the mainstream thanks primarily to Nirvana and the grunge movement. Indie rock at this point gained it's current image of laid-back coolness courtesy of artists like Beck and bands like Pavement and Neutral Milk Hotel. The music and music videos got vaguer and weirder, in contrast to the depressing, angry music of grunge.

 

In the early 2000s there was a small period where a new wave of indie bands became mainstream, such as the Strokes, The White Stripes and later the Arctic Monkeys. These bands are styled as having a scruffy look usually consisting of t-shirts, old jackets and jeans, as exemplified in the strokes video for the song 'Last Nite', one of the most influential indie songs of this decade.



In the 2010s, indie has taken on a much cleaner, more formal look exemplified by bands such as Two Door Cinema Club and Vampire Weekend. The sound has also become more squeaky clean and usually uses little to no distortion. It is also rarely independently released, but is still considered indie based on their influences.

Garage

While I do not personally enjoy this genre, I believe that it is very relevant to my own musical tastes as I have been surrounded by it my whole life. The genre consists of generally fast-paced beats (Around 140bpm) combined with usually rapping and 'MCing', which consists of someone shouting over the track in an attempt to make it more exciting. While Garage had only a mercifully short time in the spotlight from about 1998-2001, it had a huge influence on the UK music scene, and has directly influenced current UK house music. The image that garage had is also ingrained in UK pop culture, specifically the casual and streetwise look exemplified by Craig David in the music video for 'Fill Me In'.



Garage is also currently in the midst of a resurgance of popularity, with artists such as Disclosure and AlunaGeorge combining the garage basics with genres such as house and R&B. Additionally, many core elements of garage such as pitch-shifted vocals and MCing have been adopted into UK house and Grime music, both of which are arguably at an all-time popularity. The image of garage-leaning artists is still roughly the same a decade later, with an emphasis on a streetwise, urban look.