Heavy Metal – Metal came about in the late 1960s and had a huge impact on society, as rock and metal popularised sex and drugs. Metal associates with blues rock, psychedelic rock, and acid rock and uses similar structures and instrumentation which usually consists of a packed sound with an amplified distortion, that is generally overly loud. The lyrics in metal are mostly to do with with aggression and violence.
Metallica, a heavy metal band from America, fit into this genre with their heavy sounds and aggressive lyrics. In the chorus “Hardwired to self-destruct” this hints to the self aggression and the feeling of anger as he questions “Do you feel that hope is fading?”
Alternative Rock – Alternative Rock is a style of rock music that came from the increase of independent labels in the 1980s. “Alternative” relates to the difference in characteristics from original rock music. Compared to other rock styles, alternative rock lyrics sometimes involve topics of social issues, such as drug use, depression, and suicide.
This song is by Nivarana, an American alternative rock band formed in 1887. This song fits well with the genre style as a few of the lyrics refer to some social concerns. The first line of the lyrics states “Load up on guns” essentially relating to the gun problem that is within America and the self protection that is needed .
Psychedelic – Psychedelic rock is style of rock music which began around the 1960s, which is inspired by psychedelia, or perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The idea of psychedelic music is to reflect mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs, mostly drugs such as LSD, and using this to create a new style of music. Some artists and bands take certain drugs before writing a song which give them the influence and idea of the type of music they produce, however, many psychedelic artists are diverse in style.
Tame Impala, an American band formed in 2007, are one of the most popular psychedelic bands in today’s society. In Australia “nang” is the slang term for N2O, which is an anaesthetic drug. People also use it as a recreational drug because it disassociated you with reality. The song title ‘Nangs’ is a play on this and Tame Impala have tried to create music which represents the way this drug makes you feel.
Indie Pop – Indie Pop is a genre which comes from popular pop genre style structures with its clear and simple sounds. It came about after the rise of independent record labels, just like alternative music, and therefore, more music became independent (indie). Artists usually use common pop structures and instrumentation, such as drums, guitar, bass and vocals, although indie pop artists sometimes use electronics, piano or strings.
The Vampire Weekend are an American band, formed in 2006. Their song ‘Giving Up The Gun’ follows the classic structure of an indie pop song, with the instruments and melody which create a pop like, light sound, however they still represent indie pop music.
Traditional Folk – Folk music is transmitted orally, usually music that is memorised and involves music with which usually has no written rules to the piece. The genre consists of an individual sound with lyrics that tell a specific story. This genre is also known as “acoustic music” as it usually involves acoustic instruments.
Bob Dylan is a singer-songwriter from America. Bob Dylan’s style of music stands out as it has a unique sound and poetical lyrics. His songs tell a story that consumers can appeal. In Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ he says ” Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky, with one hand waving free , silhouetted by the sea” which are powerful poetry, which tells a story, in the form of lyrics.
Alternative Country – Alternative country is a sub-genre of country music and rock music. Alternative country usually plays away from the traditions of mainstream country music as this genre usually incorporates ideas from rock and folk which add a different beat than traditional country music.
The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country band from 1968. There music, as linked above, consists of country, folk and rock all in one. In this song it is clear with the chord progression that it is a sub-genre of country music, however, they have involved some rock and folk structures in order to boost the overall beat and sound of the song.
Classic Blues – Blues began to become more popular in African American music in 1890. The blues, formed around Jazz, works around specific chord progressions, usually consisting of thirds, fifths or sevenths which are flattened in pitch. Blues are most well known for the “walking bass” which is mostly used in this genre and originates from blues music.
This is a song by Muddy Waters which has all of the characteristics of classic blues. The song consists of a specific blues scale, which is very easy to hear as it stands out as one of the most significant characteristics. It also has a strong walking bass which can also be heard.
Acid Jazz – Acid jazz is a genre which consists of jazz, funk and hip-hop. It originally developed in the UK in 1980 and is some what very similar to electronic dance/pop music, and could be seen as the first genre to introduce electronic pop to the music world. Acid jazz usually has continuous loops and a heavy funk bass.
‘Apparently Nothin’ is Young Disciples number one hit. Young Disciples are a British band who focus in the genre acid jazz. This song consists of loops and a funky bass which stands out as one of the most visible instruments in the song.
Barber Shop – Barbershop music is a vocal harmony which came about after the barbershop era, which is where its name originated. Barber shop is a style of a-cappella harmony which is usually a four-part harmony consisting of a chord. Typically the four parts are melody, tenor, baritone and bass.
Here we have a barbershop quartet which consists of a melody, tenor, baritone and a bass. Each person sings their individual part, making sure they have timing and notes perfect to create the a-cappella.
Dubstep – Dubstep is a sub-genre of electronic dance music which is heavily reverberated in the sub-bass. The sub-bass is reverberated at different speeds to give an impression of movement and inconsistency. Dubstep is usually quicker in tempo and consists of heavy beats and rapid drum progressions, depending on the overall tempo.
Skrillex is a popular dubstep artist from America. His work consists of heavy beats however, there is a lot of colour mixed in with the aggressive textures of the song.
Skye McBride 