In this week’s edition of Icrontic’s Theme of the Week, we asked our readers to talk about their favorite genres of music. Dozens of them were fondly discussed by dozens of commenters, but we’ve boiled down the list of nominations to the four most popular, as well as a few particularly impassioned cases for some the less-nominated ones.
Classic rock
Classic rock describes a large number of bands and artists from the 1960s through the early 1990s. Which groups actually fall into the category is open to debate, but classic rock acts are normally those from the “rock n’ roll” era, and are typified by strong beats, and skilled guitarists and drummers.
Acts that are said to qualify as classic rock can actually be split into a variety of different sub-genres. For example, progressive rock, hair metal and arena metal are all said to make the grade. To that end, About.com’s top-50 classic rock acts features a wide variety of sounds, including, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Who, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, the Doors and Moody Blues.
Icrontic member Bobby1211 had no trouble deciding his favorite genre.
“Classic rock,” he said. “Ask me who my favorite band is? Pink Floyd. Could listen to them for days and not be bored. I am listening to Ted Nugent as I type. Zeppelin, Foreigner, Bad Co, Bob Seger.”
“If you held a gun to my head, I’d have to say that the genre I listen to most heavily is the classic rock on which I grew up,” GHoosdum agreed under the pressure of decisiveness.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a sub-genre of rock music that dates back to the ’60s as a British movement that desired to make rock music more artistically credible. Progressive rock went beyond standard rock tropes to embrace changes in musical structure and concepts. More instrumental music was added, and many progressive rock artists did “concept albums,” which have an overarching theme.
Prog rock does not follow the normal verse-chorus-bridge structure that defines most popular music, and often incorporates entire instrumental suites. It also expanded the normal instrument lineup to incorporate jazz instruments, classical instruments and electronic sounds. Prog rock bands were actually some of the earliest adopters of new electronic musical technologies. Analog synthesizers, for example, are highly associated with prog rock.
Primesuspect said about prog rock: “It’s not my favorite genre, but I happen to like almost any band that considers themselves such, and I love introducing people to it: Prog rock- Tool, 3, Coheed & Cambria, Rush, Dream Theatre, Pink Floyd, Muse. Bands that tell stories, weave tapestries, take you along for the ride, use science to build music, and more.”
Many members of Icrontic expressed love for group Dream Theater in particular, with UPSLynx saying that, “Dream Theater is a band made up of masters of their respective instruments. Some of the best you’ll find in modern music. I love the complexity of their songs, but equally I love the storytelling they put into each album.”
Classical
Classical music encompasses a huge period in time, from approximately 1000 AD to present. It is largely based in Western liturgical and secular music. While the exact definition of classical can be hard to pin down, it is defined by a few characteristics, chiefly its dependence on heavy instrumentalism. There is classical music for the human voice, which is called opera. Instrumental classical music tends to be written for orchestras and wind ensembles, but solo or small group pieces are not unusual.
In recent years, electronic and modern instruments such as synthesizers and electric guitars have found a place in classical music, but it is safe to say that their involvement is occasional. Classical music is also defined by its form and technical complexity. It is often highly involved, with orchestras that can have dozens of different instruments all adding up to one musical whole.
“I really enjoy classical too, but I find it hard to work to: It grabs my attention too much due to its complexity,” said ChrisWhite.
“I also enjoy classical symphony, with Mendelssohn being one of my favorites,” said Magic, disagreeing slightly with ChrisWhite’s take. “Classical is great because you can put it on in the background and work to it easily or crack it up and enjoy it fully.”
Indie rock
Indie rock rose to prominence in the 1980s in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It refers to independent underground music, or music that was produced independently, or with little input from a large music company. Indie artists are famed and celebrated for embracing their artistic control and vision over conforming to a corporate ideal, which might make them richer and more famous.
Indie rock relies on considerable individual work of the artists, and word of mouth. Controversy can arise if indie rockers end up going more mainstream at some point in their careers–they can be accused of selling out. There are, nevertheless, some artists labeled as indie that are signed to major labels, as sometimes the term refers to a band’s sound, rather than the fact that they are independent.
“While I listen to many genres I often gravitate towards bands that in some way could be defined as Indie/ Indie Rock: The Pixies, Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade, Built to Spill, Pavement, Wilco, Sufjan Stevens,” Grimnoc said.
UPSLynx was also a fan of indie rock: “The thing that I love most about bands like these is the use of minor key. Minor key is the secret ingredient in music that makes me fall in love. Indie rock tends to lean that way, with some bands much moreso than others. Sound dissonance also helps.”
Passionate endorsements
The most popular genres aside, several of our members made particularly poignant cases for lesser-known genres like post-war reggaeton and beach music.
“So, if challenged to say what my absolute favorite genre of music is, I would have to say post war era blues,” said Cliff_Forster. “There is something moving about it, the sweet sorrow, a lonely man and his guitar, the simplicity of the rhythms cultivating from a howling voice begging for mercy, or perhaps loving from his woman.”
“There has always been something that I find deeply masculine about the blues, not that there are not some very good female practitioners. From Muddy Waters, BB King and James Brown to the Rolling Stones, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Tom Petty, to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tracey Chapman, Bonnie Raitt, to Erick Johnson: The common thread is always their foundation in modern post war era blues.”
Meanwhile, UPSLynx expressed his love for a certain, less common brand of rock.
“I really enjoy avant-garde and chamber/post rock. A Silver Mt. Zion, Mogwai, and Explosions in the Sky are some of my favorites,” he said. “There’s just something about lyricless music with haunting melodies that just puts me in a zone.”
“A Silver Mt. Zion especially – that band procures some of the most haunting yet delightful melodies I’ve ever put into my ears. Solemn and almost frightening, and at other times, almost tear-inducing because of the pure sadness in the sound. An overwhelming use of minor key drives this band, and most of the others.”
Black Hawk followed with a nomination that was completely different from the rock genres that dominated the thread.
“It may be just the type of person I am, but it’s really hard for me to get in to lyrics. I could listen to a song a hundred times and even know it by heart yet I still have no clue what it’s about,” he said.
“First thing that attracts me to a song is the rhythm and sound and that’s where Reggaeton comes in. I spent over $2k in car audio because of Reggaeton. Fuck clichés, but I just love that bass and how everything rattles. Since I was 10 that’s what I heard from cars passing by. It grows on you.”
And finally, Icrontic member Pigflipper paid homage to his Florida roots with a nod to beach music.
“After that my favorite genre would have to be beach music. This includes Jimmy Buffett, Beach Boys, and scores of lesser known, Gulf Coast musicians who blend Creole, country, folk, rock and reggae into that ‘classic’ beach sound,” he said.
“There is a radio station on the coast here, based in the city of Apalachicola, called Oyster Radio, that almost exclusively plays classic rock and beach music; once I get within 10 miles of the coast, I put my radio on this station and don’t change it until I leave.”
Until next time
Many thanks to everyone that turned out to speak about their favorite brand of music, and be sure to add your two cents for this week’s theme of the week, which asks our readers to discuss their favorite Star Wars character!
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