Using the internet?or your phone, listen to the following songs: ‘One’ by Metallica ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana ‘Paranoid?Android’ by Radiohead After liste

Unit 8

Readings and Resources

Textbook or eBook:

Campbell, M. (2019).  Popular music in America. 5th ed. Cengage Learning.

The two units below explore the music from the 1990s and beyond, including punk, alternative, heavy metal and grunge. Emphasis is placed on the grunge movement, as a reflection of American society as this time and the personal struggles experienced by musicians as they attempted to stay authentic in an increasingly commercialized society.

· Chapter 19: Alternatives (pgs 356-373)

· Chapter 20: Popular Music in the 21st Century (pgs. 374-388)

Articles, Websites, and Videos:

One of the most significant musical figures in the grunge movement was Kurt Cobain from Nirvana. This video details his life and the sound he sought to create.

· MVD. (2015, Mar 17).  Kurt cobain: The early life of a legend .

· From Punk to Alternative

CH. 84

84-1The Alternative Movement

Alternative was a grassroots movement to restore integrity and importance to rock. Bands toured relentlessly, going from one small club to the next. (The Bird, Seattle’s first punk rock club, had an official capacity of 99 people, although twice that many routinely crowded into the club.) They recorded low-budget albums on their own or on independent labels and sold many of them at performances. Some got airplay on college radio stations; during the eighties, commercial stations seldom programmed songs by alternative bands. Many developed loyal, even fanatic, followings; some fans published or wrote for fanzines. Occasionally, bands attracted attention from outside critics and fans: Rolling Stone selected Murmur, R.E.M.’s first album, as the best album of 1983.

Because it started out on such a small scale, the world of alternative music was far more personal. Fans, writers, and others who supported the music felt a sense of ownership. Usually, they had gone the extra mile or two to seek out bands to follow. They bought their recordings. Perhaps they had gotten to know members of the band, done some of the grunt work, or written for a fanzine. The sense of connection went beyond the music; as the Minutemen, one of the pioneer alternative bands, sang, “Our band could be your life.” So when a band caught on—signed with a major label; played on big, well-organized tours; made videos; appeared on MTV—fans felt betrayed, or at least marginalized.

Success was also a concern for the musicians. The experience of becoming a rock star helped drive Kurt Cobain to suicide. His suicide note alludes to this.

I feel guilty beyond words about these things, for example when we’re backstage and the lights go out and the manic roar of the crowd begins. It doesn’t affect me in the way which it did for Freddie Mercury, who seemed to love and relish the love and admiration from the crowd, which is something I totally admire and envy. The fact is, I can’t fool you, any of you. It simply isn’t fair to you, or to me. The worst crime I can think of would be to pull people off by faking it, pretending as if I’m having one hundred percent fun. Sometimes I feel as though I should have a punch-in time clock before I walk out on-stage. I’ve tried everything within my power to appreciate it, and I do, God believe me, I do, but it’s not enough. —Kurt Cobain

It is painful to read how fame caused Cobain to lose the thing that he valued the most. In 1994, he cancelled Nirvana’s appearance at Lollapalooza, the Woodstock-like touring festival that helped catapult alternative into the mainstream, then took his life.

It’s ironic that “rock that mattered” became an alternative to mainstream music, rather than the heart of it, in less than two decades. Even though many of the sixties artists whose music mattered the most—artists such as Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, the Velvet Underground—were never mainstays on the singles charts, there was a sense of common purpose between them and acts such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones that did have a real pop presence. Moreover, they had the support of those behind the scenes, from major labels eager to book the next important act to free-form radio and festivals like Woodstock.

That wasn’t the case in the eighties. For the most part, the mainstream had evolved away from this change-the-world attitude. Acts like Springsteen and U2—acts that said something important to a lot of people—were the exception, not the rule. Most of the other integrity-first bands were simply an alternative to the mainstream.

84-1aAlternative: A Neo-Traditional Trend

Alternative began as a neo-traditional movement: Recapturing the sense of importance that characterized rock in the sixties and punk and new wave music in the seventies was its primary goal. However, the message was different. Alienation replaced the heady optimism of the sixties as the dominant theme. Musically, alternative derived most directly from punk and new wave. Tempos were fast, rhythms were busy, sound levels were generally loud—and sounded louder because of the small spaces in which they played. The point of departure was the garage band. The core instrumentation was typically vocals, a guitar or two, bass, and drums, although bands often went beyond this basic lineup.

As the movement gained momentum in the latter part of the eighties, it diversified by infusing elements of other rock-era substyles—such as funk, metal, and electronica—into its punk core or by imparting a more modern sensibility to genres that had come and gone, such as ska and the music of the early seventies singer-songwriters. Common ground became more a matter of attitude and commercial presence (or lack of it—bands flew under the radar of big music) than musical similarity. The first  Lollapalooza  tour (1991)—an important outlet for alternative music in the nineties—featured such diverse acts as Jane’s Addiction (the festival was band member Perry Ferrell’s idea), Nine Inch Nails, and Ice-T and Body Count. None of these is a “pure” post-punk band.

With the sudden and surprising success of grunge in the early nineties, alternative music wrestled with the tension between high-mindedness and commercial success. In the early twenty-first century, alternative is as much a music industry label as it is a statement of purpose.

84-1bFrom Punk to Alternative

The boundary between punk and new wave on the one hand and alternative on the other seems more geographic than temporal or musical. The formation of the first alternative bands occurred around 1980, when the careers of bands like the Clash, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, and Talking Heads were at a high point. Their music represents a stylistic continuation of punk and new wave; there is no radical difference between the two at the beginning.

However, alternative took root in college towns throughout the United States rather than in major metropolitan areas. The size of the town wasn’t as important as the size of the university; it was the student body that provided the most enthusiastic support for these bands. Active regional scenes, in the United States and ultimately throughout the world, would become a hallmark of alternative music.

84-2Early Alternative Rock

The two bands most responsible for starting the alternative music movement were Hüsker Dü, based in St. Paul, Minneapolis (home of the University of Minnesota), and R.E.M., formed in Athens, Georgia (home of the University of Georgia). Both locales were well outside the New York-London axis where punk and new wave flourished. Hüsker Dü (the group took their name from a Swedish board game whose name means “Do you remember?”) began as a hardcore punk band trying to out-Ramone the Ramones. Their music occasionally ventured beyond this frenetically paced music toward a more moderate and melodic style. Although admired as an important influence on the new alternative movement, Hüsker Dü never crossed over to a more mainstream audience. R.E.M., however, did. R.E.M. was formed in 1980 by guitarist Peter Buck (b. 1956) and vocalist Michael Stipe (b. 1960). Buck and Stipe recruited bassist Mike Mills (b. 1958) and drummer Bill Berry (b. 1958), agreed on a name (REM is the acronym for “rapid eye movement,” a defining characteristic of the lightest stage of sleep), then performed relentlessly. They quickly became favorites of the local underground rock scene, playing college bars and parties while waiting for their big break, which came quickly.

“Radio Free Europe,” their first hit, helped put the band on the rock music map and establish the essentially retrospective orientation of alternative music. It has the bright tempo, clean rhythm, and lean sound associated with David Bowie and new wave bands. The texture is spare in the verse; by contrast, the chorus features a much richer texture because of the jangly, reverberant guitar figuration and the active bass line underneath Stipe’s vocals.

Characteristically for R.E.M., the lyric is as elliptical as the music is clear. The words are intelligible, but what do they mean? By their own admission, the band has deliberately written nonspecific lyrics. As Michael Stipe said in a late-eighties interview, “I’ve always left myself pretty open to interpretation.”

The sharp and sudden contrasts between verse and chorus provide a foretaste of what would become a defining feature of alternative music: dramatic, often jarring contrasts within songs. And Buck’s flashback to a guitar sound directly descended from the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn provides an early instance of the infusion of alternative’s punk base with elements from other retro styles.

From the start, the fundamental creative tension in punk has been power versus expressive range. The challenge for bands was to broaden the range without dampening the impact. In the seventies, this tension was manifested in the different paths of punk and new wave music. In the eighties, it was evident in the numerous punk offshoots, most notably in the numerous post-punk substyles, such as  no wave . The most successful no wave band, critically and commercially, is Sonic Youth.

84-4Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth is a four-person band formed in 1981. During the peak of its career in the latter part of the eighties and early nineties, the band members were guitarists Thurston Moore (b. 1958) and Lee Ranaldo (b. 1956), bassist-guitarist Kim Gordon (b. 1953), and drummer Steve Shelley (b. 1963).

“Hey Joni” begins with low synthesizer drone that is gradually surrounded by extraneous noises. This abruptly gives way to the refrain of the song, in which both the connection and the distance from punk are evident. Drummer Shelley raps out a fast, straightforward rock rhythm—the kind that one expects to hear in a typical punk song. However, both guitarists alternate between conventional power chords and more dissonant and intricate figuration. An alternative effect comes to the forefront during the interlude between refrain and verse. Syncopated riffs in one guitar part compete with high-register figuration that use the more delicate sound of  harmonics  (musicians create the sound of harmonics on a stringed instrument by depressing the string only partway at certain points; this creates higher-pitched sounds with a distinctive ring). Other similar effects, such as the “Wipeout”-inspired glissando, follow in the verse and subsequent instrumental interludes. The changes in texture, which are concentrated in the middle registers, create a kaleidoscopic effect.

For Sonic Youth, sonic variety is key. Although they start from a basic rock-band instrumentation, they create magical sounds with the interplay of often discordant riffs and figuration and by employing special effects, such as the harmonics used here. The song melds the energy of punk with the glorious guitar sounds and noises for which the group is known.

Although Daydream Nation remains their most respected and best-known album, Sonic Youth has continued to evolve and explore new directions. Their tour with then barely known Nirvana was captured on the DVD 1991: The Year Punk Broke. Their work, and especially the innovative guitar sounds and noises, have influenced more recent alternative bands.

Listening Cue

“Hey Joni” (1988)

Gordon,

Moore,

Ranaldo,

Shelley

Sonic Youth.

STYLE No wave ⋅ FORM Verse/chorus based–lyrics repeat, but no real melody; spoken sections and extended instrumental interludes

Listen For …

INSTRUMENTATION

Vocals, synthesizer, guitars, bass, drums

PERFORMANCE STYLE

Monotone singing/speaking; array of magical guitar sounds, e.g., harmonics

RHYTHM

Fast tempo with punk-like rock beat is the norm, but with considerable variation in instrumental interludes, such as double-time drums, and less marking of the rock beat

MELODY

No melody to speak of in the vocal line: mainly sung on one note or spoken. Guitar figuration melodically interesting

TEXTURE

Dramatic contrasts between loud, punk-like textures in vocals vs. more delicate and rhythmically subtle texture in instrumental interludes

Remember …

PUNK INFLUENCE

Punk tempo and rhythm, marked clearly by the drummer in vocal sections

UNUSUAL TEXTURES

Dense in the middle range because of multiple riffs and figuration, often with little or no bass; strong contrasts between vocal and instrumental sounds

AN ARRAY OF GUITAR EFFECTS

From conventional distortion to harmonics and the “noise halos” that surround guitar pitches

MELODY VS. HARMONY

Single-pitch “melody” supported by jarring, often discordant harmonies, often layered on top of each other

Listen to this selection in the unit playlist.

CH. 85

Other Alternatives: Heavy Metal and Alternative Fusions in the 1980s

85-1The Revival of Heavy Metal

In the 1980s, heavy metal gained momentum through an influx of new bands—Megadeth, AC/DC, Motörhead, Judas Priest, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Twisted Sister, Scorpions, and Metallica—and a new generation that responded to their music. Young males made up most of the heavy metal fan base in the eighties. In the wake of the economic hard times in both Great Britain and the United States, many faced a bleak future. They felt out of the loop, especially during the eighties, when the gap between rich and poor widened so dramatically. They responded to the recurrent themes in heavy metal: the occult, sexual dominance (often to the point of misogyny), rage, frustration, protest, and—above all—power.

And it was the music above all that conveyed the power. Most characteristically, heavy metal was loud to the point where a listener felt it as much as heard it. The sound was heavily distorted, a sign both of power (distortion originally came from overdriving amplifiers) and defiance (distortion was originally an undesirable byproduct of amplification, to be avoided if possible).

Performances were a communion between musicians and their audience. Bands preached to the converted. Fans knew the words to songs (from liner notes), even though they were often unintelligible in performance. Stage shows were typically spectacles on a grand scale, comparable to an elaborate pagan ritual. In response, metalheads engaged in  headbanging , heavy metal’s version of dancing. In the familiarity of the audience/congregation with the songs, their involvement in the performance, and the sense of power that they experienced during the event, a heavy metal concert was more like a religious rite than a conventional concert.

85-1aThe Sounds of 1980s Heavy Metal

Heavy metal was never a monolithic style, but in the eighties it became even more diverse. Substyles, often based on a single feature, proliferated. By the end of the decade, there was speed metal, thrash metal, death metal, industrial metal, and more. Its diversity was also due to its blending with other styles; during the eighties, heavy metal came in several grades of purity. Distortion remained metal’s sound signature, but “pure” heavy metal was far more than a rock song played with distortion.

As evidenced in the music of top eighties bands such as Metallica and Megadeth, a heavy metal song is a far cry from standard rock, rhythm and blues, or pop fare. Here are some of the most striking differences:

· Distortion is typically more extreme than in conventional hard rock. Metal bands compensated for nonmetal bands’ use of distortion by increasing distortion to the point that it obscured pitches.

· Instrumentation is basic: Metal bands use core rock instrumentation. Synths, saxes, and other sounds are stylistic impurities.

· It is not tuneful music. Vocal lines tend to be more incantation than melody.

· The ratio of instrumental sections to vocal sections is much higher than in most other rock-based styles. In addition to extended solos, where lead guitarists show off their prowess, there are also long passages with no vocal lines. These typically consist of a series of intricate riffs.

· It typically avoids conventional harmony. Power chords rule, but complete harmonies and chord progressions are the exception rather than the rule.

In its sprawling form—from the gentle, almost flamenco-like opening to the abrupt ending; relatively little emphasis on vocal lines; musical sophistication (e.g., there are several shifts from four-beat to three-beat measures); and deep contrast from dark and moody beginning to powerful conclusion—“One” demands a lot from its listeners. The music is as uncompromising and grim as its message.

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