Is grunge a genre, a movement/peer group, or a marketing…
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Is grunge a genre, a movement/peer group, or a marketing tag?
It’s a quite common question. My answer would be: all of them, in some ways.
Even though Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam don’t sound identical (or sometimes even that similar), they overlap in a few key ways. First, there’s the thick distortion and “murky”/dirty tone, with riffs built from power chords and memorable, repeating figures.
Second, the guitar approach is often less flash, more punch, but with a heavier and sometimes slower gait so songs can feel aggressive without always being fast. The same is true for the drums, which tend to sound weighty and driving rather than flashy.
Third, many songs use strong contrasts and gear changes quiet or controlled sections that flip into loud, distorted climaxes.
Fourth, the vocals often sound emotionally exposed, strained, and intense closer to a raw, deliberately unrefined shout or cry than a polished rock belt.
Fifth, the lyrics are often quite existential.
Finally, many records keep the edges and treat distortion, room sound, and imperfections as part of the expression.
At the same time, many musicians and critics argue that it’s more of a scene label or marketing tag than a clean musical category (which I also think is true, because they themselves said so, but also because the term was used quite late).
But I would also say that it is/was a peer group. Based on Interviews they knew each other, mostly came directly from Seattle, and were roughly the same age. They also often came from similar backgrounds.
#rock #music
source
It’s a quite common question. My answer would be: all of them, in some ways.
Even though Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam don’t sound identical (or sometimes even that similar), they overlap in a few key ways. First, there’s the thick distortion and “murky”/dirty tone, with riffs built from power chords and memorable, repeating figures.
Second, the guitar approach is often less flash, more punch, but with a heavier and sometimes slower gait so songs can feel aggressive without always being fast. The same is true for the drums, which tend to sound weighty and driving rather than flashy.
Third, many songs use strong contrasts and gear changes quiet or controlled sections that flip into loud, distorted climaxes.
Fourth, the vocals often sound emotionally exposed, strained, and intense closer to a raw, deliberately unrefined shout or cry than a polished rock belt.
Fifth, the lyrics are often quite existential.
Finally, many records keep the edges and treat distortion, room sound, and imperfections as part of the expression.
At the same time, many musicians and critics argue that it’s more of a scene label or marketing tag than a clean musical category (which I also think is true, because they themselves said so, but also because the term was used quite late).
But I would also say that it is/was a peer group. Based on Interviews they knew each other, mostly came directly from Seattle, and were roughly the same age. They also often came from similar backgrounds.
#rock #music
source
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