Microgenrefication...

[Toshiro]

While I think Genres are needed, I think whoever coined "Melodic" as a genre label should be shot. To be music is has to have melody, so calling something "Melodic-Whatever" is fucking redundant to me. 2 recent morons I've talked to have tried to classify a couple bands as "Melodic Thrash" and "Melodic Power Metal". I'm like "WTF, both those genres rely heavily on melody to begin with, using Melodic makes you sound like an idiot...." Melodic Death Metal should have gotten a better classification, IMO.

The -core fools are the worst, "Slappy-tap-dance-screamo-emo-punk-core". Losers.

 

[Drew]

I voted "I hate genres." I just resent any attempt at classification of something that by its very nature should defy classification. Either the names have to be made to fit the music (and are thus useless), or the music is being made to fit the genre, and is thus being limited by it.

That said, genres are amusing. I'm totally going to invent the "Boston hardcore" genre. Currently, I have no idea what it sounds like (aside from it kicks the crap out of NYHC), but I don't see that as a major holdup.

 

[b3n]

While I think Genres are needed, I think whoever coined "Melodic" as a genre label should be shot. To be music is has to have melody, so calling something "Melodic-Whatever" is fucking redundant to me. 2 recent morons I've talked to have tried to classify a couple bands as "Melodic Thrash" and "Melodic Power Metal". I'm like "WTF, both those genres rely heavily on melody to begin with, using Melodic makes you sound like an idiot...." Melodic Death Metal should have gotten a better classification, IMO.

The -core fools are the worst, "Slappy-tap-dance-screamo-emo-punk-core". Losers.

I take it you don't listen to much MelodiCore then?

 

[Toshiro]

I take it you don't listen to much MelodiCore then?

Outside some grindcore(namely Napalm Death and old Carcass) I don't listen to any "core" anything.

 

[SevenatoR]

You need SOME genre information...but it's so ridiculous now. Everything has to be pigeonholed and every note/scale/progression/structure analyzed to the point of insanity. Who cares? Does it slam? Is it supposed to slam? Do you like it? Then it's great. Rock on.

 

[Drew]

I personally like my dad's system - there are essentially two genres of music, "good dishwashing music" and "bad dishwashing music." Good dishwashing music is good music to listen to while washing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen (my dad has ideological issues with automatic dishwashers, much to my mom's chagrin). It includes The Rolling Stones, Tom Waits, Live, Nirvana (specifically, "Unplugged,") Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Joe Cocker, John Prine, Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, earlier Ray Charles, Kenny Burrell, Blues Traveler, the White Album, and Beethoven's more violent side, amongst others.

Bad dishwashing music, meanwhile, is music that isn't inspiring while washing dishes. He doesn't listen to bad dishwashing music.

Perfectly simple.



[action=Drew]would like to point out that while he's obviously half-joking here, he looks up to his dad tremendously and wouldn't be half the musician he is today without his parents' support, and really when push comes to shove thinks it's a pretty good system. As cool as Meshuggah is, it just doesn't cut it when you're scrubbing pots and pans.[/action]

 

[bigsethmeister]

We just need two genres:

Stuff I Listen To
and
Crap

 

[noodles]

I personally like my dad's system - there are essentially two genres of music, "good dishwashing music" and "bad dishwashing music."

Too scary. My father breaks stuff up into "good while working in the garage/bad while working in the garage".

 

[Cancer]

Genre names can be useful, but to honest, at least for me, its gotten really ridiculous in the metal scene, and needs to stop. All of the subgenre are not only confusing and misleading, its also restricting the to both the fan and the artist alike...

ex...if you're in a death metal band,and you throw in a keyboard part, are you black metal now???, what if your singer wears a mask instead of corpsepaint, are they now a Slipknot clone??? What if he sings fast, is it rapcore now, or does he just sing fast. I could go on and on.... and its getting ridiculous.

And anyone that reads this board knows what I'm talking about. By now, the seven string SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THE SIX STRING AS THE INSTRUMENT OF CHOICE IN METAL, but it hasn't, why? , because of these stupid genre divisions. 4 years ago, anyone plcking up a sevenstring would have been instantly branded a Korn wannabe, so many players didn't switch over, why, becasue they didn't want to get labeled as a Korn wannabe.

Note: I am not blaming Korn, far from it, at this point they could very well be a victim of genre labels as the rest of us. Think they're goina to introduce a blast beat anytime soon, or maybe even a fast picking part, NO, because of the fucking genre labels.

I mean c'mon, even Glenn Tipton owns a rg 7620, and publicly proclaimed the seven string to be the worthy successor to the 6, and this man practically invented METAL.

Only the bravest of the player, with a strong sense of drive and direction, could avoid being trapped by genre labels artistically, only to produce something and then have to wonder "Well , what kid should I try and sell this to???"....

I miss the days when Slayer, Iron Maiden , and COC were just considered METAL, none of these stupiid little adjectives to confuse the issues, splinter the crowds, and make my job as an artist harder.

To me, metal is metal, and its pretty easy for even someone's grandmother to tell whats "metal" and what's not, so why split the minions up further.

I guess, in a weird way, I should thank Sharon Osbourne for mixing up the genres, although her interests are clearly more financial, as opposed to artistic.

Damn, didn't mean to write a book.

Again....ridiculous....look at this page...its fucked up.

 

[evil]

Holy shit! I was just ranting about this the other day!

I agree with the person above me. Metal was cooler when it was just metal, pure, unadulterated, forged deep withing the bowels of a black, angry soul for the simple purpose of sonic manifestation of angst and/or hatred towards other souls.

 

[Drew]

Too scary. My father breaks stuff up into "good while working in the garage/bad while working in the garage".

Haha, that's awesome.

It's a brilliant system, though, isn't it?

 

[dpm]

I split things into three genres -

Stuff I like

Stuff I don't particularly like but can respect that others do

Big piles of stinking turd

 

[smueske]

Man, I totally agree that labeling is completely useless. It's definitely just for marketing. Everyone wants to sound completely different. Hey, I've got an idea, we'll invent a name that corresponds with our sound. When people ask what I do, I say "Noodle around in my studio until something grabs me by the balls."

 

[bostjan]

When people ask what I do, I say "Noodle around in my studio until something grabs me by the balls."

 

[Metal Ken]

Man, I totally agree that labeling is completely useless. It's definitely just for marketing.

Not necessarily. I dig the catergorizational aspects of it. If someone can describe to me something that sounds like something i know, using 'labels', i can kinda already have a preconcieved notion of what it'll sound like, i dig that.

 

[Jeff]

I think Chris, being the programmer here, should develop an app that simply decides which genre it is that a particular band belongs to. For example:

1. Did your wife leave you? Yes
2. Did your dog die? Yes
3. Did your pickup truck break down? Yes

Answer: Country

Modifier: done to dance beat

= modern pop country

 

[Drew]

I think Chris, being the programmer here, should develop an app that simply decides which genre it is that a particular band belongs to. For example:

1. Did your wife leave you? Yes
2. Did your dog die? Yes
3. Did your pickup truck break down? Yes

Answer: Country

Modifier: done to dance beat

= modern pop country

1.) does your track "feature" anyone else?

Answer: Rap

 

[Mastodon]

Ha circus metal. I'd love to hear some of that.

 

[bostjan]

heh this could be fun.

Did your girlfriend leave you? yes
Did you want to kill yourself because of it? yes
All in a whiny voice with some screaming between whines? yes

Answer: emo.

 

[Cancer]

I believe for the most part that metal is metal. Rap is Crap. Blues is blues, etc...

I tell people that I play metal, because that's what I play. What subgenre??? who gives a rat's backside?!?! Although I have been known to seperate Death metal from the whole metal umbrella, not sure why

Maybe because Death metal had the most constricting genre requirements of any of the "metals" out there, maybe becuase stepping outside "ANY" of those boundaries will cause you to lose your Death Metal badge on the spot.

I love Death metal, played it for years, but one thing used to continually piss me off.

However, it does make it really easy to know what needs to done in order to ascend to greatness in that genre.