Microgenrefication...

[Town Drunk]

What drives me nuts is that one genre to me might not be the same to you. Also so many artists play in so many diferent genre's. For example picture a 60 year old woman who hears her grandson playing an album caled Introduction by an artist named Marty Friedman, she goes to the record store to get a copy of that wonderful music and the clerk says "oh Marty he plays for Megadeath"..... Well you get the idea.


Anyhow rather than worying what Genre somthing is I just find something I like, and go to someplace like Amazon.com where they have the "people who bought this album also enjoyed........

 

[DSBzwo]

a guitarist after a concert said to me (talking about genres):

"You know, you were working your ass of to drop an album. And about 4 weeks after that, you read reviews, people talking about what genre you fit in, to put you hardly worked out album into a drawer, and to wait for the next one"

i think it's gone out of control.... voted 2

 

[Oogadee Boogadee]

I voted for the last choice.

Because it helps me better understand where a band is coming from w/o me having to read their long-ass bio. If is see Rapmetal, I can skip it. Saving me valuable time. I'll know what i'm passing up. If it says Death Metal, I'll read on.. If it doesn't get anymore specific, I'll move on, but wonder what I'm passing up (there is good and bad death metal out there) If it says polish techgrind, then, well, I'll hand it to Mike.

who cares if a few bands are misclassified? it doesn't affect my day, really.
a journalist who knows better wouldn't make the mistake anyway. A clueless one probably has a clueless customer base anyway and they deserve it. hahahahaha. i'm kinda joking, but am kinda not.
if it says

 

[Lankles]

Voted 2. Try using adjectives to differentiate instead of argument-causing subgenres.

 

[Naren]

I voted 3. When I hear that a band is "thrash metal with an industrial influence", I'm very interested and want to hear more. When I hear "Rap metal with a heavy country influence", I want to get far far away. If both of those were simply labeled "metal", I'd be equally interested, but then realize that I love the first and hate the second after listening. It saves me time.

Now, I don't believe in narrowing yourself to one genre. I played in one band that had influences from: goth, metal, industrial, hardcore punk, soft rock, blues, jazz, and classical. Most people just said we were "metal" because that was the "main" group the sound fit with.

 

[Drew]

See the problem with that argument though, guys, is in my experience there's a couple decent bands in most genres. Hell, it's possible that there could be a rap/metal band with a country influence that happens to just kick ass - if you write them off without hearing them, it's possible you'll miss out. Call 'em a metal band, and you'll at least give them a spin. It's the difference between, "Ew, i don't like that genre, pass," and "Metal, eh? Hmm... Man, this is TOTALLY not the kind of thing I listen to, but god damn these guys are good."

Case in point, I used "nu-metal" in that Boy Hits Car thead I started ages ago, and didn't get a single response. Those guys kick ass though, and had I not called 'em that, they'd probably have gotten a few listens. Sure, they're probably nu-metal, when push comes to shove... but they're GOOD, whatever they are.

 

[Naren]

No, Drew. There is no way a rap-metal band with a country influence can kick ass. You mix country with just about anything and it becomes incapable of kicking ass. I like to know if there is country influence in something, so that I can avoid it like the plague. Country is the only genre that I can say I officially hate. I'd rather listen to polka or elevator music than listen to country...

I would check out a "Nu Metal" band. In fact, I always do. And then I decide after listening whether I like it or not. Country? No way. I'm not gonna waste my time.

 

[Jeff]

I hate genres. I recently downloaded Flyleaf from iTunes, because I really dug their single. Turns out I like the whole thing. Then somebody goes "I thought you didn't like emo?"

Supposedly they're emo. Whatever. I am so damn tired of labels. I thought it was just rock.

 

[noodles]

You mix country with just about anything and it becomes incapable of kicking ass. I like to know if there is country influence in something, so that I can avoid it like the plague.

*cough* Johnny Cash *cough*

Might as well stop listening to music, because that man influenced everyone that later went on to invent rock n' roll.

 

[FredGrass]

Yeah there's a lot of us that can't stand country but you gotta give credit where credit is due. Any profound piece of music is going to have an effect on every record that comes after that, either directly or indirectly, so long as the world can hear it. Particularly in America, country music is a big, big thing. Like Noodles said, rock and roll and all of its illegitimate offspring owe hugely to country music. Chuck Berry and Elvis were rock and roll, but it was just loud country with an edge. It's good shit.

Back on topic though, I love and hate genrefication simultaneously. It does give you an idea of what to expect, which could lead you in the direction of some bands that you really dig, but you might have made up your mind before you hear the band. For instance, if I hear the word emo anywhere near a band's name, I instantly and (for the most part) irreparably hate them with all of my cold, black heart, even if they are talented musicians. So basically genrefication gives us a reason to continue in a pattern of ignorance, while also allowing us some degree of "safe" exploration. I say "safe" because you're not wandering aimlessly through shelves and shelves of records at the record store, but instead going into a section that typically has a sound you enjoy. But the problem here is that a lot of times the sound within a genre is consistent while the actual content and musicianship, etc., are extremely varied. So sub-genres help alleviate that problem, but they're super confusing. To this day, I'm not quite sure what makes death metal, death metal, other than growled vocals, which are present in so many other genres that I never have any idea when I hear a pure death metal band, or whether I'd even be inclined to listen to it. So they don't play too much a part in my musical life, other than to keep me away from whine-ass bastards.

And someone (actually a lot of someones) were saying "Rap is crap" and acting like that's the end of the story, but it ain't. Music made in the style of any of the several genres of Hip-hop can be just as musical, arftul, and enjoyable as any other genre, once you open your mind's eye and let yourself enjoy it. Anyone who tries to tell me that cats like KRS-One, Tupac, or Eminem have no talent, is someone that is up to their chin in bullshit. It may not sound wonderful to everyone but these men assemble words and tones and styles of delivery in such ways and with such style that most of us can only dream. It's kind of like saying rock sucks cock after all you've heard is three Zep tracks that you didn't like. It's without merit. As with any genre, sometimes you just gotta dig to find the really good shit.

Imagine emo rap? That would be God awful.

I think I'm done.



EDIT: BTW - I chose the second option.

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

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.



* 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.

I actually like to throw on tool's "Lateralus" album whilst washing dishes, works surprisingly well, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd are good for this too.
[IMHO]

I know, I'm little odd. But I find these bands very inspirational both personally and musically.

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."

I never knew that sounds were capable of this. I sure hope it doesn't happen to me anytime soon.

*puts on cup, and proceeds to stay at least seven feet away from amp at all times to prevent ball grab-age*