The 'other' music

I am fascinated by the alternative genre of popular music. Just for starters, I find it curious that a whole collection of artists are comfortable being defined by a synonym for the word “other.” The other question I’ve always wanted answered is what is this genre “alternative” to? As in other contexts where the word “alternative” is used on its own (Alternative Spring Break, alternative apparel), the word is used to refer to the binary of the mainstream sound versus the sound that deviates from the mainstream. I’m going to assume, for the purpose of this blog post, that alternative music is defined largely in contrast to rock and pop. I also think that it’s impossible for artists to not be affected by the connotation of the word “alternative.” Thus the concept of creating music in contrast to the mainstream rock and pop genres is very much a goal for alternative artists, and that’s what I want to explore with this blog post.  

If you look at a list of alternative artists from the last 30 years, you’ll see that it encompasses a huge variety of types of music, and it’s often hard to believe they can all be classified under the same genre.

For example, all of the following artists are considered alternative:

Arcade Fire

Augustana

Beck

Imogen Heap

The Goo Goo Dolls

Iron and Wine

Lifehouse

MGMT

Alanis Morisette

Neon Trees

O.A.R.

The Offspring

Muse

Mumford and Sons

Relient K

U2

… are just a few of the more well-known alternative artists. What I like most about this genre is that it usually features: 1) lyrics that engage the mind, rather than just the hips 2) puns 3) a willingness to break away from the magical “four-chord-song” 4) satirical criticism of commonly accepted practices 5) complex vocals. Because of these elements, I think alternative music is usually represented more fairly than other genres by critics, but it is still worth examining. From the list of artists above I have found examples of the five aspects of alternative music that I listed above, and I’ll tell you why they keep me coming back for more.

Lyrics:

One of mine and my roommate’s favorite verses by Mumford and Sons comes from their song “Winter Winds.”

And if your strife strikes at your sleep/ remember spring swaps snow for leaves/ You’ll be happy and wholesome again/ when the city clears and sun ascends.

The alliteration with the letter‘s’ in a verse so hopeful and encouraging just thrills me to the core. But unfortunately, the artistry reflected in these lines is often taken for granted. Rock and pop songs don’t often present such carefully crafted lyrics. The authenticity of the artists shines through in work like that of Mumford and Sons, whereas it’s often hard for the lyrics to stand out amid the haze of stimulus overload (from heavy use of electric guitar, drums and synthesizer) typical of many rock songs.

Puns:

“And it just kills me how they get away with murder” – “Mood Rings” by Relient K. This pun is simply a classic, and it’s featured in a song playfully pleading the case of every man baffled by women’s ways, but it does so in a clever and respectful way with an infectiously catchy tune. Puns seem to have pervaded alternative music of the last decade much more so than in past decades, as audiences get tired of the same old pick-up lines used over and over in popular music, but can still savor a tongue-in-cheek verse like an inside joke with an old friend.  

Musical creativity:

With every Tom, Dick and Harry learning a couple chords on the guitar to impress his girlfriend these days, artists need to do a little more to distinguish themselves.  Beck stands out with the variety of sounds blended together to create a generally pleasing overall sound, especially in the song “Where it’s at.” The artist ignores the guitar entirely, demonstrating the potential of the keyboard and throwing in some unconventional sounds such as the record scratching.

Social criticism:

U2 lead singer Bono exemplifies the popular singer who has taken up advancing a cause as his personal mission through his music. The song “One” might sound at first like a song bemoaning the difficulties of one-on-one relationships, but Bono reaches deeper, asking the hard questions of why people hurt each other. At the concert I attended in Raleigh, Bono dedicated this song to Aung San Suu Kyi, and delivered a powerful social message through the juxtaposition of her life story and this song’s simple message.

Vocals:

I can’t think of any song that better shows off the emotional power of the voice when it’s allowed to carry a song than “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap. Alternative music has the room to cast off the chains of dependence on fancy fretwork to cover vocal inadequacies, or appease the masses with a drum solo, as many rock and pop songs resort to doing.