Post 12: Alternative Rock

Alternative rock is a British/American subgenre of rock music that emerged in the 1980’s and became widely popular during the 90’s. This particular style of rock had its groundwork laid out by punk rock of the 70’s. Although a handful of alternative rock artists established considerable fame via mainstream recognition, most of the artists of this subgenre remained underground through independent labels, word of mouth, and college radio broadcasting. Nevertheless, with the sprawl of American grunge and Britpop movements in the 90’s, alternative rock gained mainstream fame and commercial success. As with general rock music characteristics, alternative rock music consists of prominent use of electric guitar, emphasis on singing in a small ensemble, distinct four-beat system, and simple harmonic progressions. However, what differentiates alternative rock from any other rock forms is that its lyrics tend to address themes of social issues rather than delicate topics of romance. Subjects involving drug abuse, depression, and environmentalism seem to have been developed as a reflection of the societal and economic stress in the United States and the Great Britain during the past decades. Also, alternative rock could be referred to as an umbrella term for a wide range of rock subgenres including the sounds of dirty guitars (grunge), gothic rock, Britpop, and twee pop.

The alternative rock/grunge band Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from the hit album Nevermind is a good example of alternative rock music that illustrates a rather dramatic change in dynamics from verse to chorus.

0:00 - the lead guitarist starts off the music with the main chord pattern
0:08 - as the drummer comes in, the bass guitar joins as well and the main chords are heard loudly
0:18 - lead guitarist backs down to let the bass guitar carry on the melody
0:27 - lead guitarist starts singing the first verse
1:00 - start of the main chorus; singer's voice gets harsh/husky, music gets louder and exciting
(the "grunge" portion)
1:30 - back to similar style as in 0:18 and the cycle goes on with second verse
2:47 - after the second cycle, the guitars mimic the singing melody
3:10 - third verse starts
4:18 - continuation of grunge chorus with different lyrics (repetition of "a denial")