Music Movements

I really had fun with this blog assignment because I love music. Music means so much to me. The idea of portraying a story or idea in such a unique way is so interesting to me. Now, don't get me wrong, there are definitely some genres that I like more than others. Probably my favorite genre is rock though. I am a huge fan of the alternative scene. From classic to grunge to punk to post-hardcore to indie to even emo, I love everything that the rock genre has to offer. I also have a soft side for techno/electronic. There were a few years in highschool that I listened to nothing to artists like Tiesto, Basshunter, and Scooter. Electronic was even the genre that turned me onto rock. Eventhough I'm not a huge fan of Electronic and all of its sub genres that much any more, they still bring back great nostalgia and are always fun to listen to once and a while. Out of all of the movements we were allowed to choose from for this assignment, I definitely picked artists that fell into the rock and dance genre.

THE NINETIES

The first movement I chose was the Nineties. I was born in 1996. So while to some, I'm considered a 90's kid, I personally don't believe I am because I don't vividly remember them. I was four when the new millennium hit, so not much knowledge, let alone music, was obtained during that time in my life. However, as my love for music progressed, I soon discovered the nineties. This mainly happened because I started listening to a 90's station on Pandora and just fell in love with the sound. It really was one of a kind. This was where bands started to really take advantage of the technology at their hands for their songs. The artist that, to me, really paved the ways for new technologies in this era is Radiohead. 

Radiohead is a band that evolves to a new genre with every record they release. They were first known for their grunge sound for their hit song, "Creep." It was the sound that fit the sound of the era. It was released when bands like Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins were at the peak of their success. As Grunge died off, Radiohead saw success in the Experimental rock genre where albums like OK Computer hit stores. Songs like "Karma Police" and "Paranoid Android" saw the beginning of the use of synthesizers and electronic mixed with this alternative rock sound. It was so unique and was very ahead of its time. I think the biggest example of Radiohead utilizing technology, however, is with the album Kid A. It's a full experimental electronica induced songs made it a complete 360 in the opposite direction for this alternative rock band. The first track on the record entitled, "Everything In Its Right Place" uses so many experimental synthesizers and instruments that really puts together such an interesting song.

NEW WAVE

The next movement that I chose was New Wave. Now,  similarly to the Nineties genre, I wasn't born in the Eighties, so I this genre is pretty new to me. As I get older, however, I find myself discovering more and more of these awesome bands. This movement, along with many others, seems to have such a "non-conforming" type theme to it. The one band that really stood out to me was The Smiths.

I recently found a huge liking for The Smiths and never really knew, until I started getting into them, that they were such a big influence to so many of the bands that I love and listen to today. They were really one of the first bands that produced such beautiful messages in such a sad and dramatic way. This, I think, is mainly because of the frontman, Morrissey. What an interesting man. I think he really used video and concert technology to create emphasize this stage presence. 

Their sound was very different from what was being produced at the time. The guitarist, Johnny Marr, creates such beautiful riffs that, when accompanied with Morrissey's vocals and calming guitar synthesizers, can really mesmerize someone.

This song is a great example of how Morrissey uses video technology to emphasize his stage presence. He has a full tree branch in his back pocket which is too deep of a metaphor for me.

ELECTRONIC

The next genre I chose was Electronic. As mentioned before, Electronic holds a special place in my heart. In my opinion, there were definitely a few artists that really made an impact on the use of technology in music. One of the biggest of those artists would have to be Tiesto. I discovered Tiesto also from listening to Pandora. I remember hearing songs like Adagio For Strings and Lethal Industry and just falling in love with the futuristic sounds that it had to offer.

In this music video for his song, "Lethal Industry," you can definitely see why this artist was so influential to the Electronic movement. His stage presence was really something that was new at the time. DJ'ing really became a thing because of artists like him. The way he uses lights and different stage technologies is really unique. The song itself also shows Tiesto using technology to turn a simple 8-bit song into a new aged electronic masterpiece.

DUBSTEP

I'm not really a huge Dubstep fan. There was a time where I tried to get into it, but it's a genre that gets repetitive really easily. Nevertheless, there are artist in the genre that I love and believe are very important on the influence of technology on music. The biggest artist would have to be Skrillex. 

Sonny Moore (better known as the stage name, Skrillex) pretty much created the Dubstep genre while also bringing it to a mainstream audience. Moore himself is such a talented musician. Before Skrillex was even an idea, Sonny was popular in the Post-Hardcore rock scene at the age of 15 where he fronted a band called From First to Last. He made two albums with them before he branched off to work on different genres of music in which later became Skrillex.

I actually found an interview from when Moore was still in From First to Last where he straight up says that all he listens to is electronica. 

Once Moore left From First to Last, it didn't take long before Skrillex formed. This song just kind of shows the the use of all these dubstep-esq synthesizers with the addition of Moore's voice to create something truly one of a kind.

VIRTUAL

The last music movement I chose to write about is the Virtual genre. I think the idea of virtually presenting music to an audience is so futuristic and fascinating. My favorite artist that I think emphasized this movement are The Gorillaz. 

The person behind the Gorillaz is the incredibly talented Damon Albarn. Albarn was actually another musician who started in the rock scene with his band, Blur. 

Albarn found the most of his success, however, with his virtual group, Gorillaz. Never really before was there a DJ/artist who created a full virtual band and stage presence. It was such an advancement in stage technology and really proved to be the next step in visual performances.

Here are some more videos that just showoff the totally new and unique holograms that Albarn did such a good job bringing to the mainstream.