39,327
edits
Dead Horse Music Genre: Difference between revisions
update links
m (update links) |
(update links) |
||
| (2 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
Line 4:
A genre of music that music critics [[Hatedom|hate on principle]]. If a band or song is from one of the forbidden genres, it is automatically bad, no matter what the band or song actually sounds like. A music critic who actually likes any of this stuff has to bend over backward, apologizing that these songs are [[Guilty Pleasures]] and they know [[Fan Hater|they shouldn't like the stuff]]. Some critics seem unable to write a review of music they like without an obligatory kick to the dead horse -- "this is so much better than that other crap!" Times when these genres were popular are declared to be the [[Dork Age]].
Amateur music critics on the Web aren't quite as dogmatic as the professionals, because the amateurs aren't part of an establishment that declares who is hot and who is not. But since anybody with an internet connection and music library can be a critic, amateurs often have their own personal
Of course, a lot of these genres really are full of rubbish. But so are genres that the critics like -- [[Sturgeon's Law]] strictly applies. If you're a fan of this stuff and you want reviews, you may have to go to a specialized web site that only covers that one genre.
So why kick a music genre until it's a dead horse? Because music critics regard what they do as [[Serious Business]]. They're trying to calculate the canon of Great Works of Western Music here, and there's no room for anything less. They seem to think that [[Utopia Justifies the Means|if enough people listen to good music]], people will start giving out flowers and candy and overthrow [[The Man]] and cure cancer, but if they listen to bad music, people will have their souls crushed and vote to establish fascism. Critics with strong political beliefs go
Another reason for this is that entire genres have been created by taking a style the musicians hate, and then doing the exact opposite. Critics who like these rebel genres have to pan the ones they rebelled against. Maybe both genres have something to offer? Don't be silly! [[Serious Business|This is music]], and [[With Us or Against Us|there's only one way to do things]].
Line 22:
{{examples|The Big List of Dead Horse Genres:}}
== Arena Rock ==
There ain't no respect for 1970s bands who made songs specifically for arena spectacles, like [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]] and [[REO Speedwagon]]. Critics regard them as pompous, fake, and not real music because their songs aren't really
'''Exceptions Include:'''
Line 58:
'''Exceptions:''' The recent Broadway musical ''[[Avenue Q]]'', due to twisted lyrics and a subject matter for twentysomethings (i.e. [[Dead Baby Comedy]]), is exempt from this criticism. It is unclear whether other musicals with unusual subject matter can break the stigma. Musicals with "Horror" in the title seem to get an exemption also, with quite a few of the songs from ''[[Little Shop of Horrors]]'' and ''[[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]]'' getting a pass from many rock fans. It probably has more to do with the comedy/quirk of the songs than the word "Horror" being attached to the shows, but still. The rock-influenced musical ''Passing Strange'' also seems to get a pass.
Incidentally, musical theater fans have their own Dead Horse Genres: [[Jukebox Musical
== Mainstream Radio ==
Albums by the likes of [[Fleetwood Mac]] or [[Eagles]]
'''Exceptions:''' Professional reviewers like this stuff more (for obvious reasons.) Every now and then, a mega-hit album like the Eagles' ''Hotel California'' [[Crosses the Line Twice]] for amateur
* [[Lady Gaga]] seems to be a more recent exception to this rule. She was near-universally hated by everyone but clubgoers and 13-year-old girls when her first single (Just Dance) hit the radio, and her first album had very mixed reviews. By the time her second album (technically an 8-song addition to the first) hit stores she was a critical darling. Now many, many adults who had originally professed hate have not just grudgingly accepted her but are fervent fans. Both her bluesy live acoustic performances of her dance tracks and her elaborate, ten-minute, symbolism-heavy music videos have helped with this. It is now cooler to worship Lady Gaga than to hate her, even among hipsters who would normally not touch anything produced by a major label. (Well, some of them.)
* [[Adele]] is also a more recent exception to this rule, mostly because she does write some if not most of her own songs, she is a fairly talented singer, and her image, while controversial in its own ways, provides its own appeal as "mainstream but not mainstream."
== Manufactured Bands ==
Probably more of a target for amateur critics than professionals, this genre is also the one that most non-critics who start getting interested in music will hate the most. From Fabian and [[The Monkees]] to N'Sync and [[Britney Spears]], performers who serve as faces for a faceless team of composers are viewed as outright traitors to music. They are the monster, the roots of the evil corporate machine that suppresses true music. They perform catchy but empty pop designed to hypnotize teenagers into becoming shopping-obsessed zombies. They... well, you know the drill. The average critic cares a lot about sincerity, so singers who only sing (instead of writing their own material) are unacceptable (depending on how long ago the artist came to
The older bands suffer the same fate as hair
In Britain, much of the ire for manufactured bands is specifically directed at contestants from ''[[The X Factor]]'' or ''[[Britain's Got Talent|Britains Got Talent]]'' who actually started musical careers. While some manage to acquire mainstream acceptance, many are derided for appealing to the [[Lowest Common Denominator]] and existing solely to "steal" the Christmas Number One single spot with a cover version to validate the existence of the programme (with the back cover of several ''Pop Stars: The Rivals'' VHS tapes actually implying the the Christmas number one was the prize for winning the programme). The backlash against this seems to have culminated with the successful 2009 Facebook campaign to put "[[Rage Against the Machine|Killing In the Name]]" at the top of the Christmas singles chart. Generally, the ire isn't ''really'' directed at [[Scapegoat Creator|the singer themselves]] - evidenced by the success of Leona Lewis and the praise for JLS attempting to be original with their material - but at the system which got them into the position (and [[Mean Brit|Simon Cowell]]).
'''Exceptions:''' The formulaic hit factory of Motown,
As noted above, many critics generally don't hate manufactured artists as much as one would think. [[Britney Spears]]? ''Oops!... I Did It Again'', ''Britney'', ''In The Zone'', ''Circus'' and ''Blackout'' have all averaged around three stars or more in reviews. [[The Monkees]] have also been somewhat [[Vindicated by History]] lately. [[Justin Bieber]] and [[The Jonas Brothers]] also don't receive, for the most part, overly negative reviews on their albums. Indifference moreso than dislike is probably the most common critical reaction.
Line 91:
Nu-Metal is an umbrella term coined in the mid-1990s to refer to music that blends heavy metal elements with other styles, typically [[Industrial]] and [[Alternative Metal]]. Nu-metal is hated by many metalheads, who stereotype it as commercial and musically simple. In fact, there are many that argue nu-metal isn't even a subgenre of metal, although some music critics argue that it is an experimental and diverse genre.
'''Exceptions:''' [[Deftones]] and [[Disturbed]] are more [[Alternative Metal]] than the rest of the bands they're often grouped with, and as a result they are more well-respected; Deftones in particular seem to have attained an [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] status within nu-metal. [[Slipknot]], at least with the release of ''All Hope is Gone'', [[Rescued
[[Limp Bizkit]], being one of the originators of [[Nu-metal]] are still popular, their 2011 release ''Gold Cobra'' sold very well and even received considerable praise from music critics, even the ones who had trashed the band's previous releases.
* Two lesser-known (but still somewhat popular) bands, [[Ill Nino]] and [[Nonpoint]], are also labeled (or were labeled) by many as nu-metal bands. The latter especially, due to their vocalist's rap-like harsh vocal delivery and youthful clean vocals. Nonpoint is still going strong, however, having been a band since the mid-90s, and are ready to release their 7th studio album later this year. Critics love them, though they still consier them nu-metal, with some stating they are 'one of nu-metal's most talented acts', implying the genre still is around in some ways. [[Ill Nino]] is a bit more of a controversial example. [[New Sound Album|All of their albums have a new sound]], so it's debatable that they have moved away from the genre, but even fans agree that their first two releases qualify. Their diversity as writers, as well as their Latin influences have somehow allowed them to get away with the nu-metal label, as the band is very well-received critically and has a rather passionate fanbase in the metal community. Also, while [[Sevendust]] is more of an [[Alternative Metal]] band, they are still classed as nu-metal by some, and nobody dares to insult them.
Line 120:
== Lounge Music/Easy Listening ==
Lounge Music has always earned the loathing of critics even in heyday of the mid-1960s and early 1970s, being typified as the musical equivalent of Valium. 'Easy Listening' derivatives of Jazz especially earn the enmity of rock
'''Exceptions:''' Lounge music may be considered acceptable so long as one is consuming it ironically. Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine have essentially made an entire career of this, exclusively performing lounge covers of various modern pop/rock/rap hits. Easy listening is also acceptable genre on many free music portals on the Internet.
Line 176:
== Ska Punk ==
For about a year between the start of 1996 and the end of 1997, third wave ska was pretty big in America, propelled into the charts by multi-platinum albums like ''[[No Doubt|Tragic Kingdom]]'' and ''[[Sublime]]''. However, after it's brief time in the limgelight third wave ska basically disappeared, and many bands (including [[No Doubt]] and [[The Aquabats!]]) changed their sound.
As far as the fandom went, ska punk occupied an uncomfortable position; it was simultaneously seen as geekish (many ska groups were former band geeks, and there's a curious tendency towards ska musicians being [[One of Us]]) and [[Jerk Jock|fratboyish]] (due to the party anthems many groups became known for and the inclusion of ska songs in late nineties comedy movie soundtracks). Further, third wave ska was often criticised for straying too far from the original Jamaican style (and even the British revivalists who'd been popular in the eighties), hence the derogatory "punk with horns" nickname.
Line 185:
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Public Medium Ignorance]]
[[Category:YMMV Trope]]
| |||