Alternative rock
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Alternative rock features
Alternative rock is a sub-genre of rock music. It emerged in the mid ‘80s from the independent underground music scene, becoming popular in the 90s. The term “alternative” relates to its being different from the mainstream music genres, featuring distorted guitar sounds, aggressive lyrics and a rebel attitude. The genre describes a generic and diverse rock scene, heir to the punk rock music of the ‘70s. The Nirvana’s debut in 1991 marked a new wave of alternative rock. Those bands that signed with major labels entered the mainstream while preserving their hard and distorted sounds and attitude; other bands preferred to stick to the underground scene, and went on experimenting and keeping their artistic independence.
Alternative rock top ten albums
Radiohead - OK ComputerR.E.M. - Murmur
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Nirvana - Nevermind
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Pixies - Doolittle
The Replacements - Let It Be
Jawbox - For Your Own Special Sweetheart
Alternative rock music, what else?
The Alternative Rock itself covers the broad areas of music, which consist of many subgenres, for instance, Gothic rock, Grunge, Britrock, and Indie rock. All of these genres are united under the Alternative Rock big umbrella, and even some of the music has the elements of reggae, electronic music, folk, and jazz. All of these combinations produce vibrant musical styles yet still highlight the rock genre as the core. In the development of Alternative Rock during the 1980s, many early Alternative Rock bands did not receive recognition and commercial success. The band such as Husker Du and Replacements remains indie and promote their songs throughout the radio and airplay. While an American rock band named R.E.M successfully construct their career slowly and possess the worldwide fanbase. In 1991, another Alternative Band called Nirvana successfully hit the chart with their song entitled Smells Like a Teen Spirit from Nevermind (1991) Album —which in later years become one of their trademarks. After the big hit of the Nirvana song, the music preference in society started to changes, and many people began to look more on the alternative rock. Nirvana triumphantly broke free from the classic rock-bound, changes the perception of rock music, and hence, this so-called Alternative Rock music gained recognition from the world.
My personal choice of one of the most famous and great Alternative Rock Band falls to Nirvana. Obviously, this band is one of the most influential Rock bands of all time, become the face of Alternative Rock Band, and personally, I see Kurt Cobain as one of the best frontmen. If you are interested in Alternative Rock, your starting point will be Smells Like a Teen Spirit. It is a perfect introduction for this genre. The second best, after thoughtful consideration, will be Linkin Park. Try to listen to In the End and Somewhere I belong which will fondle your ears. Lastly, the third best band will be Greenday. In my personal opinion, try to listen to the American Idiot album. It even won the 2005 Grammy’s for the Best Rock Album!
Happy listening.
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