Unit 19

Question 1

What was the alternative rock mentality?

Answer 1

There was an us-versus-them attitude of those who inhabited the world of alternative rock. The desire to be successful had made many other artists more calculating and less daring. Alternative bands sought the artistic freedom to make the music they wanted to make, uncorrupted by a corporate mind-set.

Question 2

Punk

Answer 2

A second generation rock style that emerged during the late 1970s and would be one of the most influential sounds of the 1980s and beyond. Punk changed the sound of rock by returning to the past. Punk rockers distilled and intensified rock’s most confrontational musical features (beat, sound, and volume). It was a garage band like approach that was a reaction against the slickness and commercialization of mainstream rock.

Question 3

Punk features

Answer 3

1. A core rock band
2. Playing loudly and with severe distortion
3. Hammering out the rock beat layer on a single note/chord/drum, with only an occasional break or shift
4. Typically at a breakneck tempo
5. Supporting a singer with a strident voice

Question 4

What was the alternative movement?

Answer 4

A grassroots movement to restore integrity and importance to rock. Bands toured relentlessly, going from one small club to the next. They recorded low-budget albums on their own or on independent labels and sold many of them at performances. Some got airplay on college radio stations

Question 5

Why was the world of alternative music more personal?

Answer 5

Because it started out on such a small scale, the world of alternative music was far more personal. Fans, writers, and others who supported the music felt a sense of ownership. Usually, they had gone the extra mile or two to seek out bands to follow.

Question 6

Why was success a concern for alternative fans or musicians?

Answer 6

So when a band caught on—signed with a major label, appeared on MTV, etc. fans felt betrayed, or at least marginalized. Fame often caused musicians to lose what mattered most to them- this is a factor that drove Kurt Cobain to suicide.

Question 7

How was the sentiment of alternative rock different from 80s mainstream rock?

Answer 7

80s acts like Springsteen and U2—acts that said something important to a lot of people—were the exception, not the rule. For the most part, the mainstream had evolved away from this change-the-world attitude.

Question 8

What was the dominant theme of the alternative movement?

Answer 8

Alienation- this was in contrast to the optimistic mood of the 60s.

Question 9

Musically, alternative derived most directly from

Answer 9

Punk and new wave. Tempos were fast, rhythms were busy, sound levels were generally loud. The core instrumentation was typically vocals, a guitar or two, bass, and drums, although bands often went beyond this basic lineup.

Question 10

Musically, what was the point of departure of alternative from punk and new wave?

Answer 10

The garage band

Question 11

When did alternative begin to diversify?

Answer 11

The late 1980s.

Question 12

How did alternative begin to diversify?

Answer 12

It diversified by infusing elements of other rock-era substyles—such as funk, metal, and electronica—into its punk core or by imparting a more modern sensibility to genres that had come and gone, such as ska and the music of the early seventies singer-songwriters.

Question 13

What was the common ground in alternative as it began to diversify musically?

Answer 13

Common ground became more a matter of attitude and commercial presence (or lack of it—bands flew under the radar of big music) than musical similarity.

Question 14

Lollapalooza

Answer 14

A music festival during the 90s which featured alternative bands. It was an important outlet for alternative music in the nineties—featured many diverse acts

Question 15

When was the first Lollapalooza tour?

Answer 15

1991

Question 16

Where did alternative take root?

Answer 16

In college towns throughout the United States rather than in major metropolitan areas. The size of the town wasn’t as important as the size of the university; it was the student body that provided the most enthusiastic support for these bands.

Question 17

What were the 2 bands most responsible for the alternative music movement?

Answer 17

Hüsker Dü, based in St. Paul, Minneapolis (home of the University of Minnesota), and R.E.M., formed in Athens, Georgia (home of the University of Georgia). Both locales were well outside the New York-London axis where punk and new wave flourished.

Question 18

When was R.E.M formed?

Answer 18

1980

Question 19

R.E.M

Answer 19

80s alternative band that eventually went mainstream. “Radio Free Europe” was their first hit. The song featured nonspecific lyrics- the sharp and sudden contrasts between verse and chorus would become a defining characteristic of the alternative movement. Their determination to follow their own path and the simplicity of their sound would be a model for future alternative bands.

Question 20

What was R.E.M’s first top 10 single?

Answer 20

“The One I Love” (1987). The band brought alternative to the mainstream by the late 1980s.

Question 21

Post-punk

Answer 21

Identifies a family of styles that merged the aggressive elements of punk with more experimental elements and outside influences, such as synthesizers.

Question 22

What was the fundamental creative tension in punk?

Answer 22

Power versus expressive range. The challenge for bands was to broaden the range without dampening the impact. In the 70s, this tension was manifested in the different paths of punk and new wave music. In the 80s, it was evident in the numerous punk offshoots, most notably in the numerous post-punk substyles

Question 23

No wave

Answer 23

Post-punk substyle, characterized by the music of Sonic Youth. Emphasizes the creative tension in punk and the 80s solution to it.

Question 24

When was Sonic Youth formed?

Answer 24

1981. Their career peaked in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Question 25

Sonic Youth

Answer 25

No wave band. Used basic instrumentation, fast tempos, and clear timekeeping as a point of departure for their style, they overlaid it with unusual guitar sounds, noise, exotic harmonies, and sharp contrasts in texture. Variety was key- they create magical sounds with the interplay of often discordant riffs and figuration and by employing special effects, such as the harmonics used here.

Question 26

“Hey Joni” (1988)

Answer 26

Sonic Youth. “Hey Joni” begins with low synthesizer drone that is gradually surrounded by extraneous noises. There is a fast rock rhythm, but both guitarists alternate between conventional power chords and more dissonant and intricate figuration. Syncopated riffs in one guitar part compete with high-register figuration that use the more delicate sound of harmonics

Question 27

Harmonics

Answer 27

Sound created on a stringed instrument by depressing the string only partway at certain points, creating higher-pitched sounds with a distinctive ring

Question 28

Why did heavy metal become so popular in the 1980s?

Answer 28

In the wake of the economic hard times in both Great Britain and the United States, many faced a bleak future. They felt out of the loop, especially during the eighties, when the gap between rich and poor widened so dramatically. They responded to the recurrent themes in heavy metal. Young males made up the majority of fans.

Question 29

What are the recurrent themes in heavy metal?

Answer 29

The occult, sexual dominance (often to the point of misogyny), rage, frustration, protest, and power.

Question 30

What conveyed the power in heavy metal?

Answer 30

Heavy metal was loud to the point where a listener felt it as much as heard it. The sound was heavily distorted, a sign both of power (distortion originally came from overdriving amplifiers) and defiance (distortion was originally an undesirable byproduct of amplification, to be avoided if possible)

Question 31

Headbanging

Answer 31

An high-energy, sometimes violent, dance which evolved around heavy metal.

Question 32

How was heavy metal concert was more like a religious rite than a conventional concert?

Answer 32

Performances were a communion between musicians and their audience. Fans knew all the lyrics, which were mostly unintelligible in performance. Stage shows were typically spectacles on a grand scale, comparable to an elaborate pagan ritual, and included headbanging.

Question 33

When did heavy metal begin to become more diverse?

Answer 33

In the 80s. Substyles, often based on a single feature, were created- includes speed metal, thrash metal, death metal, etc. Distortion remained the main feature, however. What passed for heavy metal in the eighties ranged from mainstream rock covered with a metal sheen to bands like Metallica

Question 34

What caused heavy metal to become more diverse?

Answer 34

Due to its blending with other styles; during the eighties, heavy metal came in several grades of purity.

Question 35

What are the main differences between heavy metal and other styles? (7)

Answer 35

1. Distortion is typically more extreme
2. Metal bands use basic core rock instrumentation
3. Vocal lines tend to be more incantation than melody.
4. The ratio of instrumental sections to vocal sections is very high
5. It typically avoids conventional harmony.
6. Uses intricate riffs
7. Tend not to use verse/chorus form- songs are long and have multiple sections

Question 36

When was Metallica formed?

Answer 36

1981, not well known throughout the 80s

Question 37

When did Metallica break through?

Answer 37

1988 with their antiwar song “One”. It exemplifies Metallica’s principled approach to music making—there is nothing in the track that suggests any effort to accommodate more mainstream tastes.

Question 38

Why was heavy metal significant?

Answer 38

It developed into one of the important directions of the late eighties and nineties, it also bled into the exciting new fusions of the alternative bands that began to surface at the end of the decade. It remains a significant part of the rock music scene.

Question 39

Alternative music in the late 80s/early 90s

Answer 39

Included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, and others. It was thoroughly integrated music, all of it was almost militantly anti-pop. The songs expressed wildly different attitudes, from rage to razor-sharp humor. However, they shared stylistic common ground.

Question 40

What was the stylistic common ground in late 1980s/early 1990s alternative music?

Answer 40

Roots in soul and 60s hard rock and an infusion of elements elements from important non-pop styles of the late seventies and eighties, most commonly funk, heavy metal, and rap. This was evident in complex, active sixteen-beat rhythms and strong bass lines, as well as extreme distortion and virtuosity. Some vocal parts were inspired by rap- more spoken than sung. This mix of features gave rock a late 80s sound.

Question 41

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Answer 41

Alternative band formed in 1983, known for their funk influence. The success of the Red Hot Chili Peppers helped put alternative on the music industry’s radar and blur the musical, commercial, ecological, and ideological boundaries that distinguished alternative from other genres

Question 42

“Good Time Boys” (1989)

Answer 42

Red Hot Chili Peppers. Among the most innovative features of the song is the presence of both a strong bass line and a prominent guitar part- the two were represented equally. The lyrics were upbeat and closer to rock and roll and early rap. The song illustrates the punk/funk fusion of the latter part of the eighties and early nineties. The infusion of funk and rap elements helped introduce a different tone in alternative music and broaden its horizons.

Question 43

Generation X

Answer 43

A term referring to the children of baby boomers. Many were born in the late 60s with race riots, Nixon’s “silent majority”, the bad end to the Vietnam War. They came of age during the “greed is good” 80s. Many felt completely estranged from their boomer parents and the world portrayed in the media. They were more in tune with the “no future” mind-set that inspired punk. As a result, they turned away from mainstream society and turned toward the music that expressed their anger, frustration, and alienation. Their theme song was Nirvana’s 1991 hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Question 44

Grunge

Answer 44

A style of rock music which emerged in the late 80s which fused punk disaffection with the power and distortion of heavy metal. This was Nirvana’s alternative genre. Like so many other alternative styles, it started on the fringes in Washington- Nirvana’s success made Seattle a mecca for grunge

Question 45

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)

Answer 45

Nirvana. The lyrics jerk from image to idea, like a trigger-happy video editor. Their power comes not from their coherence, but from the jarring juxtapositions. The music amplifies this sense of dislocation. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a dark song. Everything about it conveys that message; its enormous impact comes in part from the reinforcement of this mood on so many levels. It seems to suggest a depressed state of mind that’s impossible to shake. The biggest innovation is the schizophrenic shift from section to section. Nirvana creates sharply defined sound worlds within each section of the song- you would expect them to be changing between songs, not within a song. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a punk song in spirit, expressing rage, alienation, and frustration in both words and music, but contains an expressive mix of styles.

Question 46

When was Radiohead formed?

Answer 46

1992

Question 47

When was Nirvana’s first album released?

Answer 47

1989

Question 48

Radiohead

Answer 48

Known for being the “art rock” of the 90s. Their work contained a prevalent mood of alienation. Not since the Beatles’ demise has a group blended accessibility, challenge, sound imagination, and sound variety so artfully. This is rock aspiring to significance.

Question 49

“Paranoid Android” (1997)

Answer 49

Radiohead. The song is profoundly disturbing, not because the music is as dark as the lyrics, but because it is often so beautiful. The lyrics are delivered slowly, drawing attention to the haunting, plaintive quality of the vocalist’s voice. The more significant point is that the conflicts and discontinuities within the words, within the music, and between the words and music demand that listeners engage with the song in more than a casual way.

Question 50

What 2 elements do “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Paranoid Android” share?

Answer 50

1. The sense of alienation that the lyrics project. In both, there is palpable tension between the outside world and the world inside the protagonist’s head.
2. Sudden and jarring musical contrasts. In both tracks, the abrupt shifts from soft to loud seem to suggest a sudden loss of control—flying into a violent rage because one can’t stand it anymore.

Question 51

What is the significance of the sudden shifts between sections in “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Paranoid Android”?

Answer 51

These shifts magnify the message of the words; as used here, they provide the most consistent and powerful expression of the alienation depicted in the lyrics. The strong sectional contrasts—sometimes to the point of discontinuity—describe a formal approach that is precisely the opposite of that used in more conventional rock songs.

Question 52

How are sectional contrasts the opposite of conventional rock songs?

Answer 52

In conventional songs, the chorus establishes the mood of the songs; the function of the verses is to amplify and explain that overall mood. Here, the various sections create their own moods; we are violently whipped from one to the next. This kind of sonic fragmentation within a song is common in alternative music since the early 1990s, in part because of the critical and commercial success of both bands

Question 53

What made the work of women in alternative music distinctive?

Answer 53

Their voices were not constrained in any way by the expectations of more mainstream music. Alternative gave feminists a forum and enabled women of every persuasion to speak their mind. The women’s movement had roots in the two seventies styles most open to women. Patti Smith was a punk pioneer, and musicians like Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth made women instrumentalists less exceptional.

Question 54

When did the women’s movement in alternative music take place?

Answer 54

The late 80s, flourished in the 90s.

Question 55

Riot grrrl movement

Answer 55

A 90s militant feminist movement which supported post-punk bands.

Question 56

Queercore movement

Answer 56

A movement which reacted against mainstream gay and lesbian views and musically centered around punk and industrial rock.

Question 57

Ani DiFranco

Answer 57

Her music has ranged from contemporary takes on the urban folk style to collaborations with major artists such as Prince. Three constants have been incisive lyrics, which usually speak either to social and political issues dear to her heart or the current take on her personal life; her affecting voice; and her fluent and imaginative acoustic guitar playing. Part of the women’s movement in the 90s

Question 58

How does Ani DiFranco’s music embody the spirit of alternative music?

Answer 58

She had a do-it-yourself approach to all aspects of her career—performing, recording, managing, promoting, and support for other grassroots efforts in causes that are important to her. Her enterprise and determination in charting her own career path, unbeholden to authority figures, took the independence so prized by alternative acts to a new level.

Question 59

Angelique Kidjo

Answer 59

Known for her diverse music- reggae is the main genre. She is a Beninese singer-songwriter, actress, and activist who is noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos

Question 60

Independent (indie) music

Answer 60

Independent music is music produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording and publishing.

Question 61

Mariah Carey

Answer 61

Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Known for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style, and signature use of the whistle register

Question 62

Dave Matthews Band

Answer 62

American rock band, formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. A jam band, Dave Matthews Band is renowned for its live shows. The band is known for playing songs differently each performance; this practice has become a staple of their live shows since the early 1990s.

Question 63

Bikini Kill

Answer 63

Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. he band pioneered the riot grrrl movement, with radical feminist lyrics and fiery performances.

Question 64

Phish

Answer 64

American rock band that formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base.

Question 65

Green Day

Answer 65

American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987. Green Day was originally part of the late-‘80s/early-‘90s Bay Area punk scene that emerged from the 924 Gilman Street club in Berkeley, California.

Question 66

Pearl Jam

Answer 66

Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam’s members often shunned popular music industry practices such as making music videos or participating in interviews.

Question 67

Alanis Morissette

Answer 67

Canadian-American singer-songwriter. Released songs in a variety of genres, including dance pop and alternative rock

Question 68

Rage against the machine

Answer 68

American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1991. Their songs express revolutionary political views.

Question 69

Whitney Houston

Answer 69

American singer. Her singing style, which was strongly inspired by gospel music, had an innovative influence on popular music. Her first albums were released in the 1980s.