From the real alternative to the generic "Alternative"

I find there is wide gap in the bands who are considerd alternative.. theres the bands that were or are truely alternative in its meaning bands like sonic youth, my boody valentine, etc the ones that were looking for new sounds outside of most commercial sounding artists... then there a whole host of shi bands dubed alternative yet therye totally mainstream and totally radio friendly yet there seen as alternative... sounding rather normal than abnormal... there was a time when 80's hair metal was topping the charts and indie rock was rather taboo dominating the rock underground... now there bands who are conisdered indie yet major? not that indie rock can be accesible it can be very catchy and everything but i think it kinda contradicts itself in a way it all goes back to when nirvana hit it big and then alternative had a obvously commerically dubbed name called "grunge" i think that is what made the gap in the 1st place a style that was once conisdered obscure as ever was now on the radio and mtv constantly.... but it also showed the artist of that genre with more experimental tendicies either smooth out there sound and making it less radical than it was or make it as avant garde as they could to be not labled grunge.. id hate to be called that its such a lame sounding label... i dont think the artist making the music at 1st were like yea this is grunge it was a deffinatly a suit and tie guy who came up with name.

 

Actually, I'm pretty sure the band Mudhoney came up with that name, either them or some early band. No one expected Nirvana to be a huge success, and they weren't really responsible for the horror that grunge became (you can blame bands like Stone Temple Pilots and Silverchair), but I do agree that somewhere along the line, Alternative was no longer alternative. I found out awhile ago that the band All American Rejects is considered alternative... I was like what? They're Pop Rock, and nothing more. It's sad what Alt Rock has become today

 

That is what im saying there not alternative at all.... your not alternative if you make that kind of music. Not that different stuff can come on the mainstreem it has before but this doesnt cut it. That band like last year was all over the place and it seems like there virtually nowhere now... i hope it stays that way and i hope a new age in music appears soon.

 

Does anyone think Incubus is considered Alternative? I really love them,but think they've lost some of their spunk to the mainstream radio. They're latest album Light Grenades is ok,but I miss the old Incubus.

 

Yeah, Incubus would be what I consider "Modern Rock" which is what most of these bands are. They're definitely not alternative (anymore?). I have two of their CDs, but I came to realize that I really just don't like them. I don't like that type of music, the overly clean sound and the repetitive, pointless lyrics. They ARE very good compared to most bands these days, though. I totally agree with you SonicYouthFan, except that Nirvana was commercial. Have you listened to Bleach and In Utero, definitely not the kind of thing you would hear on the radio these days. I think a lot of bands make an accidently or purposefully catchy song on their own without wanting fame. Anyway, this is a good thread and I hope it gets more posts.

How do you guys feel about Silversun pickups? They're on an Indie label, and they have a pretty unique, psychedelic sound, but they also have some poppy songs that are played on MTV.

 

yeah mark arm came up with it, currently he s in mudhoney, but i've no idea if he was when he made that statement, i think he did so in back 1983 already, that's quite a while ago

 

grunge didn't make made what you call "gap"... i think more of the fuckin' MTV, and big industries of music... as said above, no-one expected nirvana was a big success... initially nirvana was sth more punkish (in ideology, of course...), but you can't accuse them for givin' alternative rock to mainstream...