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D E C E M B E R 4 TH, 2 0 1 5 :
UNIT 19 - ALTERNATIVES
CHAPTER 84- FROM PUNK TO
ALTERNATIVE
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Chapter 84: From Punk to Alternative
Alternative is a term used in a wide swath, could connote a broad array of styles
It first surfaced as an umbrella term for a large family of rock-related punk-inspired styles
Began to develop in the early 1980s
The bands and the fans saw themselves as a musical alternative to the 1980s pop and MTVoriented rock
By the end of the 1980s, alternative was defined as much by what it wasn’t as by what it was
Elevator trip version of alternative rock:
In the 1960s, rock mattered
In the 1970s, it sold out—except for punk
In the 1980s, alternative bands mattered
In the 1990s—they sold out
This is a simple paradigm—but integrity is not incompatible with popular success
Nor is all pop necessarily bad
The bottom-line mentality of the major players in the music business has made mainstream pop
more calculating and less daring
This paradigm does describe the us-versus-them attitude of those who inhabited the world of
alternative rock
Musicians and audiences believed passionately that their music mattered
Rock was a way of life, just like it was in the 1960s
Early alternative flourished in a largely closed ecosystem—control was the key
Alternative bands sought the artistic freedom to make the music they wanted to make,
uncorrupted by a corporate mindset
CHAPTER 84- FROM PUNK TO
ALTERNATIVE
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The Alternative Movement
Alternative was a grassroots movement to restore integrity and importance to rock
Bands toured relentlessly, going from club to club
They recorded low-budget albums on their own or on independent labels
Some got airplay on college radio stations, seldom on commercial stations
Some developed loyal, even fanatic followings
Sometimes even got attention and positive press from the outside
Rolling Stone magazine selected Murmur, R.E.M.’s first album, as the best album of
1983
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• At first, alternative music was far more personal
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Fans, writers, and other supporters felt a sense of ownership
• Success was also a concern: the experience of becoming a rock star was a factor in Kurt
Cobain’s suicide
• It is ironic that “rock that mattered” became an alternative to mainstream music, rather
than the heart of it, in less than two decades
• Different from the 1960s, in the 1980s the mainstream had evolved away from this
change-the-world attitude
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Most of the integrity-first bands were simply an alternative to the mainstream
CHAPTER 84- FROM PUNK TO
ALTERNATIVE
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• Alternative: A Neo-Traditional Trend
Alternative began as a neo-traditional movement” recapturing the sense of importance that
characterized rock in the 1960s and punk and new wave in the 1970s was its primary goal
However, alienation replaced the heady optimism of the 1960s
Musically, alternative derived most directly from punk and new wave
Tempos were fast, rhythms busy, sound levels generally loud
The point of departure was the garage band
The core instrumentation was typically vocals, a guitar or two, bass, and drums
The movement, as it gained momentum, diversified by infusing elements of other rock-era
sub-styles, such as:
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• Funk
• Metal
• Electronica
Common ground became more a matter of attitude and commercial presence than musical
similarity
The first Lollapalooza tour (1991)—an important outlet for alternative music in the 1990s—
featured such diverse acts as Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, and Ice-T and Body Count
None of these is a “pure” post-punk band
With the rise of grunge in the early 1990s, alternative music wrestled with the tension between
high-mindedness and commercial success
In the early 21st century, alternative is as much a music industry label as it is a statement of
purpose
CHAPTER 84- FROM PUNK TO
ALTERNATIVE
• • From Punk to Alternative
• Punk and new wave got its start around 1980 with bands like the Clash, Elvis Costello and
the Attractions, and the Talking Heads—this was a stylistic continuation of punk and new
wave
• Alternative took root in college towns throughout the US rather than in the major
metropolitan area
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Universities’ student bodies provided the most enthusiastic support for these bands
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Active regional scenes would become a hallmark of alternative music
CHAPTER 84- FROM PUNK TO
ALTERNATIVE
• Early Alternative Rock
• The two bands most responsible for starting the alternative movement were:
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• Hüsker Dü, based in St Paul, Minneapolis (home of the Univ. of Minnesota)
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• R.E.M., formed in Athens, Georgia (home of the Univ. of Georgia)
• Hüsker Dü began as a hardcore punk band in the style of the Ramones
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Although they occasionally ventured into a more moderate and melodic style, they
never crossed over to a more mainstream audience
• R.E.M. was formed in 1980 by:
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• Guitarist, Peter Buck (b. 1956)
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• Vocalist, Michael Stipe (b. 1960)
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• Bassist, Mike Mills (b. 1958)
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• Drummer, Bill Berry (b. 1958)
• Playing for the local underground rock scene, college bars and parties, they became
favorites in the area
CHAPTER 84- FROM PUNK TO
ALTERNATIVE
• • “Radio Free Europe,” their first hit, helped put the band on the map and establish the
essentially retrospective orientation of alternative music
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• Bright tempo, clean rhythm, and lean sound associated with David Bowie and new
wave bands
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•Texture is spare in the verse—the chorus is richer because of the jangly, reverberant
guitar figures and active bass line
• The lyrics, typical for R.E.M., are elliptical
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They are intelligible, but what do they mean?
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They deliberately write nonspecific lyrics
• The sharp contrast between the verse and chorus provides a foretaste of what would
become a defining feature of alternative:
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Dramatic, often jarring contrasts within songs
• By the late 1980s, R.E.M. had begun to bring alternative into the mainstream
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“The One I Love” (1987) was their first Top 10 single
• The group set the tone for the alternative movement with their:
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• Simple sound
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• Basic instrumentation
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• Clear texture
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• Little, if any, electronic wizardry
• And they would serve as a model for alternative bands that followed
CHAPTER 84- FROM PUNK TO
ALTERNATIVE
• The Persistence of Punk
• “Pure” punk, the music that was most in tune with the attitude and sound of late 1970s
punk, went underground
• This hardcore punk, with its breakneck tempos, loud screamed-out vocals, and
confrontational, politically charged lyrics was the most direct continuation of the punk
esthetic established by the Sex Pistols
• The movement known as post-punk identifies a family of styles that merged aggressive
elements of punk with more experimental elements and outside influences, such as
synthesizers
• Joy Division, which dissolved in 1980, is generally regarded as a seminal post-punk band
• Throbbing Gristle, an early industrial group is often associated with post-punk
• Other notables: Public Image, Sisters of Mercy, and Sonic Youth
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• From the start, the fundamental creative tension in punk has been power vs. expressive
range
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The challenge for bands was to broaden the range without dampening the impact
• In the 1970s, this tension was manifested in the different paths of punk and new wave music
• In the 1980s, it was evident in the numerous punk offshoots:
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Most notably: No wave, successfully demonstrated in the music of Sonic Youth
CHAPTER 84- FROM PUNK TO
ALTERNATIVE
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Sonic Youth
A four-person band formed in 1981
During its peak, band members included:
• Thurston Moore, (b. 1958), guitar
• Lee Ranaldo (b. 1956), guitar
• Kim Gordon (b. 1953), bass, guitar
• Steve Shelley (b. 1963), drums
Sonic Youth brought a rock-as-art sensibility to their music
They took the basic instrumentation and conventions of punk and overlaid it with:
• Unusual guitar sounds
• Noise
• Exotic harmonies
• Sharp contrasts in texture
With this sound world, they added lyrics that put a fresh spin on familiar themes
• “Hey Joni” is from their critically acclaimed double album, Daydream Nation (1988)
It begins with low synthesizer drones surround by extraneous noises
Typical punk practices follow, however, both guitarists alternate between conventional power
chords and more dissonant and intricate figuration
Between the refrain and verse, syncopated riffs in one guitar part also compete with highregister figuration and the sound of harmonics (this is produced by depressing
the string on a stringed instrument only partway at certain points; it creates a
higher-pitched sound with a distinctive ring)
Changes in texture, which are concentrated in the middle registers, create a kaleidoscope effect
CHAPTER 84- FROM PUNK TO
ALTERNATIVE
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Sonic Youth (continued)
For Sonic Youth, sonic variety is key
They create magical sounds:
• With the interplay of often discordant riffs and figuration
• By employing special effects, such as the harmonics
The song melds the energy of punk with the glorious guitar sounds and noises for which the
group is known
CHAPTER 85 - OTHER ALTERNATIVES: HEAVY
METAL AND ALTERNATIVE FUSIONS IN THE 1980S
• Chapter 85: Other Alternatives: Heavy Metal and Alternative Fusions in the 1980s
• The Revival of Heavy Metal
• Prevailing view of heavy metal was that of distorted noise, closely associated with violence
and aggression which was largely denounced, dismissed, and/or ignored
• However, metal didn’t go away; it went on the road
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Developed a loyal and steadily increasing fan base through the late 1970s and 1980s
through frequent touring
• This music offered a sound and look that was decidedly different from MTV fare
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Heavy metal was as alternative as alternative—other alternative styles emerged,
such as the rock/rap/funk/metal fusion of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
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• In the 1980s, heavy metal gained momentum through an influx of new bands:
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• Megadeath
• AC/DC
• Motörhead
• Judas Priest
• Slayer
• Iron Maiden
• Twisted Sister
• Scorpions
• Metallica
CHAPTER 85 - OTHER ALTERNATIVES: HEAVY
METAL AND ALTERNATIVE FUSIONS IN THE 1980S
• Young males were the biggest part of the fan base in the 1980s
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Many, feeling the pains of economic hard times in both the UK and USA, faced a
bleak future and felt out of the loop when the gap between rich and poor widened
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They responded to the recurrent themes in heavy metal:
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• Occult
• Sexual domination (often to the point of misogyny)
• Rage
• Frustration
• Protest
• Power—above all!
• Heavy metal was all about the power—loud enough to feel
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The sound was distorted, a sign of power and defiance
• Bands preached to the converted—there was a communion between musicians and their
audience
• Stage shows were typically spectacles on a grand scale, comparable to an elaborate
pagan ritual
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In response, metalheads engaged in headbanging, heavy metal’s version of
dancing
• The heavy metal concert was more like a religious rite than a conventional concert
CHAPTER 85 - OTHER ALTERNATIVES: HEAVY
METAL AND ALTERNATIVE FUSIONS IN THE 1980S
• The Sounds of 1980s Heavy Metal
Heavy metal became even more diverse in the 1980s
Substyles, often based on a single feature, proliferated
By the end of the 1980s, there was:
• Speed metal
• Thrash metal
• Death metal
• Industrial metal
Its diversity was also due to is blending with other styles—heavy metal came in several
grades of purity
• Distortion remained metal’s sound signature, but “pure” heavy metal was far more than a
rock song played with distortion
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CHAPTER 85 - OTHER ALTERNATIVES: HEAVY
METAL AND ALTERNATIVE FUSIONS IN THE 1980S
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As evidenced in the music of top 1980s bands such as Metallica and Megadeath, here are some
of the differences from the standard rock, R & B, or pop fare:
• Distortion is typically more extreme than in conventional hard rock
Metal bands compensated for non-metal bands’ use of distortion by increasing
distortion to the point that it obscured pitches
• Instrumentation is basic
Metal bands use core rock instrumentation. Synths, saxes, and other sounds are
stylistic impurities
• It is not tuneful music
Vocal lines tend to be more incantation than melody
• The ratio of instrumental sections to vocal sections is much higher than in most other rockbased styles
In addition to extended solos, where lead guitarists show off their prowess, there
are also long passages with no vocal lines. These typically consist of a series of
intricate riffs
• It typically avoids conventional harmony
Power chords rule, but complete harmonies and chord progressions are the
exception rather than the rule
• The best metal bands are virtuosic
In solo and group playing, metal bands create and perform intricate riffs, often
at breathtakingly fast tempos, with a level of precision comparable to that of a
fine string quartet or tight jazz combo
• Metal “songs” tend to be long, sprawling, multisectional works
Blocks of sound, often in different tempos and with different key centers, all
arranged in complex, unpredictable sequences, often replace the
verse/chorus pattern of more conventional rock
These features occur in heavy metal tracks undiluted with other stylistic elements
CHAPTER 85 - OTHER ALTERNATIVES: HEAVY
METAL AND ALTERNATIVE FUSIONS IN THE 1980S
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Metallica
They formed in 1981 by:
• James Hetfield (b. 1963), vocalist
• Lars Ulrich (b. 1963), drummer
Group also included:
• Guitarist Dave Mustaine (b. 1961) later left and formed Megadeath
• Guitarist Kirk Hammett (b. 1962)
• Bassist Cliff Burton (1962-1986) who died in a freak accident
• Bassist Jason Newsted (b. 1963) replaced Burton
Metallica enjoyed brisk record sales, in spite of limited exposer on radio or TV
• “One” is a single that helped them break through on radio, 1988
From their fourth album (and first with Newsted) And Justice for All, which peaked at No. 6
on the charts, 1988
It was also the song used by them for their first music video
It is a grim anti-war statement that unfolds on a large scale—running over 7 minutes long
The form of the song takes its shape from the images in the lyrics; it’s an especially graphic
depiction of the horrors of war
The song features:
• Sprawling form, from the gentle, almost flamenco-like opening to the abrupt ending
• Relatively little emphasis on vocal lines
• Music sophistication (including several shifts from four-beat to three-beat measures)
• Deep contrast from dark and moody beginning to powerful conclusion
CHAPTER 85 - OTHER ALTERNATIVES: HEAVY
METAL AND ALTERNATIVE FUSIONS IN THE 1980S
• Metallica (continued)
• Their video of this song juxtaposes scenes and dialogue from an anti-war film from 1939
(Johnny Get Your Gun, from the novel by Dalton Trumbo) with Metallica’s music
• “One” is significant rock—exemplifying a principled approach to music making
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There is nothing in the track that suggest any effort to accommodate more
mainstream tastes
• No rock music of the 1980s, was less understood or less appreciated than heavy metal
• It developed into one of the important directions in the 1980s and 1990s
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It also influenced the new fusions of the alternative bands that began to surface at
the end of the 1980s
CHAPTER 85 - OTHER ALTERNATIVES: HEAVY
METAL AND ALTERNATIVE FUSIONS IN THE 1980S
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Alternatives Beyond Punk: Infusions of Funk, Rap, and Heavy Metal
The new alternative music of the late 1980s and 1990s was eclectic and electric
Bands such as:
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Primus
• Jane’s Addiction
• Living Colour
• Spin Doctors
This music, like the music of the pop middle ground, thoroughly integrated black and white
music—but was almost militantly anti-pop
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• Their songs expressed very different attitudes, but shared some stylistic common ground:
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• Deep roots in soul and 1960s hard rock
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Complex, active, syncopated rhythms and basic rock instrumentation
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• Infusion of elements from important non-pop styles of the late 1970s and 1980s
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Mostly from:
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• Funk—active, 16-beat rhythms and strong bass lines
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• Heavy metal—extreme distortion and virtuosity
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• Rap—rap-inspired voice parts, more spoken than sung
• What gave this music its sound was its thorough integration of rock and soul, punk and funk,
and the currency of its sources
CHAPTER 85 - OTHER ALTERNATIVES: HEAVY
METAL AND ALTERNATIVE FUSIONS IN THE 1980S
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The Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP)
They formed in 1983 by four alumni of Fairfax HS of West Hollywood, California
Current lineup:
• Michael “Flea” Balzary (b. 1962), bass
• Anthony Liedis (b. 1962), vocals
• Chad Smith (b. 1961), drums (replaced Jack Irons, b. 1962)
• John Frusciante (b. 1970), guitar (replaced Hillel Slovak, 1962-1988)
RHCP received their funk training from none other than—George Clinton
Clinton produced their 1985 album Freaky Styley, which featured former members of
James Brown’s band:
• Maceo Parker (b. 1943), saxophone
• Fred Wesley (b. 1943), trombone
Their third album, Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987) did well, as did Mother’s Milk, 1989
Mother’s Milk included new members Smith and Frusciante and would become the
group’s first platinum album, selling over 2 million units
CHAPTER 85 - OTHER ALTERNATIVES: HEAVY
METAL AND ALTERNATIVE FUSIONS IN THE 1980S
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• “Good Time Boys,” a track from Mother’s Milk, the RHCP blend the edge of punk with:
• The strong bass line of funk
• The distorted guitar sounds and prominent, complex riffs of hard rock and heavy metal
• Rap-like vocals
Among its innovative features are the strong bass line and prominent guitar part
Normally, the guitar or bass is dominant—guitar in rock, bass in R & B
Here, they are equal partners
The melodic line is a chanted pentatonic line, sung in unison by the band and guest vocalist,
Randy Ruff, and doubled on bass
The chorus recalls Parliament-style funk
Simulated spinning of the radio dial interrupts the song just after the midway point
The final radio clip ends with the phrase “She’s a white girl . . .” sung to a vanilla
accompaniment; the abrupt return to the funky groove underscores the strong black
influence in this song
Rhythmically, there is also strong black influence
Rhythms are complex, active, and highly syncopated
This song illustrates the punk/funk fusion of the latter part of the 1980s and early 1990s
The infusion of rap and funk elements helped introduce a different tone in alternative
music band broaden its horizons
The success of RHCP helped put alternative on the music industry’s radar and blur the musical,
commercial, ecological, and ideological boundaries that distinguished alternative from
other genres
They were the leading “modern rock” act in the music industry at the turn of the 21 st century
They have left the alternative world behind—for them “alternative” is increasingly just a label
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
• Chapter 86: Alienation
• Grunge
• Generation X identifies the children of the baby boomers—those born mainly in the latter
part of the 1960s and 1970s
• Most were born during the hangover from the 1960s with:
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• Race riots
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• The squalid end to the Vietnam War
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• The rise of the “silent majority”
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• The impeachment of Nixon
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• Rampant inflation all but obliterating the optimism with which the decade began
• The members of Generation X, some of whom came from counterculture families, came of
age during the “greed is good” eighties
• Many, especially those stuck in service-industry “McJobs,” felt completely estranged from
their baby-boomer parents
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They saw little hope for advancement in their work
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They were more in tune with the “no future” mindset broadcast by the disaffected
youth in Great Britain and North America and the punk bands that set it to music
• The “X” used to identify them underscored their lack of identity and power
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As a result, they turned away from mainstream society and turned toward the music
that expressed their anger, frustration, and alienation
• Their anthem was Nirvana’s 1991 hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
• • “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was the pivotal song in the history of alternative rock as a
commercial music
• It comes from Nirvana’s 1991 album, Nevermind
• On this recording the group consisted of:
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• Kurt Cobain, (1967-1994), singer, guitarist
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• Chris Novoselic (b. 1965), bassist
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• Dave Grohl (b. 1969), drummer
• The album soared to No. 1 dethroning Michael Jackson’s Dangerous album
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“Smells Like Teen Spirit” got incessant airplay on MTV as well
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It sold 3 million copies in 4 months and then continued, for a while, to sell at the rate
of 100,000 a week
• With this well-known song of the 1990s, alternative had crossed over
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
• Nirvana’s style of alternative came to be called grunge
• Grunge fused punk disaffection with the power and distortion of heavy metal
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Like many other alternative styles, grunge started on the fringes:
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City: Aberdeen, Washington
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Label: Sub Pop, based in Seattle
• Nirvana’s sudden success made Seattle the mecca for grunge, but the sound had already
surfaced in several locations around the US
• The song spoke to its target audience: angry young people who were not ready to buy into
the system
• The power of the lyrics comes not from their coherence but from the jarring juxtapositions—
mulatto, albino, mosquito, libido; hello, how low
• The music also amplifies this sense of dislocation
• Parts of the song are full—parts drop out and sound barely amplified—then the middle falls
out and we are left with just bass, simple drum timekeeping, and a haunting two-note riff
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This two-note vocal riff that sets “hello” then becomes the raw melodic material for
the climactic section of the refrain
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
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“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a dark song; its impact comes in part from the reinforcement of this
mood on so many levels
The chord progression does not follow a well-established pattern
The bass line/outline runs through almost all of the song, and, despite all of the contrasts, it
seems to suggest a depressed state of mind that’s impossible to shake
The big innovation—and perhaps the biggest stroke of genius—is the schizophrenic shift from
section to section
There are sharply defined sound worlds within each section of the song
The relentless chord progression and the repetition of the two two-note fragments project a mood
of utter despair
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a synthesis of several different, almost contradictory, elements
Immediate points of entry:
• Melodic material—especially the several instrumental hooks
• The “hello” section
• The vocal chorus
However there are aspects that portray the darkest depression:
• The sharp contrasts
• Abrupt shifts from section to section
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a punk song in spirit; it expresses rage, alienation, and frustration
The eclectic mix of styles—power trio intro, understated verse, metal breaks—serve an
expressive purpose
It extends the emotional range of punk
Classic punk drove in only one gear: here. Nirvana shifts back and forth among several
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
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More on Seattle, grunge, and Nirvana:
The city has previously spawned some great guitar-based instrumentalists
The Ventures (from surf music), and Jimi Hendrix
Sub Pop Records was also a driving force, founded by Bruce Pavitt, former DJ and local promoter, and
Jon Poneman, publisher of a fanzine, Sub Pop in the early 1980s
Among those that got their start on Sub Pop were Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains,
Screaming Tress, Smashing pumpkins, Mud Honey, L7, and the Afghan Whigs (actually from Cincinnati)
These groups were also supported by local radio stations and an alternative press
They all lived in and around Seattle and played there as well as Tacoma and Olympia
Kurt Cobain was a product of their small hometown’s depression, disillusionment, and dysfunction
In 1993, Nirvana released In Utero, the long-awaited follow-up to Nevermind
Cobain tried to portray a happy life, one that was worth living
He was, in reality, the brilliant singer/songwriter who tried to exorcise his demons
through his art; the genuine misfit who longed for normalcy of love and family
He married Courtney Love, leader of the female punk band, Hole and had one child-a daughter-with her,
Frances Bean Cobain
In Utero was fraught with last minute changes of title and tracks
Cobain originally wanted to title it I Hate Myself and Want to Die after a song he had written for the LP
The back cover was removed because of the collage of fetuses that had caused chains like Kmart
and Wal-Mart to refuse to stock it
The title of the most controversial song “Rape Me” was changed to “Waif Me”
Cobain’s suicide didn’t really come as a surprise to anyone
He shot himself after barricading himself in the greenhouse above his garage a couple days
earlier
Since Nirvana’s popularity, alternative rock has been a more commercially successful alternative
More indie labels, the Internet, major labels, and have a hand in making this music more popular
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
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Radiohead: The New Art Rock of the Nineties
Members of Radiohead all went to the same high school: Abingdon School, a private institution outside of
Oxford, England
They originally formed in 1986 with the name: On A Friday
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• Phil Selway (b. 1967), drums
• Ed O’Brien (b. 1968), guitar
• Thom Yorke (b. 1968), guitar, vocals
• Colin Greenwood (b. 1969), bass
• Jonny Greenwood (b. 1971), multi-instrumentalist (Colin’s younger brother)
They went to different universities but came back together as Radiohead in 1992
(this name came from a 1986 Talking Heads song “Radio Head”)
First album, Pablo Honey had a hit song, “Creep”
The song’s lyrics were intensely personal and alienated, feelings that singer, Thom Yorke, felt as
being completely undeserving of the attentions of other people
The alimentation that marked Radiohead’s early work became more apparent in subsequent albums
Next two albums dealt with the moods of anguish and insecurity, The Bends (1995) and OK Computer (1997)
The booklet that came with OK Computer contains the lyrics displayed almost randomly
amid collage-like images—both words and images are hard to decode
It’s as if the group is challenging its audience: we have something of value to say to you,
but you have to work hard to discover it
Constant touring and popularity on MTV helped boost their sales
Kid A (1999) and Amnesiac (2000) were recorded at the same session and of course share similar themes
and styles
One cut on Amnesiac adds a jazz quartet on “Life in a Glasshouse”
Their music demands the listener engage with the song in more than a casual way
Music is complex and rich, but accessible, yet sounds artful
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
• • “Paranoid Android” was a boundary-stretching single
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Almost 6 ½ minutes in length
• Lyrics are unremittingly depressing and incoherent
• It is also profoundly disturbing not because the music is a dark as the lyrics, but because it is
often so beautiful
• Latin sounds permeate the opening with Yorke delivering the lyric slowly and measured
• The refrain of this part has only two syllables: “what’s then”
• The bass and high synthesizer surround it
• A new section unfolds after a long transition beginning with a guitar riff, set against the Latin
percussion
• The riff appears on two levels and in two forms:
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• First statement lines up with four-beat measures
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• The higher-pitched restatement has one beat less (four beats plus three)
• This sense of imbalance helps set up the next section—which has no apparent connection to
the previous section
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
• • “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead (continued)
• Full-bore distorted guitar—powerful from the contrast with the two previous sections
• A slower section with wordless vocal harmony allows Yorke to sing over these simple,
beautiful harmonies
• More layers are added, little by little until it hits an abrupt ending—seeming to signal a
descent into madness
• The song is comprised of:
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• Sprawling length
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• Three distinct sections along with reprise of the second section
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• Strong contrast in character within and between sections
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• Deliberate delivery of the lyrics
• This song demand the listener engage in it more than casually due to the conflicts and
discontinuities within the words, within the music, and between the words and music
• Not since the Beatles’ demise has a group blended accessibility, challenge, sound
imagination, and sound variety so artfully
• This is rock aspiring to significance
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
• Alienation and Fragmentation
• These two songs, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Paranoid Android” create different sound
worlds, but they share two common elements that place them in the 1990s:
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• A sense of alienation that the lyrics project
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• Jarring and sudden musical contrasts
• These shifts magnify the message of the words
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As used here, they provide the most consistent and powerful expression of the
alienation depicted in the lyrics
• The strong sectional contrasts describe a formal approach that is precisely the opposite of
that used in more conventional rock songs
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• There, the chorus established the mood of the songs; the function of the verses is to
amplify and explain that overall mood
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• Here, the various sections create their own moods
• 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
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
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Chapter 87: Women’s Voices
Women quickly found a home in the alternative movement
The 1980s was the decade of Madonna, Joan Jett, the Go-Go’s, and the Bangles
Their voices were not constrained in any way by the expectations of more mainstream
music, so alternative gave feminists a forum and enabled women of every persuasion to speak their
mind
Among important trends of the latter part of the 1980s and 1990s was the riot grrrl movement
It supported a militant feminist agenda with post-punk music that favored confrontation
over musical skill
This music was part of a self-contained culture; bands like Bratmobile and Bikini Kill played in
clubs and at music festivals that promoted feminist solidarity
The queercore movement, which reacted against the mainstream gay and lesbian views, found a
musical voice in the work of bands such as Sister George, Tribe 8, and Team Dresch, whose founder
Donna Dresch also created the fanzine Chainsaw, which she spun off into a still active record label
Alternative music also supported a revival of singer-songwriters, many of them women
Artists got major label contracts and occasional awards, these include:
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• Tracy Chapman
• Suzanne Vega
• k.d. lang
• Alanis Morrissette
Other singer-songwriters also toured and recorded extensively:
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• Patty Larkin
• Dar Williams
• Ani DiFranco
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
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The music of women within the alternative movement took two directions, both of which had their
roots in the two 1970s styles most open to women:
• More women as instrumentalists
Patti Smith, Tina Weymouth of the talking Heads, Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth
• Women bringing a feminine perspective to the forefront of popular music
Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell represent this—as does Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco
DiFranco (b. 1970) called her early music “folk punk,” but has now evolved away
She embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of alternative music as fully as any artist
She started her own record company (Righteous Babe records) in 1989 and put out her first
album the next year
Touring actively and performing in small clubs, she built up a loyal following
As her label and her career grew, she established the Righteous Babe Foundation, to give support
to causes in which she believes, including queer visibility, opposition to the death penalty, and
historic preservation (the new headquarters of Righteous Babe is a formerly abandoned church in
Buffalo)
Her music has ranged from contemporary takes on the urban folk style to collaborations with
major artists
Three constants have been:
• Decisive 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
• Her fluent and imaginative acoustic guitar playing
CHAPTER 86 - ALIENATION
• • “32 Flavors” is played by just two musicians: DiFranco and percussionist, Andy Stochansky
• The song is a mordant view on a failed relationship
• Musically, the guitar accompaniment remains consistent throughout the song and is more
elaborate and melodic than accompaniments typically heard in folk-inspired music
of the 1960s and 1970s
• DiFranco added a bass part and the percussion provide a buoyant cushion for DiFranco’s
scathing indictment of a former partner
• Her warm, low-key vocal style in this song resonates with the gentle accompaniment
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Its understated quality gives the lyrics even more bite because of the contrast
between the message and its delivery
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• This gently flowing music is some distance stylistically from the punk-inspired sounds that
typify alternative music
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Her do-it-yourself approach to all aspects of her career embodies the spirit of
alternative music
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It also took the independence so prized by alternative acts to a new level