How Fall Out Boy/Fuled by Ramen type bands ruined the definition of alternative part one

Middle School aged girls in abercrombie shirts sitting in the balcony, high school freshmen wearing clip on bows in their hair in the “mosh pit”. This isn’t a Britney Spears concert, It’s a Fall Out Boy, (supposedly an “alternative” band) concert.

You cant mosh to pop music, nor can you claim shopping at hot topic makes you individual, but try telling this to 12 year old girls who claim to be “really alternative” and “listen to really deep music.” How do I know? I was one of them, just not to the same existent. What I’m describing is my first concert, although I didn’t get the real experience because of the commercialization of the band.

Rewind to 1992, where if these 12 year old girls were generation Xers. They’d be in flannel shirts and ripped jeans, at a Nirvana show, and as Cobain looks down at his audience he thinks to himself “what the hell have I done.” Of course when Pete Wentz looks at his audience made up of mostly 10-15 year old girls in his audience, he probably thinks “oh this is the age were parents buy there kids anything.” Maybe he really thinks he’s a real artist, but his record label knows he’s not.

This isn’t a diss on major label bands, nor is it a diss on naïve 12 year old girls. It’s a diss on modern “rock” music. Other then a few original indie acts (Bright Eyes), bands from better eras in music still going (R.E.M, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers) or a few good mainstream rock acts (Foo Fighters) modern music pretty much sucks. Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, Metro Station, etc. all sound the same. All put more effort into their hair and makeup (yes they are dudes) then their music. Remind you of anything earlier?....

Yes I am associating Hair Metal with Pop “Punk”. The biggest difference is hair bands where not as fond of pretending to be sensitive or artistic as modern Pop “Punk” bands are. So I am actually, to some extent, suggesting that hair metal is more real then Pop “punk”.

How do we know Pop “punk” isn’t real? It’s not original, they all sound the same.

Metro Station


Plain White Tees



Cobra Starshit *cough* Ship sorry


Now what a fucking original batch of bands we have there.


Compare that to grunge bands, all have a unique sound

Pearl Jam


Alice In Chains


Nirvana


Screaming Trees


and lets go back to hair bands, all sound the same, but have oddly amusing videos…(some of these are NSFW)

Warrant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48odQVIZKjI

(click on link, couldn’t find one with html)

Poison


Motley Crue (this one is super NSFW)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX7tSJBh6Ho

RATT

And here are some non grunge alternative bands just to prove my point further

Pixies


REM


Radiohead





So I honestly think the first four videos and the hair metal videos are more alike then the first four videos and the grunge/alternative videos.


It’s noticeable in the lyrics as well. Alternative bands tend to have lyrics that are more metaphoric and less repetitive.

Pop (Metro Station-shake it)

“Now if she does it like this
Will you do it like that?
Now if she touches like this
Will you touch her right back?
Now if she moves like this
Will you move her like that?
Come on, shake, shake
Shake, shake, shake it

Shake, shake
Shake, shake, shake it"

Pop Metal (Warrant-Cherry Pie)
“Swing it in the living room
Swing it in the kitchen
Most folks don't cause they're too busy bitchin'
Swing it in there cause she wants me to feed here
So I mixed up the batter
And she licked the beater

I scream, you scream
We all scream for her
Don't even try cause you can't ignore her”
Grunge
(Alice in Chains-Down In A Hole)
“Bury me softly in this womb
I give this part of me for you
Sand rains down and here I sit
Holding rare flowers
In a tomb...in bloom

Down in a hole and I don't know if I can be saved
See my heart I decorate it like a grave
You don't understand who they
Thought I was supposed to be
Look at me now a man
Who won't let himself be

Down in a hole, feelin' so small
Down in a hole, losin' my soul
I'd like to fly,
But my wings have been so denied”


I could keep giving examples but I think my point is proven. Modern day pop rock bands are more close to hair metal then alternative. The Metro Station video/song is about sex. The pop "punk" and the pop "metal" bands are much more glitzy, while the grunge ones are more emotional influenced, but without being whiney.