Alternative music

Alternative music is also called alternative rock, alt-rock or simply alternative

is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s.
The term alternative is used in the music industry to denote "the choices available to
consumers via record stores, radio, cable television, and the Internet." Alternative
rock consists of various subgenres that have emerged from the independent music scene
since the 1980s, such as grunge, Britpop, gothic rock, and indie pop.

Characteristics:

"Alternative music" is essentially an umbrella term for underground music that has
emerged in the wake of punk rock since the mid-1980s. Throughout much of its history,
alternative rock has been largely defined by its rejection of the commercialism of
mainstream culture. Alternative bands during the 1980s generally played in small clubs,
recorded for indie labels, and spread their popularity through word of mouth. As such, there
is no set musical style for alternative rock as a whole, although The New York Times in 1989
asserted that the genre is "guitar music first of all, with guitars that blast out power
chords, pick out chiming riffs, buzz with fuzz tone and squeal in feedback." Sounds
range from the dirty guitars of grunge to the gloomy soundscapes of gothic rock to the
guitar pop revivalism of Britpop to the shambolic performance style of twee pop. More often
than in other rock styles since the mainstreaming of rock music during the 1970s,
alternative rock lyrics tend to address topics of social concern, such as drug use,
depression, and environmentalism.

Typical instruments:

• Electric guitar

• bass guitar

• drums

• sometimes keyboards

Stylistic origins:

• Punk rock

• Post-punk

• Hardcore punk

• Hard rock

• New Wave

• Folk rock

Cultural origins: Early 1980s, United Kingdom and United States

Famous singers/bands:
 • R.E.M. (1980’s)

• The Smiths (1980’s)

• Linkin Park (21st century)

Heavy Metal

Heavy metal (often referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music that
developed in between 1968 and 1974, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States.
With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal
developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended
guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. Heavy metal lyrics and performance
styles are generally associated with masculinity and machismo.

Typical instruments:

• Electric guitar

• bass guitar

• drums

• vocals

• keyboards

Characteristics:

• "explicit display of emotion"- a sign of authenticity

• "tone of voice" is more important than the lyrics

• It is a major subspecies of hard-rock

• The electric guitar and the sonic power that it projects through amplification has
historically been the key element in heavy metal.

• The guitarist becomes the frontman of the band

• The interplay of bass and guitar is a central element.

• Heavy metal concerts once referred to as “the sensory equipment of war”

 • Classical music has been a major influence on heavy metal since the genre’s earliest
days

• Death is a predominant theme

• It often feature outlandish, fantasy-inspired lyrics, lending them an escapist quality

• metal musicians engage in headbanging when performing live

• The corna, or devil horns, hand gesture is also widespread.

Famous Singers/Bands

• Black Sabbath • Ozzy Osbourne

• Metallica • Slipknot

• Led Zeppelin • Deftones

• Iron Maiden • Lamb of God

• Judas Priest • Slayer

• Kiss • Motorhead