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Subject: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: velvetoneo on 05/12/06 at 8:50 am

Grunge (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, Soundgarden, Hole, Green River, etc.)
Noise Rock (Husker Du, Sonic Youth)
College Rock (10,000 Maniacs, The Replacements, Camper Van Beethoven, The Lemonheads, R.E.M, Michael Penn, Tonic, The Sundays, The Rembrandts, etc.)
Lo-Fi Rock ("'90s Indie Rock") (Pavement, The Flaming Lips, Guided by Voices, Ween, Liz Phair, Beck)
Britpop (Oasis, Blur, Pulp)
Prog Rock Revival (The Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, etc.)
Shoegazer (My Bloody Valentine, etc.)
Singer-Songwriters/Lilith Fair (Tori Amos, Sarah MacLachlan, Suzanne Vega, Tracy Chapman, Aimee Mann, Jeff Buckley, etc.)
Funk Alt and Latin Alt/College Noise (Pixies, Fishbone, Living Colour, RHCP, Jane's Addiction, etc.)
Britmope (Radiohead, The Verve, etc.)
Nerd Rock (Ben Folds Five, Weezer, etc.)
Industrial Rock (NIN, KMFDM)
Punk Revivalist (The Offspring, NOFX)

Arguably Alternative or "Post-Alt":

Post-Grunge (The Gin Blossoms, The Foo Fighters, etc.)
Nu Metal (Korn, Incubus, etc.)
Twee Pop/Sensitive Boys (Belle and Sebastian, Elliott Smith, Rufus Wainwright, etc.)-I consider this '00s.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: chaka on 05/12/06 at 1:24 pm

pretty good list you've got there!  8)

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: Donnie Darko on 05/12/06 at 2:47 pm

Yeah, twee-pop is very pretentious '00s hipster music.  Is twee pop like piano/synth/guitar indie neo-'80s, like Death Cab?

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: velvetoneo on 05/12/06 at 3:09 pm


Yeah, twee-pop is very pretentious '00s hipster music.  Is twee pop like piano/synth/guitar indie neo-'80s, like Death Cab?


Belle and Sebastian and Architecture in Helsinki are archetypical "twee pop." Belle and Sebastian were around in the late '90s, but they're an '00s hipster group. It is just very soft, unassuming sounding, no hard edges indie pop with "delicate" lyrics.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: Trimac20 on 05/12/06 at 9:15 pm


Belle and Sebastian and Architecture in Helsinki are archetypical "twee pop." Belle and Sebastian were around in the late '90s, but they're an '00s hipster group. It is just very soft, unassuming sounding, no hard edges indie pop with "delicate" lyrics.


'Twee' pop - hmm, that's not a genre name we're familiar with down here. Lol. I happen to think purveyors of so-called 'twee' music are producing some of the best music around today. Would you consider contempary folk/pop/quirk folk-inspired, mainly acoustic ballad sort of music 'twee'? It's probably a much bigger thing here and in the U.K. than the ultra-commercial American market. Apart from Australian groups like Architecture in Helsinki, New Buffalo, the Dave Mann Collective, Mia Dyson, Machine Translations (that is a MUST LISTEN group if you ever get the chance), I quite like neo-folkies like Emilio Torrini and Joanna Newsome. I think some of it is a bit pretentious (Architecture's lastest album 'In Case We Die' - I much preferred there early stuff which was fresh and non-pretentious) - more the American stuff like Postal Service (which isn't too bad). Haven't heard much of 'Death cab for Cutie' - they're not that big here in the 'Indie' scene. I wouldn't class Belle and Sebastian in that group, since they are surprisingly diverse; they are pop at heart, and make no pretentions to be otherwise. The also have quite a few electronica-inspired songs (believe it or not), but their predominant influences are folk, and the late 80s/early 90s British underground scene.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: sonikuu on 05/13/06 at 2:57 am


Post-Grunge (Ace of Base, The Gin Blossoms, The Foo Fighters, etc.)


How are Ace of Base Post-Grunge?  They don't sound remotely similiar.  

Other than that, it's pretty good.  However, what about Pop-Punk (Green Day, The Offspring) and Industrial (Nine Inch Nails)?  They toured on Lollapalooza and they were played on "alternative" radio.  Wouldn't they count as Alternative as a result of this?

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: GoodRedShirt on 05/13/06 at 5:10 am


How are Ace of Base Post-Grunge?  They don't sound remotely similiar. 

Other than that, it's pretty good.  However, what about Pop-Punk (Green Day, The Offspring) and Industrial (Nine Inch Nails)?  They toured on Lollapalooza and they were played on "alternative" radio.  Wouldn't they count as Alternative as a result of this?
Ace of Base post-grunge?

The Beatles must be Emo.  8)

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: Trimac20 on 05/13/06 at 5:31 am


Ace of Base post-grunge?

The Beatles must be Emo.  8)


Velvetoneo just like's throwing names around, even if he hasn't heard the band's music! (just kidding).

Ace of Base is euro-disco, euro-pop: VERY 90s pop.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: sonikuu on 05/13/06 at 4:00 pm

Yeah, I don't see how you could lump Ace of Base in with the Gin Blossoms and Foo Fighters.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: GoodRedShirt on 05/13/06 at 5:51 pm


Velvetoneo just like's throwing names around, even if he hasn't heard the band's music! (just kidding).
OK, I understand and accept that.  8)

I was also waiting for someone to come up and say that The Beatles did have certain emo lyrics or something...  ::)

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: velvetoneo on 05/13/06 at 8:19 pm


Yeah, I don't see how you could lump Ace of Base in with the Gin Blossoms and Foo Fighters.


I lumped them in because of the association of the term "post-grunge" with Alanis Morisette.

Any other comments on other aspects of my thread?

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: Trimac20 on 05/13/06 at 10:01 pm


I lumped them in because of the association of the term "post-grunge" with Alanis Morisette.

Any other comments on other aspects of my thread?


I personally think Smashing Pumpkins is more Grunge than anything else. Others may disagree, but they have all the hallmarks of grunge: the heavy distortion, 'muddy' lo-fi sound, occasional screaming. But then again, it depends on which album you're talking about. 'Siamese Dream' was quite a grungy album, while 'Mellon Collie' was so much more eclectic and experimental.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: bbigd04 on 05/13/06 at 10:05 pm


I personally think Smashing Pumpkins is more Grunge than anything else. Others may disagree, but they have all the hallmarks of grunge: the heavy distortion, 'muddy' lo-fi sound, occasional screaming. But then again, it depends on which album you're talking about. 'Siamese Dream' was quite a grungy album, while 'Mellon Collie' was so much more eclectic and experimental.


They have grunge characteristics, but I just consider them post-grunge alternative. Ace of Base is pop not alternative, why are they even on this list, lol.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: Trimac20 on 05/13/06 at 10:07 pm

How is Ace of Base 'alternative'?  :D

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: velvetoneo on 05/14/06 at 2:00 am


I personally think Smashing Pumpkins is more Grunge than anything else. Others may disagree, but they have all the hallmarks of grunge: the heavy distortion, 'muddy' lo-fi sound, occasional screaming. But then again, it depends on which album you're talking about. 'Siamese Dream' was quite a grungy album, while 'Mellon Collie' was so much more eclectic and experimental.


I think they're part of the grunge lineage, but they're a more diverse and interesting band than every grunge band but Nirvana, IMO. Part of the doom of grunge was that it got repetitive, and then the sound got progressively commercialized and dull every year...Siamese Dream sounds more grunge (albeit much more heavy metal as opposed to punk), but Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is much more heavily influenced by '70s early metal, prog rock, etc. and fits in better with stuff like Tool.

Okay, can we stop talking about Ace of Base! I'll fudgeing remove it.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: bbigd04 on 05/14/06 at 2:05 am


I think they're part of the grunge lineage, but they're a more diverse and interesting band than every grunge band but Nirvana, IMO. Part of the doom of grunge was that it got repetitive, and then the sound got progressively commercialized and dull every year...Siamese Dream sounds more grunge (albeit much more heavy metal as opposed to punk), but Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is much more heavily influenced by '70s early metal, prog rock, etc. and fits in better with stuff like Tool.

Okay, can we stop talking about Ace of Base! I'll fudging remove it.


Yea I agree. I actually really like Smashing Pumpkins, I think they're a great band.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: chaka on 05/14/06 at 6:51 am


Yea I agree. I actually really like Smashing Pumpkins, I think they're a great band.

True,once you get used to Corgan's voice you can really appreciate the band's talent.
Some of their songs are just amazing.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: Trimac20 on 05/14/06 at 9:34 am


I think they're part of the grunge lineage, but they're a more diverse and interesting band than every grunge band but Nirvana, IMO. Part of the doom of grunge was that it got repetitive, and then the sound got progressively commercialized and dull every year...Siamese Dream sounds more grunge (albeit much more heavy metal as opposed to punk), but Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is much more heavily influenced by '70s early metal, prog rock, etc. and fits in better with stuff like Tool.

Okay, can we stop talking about Ace of Base! I'll fudging remove it.


Lol...Ace of Base seems to be popping up everywhere, 12 years later...

Yes, SP's began as a grunge outfit, but never really grew out of it, just took a off-shoot for awhile. Nirvana diverse? They're a great band, but definitely not diverse.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: velvetoneo on 05/14/06 at 1:30 pm


Lol...Ace of Base seems to be popping up everywhere, 12 years later...

Yes, SP's began as a grunge outfit, but never really grew out of it, just took a off-shoot for awhile. Nirvana diverse? They're a great band, but definitely not diverse.


Their recordings on Unplugged were, I think that they could've gone into other directions had Cobain not committed suicide.

Subject: Re: Genres of Alt Rock (1985-2000 or so)

Written By: Trimac20 on 05/16/06 at 9:01 am


Their recordings on Unplugged were, I think that they could've gone into other directions had Cobain not committed suicide.


Both 'Nevermind' and 'In Utero' sounded like one big double album to me...indeed, many of the songs sounded very similar. Bit like the Strokes, even though both are excellent bands.

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