A Name As Stupid As Emo Deserves An Explanation
Over the years, music evolves and changes in a lot of ways. Unless you’re solely looking at mainstream music, its evolved pretty dramatically… particularly in the last 3 years. But every time I hear someone refer to a band as ‘emo’ it still pisses me off. Mostly because it never bears any resemblance to bands who were initially labeled ‘emo’ during a time when there was no description for it. You see, back in the mid-to-late 90s when all rock was ‘alternative’, distinctions had to be made when a particular group of bands had a general sound that stood apart from conventional alternative. I don’t know which asshole it was, but once ‘emo’ had spilled out of his lips, it seemed to stick. Now the label means you’re some sort of introverted gothic-punk cry-baby who listens to alterna-punk or shitty new metal. See? Evolution. But ranting aside, I’ve decided to highlight the top 10 bands that in my opinion made a definition necessary because really, they deserve a distinction from the current defintion.
When everyone else was modeling their music after Nirvana, Sunny Day Real Estate decided to play rock their own way. And it was this particular style that has made them one of the most influential bands of the last 20 years. And yes, its pretty safe to say that they are one of, if not the founders of emo.
When Fugazi started out, most people classified them as hardcore punk and for all intents and purposes, they kind of were. But in their minds, they wanted to do something more than just punk. The result was aggressive post-punk that helped shape the other side of emo. A side that was energetic, raw and above all, emotional.
Cap’n Jazz ‘s aggressive style wasn’t exactly punk or experimental, it was just in your face music that needed classification. Just like Fugazi, they were penned as punk. It may not have been obvious at the time, but they’d end up becoming far more prolific than anyone could have imagined upon their demise.
Braid was actually punk when they began. Their first album was nothing to write home about, but they immediately hit their stride with the The Age Of Octeen. They’re yet another example of a post-punk band hastily being labeled emo while simultaneously having a hand in defining the new genre.
From Rainer Maria‘s first note, they immediately established themselves as a non-conventional band. Their adolescent-like vocals and shimmery guitars were something that defined every release of theirs… even if Caithlin De Marrais’ vocals got progressively better every record.
I didn’t like Mineral at first, but once I began to dissect what was going on, I started to see why they were special. They had a noticeable soft-to-loud dynamic that was starting to be adopted by a lot bands in the genre and played a key role in inspiring others to adopt the same trait.
Christie Front Drive‘s unique style of guitar-driven indie rock backed by solid drumming and vague lyrics pushes them ahead for consideration in any emo compilation. I was told that there weren’t any actual lyrics written for any of their songs and he would just ad-lib them during performances. It explains their vagueness, but whether true or not, the final recordings speak for themselves.
Roadside Monument doesn’t come to the forefront of a lot of minds when talking about this genre. But once you consider their delicate-to-aggressive style sprinkled with their unmistakable vocals, it becomes a no-brainer. I included this song because it has the appropriate and prophetic lyric, ‘May we not be forgotten‘ repeated at the end.
No emo compilation would be complete without the addition of The Promise Ring. Formed from the ashes of Cap’n Jazz, they soon became the poster-boys of emo in all it’s forms. And if you knew any song from them, it was bound to be A Picture Postcard. Every person that I’ve ever met who knew anything about emo or indie rock, knew this song. Once you’ve heard it, you’ll understand why.
The last band I decided to include on my list is the only band who’s been able to evolve their style over the years to stay relevant in any decade: Cursive. When Cursive put out their first record, they immediately became a favorite of mine. I had no idea that they’d be around anywhere near this long, but that just shows their tenacity and intelligence. The great ones can always figure out a way to keep coming back with brilliance year after year. A few line-up changes have occurred over that time, but they’ve stayed true to themselves… even if I didn’t care for their last record very much.
Now some of you might say,’Where the hell are The Get Up Kids, Jets To Brazil or Joan Of Arc? Why didn’t you mention Appleseed Cast, Boys Life or even Pedro The Lion?’ Well I just did. Also, Pedro The Lion isn’t emo, they’re technically still just indie rock, you insatiable prick.
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