The worst part about telling people I write about music is that they ask what kind of music I write about. It’s not like it’s a complicated question, but it’s a question that if I give an honest answer to nobody will understand what I mean. As it turns out the average person doesn’t know what “post-hyperpop” is, likely because it’s a made up umbrella term, but it’s far less niche of a descriptor than getting into the microgenres that make up whatever the hell AuraLink really is. I wrote a while ago that the pro-tip to getting people to listen to your suggestions is just to say it’s experimental pop, which I still think is true, because it sounds close to what people can identify, but I think the issue is so much deeper than this.
Lets back up for a sec, because you may be wondering what sparked this episode of “Rob goes on an insane rambling about a minor inconvenience”, and the truth is it’s because I just have no idea what a bunch of genres are. For example, what the hell is deconstructed club. I genuinely do not know. Could I look it up? Absolutely! Google is at my disposal at all times, I am chronically online, I cannot escape the internet demons! Am I going to look it up? No! Not even once! Do I have a good reason outside of “I’m doin somethin else right now?” Nope! I never do! This is a singular example of a larger problem. Genres used to be relatively simple, because Classical was very different from Jazz, which was very different from Rock. The monoliths that make up genre structure are different enough that theres very little room for confusion, but as time went on people experimented and made music so varied and different that categorizing them gets difficult. It’s kind of a good problem to have, because it really does show the intense levels of creativity and variety we’re all exposed to now, but if you don’t know a damn thing about a set of microgenres its all just a bunch of words to you.
Here’s an example that may apply better to AuraLink readers. You can probably tell me all about glitchpop and digicore and all the other hyperopop derivatives, but what in gods name is Sludge Metal? And how is it different from Desert Metal? Do not look at me for answers, I’m only like 50% sure those are real genres, but it illustrates my point, because to me personally, I hear metal and just think of Bring Me The Horizon (which isn’t even a great representation of the genre, but thats a me problem). I obviously do not know what the solution here is to make it easier to talk about music with the uninitiated. It’s not always convenient to pull up 3 examples to paint a picture, but words simply don’t seem to do it.
What was the point of writing all this? Honestly I do not know, and ask myself that at the conclusion of most of these editorials. I think I just like to type type type on my ‘puter and pretend everyone goes “yeah they got a point!”. But ego tripping aside, I’m still not going to look up what deconstructed club is, so either one of you gets to tell me or I’m going to live in ignorance.
Leave a Reply