that_punk_guy wrote:
Right, I suppose I should elaborate on why I asked this question.
The actual "trigger", what got me thinking about it, was a disagreement I had with Vincent about the Foo Fighters and whether they had become more emo.
Handbags at 10 paces? :-P
The first problem with using the word "emo" is that it doesn't describe the music's style at all. I think the guitar sounds and songwriting style on 'The Colour And The Shape' are reminiscent of "real" emo bands (ie. bands that were labelled so before it became trendy.) Vincent said the new stuff is emo.
I don't the kind of ego that would have me believe I'm right about it just because I listen to more of that stuff than he does, so I sat down and thought about it, and in the meantime started this thread.
Looking into the word/classification/whatever of emo has got me thinking. I only really know emo from the rag mags. I'd been hearing it over the past 5 or so years, but never really knew what it was until maybe 2 years ago. Well, I thought I knew anyway.
I lay the blame at major labels. The music marketed as punk and emo in major magazines - Kerrang!, melody Maker/NME etc - just isn't punk and emo (indie). They're pop-bands, venture capitalists with stupid sweeping fringes. But of course, the major labels also pay for much of the advertising space in Kerrang!, so what they say is cool is cool, and people stupid enough to buy Kerrang! and not read the (usually still fairly honest) reviews will go into record shops and ask for "emo" CDs. This is why the real emo kids hate emo ;-)
I take it you haven't picked up a copy of Kerrang! recently then? The only honest reviews I've seen in there recently was the whole issue with the 110 greatest albums. And even then, some of the reviews were utter balls that only served to lick up to certain bands.
Kerrang is no longer a music magazine, it hasn't been for quite some time. It's now the music equivalent of the Daily Sport.
And everyone seems to have an opinion on it... even though no-one's sure what it even means anymore.
Guilty as charged :-)
