The Lunch Room Table Music Scene (An Essay)

This is a pretty interesting scene we live in. For all intents and purposes, really, scene hardcore is dead. Everything that could possibly be done with that genre has been done, and mostly by Underoath. Death metal is honestly way too annoying to even be considered good, pop punk has been taken over by 13 year-old-kids who refuse to swear and are all mentored by Mark Hoppus (and Motion City Soundtrack, the lucky exception). Indie is being plagued by way-too-weird electronic bleeps and bips, folk indie is Conor Oberst, Ben Gibbard, Jenny Lewis, and whoever they want to bring along. Not to say there aren’t notable bands in each genre, but who is really pushing any sort of boundaries? To be honest, nobody. Bring me the Horizon is The Devil Wears Prada, Five Finger Death Punch is Drop Dead Gorgeous, All Time Low is Boys Like Girls, Passion Pit is Of Montreal, and Death Cab for Cutie is funding anyone who sits at their lunch table.

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And then we get a gem like Blue Sky Noise by Circa Survive, a band that really defies genres. Some people refer to them as “Post-Hardcore,” but what does that even mean? Hardcore bands are unfortunately still releasing material, all three billion clad in skinny jeans and really loud t-shirts. You could say they are emo, but nowadays most people associate that word with something completely different than it really stood for. Mostly Jimmy Eat World. So I wouldn’t say they are emo.

So we get to the point where we have to consider the fact that some bands just simply are not a genre. Which is definitely a breath of fresh air. The music world has become too tied in genre, and that limits what people will listen to.

I am definitely not immune to this phenomenon. If someone tells me a band is “country” I will most likely not listen to them. I remember when I first picked up Rilo Kiley’s 2005 album More Adventurous. Songs like “Portions for Foxes” and “It’s a Hit” were fine, but I had to roll up my windows and make sure nobody was watching before I played “I Never.” I felt as if I was betraying some larger force for enjoying it. Mind, I was 15 at the time, but I still feel like this can affect the music myself and others enjoy.

If something is produced by Timbaland, I almost instantly pass it off. But too be honest, Timbaland is one of the most successful record producers, songwriters and performers of our generation. Obviously the guy is doing something right. The guy is involved in a lot of terrible music, but Jay-Z and Christ Cornell cannot be written off. At least not by me.

The 2008 Grammys were by far the most genre-confused Grammys of all time. For record of the year, the nominees stood as Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss’ Raising Sand, Radiohead’s In Rainbows, and Li’l Wayne’s Tha Carter III. Depending on who you ask, any one of these could win album of the year. In my personal opinion, the Coldplay and the Radiohead albums were by far the best of the four, but most of America at the time would push their votes for Mr. Wayne. And in the end, none of those won. I appreciate the Grammys attempt at opening their windows and exploring what the heck else is going on the music world, but it doesn’t really matter much if they don’t really listen to it.

So, in the end, we are still left with the Lunch Room of Music. If you sit at one table, good luck getting to sit with any of your other friend without being ridiculed. But I say you can explore and enjoy whatever you want. I will be the first to admit Angels and Airwaves’ first album was not very good, but I enjoy some of the stuff they have done. I know that’s like shooting yourself in the foot in the scene in which we live, but I like to think I defy genre.

Joshua Erhardt is an aspiring music journalist. Born and raised in the midwest, his knowledge of popular music and the scenes that surround them grew through his experiences in touring musical groups, and collecting a wide range of listening material. He currently attends Minnesota State University Mankato with an intent to major in Mass Communication.