Under the Influence: Emo (The Genre, Not The Actor)

Back in the glory days of Audiogalaxy, I was referred by a friend to check out the band Dashboard Confessional. After grabbing a couple of tracks, I was intrigued by the passionate singer/songwriter seemingly pouring his heart out on these simple song arrangements. Around this same time, I started listening to another one man band, Bright Eyes, who I discovered through the Saddle Creek band, The Faint. I had heard the word emo being bandied around, and had read it being mentioned in several magazines, but still didn’t know what constituted it.

Then I learned that the new groups I had been listening to were considered the epitome of emo. So I just assumed that emo was a sort of folk-punk movement, which made sense as folk has become redundant and was ready for a revolution (as is now evidenced by Sufjan Stevens and Devendra Banhart). Than the more research I did, I the less of an idea I had about what emo actually was. Then all of a sudden, I began reading that a plethora of albums already in my collection were labeled emo. Pinkerton, really? Around the Fur? Seemingly all of these bands that have no real artistic thread between one another were being corralled under this three letter banner. Weezer doesn’t sound like At the Drive-In, who doesn’t sound like Dashboard Confessional, who certainly doesn’t sound like the Deftones, yet all of these bands have been labeled Emo or had “Emo-tendencies” at some point in their careers.

But what exactly is emo? Many articles of this sort have been written, so instead of looking too much into its origins, the goal is to examine how emo and emo-lifestyle (if there is such a thing) has infiltrated our consciousness. For a sensibility that many people find singularly identifying, there is still a certain amount of mystery and ambiguity to it.

Let us get what we know out of the way. Short for emotional hardcore (labeled as such because certain frontmen were prone to crying while singing their affective lyrics), then shortened to emocore, emo was born in the late 80’s/early 90’s as a term embraced by fans if not by the bands that were credited with creating it. Emo can be easily summed up as catharsis by chorus; deeply personal, introspective lyrics that are embraced by fans and sung at shows at a volume twice the volume of the performer. Now seemingly applied to any band that employs personal lyrics and/or emotive delivery (usually through screaming, but not in an aggro manner, more of a high-pitched/nasal approach), emo is a rather broad brush that covers a plethora of music.

What I find most fascinating about the scene is which side of the divide between emotional and hardcore a band labeled emo takes. There is an expansive difference between the melodic hardcore of Thursday and aforementioned Dashboard Confessional, and is completely understandable to love one group and hate the other. This kind of brevity allows (in theory) an avenue where bands can push the boundaries of what emo is, just like rap. The Boot Camp Clik doesn’t sound like Kanye West, who doesn’t sound like E-40, who certainly doesn’t sound like Nelly.

But the difference between emo and rap is its accepted history. Rap is just an aspect, an “element,” of a lifestyle, hip-hop, which is also comprised of DJ’ing, graffing, and b-boying. Its heritage and culture are embraced by those who practice it. Emo kind of dropped in everyone’s lap, with no one quite sure how it began and no one taking credit for it.

One of the great alluring factors of emo to the labels is its crossover appeal. Not specifically as it relates to the mainstream (which is very little at the moment) but for its ability to combine other smaller genre’s under a large umbrella. Although people roll their eyes when they hear the word “emo,” it has less stigma than pop punk, despite the make up and sounds of these bands being eerily similar. Think about it, how come Good Charlotte isn’t considered emo? They release pop-fused punk bursts dealing with serious topics such as suicide and drug addiction. Is it the mohawk’s? Or is it because they call themselves punk?
Then there is the indie aspect. Indie, for the most part, eschews a slightly older demographic than its mall-punk counterparts, comprising of a mainly college aged crowd. In most instances, the Liberal Arts major would perish the thought that they listen to same bands as their 14-year-old sister. Nevertheless, you are prone to see Death Cab for Cutie and The Get-Up Kids referenced in both CMJ and your favorite liverjournal. So let’s put it together; at a show stacked with emo bands, you are likely to see punks, scenesters, college kids, and disaffected youth with money to burn. If you’re a label head, it’s a marketing wet dream.

It is the record labels’ goal (and it is succeeding) to push emo as an aesthetic, a way of life, and not just as a musical style. It goes without saying that every pervasive genre of music has its own wardrobe and ethos for those who follow it faithfully, but I have talked to kids who identify themselves as emo and don’t even like, and in some cases know, the bands associated with the word. It seems the criticism people have about emo has more to do with their perception of a stereotypical fan of said music as opposed to the genre itself. Makeoutclub.com, thick framed glasses, ironic metal band T-shirts, and the “culture” of emo has pervaded the mainstream in a way the music wishes it could. It even has a figurehead, Seth from the O.C.; a televised poster child who embodies everything people perceive about emo culture (an awkward, confidence lacking teenager who enjoys Death Cab for Cutie, comic books, and general nerdiness) while simultaneously defying it (the impossibly hot girlfriend).

Emo reminds me more of another genre buzzword from a decade’s past; grunge.
Although characterized as the united sound of generation X, the bands that the powers-that-be christened as grunge had almost no similar aesthetic whatsoever. Nirvana doesn’t sound anything like Pearl Jam, who doesn’t sound like Soundgarden, who certainly doesn’t sound like Bush. For most of these bands, the only similar characteristic was its home address, as Seattle was the headquarters for not only the most visible bands connected with the word but also the label that exemplified grunge at the time, Sub Pop. Much like its early nineties brethren, Emo even has a home base of sorts. Thursday, My Chemical Romance, and Taking Back Sunday all call New Jersey home. That’s a far cry from earlier New Jersey heroes Bon Jovi and the Bullet Boys, although if Bruce Springsteen (an artist Bright Eyes is most compared to) were to hit the scene, he would probably be burdened with the emo label.

Another important similarity (the one I think proves its authenticity and longevity as a genre) is that neither “grunge” nor “emo” bands refer to themselves as such. Ask Nile if they are a metal band, and see what they tell you. Now ask Taking Back Sunday if they are an emo band, and listen to their response. MF Doom will tell you he is a rapper, or a hip-hop artist, but The Used will give you every possible name except the one people label them as, emo. Now, obviously, true artists don’t label themselves or attach limitations that would inevitably come from identifying one’s music (Is Radiohead really a “rock’n’roll” band?), but unless a band is willing to say “We are (insert genre), pure and simple,” than there is a limited shelf life for the word, and the lifestyle it embodies.

Only time will tell.

Let’s Get Known

Bloc Party – Helicopter single
-Oh my god. I am generally leery of bands who garner a ridiculous amount of press based off of one or two singles; I don’t care how good “Banquet” was. But this track, the first from their great debut “Silent Alarm,” is just perfect. An amalgam of their previous work along with what the new album sounds like, “Helicopter” is part vitriolic punk blast and part stadium rock anthem. Most people will have to wait until March to check out the album, unless you know the proper channels.

M.F. Doom – MM..Food.
-After releasing the best rap album of the year (“Madvillainy”), Doom could have been content to sit back and let anticipation build for his next project. Instead, he drops another gem just eight months later. Taking the next logical step in a genre that fetishsizes eating, this food themed album is every bit as good (and in some respects, better) than his collaboration with Madlib. In fact, I think maybe he should have waited until January to drop this album since it could potentially get lost in all of the (deserved) press his other album will get, by way of year end lists.

The Walkmen – Bows and Arrows
-Reflecting back on all the great music this year, I found myself playing this NY quintet’s sophomore effort more regularly than normal. Tightening a sound that was at times erratic on their excellent debut, they blow the sophomore slump theory out of the water. My pick for album of the year.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday season, and please shoot me a line about your feelings on emo; whether you think I am on point, or am full of shit. I enjoy the feedback.