When I posted up my Year in Rock 2017 playlist yesterday, I said to consider all 65 of those songs nominees for Song of the Year. I ended up with a wide-ranging list; full of seasoned veterans and rising talents alike, that playlist is proof of just how diverse rock has become.
With such an abundance of styles and sub-genres represented, it's not easy to see the trend; however, if I had to pick out the one thing about 2017's rock music that I noticed above the others, it's that the increasingly blurred line between rock and pop has all but disappeared. A growing number of bands formerly known as capital-G Guitar bands extended their hands to pop this year, whether through subtle stylistic changes, the addition of a keyboard player or by working with a renowned pop producer; hell, Foo Fighters did all three of those things this year.
Some attempts were more obvious than others; before Chester Bennington's tragic suicide this summer, we were bemoaning Linkin Park's latest for being such a blatant crossover attempt. Others were much less noticeable, but listen closer; Spoon, Incubus, Kasabian, Alt-J, Portugal. The Man, Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Marilyn Manson and Beck can all be considered artists that leaned a little harder on pop for inspiration this year, and those are just the artists that got nominated.
The thing is, as many bands scrambled to join the likes of Imagine Dragons and Maroon 5 on the pop side of the pop/rock fence, only one band really captured fans outside of their established bases. That they did it in such a commanding fashion without altering their sonic identity all that drastically is a testament to both the band's talent and to the desire of pop audiences for new artists with some rock in their sound. Consider this; one of the year's biggest pop hits is rooted in sixties rock and interpolates the melody from one of Motown's most enduring smashes.
In case you haven't figured it out yet, Sound Bites' 2017 Song of the Year is Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man:
Say what you will about a band like PTM adjusting their sound for mainstream attention, the fact is it's about time the mainstream paid attention to them; this is a band that's toiled tirelessly while slowly evolving their music rather than trying to mine the same empty veins for gold. Yes, they used to rock a little harder, but can we really fault any band that sees that mainstream drifting further and further away and decides to cautiously follow it in favour of staying pat? Let's face it, rock music hasn't been popular for an entire generation now, and the only way the genre survives is by infiltrating. Congratulations to Portugal. The Man for doing just that.
With such an abundance of styles and sub-genres represented, it's not easy to see the trend; however, if I had to pick out the one thing about 2017's rock music that I noticed above the others, it's that the increasingly blurred line between rock and pop has all but disappeared. A growing number of bands formerly known as capital-G Guitar bands extended their hands to pop this year, whether through subtle stylistic changes, the addition of a keyboard player or by working with a renowned pop producer; hell, Foo Fighters did all three of those things this year.
Some attempts were more obvious than others; before Chester Bennington's tragic suicide this summer, we were bemoaning Linkin Park's latest for being such a blatant crossover attempt. Others were much less noticeable, but listen closer; Spoon, Incubus, Kasabian, Alt-J, Portugal. The Man, Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Marilyn Manson and Beck can all be considered artists that leaned a little harder on pop for inspiration this year, and those are just the artists that got nominated.
The thing is, as many bands scrambled to join the likes of Imagine Dragons and Maroon 5 on the pop side of the pop/rock fence, only one band really captured fans outside of their established bases. That they did it in such a commanding fashion without altering their sonic identity all that drastically is a testament to both the band's talent and to the desire of pop audiences for new artists with some rock in their sound. Consider this; one of the year's biggest pop hits is rooted in sixties rock and interpolates the melody from one of Motown's most enduring smashes.
In case you haven't figured it out yet, Sound Bites' 2017 Song of the Year is Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man:
Say what you will about a band like PTM adjusting their sound for mainstream attention, the fact is it's about time the mainstream paid attention to them; this is a band that's toiled tirelessly while slowly evolving their music rather than trying to mine the same empty veins for gold. Yes, they used to rock a little harder, but can we really fault any band that sees that mainstream drifting further and further away and decides to cautiously follow it in favour of staying pat? Let's face it, rock music hasn't been popular for an entire generation now, and the only way the genre survives is by infiltrating. Congratulations to Portugal. The Man for doing just that.
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