| Noise pop | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Noisy pop |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Mid-1980s, United Kingdom |
| Derivative forms | |
| Other topics | |
Noise pop is asubgenre ofalternative andindie rock that emerged in the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom, originally pioneered bythe Jesus and Mary Chain on their debut albumPsychocandy. Elements of the style were also present in some bands associated with the BritishC86 movement. Noise pop later influenced the development ofshoegaze.
Noise pop is characterized by a mixture of dissonant, abrasivenoise and guitarfeedback combined withpop-oriented songwriting.AllMusic describes the style as occupying "the halfway point betweenbubblegum and theavant-garde". Accordingly, noise pop "often has a hazy, narcotic feel, as melodies drift through the swirling guitar textures. But it can also be bright and lively, or angular and challenging."[1]
AllMusic citesthe Velvet Underground as the earliest roots of the genre, with their experiments with feedback and distortion on their early albums.[1] Early Americanalternative rock bands such asSonic Youth,Yo La Tengo,Hüsker Dü,Dinosaur Jr., andthe Replacements, mixed pop song structures with extreme guitar distortion and feedback.[2]
Scottish bandthe Jesus and Mary Chain's 1985 debut,Psychocandy, is considered to be the earliest archetype for the noise pop genre, the band drew influence from the Velvet Underground, with their releases inspiring later prominent noise pop acts such asMeat Whiplash andThe Flaming Lips.[1] Kareem Estefan ofStylus Magazine cited the album for "transforming the use of distortion in indie rock with its screeching abrasion, yet managing to feature some of the catchiest melodies of the 80s."[3] Many early noise pop artists were associated with the BritishC86 movement.[4]
Later in the 1980s, noise pop was a major inspiration for the Britishshoegazing movement.[1] Influenced by The Jesus and Mary Chain,My Bloody Valentine started to experiment with a fusion of 1960spop music and noise on their EP,The New Record by My Bloody Valentine, paving way to their forthcoming shoegazing sound.[5] Noise pop continued to be influential in theindie rock scene into the 1990s.[1][6]
Drawing on the 1980s legacy of groups like Sonic Youth, experiments with noise were by no means confined to Yo La Tengo and My Bloody Valentine, and were central to the work of many indie groups during the 1990s.
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