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Author: Matej Kubica, MG Přibor, Czech Republic

Alternative music

Příbor 9. 01. 2010

A lot of young people listen to popular music, and I am no exception. The most frequently heard music is hip-hop, rock, punk..., however, many singers and groups play different music styles. They create their own original music style because they are not worried about mixing different music styles or experimenting.

Max Heidel: "Music is the language of the soul"

My first experience with alternative music was at the age of 12, when I bought a CD by Linkin Park. Their music was so different, and I have been listening to Linkin Park very often since that time.

Firstly I´d like to introduce the term "indie music" or "indie rock". These phrases were first used to describe a lot of guitar bands in the 1980s because they weren't signed to the big record companies but, instead, worked for small, independent (or "indie") labels. Indie rock started in 1980s in the USA and it's typical that indie groups don't sell milions of albums, because their style is not mainstream. They produce a few thousands albums, because they want to play their independent music. These kinds of groups are less famous and don´t put on big concerts or massive tours. On the other hand, they have a better relationship with their fans whom they often write to and chat with on-line. Fans listen to indie rock both for the catchiness of the music and the interesting lyrics. And if you want to hear an original, new sound then you should check out bands like The Hives, Los Planetas etc.

If you aren´t you interested in indie rock, then I can suggest another music style. It combines metal with rap and it is called nu-metal.     Nu-metal has a guitar accompaniment similar to metal, but the singer speaks in rhythm (or raps). The outcome then is something in between rap and metal: the songs still have metal principles, but with rap singers. The first group that played nu-metal was Korn. The most famous period for nu-metal was 1995 and 2005. Typical nu-metal groups are Linkin Park, Static-X, and Limp Bizkit.

The last kind of music that I want to write about for readers is "emo". Today "emo" is a very popular style, not only of music but also fashion and lifestyle. Many readers think, that emo began (and ended) in 2006 with two of the most popular emo groups: My Chemical Romance and 30 Seconds To Mars. But emo really began in the 1990s. The original groups that emo was named after, that play a very "emotional" hardcore, are Rites of Spring and Fire Party.

The result of my article can be summarised as follows: both popular music and alternative music is important for people. Finally, everybody can choose their own kind of music. However, I personally feel uncertain whether some people listen to certain kinds of music because it is cool or because everybody listens to it. I believe that music is the language of the soul and everybody should discover their own language.