Music genres: arbitrary, necessary, diversified, or dead?
Recently, I've been thinking about music genres, and I've seen some interesting "takes" online. I'm a big music fan; by this, I mean I listen to a lot of music all hours of the day and night, make different playlists constantly, and am always on the lookout for a new album, band, or genre. I don't think my music taste is better than yours or anybody else's - just different to some people's. Certainly different to my mother's, who seems to be perpetually terrified of what I mainline directly into my ear canals.
Image via The Austin Chronicle.
As I've gotten older, I've become more and more interested in music genres, rather than just bands or artists I like. But, I have friends who don't spare genre a second thought, and I've encountered those who would happily shout from the rooftops that "GENRE IS FAKE!" ... Is genre really useless these days? Are they entirely arbitrary categories that we shove bands into for the purposes of marketability and pre-existing niches? Or is genre a necessary shorthand that will be relevant for many decades to come?
Many bands and artists often dip their toes into the styles of various genres, either from the outset or over time. I can think of a few; Fall Out Boy, for example, were initially a "pop-punk", "emo", "alternative rock" group. With their album Infinity on High, they began to drift more into pop territory, and their later album Mania incorporated far more electronic elements than previous releases.
Genre-crossing and fusion has long been a part of making music. However, this doesn't render music genres obsolete. Without those established categories, groups and artists crossing boundaries would not be interesting to listeners. The magic would be lost.
Take CHTHONIC, for example: a heavy metal band that incorporates tradtional Taiwanese instruments and musical style into their songs. This is something unique and interesting, that gives the band something special. Without the knowledge that these two genres (heavy metal and Taiwanese folk music) are not normally fused, it would not be as engaging. [SIDENOTE: you should really check them out, their track Oceanquake is great].
Image via Decibel Magazine.
Genres serve plenty of other purposes, too. They are a useful shorthand in terms of searching for new music that suits your tastes; if you mostly listen to Bach and Handel, you might like Vivaldi or other musicians in the classical genre, specifically composers from the Baroque era. That genre label allows you to discuss and extend your music taste efficiently. Despite what genre-defying postmodernists may believe, there are still people that listen exclusively to one genre of music.
Genres also have unique histories and stories to tell. The history of blues music is intrinsically tied to slavery, racism, and abolition in the United States, and has had an immesurable impact on modern music and popular culture. Similarly, the emergence of music-related subcultures means genre is often extremely significant, not only historically, but in people's daily lives. The goth subculture, for example, is inseparable from gothic rock music.
Image via Pitchfork, drawn by Patrick Jenkins.
All of this information is obvious to most people. Still, some insist that genre doesn't matter anymore - too many boundaries have been crossed, and meaningful categories no longer exist, especially with regards to music being released today. Well, maybe that's true, or maybe the goalposts have just changed. New genres are born all the time. Genre's not dead, and I don't think it's dying. Maybe there's an element of truth in saying that sometimes it's arbitrary, but it's definitely not irrelevant.
There's one more reason that I, at least, love music genres. Have you heard of dungeon synth? How about horrorcore? Space rock? Doom metal? The best thing about the proliferation of new music genres is how fun they are. If I want to pretend to be a Night of the Living Dead character and blast music while I walk to the comic store, genre will play a part in my life when I press play on my horrorpunk playlist. Even if you don't care for music genres or know anything about them, you can't deny, they've got vibes.
That's all I have to say, I think.