What would you consider Pop Rock?

Circus · #1 02-02-2005, 06:05 PM

I am trying to get a pop rock band going, but I am having a hard time getting our prospective guitar player to see what kind of sound we (the singer and I) want. A female singer and I are the ones starting this, and the guitar player from my old band is interested, so we were going to hammer out some covers to see how everyone feels.

I told him I wanted a sound like Semisonic, yellowcard, dashboard confessional, phantom planet, ben folds, something corporate, stuff like that. Bands with keyboards, not drop D power chords. But all he can think about is the donnas, hole, bands like that because we have a female singer. What do you think of when someone says pop rock? Maybe I can paint a clearer picture for him, I think if I emphasize the keyboards he will get an idea.

geoffkhan · #2 02-02-2005, 06:16 PM

My opinion:

Well, Pop Rock, as well as other subgenres of pop are hard to classify -- basically, as the term suggests, it is popular music. I say, it's the popular music of ages 8-16 -- basically teenybopper music.

I find there's two main branches of this "teenybopper music": girl pop and boy pop.

The boy pop tends to try to sound "tough" and "the real thing" -- for example, if it's rap, maybe they'll put in some "censoring." Examples of boy pop is 50 cent, linkin park, etc.

Then there's girl pop. Britney Spears. Need I say more?

Alvaro Martín Gómez A. · #3 02-02-2005, 06:30 PM

Just my two cents:

To me, a band that plays "commercial" music emphasizing the keyboards is not a "pop rock" band. It's just a "pop" band. Pop rock is how a ROCK band sounds adding certain pop elements (keyboards, electronic drums, etc). I mean, the core of the sound is the typical distorted guitar playing power chords, heavy drumming and stuff, plus added keyboard backgrounds, for instance. Understanding a "pop rock" band that way, a good example (and I love it so much) is Boston. Tom Scholz's guitar sound is awesome. Is the perfect example of how a distortion should sound to me, but their music also has organ, acoustic guitar, nice vocal harmonies and a clean but powerful voice. Check out their #1 hit "More Than A Feeling". I love this tune so much! No keyboards here, but you can hear organ parts in several Boston tunes. Other famous pop rock bands are Bon Jovi , Eagles (although Eagles also has a strong country influence in some of their tunes) and many glam bands from the 80's.

Again, just my opinion. Hope it helps.

Against Will · #4 02-02-2005, 06:36 PM

You compromise and be a power-pop band.

The Golden Boy · #5 02-02-2005, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoffkhan

My opinion:

Well, Pop Rock, as well as other subgenres of pop are hard to classify -- basically, as the term suggests, it is popular music. I say, it's the popular music of ages 8-16 -- basically teenybopper music.

I find there's two main branches of this "teenybopper music": girl pop and boy pop.

The boy pop tends to try to sound "tough" and "the real thing" -- for example, if it's rap, maybe they'll put in some "censoring." Examples of boy pop is 50 cent, linkin park, etc.

Then there's girl pop. Britney Spears. Need I say more?

I guess it's what you make of it, but...

I disagree with the really wide brush that's painted here. I don't think Britney would count as pop ROCK. I also disagree with the 8-16 age group. I wouldn't consider 50 Sense or Linquon Parq, as POP rock, but I might be tempted to throw Incubus in. I look at pop rock as rock lite. Stuff like what Circus presented, relatively recent examples like Sugar Ray, Smashmouth, stuff like that.

I also view the 80's version of pop rock as the "jangly bands" stuff like REM, the Smithereens and the like.

Anyway around it, there's no 'wrong' answer- but it's the words you attempt to describe your sound with.

I don't think there's a 10 year old that would find my band palatable, I think we'd rock the pants off of John Mayer but I consider us pop rock. I never want to hear any song I write on "Kidz Bop."

Circus · #6 02-02-2005, 06:59 PM

Yeah some interesting opinions here, what I meant by emphasizing keys wasn't that it would be the meat of our music, but still in there, all of the songs would still have guitar, bass, drums, etc. I guess what would describe the bands that I said would be mellow, softer rock. Kind of like the new jimmy eat world album, or Ben Folds After reading Jake Slichter's book, the drummer from semisonic, I became a big fan of them. It kind of got me to get out and listen to songs other than closing time, and there is some good musicianship going on in there. I definately wouldn't be able to drum, play keyboards, and sing all at the same time.

I guess what I am saying is all of the bands around here now are just hard rock, drop d power chord bands, which I am tired of. No offense if you play that music, I am just not a fan. And if they aren't that, they are generic punk bands, which I think is worse than being a nickelback or creed ripoff. Anywho, I guess the best way to really know if he knows what we want to do is get together and talk, play some music, see how it goes.

The Golden Boy · #7 02-02-2005, 08:01 PM

To me, Semisonic is pop rock. But the worst type, Wuss Rock. They go along with Eric Carmen (All By Myself...)(maybe they're not that wussy- only Air Supply can achieve those heights of wussiness- but they're in the neighborhood IMO)

Kread or Knickelbach definately are in that "taint" area between rock and pop rock.

Floating teetH · #8 02-02-2005, 08:58 PM

Any rock band that gets played on big evil corpot\rate radio stations etc. Anywhere from Papa Roach to.............whatever. Punk rock, hardcore stuff.....pink floyd.....

I once heard someone say that they didn't like apc because they were "tool gone pop," as if tool wasn't a pop group. I guess that shouldn't be surprising.

geoffkhan · #9 02-02-2005, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Golden Boy

I guess it's what you make of it, but...

I disagree with the really wide brush that's painted here. I don't think Britney would count as pop ROCK. I also disagree with the 8-16 age group. I wouldn't consider 50 Sense or Linquon Parq, as POP rock, but I might be tempted to throw Incubus in. I look at pop rock as rock lite. Stuff like what Circus presented, relatively recent examples like Sugar Ray, Smashmouth, stuff like that.

Yeah, I think I was talking more about pop in general rather than just "pop rock", and failed to make the distinction.

Ditto about Sugar Ray, Smashmouth.

Again, all my opinions which bands should be classified as pop and which shouldn't.

DeLorean · #10 02-03-2005, 08:22 PM

This?

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attach...id=14206&stc=1
answer62.gif

Circus · #11 02-03-2005, 10:41 PM

Ahhh pop rocks, theres a blast from my childhood, pun intended. I think one of the sickest things I have ever whitnessed is when a friend of mine took a mouth full, went up beside me when I wasn't looking, and opened his mouth so there was bits flying into my eyes, and that stuff just looks like a masterpiece in someones mouth. I guess we are easily amused.