Steampunk?
I've been doing some homework, because I'm considering a musical career move toward Steampunk.
Steampunk? You may ask ... Is that even a genre of music?
Well, yes and no, as I'm discovering. And I should say that in truth I'm not, as I've seen some artists do, picking a genre and redoing my music to match. It's more like I have an idea of the kind of music I want to make, and while I go about fashioning it I'm thinking about where to go trolling for fans, as much as I'm ever going to have any.
But when you take what I want to do -- psuedo-retro electronica, industrial and technopop, as well as acoustic and folk music (especially of the British Isles) -- a mix of the organic and synthetic, in other words, it's not so hard to see how that might fit the Steampunk aesthetic. Plus, I get to play dress-up!
Much to my delight, Steampunk as a musical 'movement' is extremely nebulous, and mostly consists of songs and artists that are perceived to fit the relevant aesthetic. But when I look at the bands that have voluntarily draped themselves in the Steampunk mantle, my delight fades considerably. As much as I want to, I just can't bring myself to like them very much.
Abney Park has improved a lot since their early days, but everything they've ever done sounds really clumsy and contrived to me. There are glimpses of promise, but the lyrics are so dismal they kill it all for me. Vernian Process seems like the best of the bunch to me so far, but his vocals are somewhat off-putting and he seems to take himself just a smidge too seriously. But the arrangements and musical performances are redeeming. Unextraordinary Gentlemen ... I dunno what to say. They're fine; they just don't excite me.
(On the off chance that any of the above artists may ever find this blog entry, let me say that I mean no insult or disrespect ... it's wholly subjective, and y'all's hearts are definitely in the right place; I just feel really musically unsatisfied by what I've heard so far. I reserve the right to change my mind in the future if my perspective changes or I hear some stuff that sets my hair on fire!)
I suppose what I need to get a feel for is, are there other Steampunk artists out there that are significantly different from those three? I'm sure there are. And regardless, is that sort of stuff what the Steam audience expects, or just what they settle for? I love SP literature and the community, but it's relatively new to me.
I want to land in the ballpark; I don't expect to fit in TOO much -- that would be boring. But mostly I want to get back to making some motherf**king music!
Steampunk? You may ask ... Is that even a genre of music?
Well, yes and no, as I'm discovering. And I should say that in truth I'm not, as I've seen some artists do, picking a genre and redoing my music to match. It's more like I have an idea of the kind of music I want to make, and while I go about fashioning it I'm thinking about where to go trolling for fans, as much as I'm ever going to have any.
But when you take what I want to do -- psuedo-retro electronica, industrial and technopop, as well as acoustic and folk music (especially of the British Isles) -- a mix of the organic and synthetic, in other words, it's not so hard to see how that might fit the Steampunk aesthetic. Plus, I get to play dress-up!
Much to my delight, Steampunk as a musical 'movement' is extremely nebulous, and mostly consists of songs and artists that are perceived to fit the relevant aesthetic. But when I look at the bands that have voluntarily draped themselves in the Steampunk mantle, my delight fades considerably. As much as I want to, I just can't bring myself to like them very much.
Abney Park has improved a lot since their early days, but everything they've ever done sounds really clumsy and contrived to me. There are glimpses of promise, but the lyrics are so dismal they kill it all for me. Vernian Process seems like the best of the bunch to me so far, but his vocals are somewhat off-putting and he seems to take himself just a smidge too seriously. But the arrangements and musical performances are redeeming. Unextraordinary Gentlemen ... I dunno what to say. They're fine; they just don't excite me.
(On the off chance that any of the above artists may ever find this blog entry, let me say that I mean no insult or disrespect ... it's wholly subjective, and y'all's hearts are definitely in the right place; I just feel really musically unsatisfied by what I've heard so far. I reserve the right to change my mind in the future if my perspective changes or I hear some stuff that sets my hair on fire!)
I suppose what I need to get a feel for is, are there other Steampunk artists out there that are significantly different from those three? I'm sure there are. And regardless, is that sort of stuff what the Steam audience expects, or just what they settle for? I love SP literature and the community, but it's relatively new to me.
I want to land in the ballpark; I don't expect to fit in TOO much -- that would be boring. But mostly I want to get back to making some motherf**king music!
posted by Chris at
3:43 PM
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