What is pop/rock/indie

While a lot of music is easy to define (Rap for example) I do not really know how to define Rock, Pop, Indie, Urban (easy when you hear it, but how would you define it?) How do songs get sorted into these sections? Coldplay were indie, then rock but now i hear them defined as pop. Is pop just popular rock?

[Russ]

Rock tends to feature harder guitars with less emphasis on melody. Pop often relies on melody with 'easy on the ear' lyrics and beat, and indie is actually a term to describe the record label but is more used to define music with swirling guitars (often accoustic/slide).

I think.

[bmxbandit]

'urban' doesn't really mean anything imho, and i find it very diffcult not to look down on anyone using the term... it's often bandied about as being synonymous with 'of black origin', but thats a pretty wide definition!

maybe the record label will specifically define their bands, but record shops just seem to guess (and often get it spectacularly wrong, especially whn it comes to metal!)

[Graham M]

Arent Indies Independant Record Label bands?

[bmxbandit]

Originally Posted by Damien

Coldplay were indie, then rock but now i hear them defined as pop. Is pop just popular rock?

i'd say they've always been a bit of all of those...
__________________

Originally Posted by Zeph

Arent Indies Independant Record Label bands?

yep, thats one definition...

the more usual definition involves a whiny form of rock purveyed by persons badly in need of washing their hair

[Raistlin]

Indie (IIRC) relates to the record label that the band is releasing under.

If it isn't one of the big/establishd labels then it is probably an "independent" one, hence "Indie".

Here's a good defnition

[nffc]

I define it all as... "cr*p"

[Mal]

Originally Posted by nffc

I define it all as... "cr*p"

I'm sure everyone likes your taste in music as well

[bmxbandit]

Originally Posted by nffc

I define it all as... "cr*p"

agreed. and don't even get me started on emo...

I like all music provided it is good music..I see so little point in pigeon holing music in this way-save as a means of helping record stores to classify thousands of records a month.Frankly defining some records in a group can't always work..what is one man's jazz is something else to another person.

It's like separating all the timetable subjects up into separate lessons..when in reality they are all connected to each other.No music without mathematics,every flower follows geometric principles,english is vital for maths and CDT requires art,design,maths,IT,science and english.

So I just ignore the labels and buy what I like...Which has never included any of the talent show contestants.

[Mal]

Recently, I've gotten into shoegazing

List according to wikipedia

[nffc]

Originally Posted by Mal

I'm sure everyone likes your taste in music as well

Yeah maybe not... but it is a personal thing though. I don't like it, some people do, so what?

[Mal]

Originally Posted by nffc

Yeah maybe not... but it is a personal thing though. I don't like it, some people do, so what?

Okay, so I may have "I hate Coldplay" in my sig at the moment, we'll ignore that for the moment , but that was my point, music is a personal taste.

[nffc]

Originally Posted by Mal

Okay, so I may have "I hate Coldplay" in my sig at the moment, we'll ignore that for the moment , but that was my point, music is a personal taste.

And I totally understand that. Hence me saying:

"I define it as "crap""

[danielf]

Originally Posted by Mal

Recently, I've gotten into shoegazing

List according to wikipedia

My bloody Valentine were brilliant. Proper Indie rock

I was partial to a bit of grebo in the past as well