Where Is The Originality/New Faces of Rock?

  I think it's safe to say that everyone loves music. Whether it be R&B, hip-hop, pop, dance, rock, heavy metal, or country, everyone also has their favorite genre too. I can remember going to my grandmother's old house and seeing various soundtracks to musicals like Evita and The Phantom of the Opera. With my parents, their catalog of music is dominated by classic rock bands like Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones. My two brothers only listen to hip hop and pop punk, and my older sister listens to pop music from today all the way to the 80's. I'm not particularly picky with genres, with a minor exception to country, but if I did have to pick a favorite genre or two, it would be rock and heavy metal.

   I really can't help but notice though, that there is a lack of originality and new faces in the rock genre. In metal, it is at least evolving and has a variety of new bands that are coming out different enough from the rest. However, metal really isn't the type of genre that dominates the charts (I think the last real heavy metal album to debut at #1 on the Billboard charts was Metallica's Death Magnetic back in 2008). Rock does though, and it's the same bands from the 90's and early 2000's that still dominate the charts. Using the Billboard Rock charts as an example, the Top Ten rock singles are:

10. Blink 182 - "Up All Night"
9. Nickelback - "Bottoms Up'
8. Rise Against - "Make It Stop (September's Children)"
7. Coldplay - "Paradise"
6. Staind - "Not Again"

5. Seether - "Tonight"

4. Foster the People - "Pumped Up Kicks"

3. Bush - "The Sound of Winter"

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie"
1. Foo Fighters - "Walk"




  The only band on there that hasn't been on the charts at least once before is Foster the People. The majority of these bands have formed in the 90's, or in the Chili Peppers case the 80's, and had big hits since then. Foster the People formed in 2009, and their song "Pumped Up Kicks" is one of the most original sounding songs in rock today. Seether and Staind are still playing agnsty post-grunge music, Nickelback is still singing about partying, Bush, Coldplay, and Blink-182 still sound the same, Rise Against is getting kind of preachy nowadays, and two of my favorite bands, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters are making great music still, but it's nothing really new and refreshing. I guess my point is, there is nothing really new to bring to the table with rock music. At least hip hop changes quite a bit, despite it's criticisms.

Submitted by Colin Barry