The sound of modern rock is facing a challenge brought on by its artists and by the increasing popularity of pop music in recent times.
Begun by Elvis Presley and continued by the work of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, the guitar, drums and bass have been the essential components of rock 'n roll. Rock has followed the development of the electric guitar. Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, John Fogerty and Stevie Ray Vaughn are just a few of the names that track the development of the guitar, defining its importance, accentuating its role in music and acting as the back bone of popular music for over 30 years. However, modern pop groups like 98 degrees, 'NSYNC, Britney Spears and even Marilyn Manson and Limp Bizkit are current examples of the pendulum shift that is pulling traditional rock groups too far away from their roots, losing the essence of their original appeal.
These groups, bolstered by synthesizers and vocals and with their focus diverted from meaningful musical works and toward gaining popularity, are causing a trend toward studio created special effects. Echoing, artificial sounds, vocal manipulations, overdubbed voices -- essentially sounds that cannot be recreated in a live performance -- are the symptoms of this change. Early instances of this movement have been evident in artists such as David Bowie and have been used by groups like U2, whose spectacle-like stadium concerts have featured laser shows, huge screens and giant disco balls to give the artists a super-human aura.
The early '90s saw a revival of the rock guitar sound that has been the foundation of rock 'n roll. Groups like Hootie and the Blowfish and Counting Crows' folk guitar rhythms paralleled the grunge-rock scene and electric guitar of groups like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Bush and the Stone Temple Pilots. This rock sound is what is currently in jeopardy, not through a natural development, but rather a transgression to over-produced studio sound albums.
Even modern releases by these groups and second releases by newer groups reflect noticeable advances away from the "pure" electric instrument sound. Bush's latest release, "The Science of Things" for example, is a greatly toned down effort. It includes more violin and studio created bleeps and artificial sounds while down-playing the intense guitar and raw power of their first release, "Sixteen Stone." Pearl Jam's "Binaural" is another example of this trend -- toning down the high energy vocals and replacing rising peaks with lower ebbs that leave the listener unfulfilled.
More recent groups like Third Eye Blind and Matchbox Twenty have already made this change between their first and second albums, during an approximately three-and-a-half-year-long period. These groups are making the movement to intensely worked studio cuts with background vocals, distorted or altered lead singing and a general trend away from the ability to re-create their work before a live audience.
Providing a clear guitar, strong back beat with drum and bass to buttress vibrant and effective vocals is what makes rock 'n roll distinct from pop. Trends to blur the background sounds and forefront vocals are cutting away at the essence of modern rock, reducing it to a lesser appeal to the mainstream. The beauty of the music is that it can be re-created in a live performance -- artists like John Mellencamp and Bruce Springstein, who have done numerous tours, have been finding tremendous success. Even non-rock bands who move away from the pure sound of the guitar, acoustic or electric, such as Dave Matthews have lost some of their traditional fans. Dave Matthews' "Before These Crowded Streets," with increased studio work, strings and background and layered vocals doesn't have the appeal that both his live releases and previous albums have.
Carlos Santana's success incorporating modern artists and their music with a backbone of rock 'n roll guitar has proven that a "pure" guitar sound can continue to be successful in modern rock. Santana's album delves into a number of different genres ranging from R&B to Latin grooves to more current guitar driven groups. '60s rock groups continue to be a driving force and influence on modern artists. It will be the balance between modernizing sounds and the roots of pure rock -- guitar driven music and clear vocals -- that will be necessary to uphold the essence of modern rock and its distinction from pop.
