The difference, by ear
Noise rock is where several of these bands came from and never wanted the chorus. Alternative is noise rock that agreed to write hooks.
Noise rock is shouted where alternative rock is sung cleanly, at much the same pace, around 90 to 150 bpm. To hear the difference, play R.E.M. next to Sonic Youth. Noise rock grew out of alternative rock. United States appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Alternative rock
Where it sits
In short
An umbrella for everything that grew outside commercial radio and then conquered it. Defined originally by the college-radio network, not by any one sound.
How it sounds
- No single sound - originally defined by the distribution channel rather than by style.
- What the bands share: less glossy production and less predictable structures than radio rock.
- Quiet-loud dynamics, popularised by the Pixies and copied by everyone after 1991.
Key acts
- R.E.M.
- Pixies
- Nirvana
- Radiohead
Start here
The pickPixies - Doolittle. Cobain admitted he was simply trying to write a Pixies song.
Full page →Noise rock
Where it sits
Rock › Alternative rock › Noise rock
In short
Alternate tunings, feedback as an instrument and rhythm sections that hit like machinery. The grandfather of sludge.
How it sounds
- Alternate tunings, often invented for a single song.
- Feedback and harmonics treated as musical material rather than accidents.
- A heavy, near-mechanical rhythm section with distorted bass up front.
Key acts
- Sonic Youth
- Big Black
- The Jesus Lizard
- Melvins
Start here
The pickThe Jesus Lizard - Goat. The rhythm section sounds like heavy plant in operation.
Full page →