Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

Alt-country / Americana1990

Second genre

Southern rock1969

Head to headAlt-country / Americana vs Southern rock
Alt-country / Americana: heaviness 3, melody 9, speed 4. Southern rock: heaviness 4, melody 9, speed 5.Heaviness3 / 4Melody9 / 9Speed4 / 5
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Southern rock is a blues-rock band with country in it. Alt-country is a country band with punk behind it.

Both are sung cleanly and move at much the same pace, around 80 to 140 bpm. Songs run longer in Southern rock: usually 4 to 12 minutes, against 3½ to 5 minutes in Alt-country / Americana. To hear the difference, play Uncle Tupelo next to Lynyrd Skynyrd. They share a root in rock, and Southern rock came first, by 21 years.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
Alt-country / Americana3
Southern rock4
+1
Speed
Alt-country / Americana4
Southern rock5
+1
Melody
Alt-country / Americana9
Southern rock9
level

Alt-country / Americana

1990 · USA

Where it sits

Rock › Folk rock › Country rock › Alt-country / Americana

In short

Country filtered through punk and indie: same instruments, very different attitude toward Nashville.

How it sounds

  • Country instrumentation with indie rock dynamics and distortion.
  • Deliberately unpolished production, opposed to the Nashville standard.
  • Lyrics about declining small towns, work and disappointment.

Key acts

  • Uncle Tupelo
  • Wilco
  • Drive-By Truckers

Start here

The pickWilco - Being There. A double album that cannot decide on a genre, to its benefit.

Full page →

Southern rock

1969 · Southern USA

Where it sits

Rock › Blues rock › Southern rock

In short

Blues rock with a Southern accent: two or three lead guitars, slide playing and songs as long as a Georgia highway.

How it sounds

  • Two or three lead guitars playing harmony at once - the Allman Brothers signature.
  • Slide guitar in open tuning with a Hammond organ underneath everything.
  • Long songs that end in a jam, and lyrics about specific Southern places.

Key acts

  • Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • The Allman Brothers Band
  • ZZ Top

Start here

The pickThe Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East. The best live rock album there is.

Full page →