The difference, by ear
Both distrust polish. Noise rock is loud and deliberate about its abrasion; lo-fi is quiet and deliberate about its scruffiness.
Noise rock is shouted where lo-fi / slacker rock is sung cleanly, at much the same pace, around 90 to 150 bpm. Songs run longer in noise rock: usually 3 to 7 minutes, against 1½ to 3 minutes in lo-fi / slacker rock. To hear the difference, play Pavement next to Sonic Youth. They share a root in alternative rock, and noise rock came first, by nine years. United States appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Lo-fi / slacker rock
Where it sits
Rock › Alternative rock › Indie rock › Lo-fi / slacker rock
In short
Recorded on a four-track cassette with the hiss left in deliberately. Indifference as a method.
How it sounds
- Recorded on a four-track with tape hiss and saturation left in.
- Approximate tuning and mistakes kept in the final version.
- Short songs, sometimes under two minutes, with incomplete structures.
Key acts
- Pavement
- Guided by Voices
- Sebadoh
Start here
The pickGuided by Voices - Bee Thousand. Twenty songs, most under two minutes.
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 →