S200726AR alt-rock instros

[AlanHall]

So really a question about alt rock, and a companion question to my post in general hangout
Who Picks The Ref Tracks?

here's the listing:
A lot of CONTEMPORARY ALT-ROCK INSTRUMENTALS are needed by a Music Licensing Company that specializes in music for content creators as well as TV shows and Film projects!
They’re on a mission to find a bunch of Mid-to-Up-Tempo Instrumentals that fall within the general ballpark of these references:

"Let Me Down"
"Loner"
"No Secrets"

Although the references have vocals, please submit Instrumentals only for this pitch!
Please submit rockin’ Instrumentals that fit the general vibe, style, and sound of the references above. Your submissions should have well-played, authentic-sounding Rock guitars and drums. Some electronic elements are fine, but they shouldn’t be the primary focus in your tracks. Having developmental “arcs” that make your Instrumentals feel like they're moving forward is a good idea for this request. In other words, build them up, drop them back down, build them back up, make them even bigger, and go for big finishes with nice Stinger endings.
TAXI Tip: Be sure to avoid any screechy, super-busy guitar parts that could fight with dialogue, as well as any instruments that sound synthetic or obviously MIDI-driven.
Your submissions should be about 2 minutes long, give or take. Non-Faded endings will work best for this request. Do NOT copy the referenced acts or Songs in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a guide for tempo, tone, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed.
This Company offers both EXCLUSIVE and NON-EXCLUSIVE deals. The specific deal points will be handled on a case-by-case basis. If you’re inclined to sign an Exclusive deal, please don’t submit material that’s already signed with other libraries or publishers for this pitch. You must own or control your Master and Composition to submit to this opportunity. Please submit as many Instrumentals as you’d like, online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Sunday, July 26th, 2020. TAXI # S200726AR

What is 'alt-rock' anyway, and how to pigeonhole it? Listening to the ref tracks, I hear Early Bowie x 80s Yes x Ozzie (OK a stretch, probably) and then Smashmouth x Rage Against the Machine, then INXS x Black Keys. Is there a common denominator here?
Do the artists simply use whatever they want from the historical record? Is it intentional and necessary to mashup different inspirations?

TL;DR How do you feel this listing should be approached?

[Steverino]

Hi Alan,

That's a good question. I have asked this myself for a bunch of listings looking for Alt-rock alt-Pop/etc.
I'll usually google 'best alt rock today' when I see a listing like this. These are a few names that I came up with from the google search....James Bay, Neon Trees, The Killers. I've always thought that The Killers were straight up pop-rock, so to answer your question, I still don't know for sure either. I can only guess that Alt-rock is a pretty big genre that excludes the classic rock/heavy metal/hair band compartments of rock and roll. I'm interested in hearing what others say.

Best,
Steve

[cosmicdolphin]

What is 'alt-rock' anyway?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock

[AlanHall]

What is 'alt-rock' anyway?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock

A lot of minced words, but some names to track down: (contemporary groups) Muse, Twenty One Pilots; (earlier) Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire; (earlier still) The Killers, et. al.

Any other names to throw on the pyre?

[cosmicdolphin]

Any other names to throw on the pyre?

No I'd just go onto your music streaming service of choice and pull up some playlists, listen to them non-stop for a week and then go from their with all your analysis

[AlanHall]

Any other names to throw on the pyre?

No I'd just go onto your music streaming service of choice and pull up some playlists, listen to them non-stop for a week and then go from their with all your analysis

Will do! Thank you, Master Dolphin.

[Zaychi]

The Pixies, Sonic Youth, and Red Hot Chili Peppers pop to mind as godfathers of the genre, albeit 30 years ago.

[AlanHall]

The Pixies, Sonic Youth, and Red Hot Chili Peppers pop to mind as godfathers of the genre, albeit 30 years ago.

Exactly. So when the listing asks for CONTEMPORARY ALT-ROCK, it stymies me a bit since all the alt-rock I'm hearing sound like relics and B-sides from an early 80s new-wave playlist.

So I will do as Mark directs and listen to a whole lot of it. Started last night with some spotify playlists; still sound to me like anything that wasn't top 40 in the 80s. Then maybe deconstruct: see if the bass and drums treatments are the same across the ref tracks; compare guitar technique, processing, and energy levels; listen for the breaks (I'm starting to think that for instros, capturing the feel of the breaks is more important than the feel behind the vocals); note the style/processing/'vintage-ness' of any ear candy; make recipe cards for all those elements.

I feel like I'm working with 'negative space' in this genre; anything that's not A, B, C, etc. and then add the secret sauce that makes it what it is. Please: I am not complaining, not resisting, not being contrary. Just confused and hoping for a notion of what it is, something inclusive that can be parameterized.

[regardner]

I am a Taxi member with only a very, very, very, very modest amount of "success"--two forwards out of 30 some odd submissions. Take this with a very large grain of salt, therefore, because certainly others know better than I.

My two forwards do have something in common, though. In both cases I picked one of the three reference tracks and modeled my piece very closely on that one track. If the tempo of the reference was 130, so was mine. If the reference had an overdriven strat guitar, I used one. If the reference used handclaps, so did I.

As you note, most genres are large umbrellas with a number of styles underneath. Which style to choose? One of those illustrated in the reference tracks.