The missing link to Grunge : The pioneers of a genre that does not exist (part.1)

At the beginning of the 90s, a new musical trend invaded the waves of radios on the planet. A social phenomenon, Grunge has won the favour of a whole generation of listeners, but not without being widely promoted by the major record labels who see it as the new hen with the golden eggs. This is the great era of alternative and independent rock, a genre that was not intended to become popular. This anomaly, which came straight from the depths of the music industry, spread like a tidal wave and deeply marked a whole generation that was fuelled by the great tenors of the time, the flagship of a dirty and brutish rock that nevertheless became more and more polished over the years. But under this label, which has encompassed everything and everything, for the sole purpose of selling record pellets and other derived products, there has been a major evolution in the virtuous circle of underground music. Because, what is called Grunge did not appear as it is by magic, but is the result of a trend that has developed over more than a decade.

The term Grunge is in itself an aberration, a word used by all producers specializing in marketing to describe a formless thing, coming from several multiple and diversified currents. As it were, grunge does not really exist since it generally takes up the characteristics of the punk-rock movement. Nihilist, furious and accessible in his approach, he remains philosophically close to what happened during the 1970s and 1980s. Of course, we can find differences in its musicality and the message it can convey. Nevertheless, these are only nuances from an evolution of a kind that has drawn on its capacity to renew itself and to draw inspiration from existing experiences.

A glorious history

To understand the emergence of this term, used wrongly and through, we must therefore go back to the origins of the punk scene and recall somewhat the work of a group that had become emblematic, because of what it brought to a movement that tended to go in circles. Originally from Portland, Wipers is a group that has shaped another image of this movement, bringing a much more melodic and emotional touch than any other punk related group during this period.

Led by the talented Greg Sage, this quartet distinguished itself from the rest by bringing a different sound and addressing more personal themes. The tone of Greg Sage's guitar is very particular, if not unique, because this musician is so perfectionist that he makes his own tube amps. This gives both a melancholic side, tinged with anger that touched the heart as well as the minds of an audience that will be part of the hardcore of the 90s period. Memorable, the two albums released in succession in 1979 and 1983, Is This Real and Over The Edge, will be for many bedside records, sources of inspiration for the future.

The voice of protest

The early 1980s saw the emergence of Hardcore-Punk in a country now ruled by the ruthless Ronald Reagan. A hard variant of the traditional punk, fast, energetic, created by a disillusioned generation that vociferates, to those who wish to hear it, their own frustrations, anguish and hatred of the American way of life. Although this second wind opens a new path, the scene tends to operate by mimicry and struggles to renew itself. Although the binary side of the rhythmic and musical point of view allows an explosion of participants within this new trend, it remains nevertheless confined to an artistic poverty solely centred around expression. This shattered the principle of non-conformism advocated in this way, since each group was practically identical. Following this observation, two bands will take a completely opposite direction in protest.

The most emblematic of the two is undoubtedly Flipper. Against the current, the bias of the formations then established on the San Francisco side, the members of this group decided to add a semblance of experimentation in their compositions. Do the others play fast ? Let's piss off their audience by reducing the pace and blossom into sound mediocrity. This leitmotiv will give a unique touch to these musicians who do not hesitate to cover the blank intonation whites that are out of tune. Despite this unsatisfactory description, the whole is at the very least very harmonious and gives a feeling of auditory oppression. Our society is a filthy and disgusting and Flipper excels at transmitting all these things to us through this heavy atmosphere and their disinterested lyrics. A little anecdote about the band : The former bass player from Nirvana : Krist Novoselic was a member of Flipper for a while in the late 90s and early 2000s. A grunge group before the time...

On the Maryland side, No Trend's little guys were impressed by the attitude of Flipper's members, to such an extent that they were inspired to form their band in 1982 and thus create a particularly sulphurous image in the punk movement. Surfing on the wave initiated by their illustrious muses, they considered themselves as anti-hardcore. A clear need to cut short the latent conformism of myriad groups that appeared little by little. Guitarist and lyricist Frank Price took a malicious pleasure in making violent comments against the punk subculture. The group was known for its conflictual stage performances, which normally involved aggressively luring their audience and continuously provoking them.

Beyond this striking scenic game, which was only intended to awaken the consciences of an audience atrophied by its musical culture, No Trend uses the heaviness of its melodies to tackle serious subjects and rather related to the consequences of our behaviour in society. Already, No Trend addressed the case of the insalubrity of our planet, the selfish behaviour of human beings and their enslavement by banking institutions, overpopulation and mental illness. Failing not to follow the flow of the Hardcore movement, No Trend was much more realistic and conscious on certain subjects, whether personal or not.

Without knowing it, these two atypical pillars of punk-rock have generated a new genre that will be better known as Noise-rock. A new era began with his cohort of artists, constantly searching for new sounds.