Lately, I’ve been thinking about the narrative surrounding the ‘90s alternative rock boom, and how oversimplified it’s become over the years. Too often, we get a simple line like “Nirvana changed everything,” and if we’re lucky, a little follow-up along the lines of “Limp Bizkit ruined everything.” So I decided to identify the scenes, subgenres, and trends that most influenced the Modern Rock charts over the past two decades; I figured I’d come up with a dozen or so. Instead, I ended up with almost 30, which I’ve broken down below. (I’m sure in the comments we can argue about which ones I left out, or which bands shouldn’t have been lumped together.) MORE »
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corporate rock still sells
What Are The Ingredients In This Nasty Soup We Call “Modern Rock”?
corporate rock still sells
Pearl Jam’s “Ten” Returns To Rock Radio With A Vengeance
Pop quiz: What was the biggest Modern Rock hit from Pearl Jam’s Ten? The answer is “Jeremy,” which peaked at No. 5 in 1992. But if we brought the recent reissue of the 18-year-old album into the mix, the answer would not be “Jeremy,” “Even Flow,” or “Alive”—it would be “Brother,” a bonus track that was released to radio and has topped the Modern Rock chart for the past two weeks. Surprisingly, “Brother” is only the band’s fourth Modern Rock chart-topper, and it joins an odd lot: 1993’s “Daughter” (also a Mainstream Rock No. 1), 1996’s “Who You Are,” and 2006’s “World Wide Suicide.” MORE »
corporate rock still sells
U2 Triangulates The Rock Charts
After Billboard launched its Adult Album Alternative singles chart last year, I compared and contrasted it with the two existing rock charts, Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock, and noted how few bands, let alone songs, would be able to make a dent on all three charts. At the time, I wrote: “I’ll be very curious to see what song, if any, will be the first to appear on all three rock charts; my best guess is that it’ll depend on whether U2 or the White Stripes releases a new album sooner.” Not to toot my own horn, but I was right on the mark; the lead single from U2’s No Line On The Horizon became the first song to achieve that feat immediately upon its release. “Get On Your Boots” has been locked at the top spot on Triple-A for the last four weeks; on Modern Rock it entered at No. 8 and currently sits at No. 5; and while it’s made the Mainstream Rock chart, it has so far only climbed to No. 26. MORE »
corporate rock still sells
Lil Wayne Just Wants To Rock–But Will Rock Radio Let Him?
The gap between hip-hop and rock, whether musical or cultural, is often greatly exaggerated. There are simply too many people who enjoy large amounts of both genres, too many musicians from either discipline who have crossed that gradually disappearing line. But every time a rapper tries to rock or a rocker tries to rap, we go through the same familiar motions. The artist invariably behaves as if his actions are as bold and groundbreaking as the first time Aerosmith stood onstage alongside Run-DMC; sometimes, fans and critics agree, but more often, the reaction is of the “omg lol wtf” variety, with enough feigned outrage and distaste to make one think none of these people had ever seen peanut butter in their chocolate before. “Why do rappers like Coldplay so much?” may very well be the inane watercooler observation of the 21st century. MORE »
corporate rock still sells
Mudvayne And Rob Zombie Prove That Corpsepaint Rock Also Sells
The hard-rock scene has long been locked in a power struggle between two warring factions: bands that wear crazy masks, and bands that paint crazy shit on their faces. You’d think they’d be brothers in arms, allied against all the boring bands who never wear any sort of costume or disguise, but there are vicious feuds boiling under the surface. (Probably.) So far this year, mask-wearing bands like Slipknot and Hollywood Undead have had the upper hand on the radio, with both charting regularly on Billboard’s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. But guys who prefer to look demonic by painting their faces, David Puddy-style, are making a comeback; new hits by Mudvayne and Rob Zombie are charting right now. Zombie debuted last week at No. 35 with “War Zone,” from Marvel’s latest attempt to reboot The Punisher franchise, and Mudvayne has already peaked at No. 7 with “Do What You Do”: MORE »
corporate rock still sells
Rap’s Resident Martian Gets The Alien Ant Farm Treatment
As I noted when I proclaimed him pop music’s new Prince of Darkness, Lil Wayne has been doing everything possible in the past couple years to act like a rock star. He plays guitar (badly); he got a lip piercing; he joins Fall Out Boy and Kid Rock onstage at awards shows. But while the rock charts are just about the only singles charts his collaboration with Kevin Rudolf, “Let It Rock,” haven’t raced up, Wayne has finally seeped into Billboard’s Hot Modern Rock Tracks–as a songwriter. That’s because the Tennessee band Framing Hanley has recorded a cover of “Lollipop,” Wayne’s No. 1 single from Tha Carter III, and it’s currently at No. 37 in its second week there. MORE »
corporate rock still sells
Hollywood Undead Crawl Out Of MySpace To Invade Your Space
A while back, when Maura noted that one of the few albums that had experienced a sales increase during a particularly grim week on the Billboard 200 was by the MySpace-spawned mask-wearing rap metal goofballs Hollywood Undead, I cracked, “I don’t know if I’m dreading or anticipating this ridiculous band cracking a radio chart so that I have to write about them.” And so it is with a strange mix of horrified glee that I report to you that Hollywood Undead has debuted on Billboard’s Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart this week with “Undead” at No. 36. As it turns out, as of the time of my comment, they’d already begun their climb on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart; “Undead” has since ascended to No. 21. MORE »
corporate rock still sells
“Billboard” Breaks Down, Dials Up Triple-A
Many people find it hard to tell the great from the godawful when it comes to 21st-century mainstream rock. To help figure out which is which, here’s “Corporate Rock Still Sells,” where Al Shipley examines what’s good, bad, and ugly in the world of rock and roll. This time around, he gives Billboard’s newest radio-airplay chart, which focuses on the lighter rock offerings served up by Adult Album Alternative (or “Triple-A”) stations, a once-over: MORE »
corporate rock still sells
Zack De La Rocha Comes Out Of Hiding
Many people find it hard to tell the great from the godawful when it comes to 21st-century mainstream rock. To help figure out which is which, here’s “Corporate Rock Still Sells,” where Al Shipley examines what’s good, bad, and ugly in the world of rock and roll. This time around, he looks at new singles from Rage Against The Machine’s frontman, a ’90s one-hit wonder, and Metallica: MORE »
corporate rock still sells
Foo Fighters Plan Hiatus; A Nation Reacts
mauraatidolator: oh no, the foo fighters are… MORE »
