EMO = EMOTIONAL HARDCORE

EMO = EMOTIONAL HARDCORE

In the summer of 2005, I was talking to a friend about the state of music. Of course, the subject of Emo came up. This was a friend who actually knew what Emo was, and we eventually got pissed off beyond all reason. So, I said those fateful words: "I'm going to make a website about this." Unfortunately, I was 14 at the time, so, of course, I wasn't exactly mature. Regardless, what was written worked well. I think the semi-retarded approach to the subject kept people coming in. However, that bullshit isn't going to cut it anymore. So, we (Brian, Marissa, and I [Holly]) decided it was about time to re-write everything. After all, if we're going to be getting this shit out to a larger audience, it would be better to present as mature.

Contrary to popular belief, Emo is not short for Emotional, at least not really. It is not a style, either. It has nothing to do with cutting yourself, or boys with swooping haircuts taking pictures of themselves. Emo is not about whining about your problems. It's got nothing to do with your girlfriend breaking up with you. If you believe that, you're exercising your right to do so. This does not, however, make you correct.

Emo is short for Emotional, sort of. It's short for Emotional Hardcore. Say it with me, folks. And repeat it several times to yourself. The thing I've never gotten is how people can even begin to believe that it�s short for "Emotional", because, well, the theme song for Fraggle Rock is emotional, for christ's sakes.

One response I usually get, when I say that it's short for Emotional Hardcore, is "Well, if all music is emotional, wouldn't it just be Hardcore?" I respond with telling them what the word "Emotional" means, when talking about Emo. The emotional aspect of Emo comes from the lyrics. They are, of course, emotionally driven, but usually actually about one emotion or another. It's usually about anger towards something, or whatever you want. Its instrumentals are brutal and loud, and seemingly random. They are the instrumental equivalent of screaming your lungs out.

Another question I get a lot is, "What if an Emo band got popular? Would it stop being Emo?" The answer is: No, it wouldn't. In the recent months, Circle Takes The Square has gotten somewhat popular, thank god.

However, people need to understand that Emo is essentially DIY punk. It cannot be mainstream. It can be as popular as it can possibly get. But it's still not mainstream. When we say DIY, we mean it gets where it gets without corporate promotion, and it's produced independently. What happens if you happen to see a Yage album at Wal-Mart? You stop taking drugs. This wouldn't happen. You're probably only going to find their album at, say, an independent record store. Even those don't always carry what you want. It's usually best to go with a distribution (or 'distro') website. You'll notice that those sites rarely charge very much for music, and they usually carry vinyl as well. They're always worth a look, and I have yet to find a distro that I wouldn't use again.

When I think about the songs I've heard, only one song comes to mind that's Emo and about a break-up: Venus & Bacchus by Saetia. But, take note: It isn't a "boo hoo, my girlfriend broke up with me, I'm gonna whine about it" song. It's about how much the guy hates what the girl did.

Emo started in the 80s, with a little band by the name of Rites Of Spring. While this is arguable, as the Husker Du album Zen Arcade, which is said to have started the style, came out before Rites Of Spring's End On End album. But I digress. Rites Of Spring were only together from the spring of 1984 through the winter of 1986, but in that span of time, they set the stage for the shape of punk to come. The term Emo started when people at Rites Of Spring concerts started yelling "You're emo!" at them. This is part of why people say Rites Of Spring started Emo. I tend to go with this, partially because I don't like the thought that an album started the genre. It makes more sense that the band themselves did.

Emo sparked and faded a bit, until the legendary band Moss Icon came along. In my personal opinion, while Rites Of Spring started the genre, Moss Icon perfected it. Their album Lyburnum is widely considered one of the best Emo albums around, as it's the ideal album. In my experience, the music on the album is perfect for beginners, as it's not too loud, but it's not quiet, either.

Other bands like Embrace (the US version), Faith, Void, and so on ruled the scene, blazing the trail for the new subgenre of hardcore.

After awhile, the sub-movement of Screamo began. Bands like Palatka and Swing Kids were the new norm. It was loud, fast, and it could easily kill you, if you weren't careful. This kind of music has become the new norm for Emo bands, but the unfortunate thing is that, nine times our of ten, it sounds like random syllables being screamed.

One thing that I don't like is that people talk about "the waves of emo" This doesn't work, because it usually includes what's considered Emo today. Yes, genres do change as the years go by. Rock has stopped being about sex and drugs, and started being more about that and more about relationships. Rockers have started talking about "making love". But genres do not become the polar opposite. Does it really make sense that a bunch of guys screaming could really evolve into one guy with an acoustic guitar? I don't think so. Sure, Pg. 99 is a vastly different band than, say, Moss Icon, but the two are in the same genre because of their sound and their content. Sure, Pg. 99 was a band with songs that make your vocal chords bleed just listen to them. Sure, Moss Icon sounds more like one of today's louder Indie bands, at times. But the two are, inherently, the same, because of their sound and their content. Go read the Mall Emo section for more on the subject.

ON THE SUBJECT OF SCREAMO:

Screamo is the only subcategory of Emo. It is categorized by much more screaming than the average Emo band (and it shows, if you listen to Rites of Spring and then Orchid), but there really isn't much else that separates an Emo band from a Screamo band. However, Screamo is STILL Emo, and still must follow the rules of Emo.

The phrase "Post-Emo" (which has been kicking around for awhile) seems to imply that, not only is Emo a dead genre, but it shares a lot of the traits that Emo has. Now, compare a band like, say, A Fine Boat, That Coffin! and, say, Taking Back Sunday. Do they sound anything alike, besides the fact that Taking Back Sunday can be a bit loud at times? Not really. Or, how about Moss Icon and Dashboard Confessional? Do they share any major traits? I'm excluding style and such, I mean lyrics and such. Do they share anything? Not really. So how can Dashboard be Post-Emo Indie, whey aren't Post-anything?

In addition, Emo is a sub-genre. Punk, then hardcore, then Emo. So, then, Post-Emo Indie would be a sub-genre of Emo. So, how can those bands be Post-Emo Indie, when they don't truly share any traits with Punk, Hardcore, or Emo?
I agree that these bands, and the title, have been exploited. But is the best way to cope with that exploitation, to create a new title that exploits not only Emo, but Indie as well?

It's a pickle.

LABELS

Dischord Records was born in 1980. The first of their many almost unknown but brilliant albums was Teen Idles' Minor Disturbance 7". They went on to release albums by Minor Threat, (the afore mentioned) Rites of Spring, The Untouchables, and Government Issue. While Discord is not an Emo label, they don't need to be, as they released the first Emo band's music.

In the nervous morning light of 1990, Ebullition Records rose from the ground, in Goleta, California. Starting with Downcast's 7" , they started their legacy. Today, they are one of the most important labels, with bands such as Yage, Yaphet Kotto, Ampere, and Orchid.

1996 brought forth Magic Bullet Records, with the release of Boy Sets Fire's This Crying, This Screaming, My Voice is Being Born, and while Boy Sets Fire may not be Emo, Magic Bullet has produced some great Emo, such as Kodan Armada, Majority Rule, and To Dream of Autumn.

1997 marks the release of Saetias first record (a 7"), and the debut of Level-Plane Records, which is probably the most prominent Emo label out there, with bands such as Hot Cross (though they have moved to Equal Vision Records) Amanda Woodward, Gospel, Envy, City of Caterpillar, and Pg.99, and is still going strong today. It has released many influential albums, and is a huge part of todays Emo scene.

In 1998, Happy Couples Never Last began it's legacy. According to Clark of Happy Couples Never Last (who was kind enough to respond promptly to my email), their first release was the Majhas self-titled (featuring members of the proto-Nineties power violence band Ice Nine and later on, the guitarist of Fax Arcana), with their first vinyl release being the Usurp Synapse/Emotion Zero split 7".

While Happy Couples Never Last may be a label that does more than Emo (as most do), it has released albums by Usurp Synapse, Pageninetynine, and Breather Resist.

A NOTE TO READERS: This is but a short label history. It is by no means complete, as there are far too many labels to mention by name, and let's face it: I'm not creative enough to give interesting information on all of the labels with Emo bands on them. I have, however, covered several fairly important labels that have released albums by fairly prominent Emo bands, as a way to give you a taste of the forces behind the release of key records of the scene.
The Long List:

* 1905
* A Case Of Grenada
* Amanda Woodward
* Ampere
* Angel Hair
* Antioch Arrow
* Arse Moreira
* Assfactor 4
* Aussit't Mort
* Balaclava
* Baron Noir
* Blacken the Skies
* Boa Narrow
* Born Dead Icons
* Breather Resist
* Bucket Full of Teeth
* Burnman
* Calvary
* Circle Takes the Square
* City of Caterpillar
* Clikatat Ikatowi
* Cobra Kai
* Conation
* Corn On Macabre
* Cost of An Arm
* Cowboys Became Folk Heroes
* Creation is Crucifixion
* Crestfallen
* Current
* Daitro
* Danse Macabre
* Dear Diary I Seem To Be Dead
* Die, Emperor Die!
* Dispensing Of False Halos
* Efra
* Embrace
* Emo Summer
* Enoch Ardon
* Envy
* Evergreen
* Flashbulb Memory
* Former Members of Alfonsin
* Funeral Diner
* Get Fucked
* Gospel
* Harriet the Spy
* Heroin
* Hot Cross
* Hugs
* I Hate Myself
* Indian Summer
* I Wrote Haikus About Cannibalism In Your Yearbook
* I Would Set Myself on Fire for You
* I, Robot
* Index for Potential Suicide
* Joan Of Arc
* Joshua Fit for Battle
* Kakistocracy
* The Khayembii Communique
* Kobayashi
* The Kodan Armada
* La Quiete
* Lee Marvin Computer Arm
* Life at These Speeds
* Light the Fuse and Run
* Louise Cyphre
* Love Like... Electrocution
* Love Lost But Not Forgotten
* Make Me
* Malady
* Mannequin
* Mary Reilly
* Mass Movement of the Moth
* Mayans
* Maxamillian Colby
* Memento Mori
* Moss Icon
* Neil Perry
* Off Minor
* Orchid
* Palatka
* Pg.99
* Phoenix Bodies
* Please Inform the Captain This is a Hijack
* Plunger
* Policy of Three
* Portrait
* Portraits of Past
* Pretty Faces
* Raein
* Rites of Spring
* Ruhaeda
* Saetia
* Sakita Sarra
* Shikari
* Shotmaker
* Sinkthefucker
* Sl's3
* Sophora
* Stop It!
* Suis la Lune
* Systral
* Tafkata
* Takaru
* Ten Grand/The Vidablue
* The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra
* The Avenging Disco Godfathers of Soul
* The Disease
* The Holy Shroud
* The Infarto, Scheisse!
* The Spirit Of Versailles
* The State Secedes
* To Dreamo of Autumn
* Towers
* Transistor Transistor
* Turn Around Norman
* Twelve Hour Turn
* Uranus
* Usurp Synapse
* We Fly Our Kites at Night
* Whenallelsefails
* Wolves
* Wow, Owls!
* Yage
* Yaphet Kotto
* You and I
* Zegota

candle - s/t ep

candles first release on wrenched records, dont know much about the band just that were part of the early 90's san diego emo scene and that they put out this gem of an ep

http://www.mediafire.com/?1bgvzmdxomy

Admiral - s/t ep

Admiral late 80s dc area band influenced by the revolution summer scene this is there first 7'' on soul force records 1990 recorded at dc's inner ear studios. admiral also recorded a 7'' on ebullition but i have yet the hear it think this one might be better and they were on two comps that i know of open zine IV and beneath the wheel comps great band featuring Joseph mcredmond future member of hoover.

http://www.mediafire.com/?wmf6ejfziyj

INSPIRIT - compilation 7''

7 inch emo should be the new name of this blog..... I'm planing on posting lp's soon really... I'm am eventually. 7''inchers are just easier for me right now any ways on with the post.

INSPIRIT a compilation benefiting victims of sexual violence... 7'' on ancestry/static records from back in 94. this is a great comp the music is exceptional each band dropping down some of there best material for a good cause benefiting and raising awareness of sexual abuse and assault the first of its kind in our scene i could remember. Inspirit booklet insert had more than lyrics, also had writing's from multi people sharing there personal stories and experience being victims of sexual abuse and rape. this made the subject of the record much more real and important. the bands on this 7'' are Amber Inn, Coleman, Elements of Need and the Fisticuffs Bluff.

http://www.mediafire.com/?illsut45xgd

VANILLA -s/t ep

Vanilla - s/t ep .... don't know much about the record or the band just that vanilla were part of the early 90's french emo/ hardcore scene along side Fingerprint, Ivich, Jasmine this is there first record on LNJ records from the early 90's. that's about it if you got more info post in the comments also i think vanilla was made up of ex members of another french hardcore band vanilla release other material but this one shines to me.

http://www.mediafire.com/?j07nazzixjp

Another Review

Tak nyaman rasanya membicarakan emo 90an tanpa Jawbreaker dan Sunny Day Real
Estate. Jawbreaker dengan rilisan 1992nya yaitu Unfun dan Sunny Day Real Estate
dengan rilisan sub pop 1994 yaitu Diary ikut merasakan getah dari new emerging
punk hero yaitu Nirvana dengan Nevermindnya.Ya "emo" perlu menyatakan terima
kasihnya atau kekesalannya pada media 90an yang mendewa-dewakan grunge scene
yang ikut mengimbas pada scene emo yang saat itu sebuah populasi besar yang
terabaikan.Jawbreaker dianggap sebagai batu loncatan dari emo kontemporer, besar
dari scene HC-PUNK San Fransisco,mereka menggabungkan nafas hardcore-punk dengan
sensibilitas pop-punk yang terlihat pada irama dan gaya bernyanyi Blake
Schwarzenbach yang cenderung street punk namun masih in tune dengan lirik yang
bertemakan frustasi dan introspeksi diambil langsung dari buku hariannya sendiri
menjadi magnet yang universal bagi fans dan penonton.Blake juga sebagai "emo"
idol pertama karena fans lebih relate kepada sosoknya daripada lagu itu sendiri.



Album "24 hour revenge therapy"menjadi yang paling disukai dan favorit fans
.Kemudian mereka mengikat kontrak dengan Geffen Record untuk merilis album major
" Dear You". Mereka beberapa kali tur dengan Green Day dan Nirvana namun album
mereka secara luas kurang diminati.Kemudian Blake membentuk band lain di bawah
nama Jets to Brazil yang kemudian bubar pada tahun 2003.Mungkin keberadaan
mereka kurang terlihat massa namun banyak band-band setelahnya mencatut nama
Jawbreaker sebagai influencenya.


Sebaliknya Sunny Day Real Estate berkebalikan dengan image Jawbreaker yang tegas
dan hantam kromo dengan kurangnya skill mereka.SDRE terdiri dari personil yang
melek musik dan berkemampuan tinggi , alat mahal dan ambisi musikal besar.
Dengan pembawaan musik yang lebih mendayu namun tetap keras terkadang hampir
seirama dengan Nirvana. pada album Nevermind .Jeremy Enigk sang vokal bernyanyi
dengan falsetto terkadang seperti menenggelamkan diri dalam lirik yang
pretensius romantik.Inilah yang membuat emo semakin diasosiasikan dengan lirik
cinta dengan balutan hardcore-punk slow tempo melodis daripada akar politis punk
rocknya yang dulu masih terdengar pada Rites Of Spring,Gray Matter dan Embrace.



Kemudian pada pertengahan 90an band-band baru yang menggabungkan kerasnya HC-
Punk dengan intelegensi Indie-rock bermunculan.Dengan beat dan bpm tak terduga
dan gaya bernyanyi lembut transisif ke keras dengan tak terduga pula menghiasi
dunia emo underground kala itu juga meleburkan kekuatan anthemik punk rock dan
etos kerja DIY yang diwarisi dari HC-PUNK.Dengan suksesnya Dookie dari Green Day
dan Smash dari The Offspring, kepopuleran underground menuju mainstream membuat
para musisi era post-hardcore mengolah musik mereka,memutasinya dan membuatnya
lebih rumit atau bahkan lebih simple.Beberapa band dari amerika serikat bagian
tengah seperti Braid dari Champagne-Urbana,Illinois, Christie Front Drive dari
Denver, Colorado, Mineral dari Austin, Texas, Jimmy Eat World dari Mesa,
Arizona, The Get Up Kids dari Kansas City, Missouri, dari The Promise Ring dari
Milwaukee, Wisconsin disebut - sebut sebagai yang berpengaruh pada gaya bermain
band - band setelahnya.




Braid dan Cap N Jazz yang sama-sama dari midwest america dianggap sebagai
pelopor peleburan kompleksitas math rock dengan lirik metafora yang sangat sulit
diinterpretasikan.Dengan lagu "Harrisson Ford" yaitu bertemakan introspeksi diri
tentang menjadi seorang laki-laki tegar dan ideal dibalut tempo yang mengagetkan
dari pelan kemudian dibawa ke serangan tiba-tiba beat kencang yang kemudian
dikembalikan lagi ke pelan.Cap N Jazz dengan lagu Little League menggambarkan
semangat olahraga dan semangat cinta SMA dengan balutan lirik yang terkadang
susah diinterpretasikan karena penggunaan istilah yang aneh namun dinyanyikan
secara mentah namun berfluktuasi seiring irama lagu dan anehnya semua lagu
bernada ceria walaupun ada tema patah hati dan bullying,juga mereka yang pertama
menggunakan terompet pada lagu-lagu mereka sungguh hal yang di luar
kebiasaan.Hal ini diikuti oleh sekelompok pemuda di bawah nama At The Drive In
namun dengan lirik lebih politis dan penuh amarah dalam balutan latin ,progresif
rock dan serangan hardcore kental yang bisa didengar secara jelas lewat
teriakan-teriakan Cedric Bixler Zavala layaknya Guy Picciotto dulu.



Kemudian disusul band yang mengedepankan vokal mentah dan cenderung teriak tanpa
arah dengan mengikuti alur lagu seperti Portrait, clikatat ikatowi ,Unwound,Funeral Dinner,MOhiner,Swing Kids,Hot Snakes,Orchid dan Saetia, yang lebih mirip grindcore namun lebih halus namun diselingi melodic
hardcore.Band inilah yang kemudian disebut sebagai Screamo yang mengandalkan
vokal tanpa bernyanyi namun atmosfir lagu dibuat semelodius mungkin dan se
hardcore mungkin.



Adapun dari New York yaitu Texas Is The Reason menjembatani indie rock dan emo
secara gamblang dalam masa hidup mereka yang selama 3 tahun.Dengan lirik yang
langsung dari buku harian tanpa metafora dan lebih straight to the point
diliputi ironi dan sinisme terhadap cinta.Tahun 1995 album mereka Do You Know
Who You Are? dirilis oleh Revelation records dan terjual ribuan kopi,sebuah
jumlah yang lumayan untuk band emo saat itu dan menginspirasi band - band New
Jersey dan Long Island macam Thursday, Glassjaw,Taking Back Sunday,Saves The day
,Senses Fail,Midtown dan bahkan My Chemical Romance sekalipun.



The Promise Ring kemudian mengambil jalur lebih halus,pop punk dan merakyat
dengan lirik - lirik cinta diikuti The Get Up Kids dengan mengurangi
kompleksitas math rock dan lebih mengandalkan beat catchy daripada berusaha
menjadi cerdas.Yang kemudian diteruskan oleh solo act Dashboard
Confessional,mantan vokalis Further Seems Forever yang kemudian membentuk
Dashboard Confessional di tahun 1999 dengan penampilan pertama bersenjatakan
gitar akustik namun dengan jangkauan vokal luar biasa dan lirik cinta yang
puitis aktual tanpa mengurangi estetika atau terkesan komersil.Band ini mencapai
keterkenalan mainstream setelah lagu Screaming Infidelities mencapai nomor 5
pada tangga lagu billboard 2002 dan Vindicated menjadi soundtrack Spiderman 2.

2000an



Awal 2000an menjadi tahun yang subur bagi band seperti Story Of The Year,Yaking
Back Sunday, Senses Fail, Dead Poetic,The Used, My Chemical Romance dan
Dashboard Confessional mulai mendapat perhatian massa,karena media mulai memblow
up mereka dan atas kejenuhan musik di penghujung tahun 1999 maka media pun
mencari mangsa baru. Dengan pendekatan The Promise Ring dan The Get up Kids
untuk emo yang lebih pop dan catchy Dashboard Confessional dan Story Of The Year
memikat fans dengan lirik cinta mereka.My Chemical Romance dan The Used
mengambil juga jalur cinta namun dengan balutan lebih gothic gelap lebih ke
mengambil influence
dari Texas Is The Reason untuk gaya bernyanyi dan Orchid atau Saetia untuk
dinamika lagu.Dengan gaya rambut poni lempar menutupi wajah dan baju gelap-gelap
mungkin ini yang jadi inspirasi para fans membuat cult of personality dan cult
of fashion dari emo sendiri . Media kemudian mendowngrade hal-hal tersebut dan
mengasosiasikannya dengan term "emo" dan menjadi sumber hujatan banyak pihak
bahkan di meksiko pada tahun 2008 sekelompok pemuda bergaya emo dipukuli sampai
kritis bahkan mereka menyatakan perang terhadap kelompok yang mengasosiasikan
diri dengan segala hal berbau "emo".8 Mei 2008 seorang gadis bernama Hannah Bond
ditemukan mati gantung diri setelah beberapa hari pernyataannya tentang bunuh
diri yang glamor karena inspirasi dari album My Chemical Romance yang bercerita
tentang pria yang sekarat karena kanker dan kehilangan semangat hidup.



Namun terlepas dari itu banyak band yang kembali menggali kearifan emo lama
seperti Cap n Jazz dan Embrace dan menambahkan unsur lainnya seperti post-rock
dan bahkan noise rock.Seperti band City Of Caterpillar,Envy, Mutiny On The
Bounty ,Appleseed Cast dan Street Small Cyclist.Tanpa dandanan yang self-
associated to emo atau segala macam pernak-pernik fashionnya.Inilah mungkin yang
seharusnya disebut Post hardcore.



Jadi kesimpulannya post hardcore atau istilah paling merakyatnya "emo" adalah
suatu subgenre dan tidak lebih dari itu karena dalam ethic dan radikalisasinya
menganut DIY dari
pendahulunya yaitu Hardcore Punk.Bukan sebuah subkultur yang mempunyai pakem
gaya rambut,gaya berpakaian, filosofi dan sebuah komunitas, bukan pula sebuah
cult of personality
layaknya hitler atau stalin yang setiap gayanya atau gerak geriknya ditiru
layaknya nabi mungkin masa kini bisa dilambangkan oleh pemujaan para muda
terhadap gaya berpakaian
Gerard Way dkk atau The Used.



Bukan pula ajakan untuk bunuh diri namun lebih ke sebuah pencarian jati
diri,introspeksi pada tiap liriknya dibalut metafora dan puisi yang sama
sekali tidak cemen dengan kata demi kata penuh perhitungan.Karena pada dasarnya
emo masih mempunyai unsur hardcore punk dan banyak band yang terdengar bernyanyi
emosional atau
dengan alur lagu yang angular lebih memilih disebut band punk atau membiarkan
media melabeli mereka dengan sebutan lebih bradab yaitu POst Hardcore.Akhir kata
kritik - kritik
tajam di atas bukan untuk menjatuhkan atau mengutuk suatu kesalahkaprahn ini
namun untuk memberikan pandangan yang lebih faktual tentang apa yang
diatributkan oleh muda-mudi masa
kini.

Sejarah 1980an

Setelah bubarnya Minor Threat pada akhir 1983, scene hardcore-punk Washington.DC
yang sedang bergaung dan meledak di 1981 nampaknya mengalami kejenuhan dan
kehabisan ide segar dalam sound DC hardcore yang established. Piringan hitam
paska bubar sang Minor Threat 7" "Salad Days" rilis pada 1984 dan akhirnya
menancapkan nisan pada scene DC hardcore-punk. Band - band di seantero negeri
mulai mengkasting hal - hal baru untuk ditawarkan. DRI dan Bad Brains mulai
memainkan cheeze-metal, band-band New York mulai melakukan moshing yang brutal,
7Seconds mulai terdengar jangly U2 alternative, dll. Perubahan paling mendasar
pada D.C. adalah terhadap melodic rock dengan punk sensibilities dengan kata
lainnya semacam new wave atau ini mungkin yang di britania raya disebut era
Post-punk namun karena di amerika yang berada pada titik kulminasi adalah
hardcore punk maka media menyebutnya era Post-Hardcore.


1984 menandai rilisnya Zen Arcade oleh band Minneapolis Hüsker Dü,
mendokumentasikan sound yang lebih matang menggabungkan amarah, pembawaan vokal
yang intense and gitar yang menderu layaknya motor dengan tempo rock yang
dipelankan dan songwriting melodik yang lebih rumit.

Pada musim semi 1984, sebuah band bernama Rites Of Spring terbentuk dari anggota
- anggota The Untouchables/Faith dan Deadline. Band ini membawakan kecepatan
punk and disonansi suara.Namun membawa pendekatan vokal yang sama sekali belum
pernah ada terhadap campuran ini. Sang vokalis Guy Picciotto membawa sebuah
gaya-kehabisan-nafas punk setiap saat, sembari tenggelam secara intens dalam
lirik yang personal ditingkahi dengan emosi dan keringat. Suaranya pecah pada
momen klimaks menjadi rontaan serak, berkerikil layaknya jalan dan penuh
penjiwaan.Untuk kemudian gaya ini diteruskan pada bandnya paska Rites Of Spring
dengan gitar lebih mengawang melodis dan lebih indie-rock yaitu One Last
Wish.Dengan penulisan lirik lebih fokus pada pertemanan dan cinta yang ditulis
dengan indah penuh metafora.









Musim panas 1985 menjadi dikenal dengan "Revolution Summer" ketika gelombang
baru band - band dengan rock-tempo, melody based, vocal bernyanyi terbentuk dari
kumpulan musisi DC punk dengan sound rock beragam - Three, Gray Matter,
Soulside, Ignition, Marginal Man, Fire Party, Rain, Shudder to Think, dll.
Beberapa band tetap membawakan sound fast hardcore punk-based dengan pendekatan
vokal yang baru, Dag Nasty menjadi perkecualian yang terlihat.


Vokalis Minor Threat, Ian MacKaye, bernyanyi pada band Embrace (bandingkan
dengan nama DC bandnya sebelumnya - Minor Threat, Void, and State Of Alert) yang
mana liriknya emosional dan secara mendalam mempertanyakan diri(filosofis berbau
pencarian jati diri) ,namun masih jernih dan tak ambigu. Secara musikal, grup
ini(dibentuk oleh sebagian besar anggota ex-Faith) menulis musik midtempo,
somewhat jangly dengan banyak melodi dan hook gitar pop . Vokal MacKaye mendapat
trademarknya yaitu deklamasi tegas dengan hanya sesekali percikan emosional yang
muncul.

Beberapa sound dari band-band ini kemudian dikenal sebagai "suara D.C" klasik.
Beberapa darinya secara turunan dilabeli "emo," sebagai kependekan untuk
"emotional.".entah berasal darimana istilah ini, namun ada rumor bahwa istilah
ini terdengar ketika Guy Picciotto pertama bermain salah seorang penonton
berkata "oh God,your singing is so "emotional" . Lainnya dikatakan bahwa istilah
ini muncul pertama saat interview Ian Mackaye dengan majalah Flipside . Tak lama
kemudian DC bands mendapatkan label "emo-core."

Sesaat setelahnya (1986), beberapa band mulai untuk fokus pada elemen "emo" itu
sendiri. The Hated di Annapolis (dekat D.C.) nampaknya menjadi post-Rites of
Spring pertama yang melakukan ini. Setelah itu, Moss Icon muncul di kota yang
sama. Moss Icon mengejawantahkan elemen "emo" sampai pada intinya ,dan
memberikan beberapa melodi gitar yang mendetail, terarpeggiasi (oleh Tonie Joy,
nantinya bergabung dalam Born Against, Lava, Universal Order of Armageddon,
dll.) dengan fokus pada dinamisme keras/pelan. Vokalnya pula, sebuah gebrakan
baru dengan membangun teriakan aktual di-puncak-nafas pada klimaks lagu.




Moss Icon, sebuah band yang relatif terkenal dan menjalankan beberapa tur,
memperkenalkan kepada scene punk pada musik yang core emphasis pada emosi
daripada energi punk. Mungkin Rites Of Spring memperkenalkannya namun Moss Icon
menyempurnakannya. Nantinya emo bands akan terpengaruh secara berat dari
dinamisme Moss Icon , gaya guitar ,dan pembawaan vokalnya.

Real Emotive Hardcore (Post-Hardcore) History of Real EMO Music

---

POST HARDCORE OR EMO?
Dulu ada sebuah masa ketika muda-mudi ini disebut EMO-KIDS dan mereka seperti ini









Emo kids istilah yang lebih sering pada masa - masa sekarang ditambatkan pada anak-anak berambut poni lempar (padahal gaya poni lempar pertama kali dipopulerkan orang-orang new wave di tahun 80an dan Phillip Oakey dari Human League sebagai pelopornya dan kemudian entah bagaimana emo kids mengadopsi gaya tersebut untuk kemudian diklaim sebagai gaya emo)





dengan celana pensil alias celana ketat dengan bagian betis superketat.
Stereotip kebanyakan yaitu mendengarkan musisi dengan nama genre sama (ini sekte atau klan ya?)yaitu Emo, dengan lirik cenderung tersirat keputusasaan ,
kecemburuan brutal,dan merasa puitis hanya dengan tambahan kata - kata "i love you til my heart bleeds" atau "cut my wrist and black my
eyes",benar - benar menyimpan makna yang sangat sado masokhis,mungkin bisa dibilang tengku fakhri anak emo ya hehehehehe.Disamping itu band - band yang membawakan musik "emo" ini biasanya menyisipkan teriakan atau lebih sering
disebut scream bahkan bisa sampai taraf growling dengan begitu rapinya sampai terkadang terdengar sintetik atau diada - adakan untuk tujuan mencapai nuansa penuh emosi.Bahkan ada yang membentuk suatu komunitas dan terfokus pada pamer -

pameran gaya berpakaian dan obrolan tentang musik yang menurut mereka "emo" padahal belum tentu.Bahkan ada yang menempelkan kata emo pada gambar band

"OASIS",kalau taraf ini sudah gawat friend (www.emo-united.com). Mungkin
sebelumnya telah ada situs - situs yang telah memberi penjelasan dengan author langsung dari musisi pelaku ataupun scenester kala itu(www.fourfa.com,
www.youdontknowemo.tk) atau bahkan menulis buku tentangnya(Nothing Feels Good:Punk Rock, Teenagers and Emo by Andy Greenwald kontributor SPIN magazine dan seorang observer diluar scene Eric Grubbs dengan bukunya Post: A Look at the Influence of Post-Hardcore-1985-2007),namun semakin banyaknya reaksi "Hei
ternyata Christie Front Drive keren juga,belum pernah kepikiran dengerin kayak
gini" atau "wau baru tahu itu" membuat saya perlu menyampaikan bagaimana
sebenarnya sesuatu yang disebut "emo" atau Post Hardcore.

PS:
"screaming our heart out is different than screaming about heart"

beberapa FAQ repost dari youdontknowemo.tk:
Being a semi-avid listener of the genre of Emo, and boasting the fact that I know more about the genre than the fuckers who think they know, I get a lot of questions. For those who ask a lot of questions, I've created this FAQ, so that I don't get mass amounts of mail asking these questions. This FAQ also serves as a cheat sheet for the site, for those who really don't want to read all of the history and whatnot on the genre.

* Q: So, what the heck IS Emo, anyway?

A: Emo is a form of DIY Hardcore, which is short for Emotional hardcore.

* Q: But I thought it only stood for Emotional!

A: No, that's simply not true! If it were short for Emotional, it would encompass all music, since all music is emotional, right?

* Q: But I thought that was Emocore!

A: No. Emocore is yet another bullshit term. There is only one Emo, and that Emo is not Saves the Day.

* Q: But then why aren't bands like My Chemical Romance and Senses Fail Emo? They're pretty hXc to me!!!1

A: Well, if these bands are hardcore to you, you need a fucking frontal lobe. These bands may have emotional lyrics, but nothing about them is hardcore at all.

* Q: WELL I THINK UR A STOOPIDHED!

A: And I think you're an illiterate cuntfunnel. Pipe down.

* Q: What really makes Emo, then?

A: For one, it can't be mainstream. Emo is a subgenre of punk, making it inherently DIY. If a band is mainstream (a record label is a controlling factor in the creative process), it really isn't Emo, no matter what sort of music they play. Emo bands don't get dressing rooms at concerts that are sponsored by Ford, they aren't going to be this Tuesday's musical guest on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
I've realised it's hard to describe exactly what makes a band Emo, but I can tell you that the lyrics are usually fairly poetic. If it's very, very loud, and the lyrics resemble something that a poet should be reading at Open Mic Night in a SoHo coffee shop, it's probably Emo. And, when I say loud, the vocals sound akin to the painful screams of a woman being repeatedly sodomized with a candlestick. If you think I'm way off when I say that, I say: look no further than a great lot of Palatka's music, and, of course, Pg. 99, who I simply cannot mention enough.

* Q: Well what about The Used and Thursday? Are they Screamo?

A: No. Screamo is merely another word for Emo. They are synonymous.

* Q: Then why does the label Screamo exist?

A: That's a good question, Billy-Bob Jean. I, personally, have yet to figure this out.

* Q: Why do Emo kids dress like that? And why do they cut themselves and be all sad?

A: Because they are posers. None of this is Emo, at all. See, Emo is a genre of music, and nothing more. It is impossible to dress like a genre, and if one could dress Emo, they wouldn't be wearing tight clothing, and they wouldn't have over-gelled hair.

* Q: Who started Emo?

A: Well, this is something that's been talked about a lot. Some people say it started with Husker Du's "Zen Arcade" album, but some say it started with Rites of Spring. A few people have said that it started with Fugazi, which is inane, because there are former members of Rites in Fugazi. All we know is Rites was the first band to be called Emo.

* Q: Where can I find some Emo music?

A: You just have to look. It may take some searching, but you're bound to find at lest one Emo record in an independent record store. Recently, much to my surprise and general dismay, I found at least 10 Emo records in a Portland record store, and that was after a brief scan of their CD selection. If all else fails, go online and look. Also, remember one rule about the internet: you can find anything you want to buy, if you know how to look.