Greta Van Fleet
Six years ago, twin brothers Josh and Sam Kiszka, brother Jake Kiszka, and friend Kyle Hauck joined together to form a band by the name of Greta Van Fleet. In July 2018, they played their first sold-out show at the iHeartRadio Festival. Barely 22 years old, they are yet to release their first album. What makes Greta Van Fleet unique is the music they play. Greta Van Fleet is a rock band – a true classic rock, blues-inspired band. For the first time since the early 2000s, musicians across the world have begun to pose the question – are we in the midst of a rock revival?
For the longest time, rock music has been considered ‘dead’. Rock first emerged in the 1950s, and over the span of the 20th century, split into numerous sub-categories, including funk, punk, grunge, and alternative. The last to make an impact on popular culture was the grunge scene. Artists such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam generated an age of rock music built on stripped-down songs and emotion-filled concerts. The grunge age was short-lived, however. Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994, and within years there came a steady decline in rock music, as the masses began to shift to more radio-friendly and digital tunes.
Rock has since resurfaced every now and then, but only in weak ripples. Even the brief attempt at a rock revival during the early 2000s, led by the bands Jet, Franz Ferdinand, and the White Stripes, amounted to nothing more than several more years of prolonged death.
Music has evolved in the modern world. Technology has changed the way music is created and appreciated. Songs can be recorded with computers, with nothing more than loops and algorithms. Take any popular song in recent years – Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, for example – and the chances are, the song is made up of little more than repetitive loops of a synthesized tune and vocals autotuned to studio perfection. You can no longer hear the mistakes, nor the ad-libs, made in a guitar solo during one particular session.
Music appreciation has also changed. With a music industry increasingly dependant on merchandise, songs have become shorter and catchier. While little over twenty five years ago, bands such as Guns N Roses would release nine minute songs, contemporary music rarely goes past five minutes in length. Songs no longer have to be ‘discovered’ by means of the radio, or a new CD or record. Companies such as Spotify offer playlists designed to fit any mood or preference, based on algorithms.
However, one aspect of music and pop-culture that has not changed over the years is the tendency for trend revival.
People tend to look to the past for inspiration. This can be seen in both music and fashion. The popular Korean idol group EXO’s album “The War” is one notable example. Singer Kai sported dreadlocks, while Baekhyun grew a red-streaked mullet – an iconic hairstyle of the 1980s. Vinyl sales, too, have hit their 25 year high as of 2018, as more and more people strive to enter the music world at a more physical level, away from the commonplace of digital music.
Jack White of the White Stripes argues that music trends have been a constant struggle between the merchandize-based pop and the anti-establishment, more rebellious genre of rock. He explains that “rock cycles” restart every 10-12 years, each time receiving a new injection of fresh energy. For the most part, this has been true. But then why has the cycle not received its next boost of rock bands?
Jack White blames this on two ideas. For one, a new genre has emerged to the masses – hip-hop. For another, technology has developed to the extent that it is harder for rock bands to succeed. White maintains, however, that no matter how slow the cycle, the cycle is always there.
Hip-hop music has dominated the masses for its fair share of time. With a generation having grown up on pop music, rock would sound fresh, almost as fresh as it felt like to the people in the 60s during the emergence of early rock.
Greta Van Fleet has been called the new Led Zeppelin. This is mostly due to their unique Robert Plant style vocals – completely unheard of in popular music today – but equally due to their raw passion, and a rapidly increasing fan base. Greta Van Fleet, critics claim, will be the game-changer in music, much as Led Zeppelin had half a century ago.
The cycle will inevitably return. And when it does, a golden age of soulful music will emerge, strong enough to last at least several years before the reign of pop returns to claim its position.
Juno Robertson (11)
For the longest time, rock music has been considered ‘dead’. Rock first emerged in the 1950s, and over the span of the 20th century, split into numerous sub-categories, including funk, punk, grunge, and alternative. The last to make an impact on popular culture was the grunge scene. Artists such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam generated an age of rock music built on stripped-down songs and emotion-filled concerts. The grunge age was short-lived, however. Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994, and within years there came a steady decline in rock music, as the masses began to shift to more radio-friendly and digital tunes.
Rock has since resurfaced every now and then, but only in weak ripples. Even the brief attempt at a rock revival during the early 2000s, led by the bands Jet, Franz Ferdinand, and the White Stripes, amounted to nothing more than several more years of prolonged death.
Music has evolved in the modern world. Technology has changed the way music is created and appreciated. Songs can be recorded with computers, with nothing more than loops and algorithms. Take any popular song in recent years – Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, for example – and the chances are, the song is made up of little more than repetitive loops of a synthesized tune and vocals autotuned to studio perfection. You can no longer hear the mistakes, nor the ad-libs, made in a guitar solo during one particular session.
Music appreciation has also changed. With a music industry increasingly dependant on merchandise, songs have become shorter and catchier. While little over twenty five years ago, bands such as Guns N Roses would release nine minute songs, contemporary music rarely goes past five minutes in length. Songs no longer have to be ‘discovered’ by means of the radio, or a new CD or record. Companies such as Spotify offer playlists designed to fit any mood or preference, based on algorithms.
However, one aspect of music and pop-culture that has not changed over the years is the tendency for trend revival.
People tend to look to the past for inspiration. This can be seen in both music and fashion. The popular Korean idol group EXO’s album “The War” is one notable example. Singer Kai sported dreadlocks, while Baekhyun grew a red-streaked mullet – an iconic hairstyle of the 1980s. Vinyl sales, too, have hit their 25 year high as of 2018, as more and more people strive to enter the music world at a more physical level, away from the commonplace of digital music.
Jack White of the White Stripes argues that music trends have been a constant struggle between the merchandize-based pop and the anti-establishment, more rebellious genre of rock. He explains that “rock cycles” restart every 10-12 years, each time receiving a new injection of fresh energy. For the most part, this has been true. But then why has the cycle not received its next boost of rock bands?
Jack White blames this on two ideas. For one, a new genre has emerged to the masses – hip-hop. For another, technology has developed to the extent that it is harder for rock bands to succeed. White maintains, however, that no matter how slow the cycle, the cycle is always there.
Hip-hop music has dominated the masses for its fair share of time. With a generation having grown up on pop music, rock would sound fresh, almost as fresh as it felt like to the people in the 60s during the emergence of early rock.
Greta Van Fleet has been called the new Led Zeppelin. This is mostly due to their unique Robert Plant style vocals – completely unheard of in popular music today – but equally due to their raw passion, and a rapidly increasing fan base. Greta Van Fleet, critics claim, will be the game-changer in music, much as Led Zeppelin had half a century ago.
The cycle will inevitably return. And when it does, a golden age of soulful music will emerge, strong enough to last at least several years before the reign of pop returns to claim its position.
Juno Robertson (11)