Hours of Google Searching Later – Music Genres are Confusing

It’s the Steampunk of music where the Wild West meets alternative sub culture. The twang of a banjo, emotional lyrics, this sound has my foot tapping. Prompted by “Renegades” by X-Ambassadors, I recently set about making a YouTube playlist focused around this type of music but found it really difficult to narrow in my searching.

It’s the Steampunk of music where the Wild West meets alternative sub culture. The twang of a banjo, emotional lyrics, this sound has my foot tapping. Prompted by “Renegades” by X-Ambassadors, I recently set about making a YouTube playlist focused around this type of music but found it really difficult to narrow in my searching.

In synthesis, Indie folk rock gave me the best results, but genres of music are all over the place. Alternative used to be called Indie Rock which used to be Punk.  We just might need a new genre of music or to re-do the whole classification of music all together. Because when you are in the mood for some twangy indie folk alternative rockabilly rock sounds, they are really hard to find.

What’s confusing is that even bands that do have this sound, like X-Ambassadors, don’t have it in all their songs.
I tried Indie folk rock which was closer and gave me “Little Lion Man” Mumford and Sons and “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers, and “Set on Fire” by Magic Giant which are great. Acts like Feist and Regina Spektor, although good, strayed further away from the western sound I wanted.

My searching brought me to modern Rockabilly which was hopeful when I found. “Come Along” by Titiyo (classified as pop on some Google searches). But my next search brought Chuck Berry guitar sounds.

• Bluegrass isn’t quite rock enough.
• Alternative wasn’t twangy enough.
• Alt Country is snappy enough.

In synthesis, Indie folk rock gave me the best results, but genres of music are all over the place. Alternative used to be called Indie Rock which used to be Punk.  We just might need a new genre of music or to re-do the whole classification of music all together. Because when you are in the mood for some twangy indie folk alternative rockabilly rock sounds, they are really hard to find.