Do you read Spin magazine? Do you often wonder what in the hell they are talking about? Do you wonder what in the hell we are talking about? In the hopes that you find Lobetoxy.com useful and enjoyable, we are making every attempt to help you understand what all these buzz words are.

alt-country
:::Alternative country is variously dubbed alt-country, Y'all-ternative, or No Depression in homage to poster boys Uncle Tupelo's influential 1990 album of the same name. It refers to country bands that play traditional country but bend the rules slightly. They don't conform to Nashville's hitmaking traditions, nor do they follow the accepted "outlaw" route to notoriety. Instead, alternative country bands work outside of the country industry's spotlight, frequently subverting musical traditions with singer/songwriter and rock & roll lyrical (and musical) aesthetics. [source:::All Music Guide]

chamber pop
:::Drawing heavily from the lush, orchestrated work of performers including Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach, and Lee Hazlewood, chamber pop arose largely as a reaction to the lo-fi aesthetic dominant throughout much of the 1990s alternative music community. Inspired in part by the lounge-music revival but with a complete absence of irony or kitsch, chamber pop placed a renewed emphasis on melody and production, as artists layered their baroque, ornate songs with richly textured orchestral strings and horns, all the while virtually denying the very existence of grunge, electronica, and other concurrent musical movements. [source:::All Music Guide]

D.I.Y.
:::Do it yourself.

emo
:::Originally an arty outgrowth of hardcore punk, emo became an important force in underground rock by the late '90s, appealing to modern-day punks and indie-rockers alike. Some emo leans toward the progressive side, full of complex guitar work, unorthodox song structures, arty noise, and extreme dynamic shifts; some emo is much closer to punk-pop, though it's a bit more intricate. Emo lyrics are deeply personal, usually either free-associative poetry or intimate confessionals. Though it's far less macho, emo is a direct descendant of hardcore's preoccupations with authenticity and anti-commercialism; it grew out of the conviction that commercially oriented music was too artificial and calculated to express any genuine emotion. [source:::All Music Guide]

EP
:::Abbreviation for an extended play record, usually containing between 3 and 7 songs. By contrast, a long player (LP) usually contains at least 10 songs. A compact disc (CD) typically refers to a little digitized plastic disc that contains music from an LP. Some people use them as coasters.

indie
:::Indie (aka "indie rock") takes its name from "independent," which describes both the do-it-yourself attitude of its bands and the small, lower-budget nature of the labels that release the music. Because of indie's lack of a profit driven attitude, indie rock is free to explore sounds, emotions, and lyrical subjects that don't appeal to large, mainstream audiences. Large and mainstream is well represented by the major label industry. Over the years indie has inadvertently begun to refer to a particular sound and style of music, even though its original intent had nothing to do with labeling a style of music. [source:::All Music Guide]

indie kids
:::Refers to the young people that listen to a LOT of indie music. They are generally considered the most knowledgeable, fastidious, and discriminating listeners of indie music. They are usually wearing dark-rimmed glasses, vintage pumas, rayon pants, and some sort of tight, obscure band t-shirt.

pop (aka indie pop)
:::Does not refer to Back Street Boys type pop music that you'd hear on mix one o' whatever. Indie pop is indie rock's more melodic, less noisy, and relatively angst-free counterpart. Indie pop reflects the underground's softer, sweeter side, with a greater emphasis on harmonies, arrangements, and songcraft. Encompassing everything from the lush orchestration of chamber pop to the primitive simplicity of twee pop, its focus is nevertheless more on the songs than on the sound, and although both indie pop and indie rock embrace the D.I.Y. spirit of punk, the former rejects punk's nihilistic attitude and abrasive sonic approach. [source:::All Music Guide]

pop sensibilities
:::Cute little term used by every critic to describe any band that rocks, but still plays music with a melody. By contrast, any band that doesn't play this kind of music may well be described by the term "pop incapabilities." This one hasn't caught on yet.

record
:::Refers to the musical content of a CD, typically a long player that contains at least 10 songs. In the music biz, producers say things like, "yeah, I'm working on the new Bon Jovi record." Or indie kids say things like, "hey, have you heard the new White Stripes record?" Don't ever say "have you heard the new White Stripes CD?" That is so media centric.

retro-rock
:::During the '80s and '90s, there were groups of musicians that kept the spirit of first-wave rock & roll alive, playing music that unabashedly celebrated everything prior to the British Invasion. Retro-rock tries to sound and feel like old-time rock & roll. Today retro-rock is surging as the backlash against slick, heavily produced music boils to a head. [source:::All Music Guide]

roots-rock
:::During the mid-'80s, a generation of bands reacted to the slick, pop-oriented sounds of new wave by reverting back to the traditional rock & roll values of the '50s and '60s. By bringing rock back to its roots — whether that was rock & roll, blues, or country — the groups managed to sound like a fresh alternative, which brought them critical praise and heavy airplay from American college radio stations. [source:::All Music Guide]

The Strokes
:::The overhyped band that all rock & roll critics use to describe every other band that plays cool, retro-rock. Music fan and friend of Lobetoxy.com, Ann Masciarotte, describes it best in her article to Spin magazine:

Sweden
:::An unusually cold country in the Scandanavian region of Europe that breeds unusually good bands. As of late, the Swedes have been having their way with American listeners. Sucks to be from Finland.