RFI: What is Dadrock?

Like all genre descriptions its a fluid term, but at its narrowest it applies to a specific small collection of UK post-britpop bands mainly ones that are friends of Paul Weller or likely to have supported Oasis. I'm not a big fan myself but don't find it disagreeable either. Ocean Colour Scene I have a great deal of time for, mainly because of their obsessive and clearly loving Stax refereneces. I've seen them twice and not actually enjoyed it much though. But hey, live and let live. I like Family, Traffic and the Faces so recent Weller is fine by me (though he was utterly awful the last time I saw him live).

If the stereotyping of the bands is useless, the stereotyping of fans of these bands are much worse - a shame but thats probably how it ever was.

So to answer the original question, it is a genre, but one only defined by its detractors (are there any other examples of this?).

(shuffles awkwardly)

Tom's description and explanation is OTM here. I think you can also add Dad-Soul to the menu - archetypal Dad-rocker likes 'shouty' soul ('Soul Man', bits of Otis etc) but spurns the more sensitive stuff as being 'for the birds'. Also The Who are *quality*. (What do you mean, how do I know all this?)

Alexander is also OTM, apart from Ocean Colour Scene, who while not as entirely wretched as they're *supposed* to be, are crap. I like Traffic, too.

You're joking! Mostly, it's the sound of a decent talent reduced to nowt - desparately trying to toady up to what was left of the Brit- pop crowd. 'Streets of Kenny' is particularly shameful - Head wallowing in his own self-made mire of underachievement and waste. Shocking.

Eh, no, actually, I'm not. Brilliant songs. Hugely emotional. Sad, yet optimistic. Battered but triumphant. I love it! Dadrock or otherwise!

But the good doctor has diagnosed you. Why do you not heed his words?

As it is, I'd rather listen to the Pale Fountains.

Cos he's wrong. I heart Shack 4eva!

"For some reason, "focuses heavily on songwriting" doesn't sound like a problem to me, but "display of songwriting" does. This might be from the hearing the Shack album and finding it kind of boring in a self-satisfied way."

The phrase "best display of song-writing" just means that the album's full of top tunes. Which makes me want to play it endlessly, so I do. Its not slf-satisfied, either, its moving and powerful.

Why bother? We all know Shack will win.

Wouldn't know, don't have the Strands record. All I know is I love HMS Fable

"And I've had Waterpistol for years."

Good for you, never said you didn't.

There's only two tracks on HMS Fable thatI woudln't want to be without, and they're both John's rather than Michael's. Waterpistol is less immediate than HMS Fable, but more consistent, and has had greater longevity for me. The Strands album is just gorgeous though, stripped down, acoustic, folky and delicate. Something About You is one of my favourite singles of the last ten years.

I think mumpop is quite a fun idea, actually. St Etienne with their Dusty/70sMOR/girlgroup fetish are a good example. Actually mumpop is a good term for all those PSB/MarcAlmond/Smiths records reviving a Dusty/Pitney/Sandie.

Dad Rock = insufficiently Oedipal. mumpop = extravagantly so.

this is a good thread. british-centric, though. are bands like wilco, white stripes, strokes, etc dadrock?

It's funny what you think is "Dad rock". I suppose it's how old your dad is. I think of it as seventies.

no, my dad is dad-aged. but dad rock doesn't have to be made by actual dads.

this is a good thread. british-centric, though. are bands like wilco, white stripes, strokes, etc dadrock?

I guess Wilco. Not White Stripes or The Strokes.

I think a band can be "dadrock" if it is (a) especially influenced by 70s-sounding classic-rock or country-rock and/or (b) overly-controlled or polite. Wilco falls into both categories. The others less so (White Stripes have too much rock energy; The Strokes too much of a snotty attitude). Having said that, I love Wilco, especially their last -- and especially "dadrock" sounding -- disc, Sky Blue Sky, while I'm ambivalent about The White Stripes and couldn't care less about The Strokes. I'm also a dad in my early 40s, so I have plenty of "dadrock" bona fides.

http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/les%20goupes/D/DAD/Everything%20Glows/Everything%20Glows.jpg

My dad seems to like Fleet Foxes. Not sure if they're what I'd typically think of as dad rock but he heard it on Radio 2, who are probably one of the gatekeepers of what is/isn't.

dadrock never went away

i like 'dadrock' now because its 'cool' to listen to it 'ironically' as a 'young man' but worry that it wont be 'cool' for me to listen to 'dadrock' when im actually a 'dad'

advice please

I wonder what Stepdadrock sounds like

i think that once you're actually a dad it's impossible for you to be cool, no matter what you listen to

As a dad, I can say with absolute certainty that the litmus test for dadrock-entry is Animal Collective. If you love them and think everything they do is genius you're still hip. If you don't quite get what the fuss is about, welcome to the wonderful world of dadrock.

is there any mumrock (apart from Bon Jovi) ?

As a dad, I can say with absolute certainty that the litmus test for dadrock-entry is Animal Collective. If you love them and think everything they do is genius you're still hip. If you don't quite get what the fuss is about, welcome to the wonderful world of dadrock.

if hating animal collective is wrong I don't want to be right

Múm Rock

As a dad, I can say with absolute certainty that the litmus test for dadrock-entry is Animal Collective. If you love them and think everything they do is genius you're still hip. If you don't quite get what the fuss is about, welcome to the wonderful world of dadrock.

Aren't they exactly the sort of band an ageing ex-indie hipster who's now a dad in his mid-to-late 30s, or older, would listen to

FUCK OFF YOU NUTTER

xpost

the best way to get rid of Britpop would probably be for dads and teachers to get heavily into hip-hop

Did someone say "BBC3 sketch show"?

Dadrock i dont think meant bands that dads were into, it meant kids making retro music that sounded like the bands dads listened to from 20+ years ago. So the actual 60/70s bands weren't "dadrock"
Obviously with mojo and Q jumping on the bandwagon some dads did get into 90s stuff because they sounded like the bands from their youth.

JIMMY BUFFETT.

No. If Jimmy Buffet is dadrock, I hate dadrock.

Jimmy Buffet is something else. Something horrible and lame.

I know a couple of 30-something dudes who like Animal Collective. I don't feel uncool in the slightest for thinking they're turd.

― Sickamous Mouthall (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 30 April 2009 15:18 (2 days ago) Permalink

Ed III, Ned, Southall OTMFM

― sorry for british (country matters), Thursday, 30 April 2009 15:20 (2 days ago) Permalink

THANKS for that opinion!

I had missed it the previous 20 times it was posted.

and well done Robin for bringing up the rear with the hell ditto yet once more.

I feel exactly the same way about Embrace lol

I know MANY 30-something dudes who like Super Furry Animals. I don't...

go on, tell us how overrated Nirvana and Radiohead are again please. Vintage Challops 10 years+, serve without "cool".

my dad: America + Simon and Garfunkel + Norah Jones + The Dark Side of the Moon

There is no such thing as "dadrock". It's called Britpop, and it was the best thing to happen to music for the entire 90s.

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, April 30, 2009 10:13 PM (nine years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

God I miss this man.

Really, who cares!?

well, dad, for one

And Rock for another.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aY4fMVocj5o/UfWAaqmglJI/AAAAAAAAANM/5So4Rwntshc/s1600/Ian_Dury_One.jpg

dad and rock and snrub and geir.

depressing that what was dadrock only 9 years ago is firmly grandadrock now

There is no dad side of the rock; it's all dad, actually.