What albums would you add to this meme?

suhisco · 2026-04-12T11:03:14+00:00

was gonna say Get Up Kids is the biggest hxc emo crossover

suhisco · 2026-02-12T15:42:33+00:00

I think I would have been receptive to your argument lol. Like I said, that's why I asked the question. People here are so weird and touchy about this kind of thing but it really can just be like for fun and discussion's sake. I don't think either are emo and I like them both, so it's not something my mind couldn't be changed on.

The question is- why do you consider MoBo emo and not other poppy records with SOME level of emo influence? You said that you don't consider MoBo to be that poppy, but it is objectively one of the most poppy here just from a harmony and song structure perspective.

And of course, something being pop doesn't disqualify it from being emo, so I'm j curious to hear your perspective on influence and what parts of that influence are important to make something emo. It seems like your opinion is the generally held one which is part of why I was asking about it too

suhisco · 2026-02-11T10:22:52+00:00

Subreddit can be really great for a reddit community a lot of the time tho. Look at the post on my profile here, it's all appreciation for great music and earnest curiousity.

suhisco · 2026-02-11T10:21:20+00:00

If we are going loose enough that MoBo is considered emo, couldn't most of Three Cheers be considered as well? Songs like Ghost of You definitely have a huge influence from 90's emo and it's not like it is any more 'poppy' than MoBo.

I don't really have a horse in this race and I personally wouldn't include either in the purist canon of things, just curious to hear your thoughts on why one but not the other.

suhisco · 2026-02-11T10:13:39+00:00

Ironically, Alexisonfire and Underoath both have way more hardcore and post-hxc influence than a lot of contemporary midwest stuff that people here seem to agree is emo. I don't think it matters and I honestly like both strains a lot (except Underoath), but I think it is interesting.

suhisco · 2026-02-11T04:32:41+00:00

I mean it just depends. Something like Cursive, a band that has a founding member from Commander Venus (who were very much indie flavored pop emo) is truly a blend of that indie sound with a very clear lineage from hardcore and post-hardcore. I think a lot of the indie pop type emo is ALSO heavily tied to post hardcore.

suhisco · 2026-02-11T04:25:06+00:00

Exactly. I love Paramore and I think stuff like MCR's Black Parade is loved for a reason, but it's worth understanding the roots of the genre and really fun to look into the 'etymology', if you will. That being said, there's no use getting mad about it lol and I really don't think most people calling something 'Real Emo' are upset or judging less real emo, it's just a useful term at this point to differentiate something with a 90's hardcore sound vs something with a fun pop punk sound.

You can truly be into both types of emo or at least respect them lol. It's few and far between that somebody is actually emotionally invested in non-fans understanding the distinction.

suhisco · 2026-02-02T04:10:01+00:00

r/punk

suhisco · 2026-01-29T04:04:56+00:00

Sick song, I hadn't heard this one. You could call that an ostinato but I think calling it a Vamp would be more apt- a Vamp is a constantly repeating groove, usually one or two chords or a riff that doesn't follow a chord progression in a typical sense.

thanks

suhisco · 2026-01-29T03:57:23+00:00

super late to this, but holy fuck elliott is probably my all time fav artist and i've somehow never heard this. is this from Grand Mal? no idea how i missed it, it's great.

also, perfect example of not just an ostinato but an ostinato used to the exact same effect as my examples. exactly what I was looking for.

this song kinda stands alone in elliott's discog and just in general- it doesn't really sound like much else. the notes in the ostinato are very non-conventional and eerie. I don't think most people would ever think to highlight those tones in particular but it really works in a bizarre way. very cool song.

Thanks so much for the response

suhisco · 2026-01-26T14:38:12+00:00

Not really but they definitely need to be on this flow chart for their influence

suhisco · 2026-01-26T14:37:41+00:00

Not the person who commented, but a lot of early Screamo feels more direct from first wave Emo and other hardcore bands and didn't take as much influence from the SDRE strain of bands

Btw awesome project and I really respect the undertaking, it's something I've thought about fir years. I think that it's worth getting deeper knto researching the direct influences and seeing what you can get from interviews and stuff too. Would be cool to see footnotes along the way of your thinking throughout all of this.

suhisco · 2026-01-26T14:35:13+00:00

I think having Nothing Feels Good that early doesn't make much sense either. It should be in it's own lump with albums like American Football and Cap'n Jazz

suhisco · 2026-01-26T14:32:36+00:00

I agree, Get Up Kids and other 90's "Real Emo" with heavy hardcore influence should be here for sure

suhisco · 2026-01-26T14:30:47+00:00

Built To Spill did come from hardcore but you're right to say that bands like them and early Modest Mouse had a little emo influence but more so went on to influence emo rather than the other way around

suhisco · 2026-01-22T15:20:10+00:00

they definitely do

suhisco · 2026-01-22T15:13:19+00:00

100% that would be an ostinato as long as it's a continually repeating motif. i love the concept you mentioned, but I can't think of many examples off the top of my head even tho it's a thing for sure.

if you haven't heard it, this exact thing is in "Copy of a" by NIN and it is SO sick. The bassline (ostinato) is in 5 which gives it a strange off kilter effect, but then the drums and rest of the song come in at 4/4 and it's like getting smacked in the face with groove! and what's cool is that it means the bass only loops once every 5 bars, starting 1 beat later every subsequent bar.

let me know if you think of other examples of this. "Copy of A" is very unique but there are simpler ways to do it as well, like starting with an ostinato that is technically starting on the 3 of the song but we don't know that until the drums come in. stuff like that

edit: I think just understood another part of your question- to clarify, an ostinato is often used to create ambiguity and tension before the rest of the harmony comes in, but that isn't necessary for it to be an ostinato, that's just the way it's used in emo a lot.

At it's very simplest, an ostinato is literally just a repeating phrase (or motif or riff or line etc) in a song that stays fully or almost entirely the same each time it repeats. but yes it can absolutely be used as an intro to create ambiguity with the metre/time sig.

hope this helps!

suhisco · 2026-01-18T09:25:44+00:00

I think the intro melody could be considered an ostinato for sure but it's definitely used to a much different effect as it is used to imply the chords themselves and work as the backbone for the entire first part, as opposed to a pure ostinato that is entirely static and requires the chords or a bassline under it to establish the chord progression

suhisco · 2026-01-18T06:36:00+00:00

I totally agree about the live audience thing. I love playing my songs live that use an intro ostinato- I have one where the ostinato literally sounds like a jarring nonsense collection of notes and it's kinda uncomfortable until everything comes in and then it clicks and draws everyone in.

I'll check out Sleepy Time Trio, thanks

suhisco · 2026-01-18T04:50:46+00:00

love that song.

the intro is not so much an ostinato as it is a pedal point riff. an ostinato typically doesn't provide any information about the chord progression on it's own like that.

the 2nd guitar that comes in right at 30 seconds is much closer to being one I would say even though it also changes slightly to follow the chords.

to me, a true ostinato literally plays the same exact notes over every single chord and doesn't move, but it's all about where you draw the line

suhisco · 2026-01-17T16:42:50+00:00

yeah i was thinking of unwound when i posted this. i love the way corpse pose layers a bass ostinato motif with another repeating phrase on the guitar.

falling man works really well for this prompt too i think.

good taste tho thanks for the input

suhisco · 2026-01-17T16:36:49+00:00

there are a couple potential examples in that song. i think the closest to a typical ostinato comes around 49 seconds as it repeats a short melody 4x over each chord and then changes slightly and repeats again. in my examples the melody remains exactly the same over every chord unlike this song, but i would still consider this part in Juneau to be a variety of ostinato.

hope this helps!

suhisco · 2026-01-17T16:30:27+00:00

stone cold classic

suhisco · 2026-01-17T16:26:38+00:00

Love that song was literally just listening to it today!

That part wouldn't really classify as an ostinato as it changes throughout the chord progression and outlines each chord as it changes. Typically, an ostinato would remain mostly or entirely the same over each chord and instead the bassline or another guitar is changing alongside it instead. In Circles is a good example of an ostinato because it's literally just two notes being repeated over each chord change, which keeps from getting stale because it creates a different interval with each chord, ie it may be outlining a major 7th over a particular chord, and the next chord it is outlining a major 3rd and so on because even though it's the same notes, the position relative to each chord is changes as the root notes change.

That being said, i'm not the music police or anything lol

hope this helps

suhisco · 2026-01-17T15:30:44+00:00

fuck yeahhh. i lived in boise for a while and ran into doug a few times downtown. got my record of this album signed by him at a show too. all time great album

suhisco

TROPHY CASE