Radiohead and the Uses of Genre – A Stylistic Evaluation

The thesis explores uses of genre in the music of the band Radiohead and presents a new theoretical approach for studying popular music genres by combining text-based and discourse-based methods of analysis. Genre is a controversial and ambiguous concept that plays an important role in the ways in which we discuss popular music. Informed by a vast number of individual perceptions popular music genres are complex constructs that are subject to constant processes of change and progression. While the history of genre theory stretches back to ancient times, in popular music studies issues of categorisation have only been studied since the early 1980s. A detailed theory that utilises diverse approaches and takes into account varying perspectives on genre remains yet to be written. For this reason the following study provides a first attempt at a composite theory of popular music genres. In the years since their formation the music of the band Radiohead has led to the emergence of a diverse genre discourse amongst different listener groups. Journalists in particular have applied a variety of genre terminologies and addressed issues of stylistic diversity and categorisation. By studying instances of genre in Radiohead´s musical oeuvre as well as the accompanying genre discourse the study seeks to show how a theory of popular music genres can benefit from the application of the proposed methodology and be informative about Radiohead´s music. The thesis is divided into four parts. It will move from a discussion of genre histories in chapter 1 to a study of text-based analytical methods in chapter 2 and highlight genre characteristics in Radiohead´s oeuvre. Chapter 3 and 4 will present different instances of a discourse-based study of genres in offline and online contexts. In this way the thesis finally aims to illuminate issues of generic elusiveness by paying attention to the flexibility of individual generic perceptions.

Grantor dc:publisher

Oxford Brookes University

Year dc:date

2016

Author dc:creator

• Ehmann, Julia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Griffiths, Dai
• Butler, Jan
• Dale, Pete

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.24384/5g7y-e416

OAI identifier oai:identifier

tle:33373c46-03bc-44b3-bbb0-be947bb2c8cc:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1