The only right decision, while giving a definition of culture is to define the main features, causes and ways of creative thought’s expression, and afterwards grouping the obtained data. This is what we can observe in the work of Cook and Glickman. After examining each of the options, one can give examples for each of them right away. However, the American culture in all its manifestations is versatile. And every issue within it is equally important. Though, it is sometimes difficult to navigate in the flow of information and ideas, and one has to “go on the reverse”. So, as an example I wanted to choose the music, which in its essence is aimed to oppose the popular culture. Cast doubt on the prevailing opinion it is the prerogative of alternative culture. In music, it is represented by a great variety of genres, but the one, which stands out on the United States music scene is, in my opinion, industrial rock. Therefore, as an example for further analysis, I chose the song of Nine Inch Nails – The Hand That Feeds. Music as a part of culture has a number of common features with three definitions given in the book. Since the music is an art in which feelings and ideas are expressed by rhythmically and tonally organized sounds, it can be attributed to the way of artistic expression more than any other art form. Industrial rock can be regarded as part of the alternative movement in culture. It acts as original antipode to pop music because it includes elements embodying the realities of a particular group of people - industrial workers, and in a broader sense – residents of urban cities. It proves that the genre also overlaps with the “anthropological” concept of culture. Alongside with the instruments imitating the noise of a working factory or modern city, (which in most cases are drums, electric guitars, and bass) Nine Inch Nails also make use of electronic music gear. In the song, which is regarded as an example, one can hear that the emotional and auditory effect produced binds the genre with others. Certainly, with electronic music, and the sound of the bass is reminiscent of stoner rock, which emerged later. The lyrics and voice should be mentioned as well, as they express the spirit of rebellion embodied in the song. The vocalist - Trent Reznor, has become an icon of the genre, as he managed to give the dark genre a heart. In this way we can clearly see, that the artist gives a musical composition emotions, which are later conveyed to a listener. This ability of Reznor to endow the music with feelings, common to all people, such as love, hate or anger contributed to the development of the genre. It made the industrial rock band world famous (Huey). Although, the representatives of alternative culture strive to separate themselves from the “ruling powers”, for musicians it does not seem possible, as media companies today play a crucial role in the field. Despite this, the band's frontman was trying to release the material independently, in this way supporting the main message of their music, and in 2007 terminated the contract with the record label Interscope Records, subsequently signed a contract with another one, but eventually went back to self-releasing the music in 2016 (Cohen).
All the issues raised earlier, show the diversity of culture and music in particular. However, the main component of any art is person's inner world. In modern culture, this component is sometimes ignored in favor of attracting attention to a particular problem. That is why alternative, non-mainstream genres of music, such as industrial, which are able to appeal to human emotions, will always be an interesting subject for research. As in addition to their own content, they can help to understand the associated cultural elements better.
Works Cited
Cohen, Jonathan “Nine Inch Nails Celebrates Free Agent Status”. billboard.com. 10 August 2007. Web 25 January 2017.Huey, Steve. “Nine Inch Nails: Biography”. allmusic.com Web 25 January 2017.
NineInchNailsVEVO. “Nine Inch Nails – The Hand That Feeds”. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 16 June 2009. Web 25 January 2017.
