-
Vocal accent and identity in Scandinavian metal
- Author(s):
- M.Selim Yavuz (see profile)
- Date:
- 2015
- Group(s):
- Music and Sound
- Subject(s):
- Heavy metal (Music)--Instruction and study, Musicology, Popular music
- Item Type:
- Other
- Tag(s):
- doom metal, extreme metal, metal music studies, Scandinavia, Metal Music Studies, Popular Music Studies
- Permanent URL:
- http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6ZW96
- Abstract:
- Vocal accent in musical performance may carry more information than what is apparent at a first look. This idea becomes more significant in a popular music realm, where globalization is pronounced, thus making the dichotomy of individuality and belonging desires obscured compared to a realm where locality dominates the form of expression. This essay comments on the possible problems that may arise from taking the vocal accent as the focus of ethnomusicological analysis, as well as provides theories and examples of identity construction in different popular musics. While analysing the song ‘This Barren Skin’ by the Norwegian funeral doom metal band Funeral (2006) from a vocal accent perspective, it also provides an argument about how this vocal accent may be used to construct a band’s identity, and –more importantly- differentiate this national identity from others that are present in a similar or the same music scene. In arguing this point, identity construction theories that are already present in different popular music genres are employed with examples of the relationship between language use, vocal accents, and national identities in these genres. An online ethnographic study concerning the analysed song follows these examples in order to supply the argument that language use and vocal accent is a significant differentiator in this and ‘neighbouring’ music scenes using online communication boards, online music videos, and online album reviews.
- Metadata:
- xml
- Status:
- Published
- Last Updated:
- 7 years ago
- License:
- Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
accent.pdf