Agit-Pop
(redirected from Genre.AgitPop)
Agit-pop (also typeset agitpop) is a fast-paced and energetic form of post-punk indie rock and guitar pop?, based around jerky New Wave? rhythms and repetitive, melodic guitar parts, ranging from clean jangle tones and crooning to yelpier art punk? while always emphasizing an off-kilter but catchy melodic or rhythmic hook. Rhythmically, it ranges from uptempo garage rock grooves to a distinctive dance-punk? undertone most evident through the use of off-beat hi-hats in various sections, and generally switches between multiple rhythms between sections, or even multiple different rhythms in one sections in more extreme cases which are closer to art punk and zolo?.
The term "agit-pop" was likely coined by Glenn Morrow of The Individuals?, an early 1980s? group which was foundational to the Hoboken sound?, to describe their combination of bass-heavy New Wave rock band performance with a distinctly Beatlesque? and often jangly style of melodic songwriting, indebted to power pop but with a more "art-school" lens, manifesting in varying structures, unconventional or abstract lyricism, and a fundamentally post-punk, largely blues?- or Brill Building-avoidant? melodic approach. The term is modelled on the concept of agitprop, a form of propaganda.
Agit-pop can be used to describe other "Hoboken sound" groups like The Feelies?, The Bongos?, and, to an extent, The dBs?. Kansas? group The Embarrassment? made similar music around the same time and dubbed their own style blister pop, likely due to its blistering tempos and potential for actual blistering. There were also British? artists with a similar blend of influences, though also incorporating the offbeat shuffle of reggae rock? or the skanking of 2 Tone ska?, like XTC? on their first 3-4 records. Agit-pop was influential on the sound of jangle bands all over America?, becoming foundational to college rock? and, two decades later, was a major influence on the so-called "post-punk revival?" in the 2000s?, with some of the more pop-oriented artists resembling a modernised, tightened-up form of agit-pop with simpler rhythms.