Ork-pop
| Chamber pop | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Ork-pop |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1960s–90s |
| Typical instruments | |
| Other topics | |
Chamber pop (also called ork-pop, short for "orchestral pop") is a style of rock music characterized by an emphasis on melody and texture, the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other components drawn from the lounge and orchestral pop of the 1960s. It was predicated mainly on the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson (especially the 1966 album Pet Sounds) and composer Burt Bacharach, in addition to producers Henry Mancini, Lee Hazlewood, Phil Spector, and singer Scott Walker.
In the mid 1990s, chamber pop developed as a subgenre of indie rock or indie pop in which musicians opposed the distorted guitars, lo-fi aesthetic, and simple arrangements common to the alternative or "modern rock" groups of that era. In Japan, the movement was paralleled by Shibuya-kei, another indie genre that was formed on some of the same bedrock of influences. By the 2000s, the term "chamber pop" would be inconsistently applied to a variety of bands whose work attracted comparisons to Pet Sounds.
The combination of string sections and rock music has been called "symphonic pop", "chamber pop", and "ork-pop" (short for orchestral pop). Ork-pop refers to a branch of underground rock musicians who shared an affinity with the Beach Boys' 1966 studio album Pet Sounds, such as the High Llamas and bands from the Elephant 6 collective. According to CMJ's David Jerman, the name was the creation of rock critics, "encompassing everyone from fans of the Beach Boys to fans of Bacharach and Mancini". Chamber pop is stylistically diverse.AllMusic states that the genre carries on the "spirit" of the baroque pop of the 1960s, while cultural writers Joseph Fisher and Brian Flota call it the "heir" to baroque pop. Strongly influenced by the rich orchestrations of Burt Bacharach, Brian Wilson, and Lee Hazlewood, chamber pop artists once again focused on melody and texture. Another major source of influence was the singer Scott Walker.New York Daily News' Jim Farber summarizes the genre; "think Donovan meets Burt Bacharach".
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