The longer you listen to music and the more widely you explore its many corners, the more you realize the form is so vast that coming up with categories to describe it is almost an art unto itself.
In recent years, finding terms to define the music being created by the growing number of independent artists has tested the collective wit of listeners, journalists and bloggers. Without label executives steering bands into easily marketable genres, music is growing organically, leading to a bevy of subgenres that are as amusingly named as they are apropos.
Yes, we’re all familiar with the biggies – rock, jazz, country, hip-hop, etc. – and maybe even some subgenres, such as rockabilly, dubstep and garage rock. But the fun really starts when you get even more specific.
Some of my favorites are portmanteaus of better-known genres.
The Joy Formidable? A nu-gaze band. DJ Spooky? Illbient, of course.