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There’s a form of rock ‘n’ roll popular these days I’ve been calling “Caffeine Rock.” It has an extra fast tempo, usually 140 beats per minute or more, and the vocal style is forceful, but not necessarily a scream. Kind of like shouting. It not punk rock, it’s not hard rock, it’s just a hyped-up regular rock. I have only been hearing it for about the last five years or so, so it is a byproduct of Generation ‘Y’; probably those who were teenagers in the late nineties on through today.

Caffeine rock communicates the feeling of caffeinated tension because it is sung and performed with high energy, strong force at a quick tempo. It’s a manic form of music that seems a natural byproduct of today’s hectic world. It’s what I imagine music would sound like after a cup of coffee, an energy drink, a few hours of video games, and maybe some fast food. Even the slow parts are somehow tense. Caffeine rock does not capture intricate emotional expression very well, but does capture the feeling of hypertension expertly. This is a valid form of expression.

Let’s pay tribute to these experts at tension by giving them their own sub-genre of rock ‘n’ roll: Caffeine Rock!!!

Coming soon: some examples (in L.A. listen to 106.7 KROQ)