Line #63 Main/SophistiPop


1	[floatboxright:
2	Primary Stylistic Influences:
3	+ NewWaveMusic, ElectronicMusic, {{Jazz}}, JazzFusion, SynthPop, PostPunk, {{Pop}}, GlamRock, BaroquePop, SoftRock, yacht rock
4	]
5	[floatboxright:
6	Secondary Stylistic Influences:
7	+ ClassicalMusic, RAndB, {{Soul}}, PsychedelicRock, ProgressiveRock, KrautRock
8	]
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10
11	'''Sophisti-Pop''' is a subgenre of AlternativeRock and an umbrella term that describes the numerous bands whose sound was very lavish and "sophisticated". The genre can best be described as NewWaveMusic with a heavy jazz-rock influence, particularly from Music/SteelyDan and latter-day Music/RoxyMusic, whose final album ''Music/{{Avalon\|RoxyMusic}}'' is widely considered the TropeMaker for the genre.
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13	While ''Avalon'' came out in 1982, the sophisti-pop craze truly kicked off the following year, when Music/TheBlueNile released ''A Walk Across the Rooftops''. The album displayed some of the most technically advanced production of its day, to the point where its UK release was handled by the record label division of Scottish audiophile brand Linn Products. Both ''Avalon'' and ''A Walk Across the Rooftops'' featured soulful singing, jazzy chords, touchy lyrics about love and heartache, and (probably most importantly) the highest production of synthesizers a band could afford, all of which would become hallmarks of sophisti-pop. In part due to the genre's origins, most of its major players hailed from either Scotland or the north of England (Music/{{Sade}}, formed in London and fronted by a Nigerian singer, are the major exception).
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15	One thing that helped jumpstart sophisti-pop's popularity and encourage its growth was the Platform/CompactDisc, an audiophile-oriented format which made its international debut (following an early Japanese launch) just one month before ''A Walk Across the Rooftops''. The CD's clarity and lack of surface noise complimented sophisti-pop's lavish production values, making albums in the genre popular demonstration titles for CD players and other high-end audio equipment among dealers. It became a joke among critics that this was the primary purpose of sophisti-pop albums.
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17	There can be a large number of different things going on at once in this type of music that can fly over a listener's head and the matter of seconds. The music is full of subtle touches in melody and chord changes that take multiple listens to really notice and appreciate. Artists in this genre have a tendency to lean towards perfectionism. While bands like Simply Red had no problem releasing albums within 2 years of each other, bands like Sade and The Blue Nile can take as long as ''5 years'' just to complete an album. Expect lots of {{Troubled Production}}s and song transformations. Also, a lot of these songs are played ''way'' different live than they are in the studio.
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19	The genre died out in the early 1990s, and was one of many genres that were prominent on early AlternativeRock radio that were completely eradicated from playlists once {{Grunge}} took hold of the airwaves. Many artists remained active well into the 2000s: Music/{{Sting}} stripped out the jazzier elements of his sound while keeping the rest of his production style intact, Simply Red continued to tour and write albums until their breakup in 2010, Prefab Sprout is active from time to time as a solo project of its lead singer, Sade continues to seduce people with their sexy music, and the Blue Nile continues to take up to 8 years to record an album.
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21	For genre highlights, The Beautiful South's ''Welcome to the Beautiful South'' and ''0898 Beautiful South'', The Blue Nile's ''Hats'' and ''A Walk Across the Rooftops'', Prefab Sprout's ''Steve [=McQueen=]'', Simply Red's ''Stars'', and Sade's ''Diamond Life'' and ''Love Deluxe'' are all considered masterpieces.
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23	The genre helped pave way for many IndiePop bands in the future, creating the idea of high production values and the use of synths in the music. While not exactly an AlternativeRock genre, some bands like the Beautiful South later branched out into adding alternative elements to their songs. The 2010s would also mark a stealth revival of sophisti-pop, owed to its rough Japanese counterpart, CityPop, unexpectedly seeing a surge in online popularity in the west. In the wake of this, indie pop artists like Music/The1975 and Music/CarlyRaeJepsen added elements of both styles to their music, and elements of the two would appear in many additional pop songs during the turn of the 2020s, especially amongst British artists such as Music/CleanBandit and Music/EllieGoulding.
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25	!!Artists part of this movement include:
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27	[[index]]
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29	!!Original era (1980-1990)
30	* Music/{{ABC\|Band}} (from 1985 on)
31	* Music/TheAdventures
32	* Music/HerbAlpert (on his album ''Keep Your Eye On Me'' and the song "Devils Ball," a collaboration with the band Double)
33	* Music/AztecCamera
34	* Music/{{Basia}}
35	* Music/TheBeautifulSouth
36	* Music/{{Black}}
37	* Music/TheBlowMonkeys
38	* Music/TheBlueNile
39	* Music/{{Breathe}} (who performed a lighter version of the genre that was basically soft rock with new wave elements)
40	* Music/ChinaCrisis
41	* Music/CuriosityKilledTheCat
42	* Music/DannyWilson
43	* Music/DeaconBlue
44	* Music/DonaldFagen, lead singer of Steely Dan, arguably the single most influential act on the entire genre.
45	** 1982 - ''Music/TheNightfly''
46	* Music/{{Double}}
47	* Music/TheDreamAcademy
48	* Music/EverythingButTheGirl (pre-Todd Terry remix of "Missing")
49	* Music/GoWest
50	* Music/JoeJackson
51	* Creator/GraceJones
52	* Music/HueAndCry
53	* Music/TheHumanLeague (on ''Crash'' and ''Romantic?''; overlaps with NewJackSwing on the former)
54	* Music/JohnnyHatesJazz
55	* Music/KaneGang
56	* Music/{{Level 42}}
57	* Music/LivingInABox
58	* Music/TheLotusEaters
59	* Music/MattBianco
60	* Music/NickHeyward
61	* Music/PrefabSprout
62	* Music/RoxyMusic acted as the TropeMaker in the waning days of their career. Also a big influence on the other artists on this list.
63	** 1982 - ''Music/{{Avalon\|RoxyMusic}}''
64	** Music/BryanFerry
65	* Music/{{Sade}}
66	* Music/ScrittiPolitti (Although their early singles tend toward PostPunk)
67	* Music/SimplyRed
68	* Music/{{Sting}} (primarily on his first three albums; overlaps with art pop during this period)
69	** 1985 - ''Music/TheDreamOfTheBlueTurtles''
70	* Music/TheStyleCouncil
71	* Music/SwingOutSister
72	* Music/ThenJerico (which blended elements of this genre with ArenaRock)
73	* Music/TanitaTikaram
74	* Music/ThomasDolby (on ''The Flat Earth''; Also produced three Prefab Sprout albums)
75	* Music/ThompsonTwins
76	* Music/{{Waterfront}}
77	* Music/WhenInRome
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79	!!Revival acts (2000 onwards)
80	* Music/The1975 (on their second and third albums)
81	* Music/AlfredGarcia
82	* Music/ArcticMonkeys (on their sixth album ''Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino'')
83	* Music/BloodOrange
84	* Music/CarlyRaeJepsen (on her third album and its accompanying EP)
85	* Music/{{Chairlift}} (on their final album ''Something'')
86	* Music/ChristineAndTheQueens
87	* [[Music/DestroyerBand Destroyer]] (mostly on ''Kaputt'')
88	* Music/IceChoir
89	* Music/PureBathingCulture
90	* Music/RomanAClef
91	* Music/{{Rhye}}
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Context Main / SophistiPop