Genre Research

Our chosen song is 'Life Happens' by surfer duo Brandon and Leah. The two have been friends since children and have been brought up in the sunny and 'beachy' location of Malibu. The duo quit the busy lifestyle that Hollywood demands in order for a relaxing and chilled life on the majestic beaches of Malibu. The pair's music reflects their happy and calm lifestyle and their music videos further enforce this and display their love of nature and their surroundings. The mood of their songs is light and fun. Brandon says that "Everything is groove based. We like things with a positive, beach vibe. If our songs don’t make you want bob your head, then we haven’t done our job." This tells us that their aim isn't to rock the world or to put across a political message or to express the negativity of the world through their music, but their aim is to represent that their is happiness in life and that nature is beautiful and that we should enjoy life and do what makes us happy. Their free-spirited vibe is infectious and fans can't help but smile when hearing their tunes. 

It is hard to label their music with a concrete genre such as rock, pop, or indie. However I personally would say their music is a combination of surfer, folky pop as their music is light-hearted and upbeat which would class it as pop, but the use of ukuleles and acoustic guitars gives them their added surfer-hippy vibe. 

The origin of this type of music comes from artists such as Joni Mitchell, who's folk music was hugely influential to many other artists. Her distinctive vocals, poetic lyrics and guitar style as well as her harmonic piano skill gave her an image of one of the most iconic folk musicians. I believe if it wasn't for artists like Joni Mitchell there would not be people like Brandon and Leah making their music today. 

Brandon and Leah themselves have stated that Bob Marley is one of their biggest influences. Bob Marley is one of the most recognised artists on earth and is one of the biggest icons ever. In particular to Brandon and Leah, I think that his reggae and laid back rhythmic sound to his music is what influenced them. Some of his most famous songs such as 'Three Little Birds' and 'Dont Worry, Be Happy' express as happy message and offer stress-free spirited vibes for listeners. Additionally songs such as 'Trenchtown Rock' he sings about the magic of music and how it can make one feel good. 

Again, I think this is what Brandon and Leah aim to achieve in their music, they want to offer upbeat and optimistic escapism for their listeners. 

Another band who I think created 'beachy, folky'/ 'Surf rock' type music are the Beach Boys. They are known for their sound and lyrics that reflected a Southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance. Some of their most famous numbers such as 'Good Vibrations', 'Fun Fun Fun' and 'Surfer Girl' express as 'beachy' free spirited feel that has remained influential to this day. Their songs such as 'Don't Worry Baby' offer comforting lyrics and remind listeners that everything in their life will be just fine. Everyone associates the Beach Boys with the sea, surfing, beaches, relaxing and having fun, they achieved this through the sound of their music and their vocal harmonies, and I think this is exactly what Brandon and Leah want to achieve through their own music. 

Poppy/folky/surfer music isn't a mainstream music scene and artists who produce this genre of music tend to provide for a very niche market and rarely achieve worldwide fame, however they do their job of producing happy and upbeat music in which a specific type of person, such as a surfer, or somebody who enjoyes melodic, happy music, will appreciate. I don't think Brandon and Leah desperately want to achieve large amounts of fame, I think their sole aim is to provide art for their audiences and continue to portray their laid back and exotic lifestyle in the hopes that they can transport their fans their care-free life through their music.