is there such a thing as dark pop
like upbeat pop music with really bleak themes or the inverse with eerie instrumentals backing up happy vocals or some mix of the two
Is there such a thing as dark pop
Hey Ya
Yes, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard's Paper Mache Dream Balloon
Upbeat acoustic pop about a serial killer fucking dead bodies
ducc
god damn it I hate that stupid band even more now
Most of Keane
Kite - Nick Heyward
A good number of Pete Yorn, Life on A Chain is a quality example.
there's [spoiler]lana del rey[/spoiler]
the drums - portamento
of montreal
passion pit
etc
Some gabber anthems have dark sonics but then these cheerful, goofy little sing-along melodies.
And a lot of happy hardcore tracks are so happy they reach a delirious, demented place where it starts to sound kind of plastic-evil / compellingly corrupt / warped.
Also, Japanese popstar Kyary Pamyu Pamyu often does upbeat / cute pop but with dark themes, it's kind of her formula:
youtube.com
But yeah what you're looking for is a really cool formula and not done enough. You'll find it especially in hardcore techno of different types, and also in some early 00s teenpop. There are a couple dark Britney tracks.
Biggest wankers in modern music.
Don't Stand So Close to Me is about a teacher raping his student
Big Star
Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence has an interesting quality to it. It's kind of this uplifting, beautiful pop song, but there's also a measured or shaded aspect to it, imbued by its minor key tunage - like it has broken through somehow but not without sacrifice and a more complex outlook. I guess that 'glory despite the darkness' quality to a triumphant song done in minor key is also feature to a lot of uplifting-yet-doomy metal songs.
Mad World
>upbeat pop music with really bleak themes
youtube.com
Something like this?
How does that make you hate the band more user?
altered images
or siouxsie and the banshees maybe
...
gosh I wish gordie would rape me when I am his teenage student T B H