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Pop & Hiss

Gentle men: The softer side of rock flourishes again

By Randall Roberts
 and Todd Martens
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In the 1970s, it was America and Bread with the wispy vocals and gentle guitars. Now, Fleet Foxes and James Blunt have rediscovered soft rock.

Like it or not, the last few years have seen a return to the warm, gentle sounds of soft rock, the overly earnest musical subgenre that rose in the early 1970s and thrived throughout the decade.

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Though the distance of time separates the new breed from its spiritual ancestors, the characteristics most associated with the sound are the same — emotionally available men with gentle guitars, wispy vocals, plaid shirts, (usually) beards and a love of nature — even if the context is different. For example, punk rock rose, in part, as a reaction to the platitudes often associated with soft rock. But to a new group of songwriters reared on Hot Topic punk and the ubiquity of distorted guitar, the most rebellious thing a young musician can do is go quiet and return to nature. Below, a brief history lesson.

--Compiled by Randall Roberts, Todd Martens and August Brown-

Top images: Christopher Cross (Los Angeles Times); Destroyer (Ted Bois) and James Blunt (Los Angeles Times)

Pop & Hiss
Randall Roberts

Former staff writer Randall Roberts covered Los Angeles music culture for the Los Angeles Times. He had served various roles since arriving at The Times in 2010, including music editor and pop music critic. As a staff writer, he explored the layered history of L.A. music, from Rosecrans and Sunset to Ventura Boulevard and beyond. His 2020 project on the early Southern California phonograph industry helped identify the first-ever commercial recording made in Los Angeles.

Todd Martens

Todd Martens is a features columnist at the Los Angeles Times who writes about theme parks and West Coast Experiences, among other topics. Martens joined the Los Angeles Times in 2007 and has covered a mix of interactive entertainment as its game critic and pop music as a reporter and editor. Previously, he reported on the music business for Billboard Magazine. Martens has contributed to numerous books, including “The Big Lebowski: An Illustrated, Annotated History of the Greatest Cult Film of All Time.” He continues to torture himself by rooting for the Chicago Cubs and, while he likes dogs, he is more of a cat person.

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