Isn't Lorde the singer who made that terrible Royals song? Well, at least she doesn't sound like an asthmatic frog impersonating Sicki Minaj, which can't be said about Iggy.Remus said:
Does Music Today Suck Now, Or Am I Finally 'Old'?
- Thread starter Tanis
- Start date
Eh, I think it's too soon to tell - distance/time gives us more objectivity. I mean, I looked at that 1992 list that someone posted upthread, and there were songs on there that I probably liked at the time (hey, I was young) but that I think are terrible now, and on the flip side, music that I didn't listen to then that I came to appreciate later.Blood Brain Barrier said:
To look at anything new and decide whether it's actually good in any way beyond "I enjoy listening to (or dancing to) this song" or "I don't" is probably lacking whatever context is going to give it staying power later (or make it even worse, and so on).
i dislike "radio music" (excpet for a couple of songs of course)
and i can absolutley assure you todays music is awesome if you can seek out what you like.
if you just try to understand why people like the garbage on the radio (or tv for that matter) your doomed to begin with.
just because it doesn't get air play doesn't mean it's dead.
"then name some bands"
nope do your homework it's not that hard to find good music.
and you probably wouldn't like it anyway since "good music" is just a matter of taste.
but if anyone is into stoner sludge metal...that grimey dirty slow awesome shit i'll point to my avatar.
and i can absolutley assure you todays music is awesome if you can seek out what you like.
if you just try to understand why people like the garbage on the radio (or tv for that matter) your doomed to begin with.
i expect you to quit telling lies about rock music. thank you very much.Fox12 said:
just because it doesn't get air play doesn't mean it's dead.
"then name some bands"
nope do your homework it's not that hard to find good music.
and you probably wouldn't like it anyway since "good music" is just a matter of taste.
but if anyone is into stoner sludge metal...that grimey dirty slow awesome shit i'll point to my avatar.
Yeah, because it was a completely different story the past 40 years! Music used to mean some- Yeah, no. Pop music always aimed for the largest appeal.
And everyone keeps complaining about all the electro/house music nowadays. Have these people completely forgotten what was actually popular in the 90's? Or how everyone thinks of the 70's as this perfect era of rock... It wasn't. Just remember that the biggest hit of all time is "You light up my life". Musical sludge about absolutely nothing. The 70's didn't want rock, they wanted slow middle of the road ballads. Less Van Halen, more Simon & Garfunkel.
It just seems worse now because we have to deal with the bad. We don't remember the bad, that's why the past seems so much better in retrospect.
And everyone keeps complaining about all the electro/house music nowadays. Have these people completely forgotten what was actually popular in the 90's? Or how everyone thinks of the 70's as this perfect era of rock... It wasn't. Just remember that the biggest hit of all time is "You light up my life". Musical sludge about absolutely nothing. The 70's didn't want rock, they wanted slow middle of the road ballads. Less Van Halen, more Simon & Garfunkel.
It just seems worse now because we have to deal with the bad. We don't remember the bad, that's why the past seems so much better in retrospect.
I can say rap has gotten worse, but then again the genre, while in it's basic form is poetry, hasn't been around that long. But unleashing Lil' Wayne on the world was in retrospect a terrible decision. Yeah, he was good up until Tha Carter II, and so we allowed him to thrive. Then he built Young Money, brought Rick Ross, Drake, and Nicki into the picture, and it's been skewing the lines between rap and pop.
At least I'll always have my old Texas rap, which is WAY BETTER than southern rap today. >.> T.I.
At least I'll always have my old Texas rap, which is WAY BETTER than southern rap today. >.> T.I.
I think you're understating the power and significance that music has had at various times in history. Renaissance music with its sweeping holy melodies which were thought to come direct from god, the romantic tradition which swept away centuries of rigid formality, some of the music during the Vietnam war in which people felt they could feel their consciousness was being changed. Imagine hearing jazz with its shockingly free structure and sense of melody for the first time, or 12-tone music which broke all the rules of melody that you knew before. These might not have had such an impact in your life but for many people they did.Raikas said:
Saying "I like this" is only a fraction of the potential of art and it shouldn't be regarded as success if someone happens to like a song 30 years later. A part of every piece of music is timeless, but music usually has the most power when its own cultural and temporal context is current and relevant. We should look to that time to see its real significance.
I generally am one of the first ones to defend music, but, yeah, I haven't heard anything particularly good/catchy/interesting in probably a couple of years. I'm just waiting for Muse, Billy Talent or the Kaiser Chiefs to release something new soon. Lately, I've been on a 60's and 80's kick, and that's keeping me happy until something good/different comes along
Maybe it's because I'm a massive nerd when it comes to modern percussion music, and maybe it's because I don't really listen to popular genres of music much, but the current landscape for (percussion) music fascinates me. Most of the solo literature I perform is stuff written by composers who are still living, and a lot of composers I know love making friends with percussionists because they like having us around to play their percussion works. Most major composers in the percussion world also tend to be educators, and I personally have had some incredible experiences learning from the people whose music profoundly impacted my life.
Still, learning music theory kinda makes pop music even more annoying because it draws your attention to the obnoxiously repetitive and predictable harmonic progressions that are recycled time and time again. On the opposite end of the spectrum though, some postmodern music can be very difficult to listen to because of how experimental and abstract they can be. (Pro tip: if you EVER see a song titled "Workers Union" by Louis Andreissen on a concert program, just walk out and don't look back. Seriously, that piece actually broke me on a psychological level and not in a deep and meaningful way, but in a "I wonder if this has been used as a form of torture" kind of way.) I can respect pushing boundaries, and I'm actually more open minded about postmodern music than most of my peers, but it's not exactly the kind of stuff you would listen to while you're sitting at a bus stop or something.
Still, learning music theory kinda makes pop music even more annoying because it draws your attention to the obnoxiously repetitive and predictable harmonic progressions that are recycled time and time again. On the opposite end of the spectrum though, some postmodern music can be very difficult to listen to because of how experimental and abstract they can be. (Pro tip: if you EVER see a song titled "Workers Union" by Louis Andreissen on a concert program, just walk out and don't look back. Seriously, that piece actually broke me on a psychological level and not in a deep and meaningful way, but in a "I wonder if this has been used as a form of torture" kind of way.) I can respect pushing boundaries, and I'm actually more open minded about postmodern music than most of my peers, but it's not exactly the kind of stuff you would listen to while you're sitting at a bus stop or something.
I would say that there is less risk for companies when producing music and now its a throwaway commodity, only goal is to get to Number 1 and then its forgettable. Thus the charts is the same crap - kinda like the talent the Xfactor shows look for. You have to look towards else where for good music and talent.
haha I see what you did there. I'm sure that will go over most old farts heads in this thread.AkaDad said:
OT: Meh, I listen to just about everything besides country so it's not hard for me to find average/decent music, youtube and many other music websites are your friend in this case. That said, yes you are old if you can't remember how shitty pop music was at some times or another, seriously it's like a rollercoaster varying from "meh, not bleeding from the ears" to "oh my god, is someone using sand paper to grate out my ear drums?!?"
Steven Wilson's The Raven that Refused to Sing(And Other Stories) -2013Illesdan said:
Devin Townsend's Epicloud -2012 (and he has a new album coming out next week)
The Reign of Kindo's Play with Fire - 2013
Blackfield's Blackfield IV -2013
Opeth's Pale Communion -2014
There's lots of good stuff out there(though I can't guarantee all will be to your tastes)
To Scars Unseen: Kind of a little out of my taste range, but not the worst stuff I've ever heard. Opeth I have heard of; they have an early Black Sabbath/Radiohead type influence to their music, so its interesting to listen to.
To insaninater: You make a good point. I used to have an iMesh account and used to love looking for new music on there. Too bad one of their patches screwed up my account and I could never make iMesh run properly on my computer again afterwards. But, yes, the internet is the place to go for new music. If you have the time and money to invest in it, Sirius XM used to be good back in the day for globally hearing new music. I'll admit I don't know if that is still true; haven't listened to it since 2004.
And, really, maybe this is the problem. Sometimes we get so stuck in ourselves that we fail to look to other countries for new music. I personally make a point to look internationally for music instead of just relying on the American music scene. Check out Emily Loizeau; she is a talented French folk rock artist. Kaiser Chiefs should be much more popular over here than they are, a British rock band that has been around a long time. Billy Talent is a Canadian punk band that now has four very solid albums to their credit. They take their time, and release a new recording every three years. In the 'Honorable Mentions' bucket, I would have to say check out AwolNation, The French Band AIR, even though I don't like much of their new stuff, 'Moon Safari', 'Talkie Walkie', and 'The Virgin Suicides Soundtrack' is some very stirring electronica. Nero's female singer is impressive, and more often than not saves the day on most of their songs. Zero 7 is classified as 'acid jazz', and has some very good guest singers work with them. I don't like everything by Snog, but the songs 'Last Days of Rome' and 'Vaguely Melancholic' are very good.
To insaninater: You make a good point. I used to have an iMesh account and used to love looking for new music on there. Too bad one of their patches screwed up my account and I could never make iMesh run properly on my computer again afterwards. But, yes, the internet is the place to go for new music. If you have the time and money to invest in it, Sirius XM used to be good back in the day for globally hearing new music. I'll admit I don't know if that is still true; haven't listened to it since 2004.
And, really, maybe this is the problem. Sometimes we get so stuck in ourselves that we fail to look to other countries for new music. I personally make a point to look internationally for music instead of just relying on the American music scene. Check out Emily Loizeau; she is a talented French folk rock artist. Kaiser Chiefs should be much more popular over here than they are, a British rock band that has been around a long time. Billy Talent is a Canadian punk band that now has four very solid albums to their credit. They take their time, and release a new recording every three years. In the 'Honorable Mentions' bucket, I would have to say check out AwolNation, The French Band AIR, even though I don't like much of their new stuff, 'Moon Safari', 'Talkie Walkie', and 'The Virgin Suicides Soundtrack' is some very stirring electronica. Nero's female singer is impressive, and more often than not saves the day on most of their songs. Zero 7 is classified as 'acid jazz', and has some very good guest singers work with them. I don't like everything by Snog, but the songs 'Last Days of Rome' and 'Vaguely Melancholic' are very good.