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Music is not dead, the music industry is dead...or at least sick. But mainstream pop music has always sort of sucked (look at some of the bubblegum rock that filled the top 40 of the 60s and 70s), recording technology and mass media ares perhaps making it worse as no talent artists, whose significant lapses in talent are covered up by autotune, lip synching, overdubs, and public relations, seem to becoming more and more a factor in music.
This is going to be a bit of a contraversial statement - but I beleive the death in quality music, replaced by the overproduced gargage indicated above, started with Michael Jackson's solo work in the 80s (mind you, not the Jackson 5 and it's amazing discography of geniune Motown soul). From that you got Madonna, Brittany Spears, and all the other singers who relied on studios and producers, a catchy riff here and there, properly placed yelps, and synthezed electronically generated tones rather than instruments to create music. Talent is gone, musicians are gone, the craftwork of songwriting is gone, musical soul is gone, groove is gone. Yes, I said it, Michael Jackson (more specifically, his "musical handlers" and suited polished producers) killed popular music as we know it today, until he killed himself with drugs.
But, hope is out there. Forget about the radio and Katie Perry and Lady GaGa and Rihanna. There are other sources of music now - the internet is out there. You just have to search for it.
None of that is gone, there is just as much as there has ever been and probably more being that the population of the world has increased. Lots of talent, lots of songwriters, and lots of musicians. You seem to think that because there is a lot of crappy music selling records that it has somehow reduced the number of good music. That is flawed because they have nothing to do with each other.
I think music is in a large transition period right now. You look at the history of popular music and you see these huge trends like early rock 'n roll, the British Invasion, the psychedlic period, early punk rock, and so on, that were mythologized after the fact as being these titanic shifts in style that would change music. However in between those periods there were plenty of periods where bland pop music was still dominating much of the airwaves--and there was plenty of it on the charts at the same time as the famous bands in the late 60s that were changing rock music. It's just not what's remembered in the grand history of rock music as told by yearly Rolling Stone magazine retrospectives.
However right now, it seems like the trend has been away from rock music--which has been a constant denominator of the music scene in the US for over 55 years now. There wasn't really all that much new in rock music in the last decade--if you look at how many different musical genres basically were created from the early 1960s to the early 1980s--I don't think we're going to see any sort of period like that in the near future. It was just a very dynamic time in terms of creativity. Looking back to the 90s--there's been certain trends, but as far as rock music goes the changes have been more rooted in more retro-movements. There's baby boomer nostalgia that won't be dead until the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen are either dead or too feeble to tour and there's many indie bands that wouldn't have been out of place in 1965 or 1977 or 1986 as far as what they're playing. There's still creativity and there's still people pushing boundaries. Where the biggest changes in music are taking place have been in the wholescale adoption of some of these new technologies. Rap music, house music, and pop have sort of fused into this new happy pop genre that a lot of people including myself can't stand that's for the generation of teenagers today.
Another thing is that when you reach a certain age, you really start losing interest in a lot of the newer trends in music. Personally I hate dub-step or modern pop music or the weak-sounding pseudo-indie pop bands out today or most of the rap music--or even what happened to much of the metal/hard rock or punk scenes(and I grew up in the 90s listening to heavy rock and electronic and hiphop music)--but at the same time--I'm in my 30s now. There comes a point when the culture isn't for you anymore. I relate more to music that came out fifteen years before I was even born than I do most music that's recieved radio airplay in the last ten years. Although I know younger kids who dislike the popular music of today as well--though there were plenty of young people in the 90s who were more interested in music of the 60s and 70s also.
There's still plenty of bands doing interesting stuff though--but you're going to be lost if you try to find them by simply listening to the radio or looking at the pop charts. I mean it's very easy to find them--with the advent of websites like Spotify or internet radio or so on, you've just go to look for it.
None of that is gone, there is just as much as there has ever been and probably more being that the population of the world has increased. Lots of talent, lots of songwriters, and lots of musicians. You seem to think that because there is a lot of crappy music selling records that it has somehow reduced the number of good music. That is flawed because they have nothing to do with each other.
Strange response - Did you not read my last paragraph (which I perhaps did not expand enough on, but I didn't think I needed to as others above my post did)? Did you not get the point of my contrast with "the musical industry" (selling records) vs "music"?
I will be generous and say that perhaps I was not clear.
Music is not dead, rather the people who "listen" to music are the ones who are stagnant and never explore or thirst for the beauty and creation that is out there...
Music is more than the newest indie artist or sound. It's more about the creation that comes alive...the connection and art that a listener can take in and find understanding.
The ultimate dilemma concerning music and art is creating for the sake of creating...vs creating for the purpose of consumption and praise.
As someone who seeks for this, I have known this...but a moment of clarity concerning this just hit me- why I am stuck with my own creativity...you lose something when you are creating for any other reason other than the pure connection of your own personal vision and what you create.
Music is a very personal thing. There's no way to explain why someone will like one song and not another; there is a deep emotional component to this. So I can only describe my own experience.
Within the last month or so I discovered K-pop girl groups such as Girl's Generation. It literally has been years since I've been so blown away by a new musical discovery. I simply cannot stop playing their songs "Gee", "Oh", and "Mr. Taxi."
there's 10 times the amount of new music available now, then there was at any point in the 60's, 70's or 80's.
it can't all suck
figure out your favorite genre and search for it, or keep playing the old stuff. you choose
but music is about as far from being dead as it was in 1968 or 1988, it just changed mediums, your radio is good for the old stuff, your computer is good for both.
if you like blues rock like I do check out:
the black keys,
the Raconteurs,
the John Mayer Trio,
Gov't Mule,
Joe Bonamassa,
Kenny Wayne Sheppard,
The Heartless Bastards,
the White Stripes
i no longer argue anymore. You either have the passion and interest to explore and enjoy or pay your mortgage. Most people are trying to pay their mortgage and listen to the same songs they have heard for 15 years with car commercials.
Good music is not dead you just have to look harder for it is all One of my favorite bands that I have been listening to lately is called Abney park they consider themselves Steampunk music which they are really good ! Another good band is Demented are go they are psychobilly and one of my favorite songs of there's is when the lead singer Sparky did a crossover with another band that goes by the name of Hillbilly moon explosion the song's called My love forever more and it's one of the more interesting songs I've heard in a while !
To Add: If your interested in the 50's style checkout rockabilly/psychobilly bands such as : Koffin Kats, Demented are go, The Meteors, Tiger army, Rezurex, Sasquatch and the sickabillies, if you want a more pop oriented version go for Necromantics or Horrorpops
Oh and to add one more if you want jpop checkout rip slyme or an older group that goes by the name of Kome Kome club checkout their song Funk Fujiyama
Last edited by DeadSpeak; 10-18-2012 at 08:46 PM..
Music is a very personal thing. There's no way to explain why someone will like one song and not another; there is a deep emotional component to this. So I can only describe my own experience.
Within the last month or so I discovered K-pop girl groups such as Girl's Generation. It literally has been years since I've been so blown away by a new musical discovery. I simply cannot stop playing their songs "Gee", "Oh", and "Mr. Taxi."
Yes the same way someone would view a Harry Potter novel as literature.
I think music is in a large transition period right now. You look at the history of popular music and you see these huge trends like early rock 'n roll, the British Invasion, the psychedlic period, early punk rock, and so on, that were mythologized after the fact as being these titanic shifts in style that would change music. However in between those periods there were plenty of periods where bland pop music was still dominating much of the airwaves--and there was plenty of it on the charts at the same time as the famous bands in the late 60s that were changing rock music. It's just not what's remembered in the grand history of rock music as told by yearly Rolling Stone magazine retrospectives.
However right now, it seems like the trend has been away from rock music--which has been a constant denominator of the music scene in the US for over 55 years now. There wasn't really all that much new in rock music in the last decade--if you look at how many different musical genres basically were created from the early 1960s to the early 1980s--I don't think we're going to see any sort of period like that in the near future. It was just a very dynamic time in terms of creativity. Looking back to the 90s--there's been certain trends, but as far as rock music goes the changes have been more rooted in more retro-movements. There's baby boomer nostalgia that won't be dead until the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen are either dead or too feeble to tour and there's many indie bands that wouldn't have been out of place in 1965 or 1977 or 1986 as far as what they're playing. There's still creativity and there's still people pushing boundaries. Where the biggest changes in music are taking place have been in the wholescale adoption of some of these new technologies. Rap music, house music, and pop have sort of fused into this new happy pop genre that a lot of people including myself can't stand that's for the generation of teenagers today.
Another thing is that when you reach a certain age, you really start losing interest in a lot of the newer trends in music. Personally I hate dub-step or modern pop music or the weak-sounding pseudo-indie pop bands out today or most of the rap music--or even what happened to much of the metal/hard rock or punk scenes(and I grew up in the 90s listening to heavy rock and electronic and hiphop music)--but at the same time--I'm in my 30s now. There comes a point when the culture isn't for you anymore. I relate more to music that came out fifteen years before I was even born than I do most music that's recieved radio airplay in the last ten years. Although I know younger kids who dislike the popular music of today as well--though there were plenty of young people in the 90s who were more interested in music of the 60s and 70s also.
There's still plenty of bands doing interesting stuff though--but you're going to be lost if you try to find them by simply listening to the radio or looking at the pop charts. I mean it's very easy to find them--with the advent of websites like Spotify or internet radio or so on, you've just go to look for it.
I agee with you. When I was heavily into the Stone Roses, the Charlatans and the Happy Mondays as a teenager I thought they were the greatest bands I'd ever hear whereas to my father they just sounded derivative and like empty rehashed copies of the Byrds, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Likewise the early Manic Street Preachers albums really resonated with me whereas to the ltae 70's/early 80's generation they were just another agit-punk parody of the Clash.
I think by the time you've reached your mid-30's and are listening to the next big thing rehashing a rehash of a rehash it is highly unlikely that you are going to be as enthusiastic about it as a young teenager stumbling upon this sound for the first time.
I do believe that indie became mainstream in the 00's though and this had a knock on effect on how the records were produced with a more stadium audience in mind, with acoustic lighter waving anthems taking prominence.
Folk and country influences appeared to be the last direction alot of mainstream indie had left but when you've heard My Morning Jacket what do Fleet Foxes really bring to the table? A couple of teaspoons of sugar. Not knocking them either, thought their first album was quite good. Just didn't think it was "album of the year" like so many rated it as.
If you were reared on Crosby Stills, Young and Nash, Bob Dylan, and the Band and have been through three decades or more of transitions then the influences of "the next big thing" are going to be all too obvious and glaring.
But this is nothing new, for Pixies, Sonic Youth and Husker Du fans Nirvana were nothing new. For fans of Jeffrey Lee Pierce and the Gun Club neither were the White Stripes.
There's no doubting the fact that indie rock appears to have run out of ideas but then alot of th best bands never get heard in the mainstream. I thought the Jayhawks were better than Wilco around the time of 'Sound Of Lies' and that Richmond Fontaine were just brilliant from but no-one even recognised them in America.
There's always good music around. Sometimes you just have o look outside the box. Also, think of Bob Dylan's 'Time Out Of Mind'. This album changed everything, named album of the year in a number of publications.
Until this album and Bruce Springsteen's resurgence with Johnny Cash's 'American Recordings' and 'the Rising' older bands and musicians were generally written off with derogatory and derisory puns in the bottom right hand corner of the reviews section.
Being perceived as having credibility over the age of 35 has changed the way we look at musc full stop. There isn't this convenient cut off point anymore which means older artists go on forever and younger acts have to work harder and for longer before getting the limelight that in previous generations would be rightfully theirs after one big hit or album.
The generational divide in alot of music just isn't there anymore. And where it is noticeable the contrasts aren't as sharp as previous generations.
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One of my favorite bands that I have been listening to lately is called Abney park they consider themselves Steampunk music which they are really good ! Another good band is Demented are go they are psychobilly and one of my favorite songs of there's is when the lead singer Sparky did a crossover with another band that goes by the name of Hillbilly moon explosion the song's called My love forever more and it's one of the more interesting songs I've heard in a while !
