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Lets face it... the classic rock and top 40 crowd will never be able to get along with the underground, indie, punk, and metal crowd. Those are on the opposite sides of the musical spectrum....
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Originally Posted by rainroosty
I don't know if I agree with that....perhaps "overall", you may be right.
But there's an awful lot of people that are exceptions to your theory.
Myself, I like classic rock, yet I like the Plasmatics, too. That doesn't comply to your thought at all. I listen to the Beatles, yet I love Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Hell, I like the Mamas and the Papas but I still would crank up 'Master of Puppets' if it came on the radio...
I don't like the radio.
I'm also an exception...and I always have been.
The guys in HS flipped out that I could love both metal AND punk...AND new wave. Little did they know, I also loved schmaltzy pop tunes, R&B, classical, folk, and.....oh boy....bagpipes.
I think I feel sorriest for people who never leave their comfort zone, who are so entrenched in ONE musical genre that they can't appreciate any others. It's their right, obviously, but it saddens me to see them denigrate everything outside of their 'box'.
To me, the OP's grief over the change in pop music is like someone from the 40s bemoaning the loss of Big Band/war-time-era music over time.
Eras and popular culture change. It's our choice to either accept it and discover new sounds...or not.
Lets face it... the classic rock and top 40 crowd will never be able to get along with the underground, indie, punk, and metal crowd. Those are on the opposite sides of the musical spectrum....
I would agree to an extent; there are a lot of older people who grew up on the rock coming out in the 70s and 80s who won't give more contemporary indie the time of day, often saying something along the lines of 'this is too weird' or 'this isn't real rock' - I think more would get interested if they came to it with an open mind and listened to several albums a few times through (I absolutely hated a few different albums that eventually became some of my all time favorites, Wilco's Summerteeth and Arcade Fire's Funeral stand out in this regard). It's all a bit ironic, because these are the same kinda things that their parents said about the music of the 70s. Music is always changing and going off in new and different directions, it would be terribly boring if music had just stopped evolving at some point in the 70s!
All that being said, I've known a few 'older people' who have really gotten into indie. In fact, I was surprised to find out the other day that the professor I TA for listens to all sorts of indie; her music library looks very similar to my own. So there are some exceptions. I, for one, will never really get it as I'm pretty much open to everything. I like hearing new stuff, and there are a number of artists from the 60s and 70s that I listen to with some frequency.
i remember the arcade fire must've been about 5 years though since then. there is talent there you can tell in the music but it's a twisted form, something that not everyone can enjoy. neon bible ? funeral ? what's next death ?
Yeah, Funeral is probably one of the 'greats' of indie rock this decade, it's already considered a classic. I absolutely love that album, though I have to be in the right mood for it. I don't get what you mean by saying their talent is 'twisted' though - is there really such a thing as good art that everyone likes? It seems to me that that is the problem with a lot of the Top 40 music these days, it tries to appeal to too many audiences and loses all the nuance and interesting aspects to it in the process. People have very different tastes so they are going to naturally gravitate towards different musicians. A truly talented artist is one that creates brilliant music for their particular style. Everyone doesn't have to like it; hell, not even everyone likes The Beatles and they are probably the closest any truly great band has gotten to being likable to everyone! And as for your implying that Arcade Fire is a bit dark and somber, that's definitely the case. They aren't the happiest group (read up on the story behind Funeral, the two lead singers lost something like 3 family members/friends in the span of a month or two while making the album) but there are plenty of 'happy' groups out there, too.
Probably the biggest indie album of this year, Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, is a delirious, joyous, exciting psychedelic mess. I'm guessing you probably won't like them; they are on the forefront of experimental indie rock right now so their sound is the epitome of 'different' but they have a huge fanbase. While chances are you won't like it, here's probably the best song from that album... ignore the admittedly horrendously bad music video.... and at least listen through the first chorus before you decide you absolutely hate it.
Last edited by Ever Adrift; 12-23-2009 at 03:33 PM..
Lets face it... the classic rock and top 40 crowd will never be able to get along with the underground, indie, punk, and metal crowd. Those are on the opposite sides of the musical spectrum....
Interpol, I respectfully disagree, I'm an old classic rocker, and I have found 40 or 50 bands that are out right now that I really like, and I know that I've only scratched the surface of all that's out there right now.
It would be really helpful if I could get many of the other Classic rockers excited about today's music and they were inspired enough to help in looking for new stuff, I know that we have much of the same taste in music, so I would probably enjoy whatever they discovered, and it is out there.
this goes out to all of the old Simon and Garfunkel fans out there, the Fleet Foxes harmonize like few ever could:
The gist is that I can't think of anything truly new in music since the '80s. If someone can prove me wrong, I'd be much obliged.
I agree with most of the previous posts that accessibility to new music is greater now than ever. There is no shortage of great contemporary music. My only qualm is that none of it sounds new to me. If I had a music critic's vocabulary of bands, I feel like I could deconstruct every new song to one or two older influences.
For the OP: I learned about Diane Birch from watching the late night shows and she sounds terrific and should appeal to anyone liking '70s era songbirds (and she looks like a gloomy Pam Dawber). The only "problem" I have is that she sounds exactly like a hybrid of Carole King and Phoebe Snow, and I find that a distraction. Caveat is that I'm basing all this on two or three songs.
Finally, count me in with the musical omnivores who likes everything from Silver Convention's "Fly Robin Fly" to Darkthrone to Polka to...
Interpol, I respectfully disagree, I'm an old classic rocker, and I have found 40 or 50 bands that are out right now that I really like, and I know that I've only scratched the surface of all that's out there right now.
It would be really helpful if I could get many of the other Classic rockers excited about today's music and they were inspired enough to help in looking for new stuff, I know that we have much of the same taste in music, so I would probably enjoy whatever they discovered, and it is out there.
this goes out to all of the old Simon and Garfunkel fans out there, the Fleet Foxes harmonize like few ever could:
these guys optimize Jersey Rock, in the spirit of Bruce and John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band here's the Gaslight Anthem.
Here's one more for the Southern rock fans out there
I'm a big fan of the Fleet Foxes, though I have to admit I didn't really care for the other links you posted but it definitely serves to show that people who like more traditional, straight-up rock can still find new bands who are making quality music. Given the tastes you've expressed here, might I suggest you check out the bands Interpol, Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket? These seem like groups that may be right up your alley.
If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, you may also want to look into Wolf Parade and, one of my personal favorites, TV on the Radio (though given your tastes, you'll probably be more interested in TV on the Radio's album Return to Cookie Mountain which, despite its terrible name, has some great heavy rock full of jazz and blues influences). I've included a link to one of TV on the Radio's best rock songs below... Interested to see what you think.
Ever Adrift brings up an excellent example-My Morning Jacket. I saw this group in concert at Telluride a couple years ago and then they are an EXCELLENT band!
I'm a big fan of the Fleet Foxes, though I have to admit I didn't really care for the other links you posted but it definitely serves to show that people who like more traditional, straight-up rock can still find new bands who are making quality music. Given the tastes you've expressed here, might I suggest you check out the bands Interpol, Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket? These seem like groups that may be right up your alley.
If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, you may also want to look into Wolf Parade and, one of my personal favorites, TV on the Radio (though given your tastes, you'll probably be more interested in TV on the Radio's album Return to Cookie Mountain which, despite its terrible name, has some great heavy rock full of jazz and blues influences). I've included a link to one of TV on the Radio's best rock songs below... Interested to see what you think.
Adrift, I could have done without the annoying video, but I enjoyed the music.
I like most of what I've heard from the band of Horses especially "I go to the Barn" and "the General Specific". I'll have to look up the others, but I'm still working on the list you gave me the other night.
Keep em coming I don't like all of it, but definitely some of it. thanks again.
The gist is that I can't think of anything truly new in music since the '80s. If someone can prove me wrong, I'd be much obliged.
I agree with most of the previous posts that accessibility to new music is greater now than ever. There is no shortage of great contemporary music. My only qualm is that none of it sounds new to me. If I had a music critic's vocabulary of bands, I feel like I could deconstruct every new song to one or two older influences.
For the OP: I learned about Diane Birch from watching the late night shows and she sounds terrific and should appeal to anyone liking '70s era songbirds (and she looks like a gloomy Pam Dawber). The only "problem" I have is that she sounds exactly like a hybrid of Carole King and Phoebe Snow, and I find that a distraction. Caveat is that I'm basing all this on two or three songs.
Finally, count me in with the musical omnivores who likes everything from Silver Convention's "Fly Robin Fly" to Darkthrone to Polka to...
A few of the bands I've already mentioned are really on the forefront of experimental indie... I'm not sure if you'll like them, but I would assume you'd have to see something 'new' about them. Animal Collective is probably the most innovative group out right now; intensely psychedelic and delirious music. Most of their albums are... not particularly accessible, they turn a lot of listeners off but if you give them time I think you'll like them. Their newest album, which I've mentioned a few times, is Merriweather Post Pavilion; it is also their best and most accessible. The Icelandic band (they don't sing in English!) Panda Bear, who is a member of Animal Collective, has one of the most interesting and 'new' sounding album this decade, called Person Pitch. It's a fascinating, psychedelic masterpiece. Sigur Ros is also pretty different, never heard anything else quite like it. If you want to check them out I recommend the album Agaetis Byrjun. The Dirty Projectors are also pretty experimental, using changing time signatures, complex beats, etc. They can be somewhat inaccessible though they are fascinating to listen to. Their newest album, Bitte Orca, is your best bet for an introduction to their sound. Try out the song Temecula Sunrise to hear something really fresh in its sound. I will warn ya, though, that although the Dirty Projectors are really talented, they rub a lot of people the wrong way so I won't be surprised if you don't like it. The other three bands I just mentioned are more psychedelic, sort of electronic (though not electronic in the classic sense). Not sure if thats your thing, but they do represent a pretty 'new' sound.
Beyond that, there are a lot of groups who may have older influences, but which are really doing new things in terms of synthesizing disparate genres or putting strange and fun new twists on old sounds. In all honesty, this is how new sounds are created; no one is truly completely original, everyone is influenced by previous artists whether its the Beatles or Mozart. Some other really innovative artists/albums include TV on the Radio, particularly on Return to Cookie Mountain, who fuse together rock, jazz and blues with amazing effects. Yeasayer's album All Hour Cymbals is beautiful and bizarre, synthesizes all sorts of 'foreign' music styles. Andrew Bird has a pretty unique approach to folk music and has to be the only major artist who uses whistling regularly in his songs, to surprisingly good effect.
And, of course, there's always Radiohead. When Kid A came out in 2000 there had never really been anything like it, now it sounds more familiar just because its had so much influence since then. Likewise, their album Ok Computer had a similar impact in the 1990s.
Adrift, I could have done without the annoying video, but I enjoyed the music.
I like most of what I've heard from the band of Horses especially "I go to the Barn" and "the General Specific". I'll have to look up the others, but I'm still working on the list you gave me the other night.
Keep em coming I don't like all of it, but definitely some of it. thanks again.
Yeah, I will admit that music videos aren't what they used to be. A lot of my favorite bands make absolutely awful videos! Anyways, I'm glad to hear that you are liking some of the stuff I've shared. I don't expect people to like it all; like I said I've got eclectic tastes because I really listen to a lot of music. I just want people to be more interested in contemporary music, make people aware that there is a lot out there beyond the garbage on the Top 40. Again, if you really are interested in finding lots of new bands you should check out some of the big music websites like Pitchfork. Most of the major indie and alternative music sites update daily; Pitchfork itself tends to post about 5 album reviews a day. These sites can help you filter through all the crap that's out there, allowing you to hone in on the good stuff. They aren't infallible, of course (there are some reviews I strongly disagree with on all these sites) but they are great tool for music fans who don't have a lot of time to sit and listen to new bands.
Oh, and given your love of the Fleet Foxes you should really check out Grizzly Bear, particularly their album Veckatimest from this year. Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear are often compared and while the music critics out there seem to be big fans of both, honestly Grizzly Bear is probably more beloved. Veckatimest is one of those albums that sounds nice, if a little boring, on the first listen. However, upon subsequent listens it slowly reveals itself to be an incredibly, intricate masterpiece.
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I listen to the Beatles, yet I love Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Hell, I like the Mamas and the Papas but I still would crank up 'Master of Puppets' if it came on the radio... 
