Today's Mainstream Music

[retrokid67]

What do you guys think about today's mainstream music?  I personally think the majority of it is unoriginal and crappy  , with the exception of a few songs.  And is the British Invasion slowly coming back with artists like The Wanted, Adele, and 1D?  I like Adele's stuff but I have second thoughts about 1D 

[the captain]

Music itself is always everything: there is always some great music, a lot of good music, a ton of mediocre music, and a ton of awful music. Always. In all eras. Genres are always emerging but throughout it all artists are always keeping one eye (or more) at an assortment of old genres, as well, for any number of reasons and with any number of results.

The primary differences are the difference in the audience and in the market. The concept of rock 'n' roll (which for our purposes here I am leaving as a big bucket, including basically all youth-oriented, rebellious popular music, so you could include certain types of country, R&B, metal, soul, rap, etc.) is different, as we have in the past couple of decades grown adult markets for it. As has happened in more recent years with video games, what was intended for kids--literally, for kids. Teenagers.--is now being consumed by everyone of all ages. Simultaneously, markets have changed. The companies that locate, develop, produce, and sell product have grown and consolidated and become quite sophisticated in what they do, but there has been a corresponding backlash that takes advantage of technology to act outside of those ever-fewer companies. All of these things mean that there aren't just a few outlets through which everyone receives the same message (musically speaking). Thus there are fewer, if not no, mega-bands of the sort that previous eras had. It's not a matter of musical quality, but of cultural, technological, and financial environments.

Back to music specifically, though, there is a ton of great music. Most people who disagree (I would and do argue) simply already have their tastes somewhat solidified, and thus whatever else happens simply isn't intended for nor attractive to them. If your ideal band is already the Beach Boys, or the Beatles, or Led Zeppelin, or Elvis Presley, or whoever else that has already come before, then anything else is being held to an already perfected standard. The bands that closely imitate them get credit for those listeners (think about people talking about bands like Explorer's Club around here), while everything else is "crap," "not even music," or whatever else. It is my opinion that the objective greatness of music is, well, not [objective]. Or at least many-to-most qualities aren't, and even those that are have been determined to be signifiers of quality through subjective means. Just as a great blues singer may be a terrible opera singer and vice versa, certain modern music can be absolutely brilliant to someone while terrible to someone else.

Hope that wasn't too much of a ramble. And now that I notice you said "mainstream" in the subject, most of what I said might be irrelevant anyway, since that is definitely a small slice of the musical pie. But there have been some very good mainstream acts in recent years, too. So I stand behind whatever I said. I think. I can't be bothered to reread it to confirm...

Closing statement: if you want to find new, good music and approach things with open ears, you'll probably find plenty. If you don't, that's fine, as there's nothing wrong with your existing collection if it fills its need.

[retrokid67]

One thing that annoys me about some of today's stuff is how some artists repeat the same line 30+ times in a 3 minute song 

[Ninten]

Not on topic but interesting note - when I had a friend listen to Pet Sounds they didn't like God Only Knows because the title gets repeated over and over again in the song. (I only count about 20ish so not quite 30+). Guess it's more about the way they repeat the same line - the  ending to GOK is genius. :S

[retrokid67]

Not on topic but interesting note - when I had a friend listen to Pet Sounds they didn't like God Only Knows because the title gets repeated over and over again in the song. (I only count about 20ish so not quite 30+). Guess it's more about the way they repeat the same line - the  ending to GOK is genius. :S

Yea with "God Only Knows" they were singing it in a round so that's different I love that song  .  Mtv has changed for the worst over the years and one day I was channel surfing and came across it and it had Rick Ross singing "Hold Me Back" (I came in in the middle of the song) I noticed that he kept on saying "I won't leh dee hatez hol me back" or something like that a lot and then decided to start counting. By the end of the video he had said that 25 or 26 times   (that might've been the remix though but still)

[Rocky Raccoon]

I think there's some great mainstream music.  There are just so many popular genres nowadays, not everything will be to your liking so top 40 radio stations will always sound a little messy.  You just have to look in the right places, NPR is a great mainstream radio organization that plays great contemporary music.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/

[bluesno1fann]

I'd say almost all modern music sucks.

I have to put up with friends listening to the latest crap, be it dubstep or the latest one-hit wonder, or the latest pop hit

In fact the only new music I'd listen to is by older artists lol

[rab2591]

I don't mind mainstream music, but I don't take it seriously. I'll listen to it with friends, dance to it at clubs; but when I get home and turn on my sound system, you won't hear any of that crap on my speakers.

There is such a lack of humanity in modern mainstream music. I saw this yesterday, I think it applies here:



Says a lot about how shite music is these days.

[retrokid67]

I'd say almost all modern music sucks.

I have to put up with friends listening to the latest crap, be it dubstep or the latest one-hit wonder, or the latest pop hit

In fact the only new music I'd listen to is by older artists lol

I'm with you 1000% I have a friend who thought Mick Jagger was just a name of a song.....and it always ends with her saying "I'm sorry I don't know that stuff I was born in 1995  " and I say "So? I was born in '96, that doesn't mean anything"  

[retrokid67]

I don't mind mainstream music, but I don't take it seriously. I'll listen to it with friends, dance to it at clubs; but when I get home and turn on my sound system, you won't hear any of that crap on my speakers.

There is such a lack of humanity in modern mainstream music. I saw this yesterday, I think it applies here:



Says a lot about how shite music is these days.

Yes it does, and Beyoncé is a great singer I just wish she and Lady Gaga would use their talents for something greater than what they're doing 

[rab2591]

Yes it does, and Beyoncé is a great singer I just wish she and Lady Gaga would use their talents for something greater than what they're doing 

Definitely. There are many amazing singers out there now, but it seems like they're stuck in the bubble of the greedy music business - a place where "creativity" rests on the shoulders of the man running the synth and drum machine.

I actually have to amend my previous statement: I do listen to and love some modern music, but mostly I stick with the classics.

[bluesno1fann]

I'd say almost all modern music sucks.

I have to put up with friends listening to the latest crap, be it dubstep or the latest one-hit wonder, or the latest pop hit

In fact the only new music I'd listen to is by older artists lol

I'm with you 1000% I have a friend who thought Mick Jagger was just a name of a song.....and it always ends with her saying "I'm sorry I don't know that stuff I was born in 1995  " and I say "So? I was born in '96, that doesn't mean anything"  

And those that did know who he was didn't care and still didn't like him, only the song they liked.

Something I've noticed is that a lot of people around our age judge people on their age, not their talents

[pixletwin]

I don't mind mainstream music, but I don't take it seriously. I'll listen to it with friends, dance to it at clubs; but when I get home and turn on my sound system, you won't hear any of that crap on my speakers.

There is such a lack of humanity in modern mainstream music. I saw this yesterday, I think it applies here:



Says a lot about how shite music is these days.

I first noticed this phenomenon on the Pink Floyd album Momentary Lapse of Reason, where each song had multiple writers (most outside the band) and multiple producers. The result was crap.

Music, as with food, can certainly be watered down by too many cooks, so to speak.

[bluesno1fann]

I don't mind mainstream music, but I don't take it seriously. I'll listen to it with friends, dance to it at clubs; but when I get home and turn on my sound system, you won't hear any of that crap on my speakers.

There is such a lack of humanity in modern mainstream music. I saw this yesterday, I think it applies here:



Says a lot about how shite music is these days.

I first noticed this phenomenon on the Pink Floyd album Momentary Lapse of Reason, where each song had multiple writers (most outside the band) and multiple producers. The result was crap.

Music, as with food, can certainly be watered down by too many cooks, so to speak.

Agreed. Momentary Lapse was a sh*t album

[retrokid67]

I'd say almost all modern music sucks.

I have to put up with friends listening to the latest crap, be it dubstep or the latest one-hit wonder, or the latest pop hit

In fact the only new music I'd listen to is by older artists lol

I'm with you 1000% I have a friend who thought Mick Jagger was just a name of a song.....and it always ends with her saying "I'm sorry I don't know that stuff I was born in 1995  " and I say "So? I was born in '96, that doesn't mean anything"  

And those that did know who he was didn't care and still didn't like him, only the song they liked.

Something I've noticed is that a lot of people around our age judge people on their age, not their talents

I know, it annoys the heck out of me  .  I don't care what decade it's from as long as it's a good quality song.  My taste in music goes all over the place.  Before I was a BB fan I was a Jackson 5/Motown fan and still am.  I like any genre of music as long as it's good.  My taste in music goes back to the 1920's

[bluesno1fann]

One thing that annoys me about some of today's stuff is how some artists repeat the same line 30+ times in a 3 minute song 

Another thing excruciatingly annoying is the autotune and the overuse of electronic effects.

[pixletwin]

I don't mind mainstream music, but I don't take it seriously. I'll listen to it with friends, dance to it at clubs; but when I get home and turn on my sound system, you won't hear any of that crap on my speakers.

There is such a lack of humanity in modern mainstream music. I saw this yesterday, I think it applies here:



Says a lot about how shite music is these days.

I first noticed this phenomenon on the Pink Floyd album Momentary Lapse of Reason, where each song had multiple writers (most outside the band) and multiple producers. The result was crap.

Music, as with food, can certainly be watered down by too many cooks, so to speak.

Agreed. Momentary Lapse was a sh*t album

To be honest I get a bad taste in my mouth even referring to it as "Pink Floyd". 

[retrokid67]

One thing that annoys me about some of today's stuff is how some artists repeat the same line 30+ times in a 3 minute song 

Another thing excruciatingly annoying is the autotune and the overuse of electronic effects.

Omg yes what happened to instruments and not just keyboards, drums and guitars 

[bluesno1fann]

I'd say almost all modern music sucks.

I have to put up with friends listening to the latest crap, be it dubstep or the latest one-hit wonder, or the latest pop hit

In fact the only new music I'd listen to is by older artists lol

I'm with you 1000% I have a friend who thought Mick Jagger was just a name of a song.....and it always ends with her saying "I'm sorry I don't know that stuff I was born in 1995  " and I say "So? I was born in '96, that doesn't mean anything"  

And those that did know who he was didn't care and still didn't like him, only the song they liked.

Something I've noticed is that a lot of people around our age judge people on their age, not their talents

I know, it annoys the heck out of me  .  I don't care what decade it's from as long as it's a good quality song.  My taste in music goes all over the place.  Before I was a BB fan I was a Jackson 5/Motown fan and still am.  I like any genre of music as long as it's good.  My taste in music goes back to the 1920's

Agreed. There are good songs and bad songs in every genre, every era, and every artist.
It's a shame a lot of people disagree. I remember the first day of High School, I was listening to some Jimi Hendrix on my IPod. A group of girls came up to me and asked me what I was listening to. I answered Jimi Hendrix, and their response was disgusting.
They were like "Who?!" and they had literally no idea who he was. I explained and they started going on about how he's old and no one likes him and all that crap.

Even worse is One Direction fans. When 1D released Best Song Ever, part of that song sounded exactly like Baba O'Riley by The Who.
Rumours started that the Who was going to sue One Direction, and that's when it began.
Thousands of 1D fans started petitions in support of 1D and were saying that the Who were talentless nobodies and that they will never be legendary like 1D. Crap like that.

[pixletwin]

Kids have always been like that. When I was in high school in the 1990's other kids laughed about my Beatles/Elvis obsession. It's part of the circle of life, I think.

Now if I had told them I was also into Gregorian Chants, JS Bach, and Eric Satie I can only imagine what their reactions would have been.

[alf wiedersehen]

Reminds me of a time I saw this attractive girl wearing a Muddy Waters t-shirt.

I shuffled up next to her and asked "You like Muddy Waters?!" to which she replied "Who?"

[retrokid67]

I'd say almost all modern music sucks.

I have to put up with friends listening to the latest crap, be it dubstep or the latest one-hit wonder, or the latest pop hit

In fact the only new music I'd listen to is by older artists lol

I'm with you 1000% I have a friend who thought Mick Jagger was just a name of a song.....and it always ends with her saying "I'm sorry I don't know that stuff I was born in 1995  " and I say "So? I was born in '96, that doesn't mean anything"  

And those that did know who he was didn't care and still didn't like him, only the song they liked.

Something I've noticed is that a lot of people around our age judge people on their age, not their talents

I know, it annoys the heck out of me  .  I don't care what decade it's from as long as it's a good quality song.  My taste in music goes all over the place.  Before I was a BB fan I was a Jackson 5/Motown fan and still am.  I like any genre of music as long as it's good.  My taste in music goes back to the 1920's

Agreed. There are good songs and bad songs in every genre, every era, and every artist.
It's a shame a lot of people disagree. I remember the first day of High School, I was listening to some Jimi Hendrix on my IPhone. A group of girls came up to me and asked me what I was listening to. I answered Jimi Hendrix, and their response was disgusting.
They were like "Who?!" and they had literally no idea who he was. I explained and they started going on about how he's old and no one likes him and all that crap.

Even worse is One Direction fans. When 1D released Best Song Ever, part of that song sounded exactly like Baba O'Riley by The Who.
Rumours started that the Who was going to sue One Direction, and that's when it began.
Thousands of 1D fans started petitions in support of 1D and were saying that the Who were talentless nobodies and that they will never be legendary like 1D. Crap like that.

Omg I didn't know that cuz I only listened to that song once and once enough for me.  And here's the joke the boy bands I listen to and groups have a wide age range following.  the boy bands now days mainly have 12 year olds and under.  And most of my friends don't know who Jimi was either *shaking my head*.  I have a pair of Pet Sounds earrings that I got on eBay and one of my friends told me "I don't listen to that white people stuff" I told her "music has no color it shouldn't even matter"

[retrokid67]

Reminds me of a time I saw this attractive girl wearing a Muddy Waters t-shirt.

I shuffled up next to her and asked "You like Muddy Waters?!" to which she replied "Who?"

Did you see the clip of him performing with the Rolling Stones? Classic 

[retrokid67]

Kids have always been like that. When I was in high school in the 1990's other kids laughed about my Beatles/Elvis obsession. It's part of the circle of life, I think.

Now if I had told them I was also into Gregorian Chants, JS Bach, and Eric Satie I can only imagine what their reactions would have been.

  we were listening to an Simon and Garfunkel song in English class and I was the only one who knew them,  and my friends were like "of course she knows it"  then my friend that didn't know Mick Jagger told me that in her class period she was the only one who knew it.......because she saw something about them on Glee 

[bluesno1fann]

I'd say almost all modern music sucks.

I have to put up with friends listening to the latest crap, be it dubstep or the latest one-hit wonder, or the latest pop hit

In fact the only new music I'd listen to is by older artists lol

I'm with you 1000% I have a friend who thought Mick Jagger was just a name of a song.....and it always ends with her saying "I'm sorry I don't know that stuff I was born in 1995  " and I say "So? I was born in '96, that doesn't mean anything"  

And those that did know who he was didn't care and still didn't like him, only the song they liked.

Something I've noticed is that a lot of people around our age judge people on their age, not their talents

I know, it annoys the heck out of me  .  I don't care what decade it's from as long as it's a good quality song.  My taste in music goes all over the place.  Before I was a BB fan I was a Jackson 5/Motown fan and still am.  I like any genre of music as long as it's good.  My taste in music goes back to the 1920's

Agreed. There are good songs and bad songs in every genre, every era, and every artist.
It's a shame a lot of people disagree. I remember the first day of High School, I was listening to some Jimi Hendrix on my IPhone. A group of girls came up to me and asked me what I was listening to. I answered Jimi Hendrix, and their response was disgusting.
They were like "Who?!" and they had literally no idea who he was. I explained and they started going on about how he's old and no one likes him and all that crap.

Even worse is One Direction fans. When 1D released Best Song Ever, part of that song sounded exactly like Baba O'Riley by The Who.
Rumours started that the Who was going to sue One Direction, and that's when it began.
Thousands of 1D fans started petitions in support of 1D and were saying that the Who were talentless nobodies and that they will never be legendary like 1D. Crap like that.

Omg I didn't know that cuz I only listened to that song once and once enough for me.  And here's the joke the boy bands I listen to and groups have a wide age range following.  the boy bands now days mainly have 12 year olds and under.  And most of my friends don't know who Jimi was either *shaking my head*.  I have a pair of Pet Sounds earrings that I got on eBay and one of my friends told me "I don't listen to that white people stuff" I told her "music has no color it shouldn't even matter"

http://www.avclub.com/article/one-direction-fans-bravely-vanquish-some-old-band--101691

This article made me sick to the stomach  
f*** One Direction and their Fans!