General / Off-Topic (Humour) Songs I Hate And Reasons Why I Should Like Them Thread.
- Thread starter Avago Earo
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I think it's very hard to tell with modern music whether it'll become 'classic' or not.
First off, there has been a huge shift in genres thanks to the invention and availability of electronic instruments, not to mention the music sharing prowess of the internet. Whereas in the 1960s, guitar music was just about the most exciting thing out there because it was very new and some of it quite rebellious, compared to now where vast amounts of people play guitar and just about every sound/genre has been played to death.
Basically, if you compare punk in the '70s to punk now you won't get an accurate comparison because the musical landscape is totally different and punk today has very little to do with punk in the '70s. Funnily enough, I've seen more and more respected musicians and musical figures now likening certain modern hip hop artists to the original punk movement and the ethos of breaking rules and pushing musical boundaries.
Secondly, and possibly more importantly, time itself also changes musical context. Many artists release an album or two before their creativity fades and they disappear again. When I look back at bands and musicians that I would consider truly exceptional, it's mostly bands with 10/20/30 years of quality music. Often times, their earlier stuff is rough and the audio is very poor quality, but I love it and it all makes sense in the context of that amazing band/musician and everything that is now known about them. With modern music, there's very little way to tell which band will still be amazing in 2030 and which one will release something crap next year that will forever ruin them for us. (Incidentally, I was a big fan of the Arctic Monkeys until they released AM. Now, whenever I hear them, I just can't help associate with an album that I personally consider to be a few steps above Britney Spears).
So, in a way, I think that the extra choice of instruments and musical styles today is kind of balanced out compared to the amount of untrodden ground that existed in decades past. One thing's for sure, I definitely don't envy anyone trying to make creative guitar music in 2018.
(looking back, I really hope my rant is coherent)
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It is coherent to me, but to be fair as a musician myself, I'm in tune with what you're getting at.
Ultimately music is stagnating for the most part, but that's okay. People like to forget the "greats" such as Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin etc. didn't constitute the entirety of music before the 20th century; advances are made, those advances are enjoyed for a bit by people that don't know how to make advances or don't have the resources.
Arguably very little of modern music will become classic because in two, three, four, however many decades time, the only real names that will hang around will be those that made advances. People will remember AC/DC long after they have forgotten the myriad acts that followed them, no matter how good.
So where our issue lays is "the internet", or in general the ease of abusing music rights and sharing music. Not too many decades ago at all my Grandfather made a reasonable living as a local(ish) jazz musician; these days even well known bands are splitting because money. When you can just hit up youtube to hear a polished studio track of a seasoned band instead of actually going to a venue, and record labels realised they can turn the soul of music into a cash cow, you're either one of the current "big names" or you're a no-one; just an amateur group of musos competing with a sea of other groups, and are expected to pay your way to be heard...let alone actually making money from it.
So in many senses, music is much, much, much harder to make a profession of; I know that in my case if not many others too it drastically reduces the dedication I can give it.
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You have begun to hear one fraction of a tiny bit of a percentage of modern music. Such statements are just... yeah. FWIW: Level of musicianship is much, much higher now than it ever was. Not because current generations are better, but because more people than ever have access to decent instruments. In the 60s, only a tiny group of people could afford synths, and access to electric guitars, pianos and such was super limited as well. Nowadays anyone could basically pick an instrument and get a good quality model for a price most of us can easily afford.
It has resulted in unrivaled creativity, diversity and general awesomeness. The music industry is struggling with it, so you'll have to turn off the radio if you want to find them. Or just listen to the stuff you listened to when you were younger.
I agree that generalized statements like "I don't like modern music" make about as much sense as saying "I don't like food".
One can dislike many particular kinds of food, but hardly all of it.
You have begun to hear one fraction of a tiny bit of a percentage of modern music. Such statements are just... yeah. FWIW: Level of musicianship is much, much higher now than it ever was. Not because current generations are better, but because more people than ever have access to decent instruments. In the 60s, only a tiny group of people could afford synths, and access to electric guitars, pianos and such was super limited as well. Nowadays anyone could basically pick an instrument and get a good quality model for a price most of us can easily afford.
It has resulted in unrivaled creativity, diversity and general awesomeness. The music industry is struggling with it, so you'll have to turn off the radio if you want to find them. Or just listen to the stuff you listened to when you were younger.
The level of musicianship - I agree with you on that. There's a shed load of brilliant guitarists out there, for instance. Better instruments - definitely, and basic instruments and cheap amplification have come a long way.
But have these two things really resulted in 'general awesomeness'? I think not. I don't think you can connect these two together with general awesomeness. Where are the great songs? Music's primarily for pleasing people, not for pleasing musicians. People wanna hear great songs.
If someone has 'begun to hear one fraction of a tiny bit of a percentage of modern music', and you suggest 'turning off the radio', then basically you are saying they have to look for this general awesomeness without a roadmap, spend a lot of time panning for gold, and maybe, maybe find a niche band that they like who are actually a load of bollox and aren't a patch on something done better many years before (I'm excluding electronic stuff, as sometimes I hear something pretty darn good, and my knowledge of modern heavy metal isn't great, so I'll pass at that - but we're talking generally, aren't we). Hey, at least they can pretend to be cooler than anyone else. That's what it's all about.
General awesomeness should be beating a path down to your door: your radio. It ain't. Bands like U2 embarrassingly potter about when they should have retired years ago. Other bands should have made them retire. They're not good enough to, which is really tragic.
The music industry isn't struggling with this 'unrivalled creativity, diversity and general awesomeness!' It's struggling with only one question - how to make as much money as quickly as possible. Same as it ever was.
One can dislike many particular kinds of food, but hardly all of it.
Not the greatest analogy IMO: people are conditioned to like/prefer some food; they eat it at least twice a day for every day of their lives! If we didn't like food the species would die. If we don't like modern music...nah.
Better saying "I don't like the modern music that I've heard of". Even better; equate "I don't like modern music" to "I don't like fast food"?
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I think that's not necessarily true of all kinds of music.
Pop and radio music is primarily for pleasing people, and also making money - that much couldn't be clearer. But there is a lot of music out there still that is created by musicians for other musicians and we'll say 'music enthusiasts' - as much as there is music created just for oneself, with no particular care for what other people think of it.
I think a lot of music out there just isn't 'honest' in the sense that the musicians are trying altogether too hard to accomplish something, be it making a pop hit, trying to sound alternative, or whatever else. Coming across music that has no such aspirations is not very common any more but it still does happen and I believe this will be the timeless music.
Just look at The Velvet Underground or Nick Drake. Both guitar-based acts from the '60s that never really took off in their time because they were just too different to what was currently being played, but went on to went on to become revered and influence countless musicians - and helped shape a lot of music we have today, even pop.
So perhaps modern music comes across worse because we're saturated with it and simply can't find the good stuff?
Latest "summer hit" Despacito:
[video=youtube;kJQP7kiw5Fk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQP7kiw5Fk[/video]
like, why? I`m pretty sure I heard same song like 1000 times already every summer... and the video... ugh
[video=youtube;kJQP7kiw5Fk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQP7kiw5Fk[/video]
like, why? I`m pretty sure I heard same song like 1000 times already every summer... and the video... ugh
Exactly. It's a guaranteed hit. It will sell and stream.
Ok everyone, what happens in Off Topic stays in Off Topic, right?
In that case I have a confession to make: I love Taytay.
[video=youtube;9zSHz7Thvbc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zSHz7Thvbc[/video]
Okay, seriously, though - Who doesn't love Taylor? You don't even have to like her music to love her.
And even that's not easy as she went through so many different styles that there's something for everyone.
And even that's not easy as she went through so many different styles that there's something for everyone.
OMG YES!!! timewrap.....
That is like saying it is McD's job to provide you with better food if you dont like the fast food they serve. Its nonsensical and it wont happen. There are almost more genres of music out there than there are people.
Apps like Spotify or (formerly?) LastFM are pretty good at introducing you to stuff based on what you dont and dont like, and are a far better way of running into new stuff than having some generic radio DJ provide you with whatever it is you like. If you dont like the food a certain place serves, its up to you to find a different place that caters to your taste. General awesomeness means that there is now a ton of stuff in a huge range of musical styles. It doesnt mean there is 'good music' and 'bollox', and that radio should play 'good music' so you dont have to invest any energy into anything. Maybe that is how things worked in the past, when access to recording studios was so severely limited a few stations could cater to most tastes. But those days are gone. Thank God. In any case, I responded to the statement that 'all modern music sounds the same'. That is so clearly 100% false, regardless of any fastfood analogies.
Gosh, the murdering of analogies is enough to make one weep!
No, it's like supermarkets just started selling primarily fast food. Considering they monopolise the market big time, just like radio does, yeah it is their job.
There are seven billion people in the world Without being silly, yep of course there's diversity. I get you on that.
You are equating this 'general awesomeness' to diversity in music. I equate general awesomeness to general awesomeness in the music. I'm just not hearing new awesome music. I'm not alone in this. A diverse amount of meh is not as good as a smaller amount of brilliance.
I don't know what radio was like where you grew up, but where I was it was excellent, and actually helped drive a much-needed cultural change. There were excellent DJs who played excellent music amongst the dross. O'Riordan's lot a case in point. They would be invisible if they started today.
I don't quite get your point about recording studios. That's my fault. But surely we would be in a golden age of music, if the means of recording amend exposure are so great. We are not.
All modern music pretty much sounds the same. Bad. Even many children actually hear their parents record collection and draw the same conclusions. Hence the rise of absolute radio etc.
No, it's like supermarkets just started selling primarily fast food. Considering they monopolise the market big time, just like radio does, yeah it is their job.
There are seven billion people in the world
Without being silly, yep of course there's diversity. I get you on that. You are equating this 'general awesomeness' to diversity in music. I equate general awesomeness to general awesomeness in the music. I'm just not hearing new awesome music. I'm not alone in this. A diverse amount of meh is not as good as a smaller amount of brilliance.
I don't know what radio was like where you grew up, but where I was it was excellent, and actually helped drive a much-needed cultural change. There were excellent DJs who played excellent music amongst the dross. O'Riordan's lot a case in point. They would be invisible if they started today.
I don't quite get your point about recording studios. That's my fault. But surely we would be in a golden age of music, if the means of recording amend exposure are so great. We are not.
All modern music pretty much sounds the same. Bad.
Even many children actually hear their parents record collection and draw the same conclusions. Hence the rise of absolute radio etc.
I've never had that reaction to Phil Collins............... but he's a bit of a plonker in my opinion.
The following acts would disturb me:
One Direction
One Direction
.......... and ...................
One Direction.
I detest that boy band culture; manufactured garbage.
Did I mention I can't stand One Direction?
Give me time I'm sure I can expand on that list.
Well that makes a change from the usual response that posts like that get which is:
"This post needs pics".
Sorry OP I got a bit off-topic; is there any reason why you shouldn't like um, say, One Direction?
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