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Is music today a bit shït?

Atari Jaguar

Not to go all "BACK IN MY DAAAAY!" but whenever I hear some of what's popular today I get a little sad.

It's all a bit shït, for one. I find it's rather repetitive, seemingly always about the same subject. And always one genre... fake voices and synth instruments. What gives?

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diomed

Watching Top Of The Pops New Year Special on BBC1 at the moment.
One of the first six songs was decent, the others poor.
Now they are giving us long career updates on artistes and what happened at music festivals .... PR stuff from the music companies?
And we start off again, and its another terrible song.

Sciprio

I think so yes. I couldn't listen to that beyonce/one direction/ gangster rapping ****e. :P I don't really listen to the radio anymore. I just find my music on youtube.

SCOOP 64

Yes, but now and again and very rare tune will be good.

Atari Jaguar

Pete Moss wrote: »

Yep. Plus they threw Disturbed in there with Zeppelin as well :rolleyes:

Yes I mentioned the last few people I'd listened to, problem?

I wasn't having a dick swinging contest.

Elemonator

While there is a higher percentage of **** music being made today, just remember that **** music has always been made including the stuff in the 1980's but we have just forgotten about it. This only leaves the good stuff!

Agricola

The thing I find sad about the change in the landscape over the last 20 years is no one singer or band will ever enter the national zeitgeist like say the Britpop bands of the 90's. There is a lot to be said for collective experiences. We had musical movements which people latched onto. Now, we basically have highly manufacturer products being delivered by celebrities, and it's more celebrity / fame worship that fans are engaged in, more than a case of the music speaking to them on a personal level. Or so it seems anyway.

People always say, "seek out the good music it's there if you look for it" - that's fine and dandy. But the point is, isn't it sad that where once the charts were stuffed with real artists like Bowie who managed to reach a mainstream audience, they are now being lost and denied that huge mainstream audience because people like Nikki Minaj are cluttering up the radio airplay.

[Deleted User]

Agricola wrote: »

The thing I find sad about the change in the landscape over the last 20 years is no one singer or band will ever enter the national zeitgeist like say the Britpop bands of the 90's. There is a lot to be said for collective experiences. We had musical movements which people latched onto. Now, we basically have highly manufacturer products being delivered by celebrities, and it's more celebrity / fame worship that fans are engaged in, more than a case of the music speaking to them on a personal level. Or so it seems anyway.

People always say, "seek out the good music it's there if you look for it" - that's fine and dandy. But the point is, isn't it sad that where once the charts were stuffed with real artists like Bowie who managed to reach a mainstream audience, they are now being lost and denied that huge mainstream audience because people like Nikki Minaj are cluttering up the radio airplay.

Cultures change and evolve and maybe shared experiences are becoming more niche, live music is still a great experience I saw Aslan last night and i would rate it 10 starts.

GreenFolder2

I find younger folks listening to what are classic 1990s underground / electronica stuff as if it's a new discovery.

Recent years have produced a lot of low brow, churned out commercial dross. It's hard to find the gems in the sea of reality tv style garbage.

You also went from an era that was more into live music and underground dance stuff into an era that has been horrifically superficial - all about tacky music and dressing in fake tan.

The upcoming Trump and Brexit driven angst will produce some good music again. It's the upside to political instability, threats of global calamity and economic depression.

Rothko

GreenFolder2 wrote: »

I find younger folks listening to what are classic 1990s underground / electronica stuff as if it's a new discovery.

Recent years have produced a lot of low brow, churned out commercial dross. It's hard to find the gems in the sea of reality tv style garbage.

You also went from an era that was more into live music and underground dance stuff into an era that has been horrifically superficial - all about tacky music and dressing in fake tan.

The upcoming Trump and Brexit driven angst will produce some good music again. It's the upside to political instability, threats of global calamity and economic depression.

It's not that hard to find good music. Just a bit of digging on the internet and you'll find loads of great stuff.

I don't think the whole Brexit/Trump thing will make any difference to mainstream music. People said the same about the economic collapse and nothing happened.

Zaph

Austria! wrote: »

There's a fantastic appreciation of subtle dynamic changes, a wonderful incorporation of rappish elements

This, more than anything else, is what p*sses me off so much about modern pop music. Why does every bloody song have to incorporate a rap section? It's generally pointless, incongruous and adds nothing at all to the song. But because everyone else is doing it artists seem to think that they have to do it as well.

Elemonator wrote: »

While there is a higher percentage of **** music being made today, just remember that **** music has always been made including the stuff in the 1980's but we have just forgotten about it. This only leaves the good stuff!

The problem now is that the good music being made these days isn't getting the same exposure as good music in the 80s did, so in 20 or 30 years time there'll be no-one going on about how good the music from 2016 was because all the popular stuff that's getting the exposure is so instantly forgettable.

Hector Bellend

Music peaked when Interpol released turn on the bright lights.

That was it. Nobody will release a better album than that. EVER.

Rothko

Zaph wrote: »

This, more than anything else, is what p*sses me off so much about modern pop music. Why does every bloody song have to incorporate a rap section? It's generally pointless, incongruous and adds nothing at all to the song. But because everyone else is doing it artists seem to think that they have to do it as well.

Totally agree. I've never heard a song that was improved by having a rap verse in the middle of it.

Pawwed Rig

Zaph wrote: »

The problem now is that the good music being made these days isn't getting the same exposure as good music in the 80s did, so in 20 or 30 years time there'll be no-one going on about how good the music from 2016 was because all the popular stuff that's getting the exposure is so instantly forgettable.

MTV used to drive the music industry whereas now there is noone.

Irish Guitarist

It's easier for producers to churn out nonsense because of modern technology. In the eighties Stock, Aitken and Waterman drowned everyones voices in a weird, warbly, phased effect to hide their flaws. Now producers can just use Autotune. There's even a live version of Autotune that singers can use in concert. Milli Vanilli will probably never happen again because rather than getting someone to lip sync to someone elses voice, you can use their real voice but cover up the bum notes with Autotune.

Billy86

Suas11 wrote: »

It's not that hard to find good music. Just a bit of digging on the internet and you'll find loads of great stuff.

I don't think the whole Brexit/Trump thing will make any difference to mainstream music. People said the same about the economic collapse and nothing happened.

Well Rage Against the Machine's 'Killing in the Name of' was Christmas #1 in 2009 (but was a 1994 song).

Generally though, while it wasn't be in the mainstream, 2009 - 2012 were some excellent years for music.

Mister Vain

I've been listening to a lot of movie soundtracks lately. There are some brilliant composers out there at the moment. Hans Zimmer has made some incredible music in the last few years. But the rock and pop music is terrible now. There are a couple of good modern artists that I listen to like Ryan Sheridan and Ben Howard but other than that there's not much out there that interests me.

D0NNELLY

Atari Jaguar wrote: »

Not to go all "BACK IN MY DAAAAY!" but whenever I hear some of what's popular today I get a little sad.

........ fake voices and synth instruments

Sounds like 70's and 80's shíte...

topmanamillion

ScumLord wrote: »

Music is at a very different stage now than it would have been even 20 years ago. It's much more accessible, it's much more developed and understood, we've applied science to it so major labels know what noises tickle our primitive brain in just the right way and there's a lot more of it.

There's too much of it for any of it to be special anymore. The labels are producing engineered products, rather than latching onto whatever the kids are up to.

That all seeps out into every other part of the music industry. The people growing up learning music want to get fans and to do that they follow the same formulas as the big boys (because technology has made that possible) and end up formatting themselves for the music industry.

Part of the problem is we're also coming off a time when music was instrumental in social changes, the 50s to the 80s was a unique time that allowed for an explosion in music, but I don't think that can go on, it was a moment, but now it's over. Now music has become a product and it's even losing it's ties to culture and becoming more associated with lifestyle.

Music was better in the recent past because it meant something, it did something. Now it means nothing outside of personal appreciation and its been usurped by other vehicles when it comes to social change.

Nail..........on...........the.........head

indioblack

Surely the test of any music is it's durability.
Music from the 60's and 70's - and the 1950's and earlier.
Classical, jazz - Gershwin - marvelous.
Sinatra, the crooners - you can pick out the best from each decade, each era.
Perhaps it's too easy to claim today's music won't be remembered - having said that, I can think of only a couple of tunes from this year that I would want to hear again.
Maybe it's my age - maybe not.
Oh and don't forget the musicals - Bernsteins West Side Story - listen to the orchestral version - now that's what I call music.

end of the road

mzungu wrote: »

Looks like somebody started the New Year celebrations a bit early

in fairness he is right about sia. her music these days isn't great but she is a tallented singer over all. check out her work with zero 7.

Saipanne

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

MTV used to drive the music industry whereas now there is noone.

And before MTV?

end of the road

GreenFolder2 wrote: »

I find younger folks listening to what are classic 1990s underground / electronica stuff as if it's a new discovery.

well in fairness, it probably is for them. personally as a dance music fan i'm glad they are discovering it, as if they dig deep enough they will discover some absolutely fantastic music. whatever about other music, dance music really was better back then. they're is some good stuff being made but it won't be anything like the music back then.

mzungu

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

It's easier for producers to churn out nonsense because of modern technology. In the eighties Stock, Aitken and Waterman drowned everyones voices in a weird, warbly, phased effect to hide their flaws. Now producers can just use Autotune. There's even a live version of Autotune that singers can use in concert. Milli Vanilli will probably never happen again because rather than getting someone to lip sync to someone elses voice, you can use their real voice but cover up the bum notes with Autotune.

Apparently Milli Vanilli didn't have a note in their collective heads. Not even autotune that fix that.

ednwireland

well tonight im listening to birdy, ella henderson, avicii, elbow, bastille, tom petty, coldplay, haim, the levellers, paloma faith to be honest i dont listen to much of the,old stuff ihave Gnr, led zep, pink floyd, deep purple (even though i love playing guitar - badly)

PopePalpatine

GreenFolder2 wrote: »

The upcoming Trump and Brexit driven angst will produce some good music again. It's the upside to political instability, threats of global calamity and economic depression.

I think you might have a point there. I'm pretty sure all of us in this thread can remember a big anti-Bush trend in music when the latest war in Iraq started (e.g. Green Day and Eminem). I can foresee a similar artistic pushback against Trump, but on the other hand such a pushback could be tainted by the Clinton campaign's use of celebs.

EDIT: Dammit, I should have mentioned Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown". Looking back, it's like a warning letter from the Rustbelt which won the election for Trump.

lulu1

I think everyone is going to love the music they grew up with. If you gave me 1000euro I couldn't name a song in the charts today.
Sometimes when an oldie comes on the tv or radio I call the kids (teens)just to see their rolling eye reaction

Anesthetize

I always laugh when some idiot creates a thread like this.

indioblack

lulu1 wrote: »

I think everyone is going to love the music they grew up with. If you gave me 1000euro I couldn't name a song in the charts today.
Sometimes when an oldie comes on the tv or radio I call the kids (teens)just to see their rolling eye reaction

Fair point - some years ago a lad I worked with tried to demonstrate, [with one of those new-fangled compact disc things], the difference between Rap and House and Garage, [I think that's the names].
I couldn't distinguish between them, he could though.
When I was a lad it was my parents generation complaining about the racket I was listening to.

Tipperary animal lover

Today's music is sh*te, grew up in early 90s*)(had to go up to sister in dublin for proper night out) jaysus lads had some club nights mansion house was rocking,!!! Henry's in cork was even better.... christ they were proper nights, now tis fair sh*te to go out and listen to the party heads now .....

Anesthetize

Tipperary animal lover wrote: »

Today's music is sh*te, grew up in early 90s*)(had to go up to sister in dublin for proper night out) jaysus lads had some club nights mansion house was rocking,!!! Henry's in cork was even better.... christ they were proper nights, now tis fair sh*te to go out and listen to the party heads now .....

What albums did you listen to from this year?