What kind of thought do the top artists these days actually put into their songs? Music today seems to be going downhill. Looks seem to be more important than the actual talent. Paris Hilton even put out a CD! Why? She doesn't have any talent, and she's an heiress. Music today is not what it used to be.
Rappers and pop princesses dominate the radio stations. The vast majority of them don't even write their own songs or use their own voices. Synthesizers and artificial means of altering the voice take over. Apparentally enough people would rather have it that way because those artists sell. Artists are constantly judged by their appearance. Young girls imitate their favorite pop princess by both looks and actions. The amounts of promiscuoity in those videos in unbelievable. Fergie's "London Bridge" is a prime example.
It doesn't appear that songs today need lyrical meaning either. The ones which contain actual meaning seem to be popular for an extremely brief period of time. The main songs that are on the radio are those about drugs, sex, and violence. That's what sells. The Pussycat Dolls are a prime example of talentless girls who just dress in revealing outfits. Most of the songs on their album only have one word! Honestly, how long could it take to think up the titles "Buttons" or "Don't cha"? The effort put behind these songs is horrible. Thankfully, there are still a few groups and solo artists who actually try. Some people dislike Avril Lavigne, but I respect her. At the age of 18, when Let Go came out, she actually wrote her music. She still writes her songs, which is the main quality that an artist should have. Anyone who needs both synthesizers and writers should not be a part of the music industry, I'm sorry.
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And don't listen to the radio.
Myspace has all kinds of underground bands and people with real talent. Look around, good music is out there, no matter what your tastes are.
Hail The PitGodess!
There is a lot of music out there that does seem pointless but there isn't a lot that we can do about it unfortunatly. There are a lot of talented bands probably locally that you just don't know about and those are always fun to support!
I'm a band student, in music theory, and a student director at my school and yes I like the music on the radio but honestly I have to agree that music is NOT music! Having learned how and what music is through my theory class and how complex and DIFFICULT it is to write REAL music that follows a certain form and follows a million+ rules (try writing a baroque style chorale with only so many possible combinations of chords but you have to make i like 60 measures long...yeah not easy!).
I love music and its my passion but its hard to find music, especially on the radio, that's really good musical music. Today in my class we worked on a piece by Eric Whitacre who's a modern composer and the song was simple as can by (no fancy/crazy rhythms, strictly minimalist combinations) but it was the most beautiful thing I had every heard/played...the music just captured so much emotion and just sorta soared through the room...that's real music!
Listen to Tool. Maynard James Keenan actually writes all of his own lyrics and the band composeses every song. They even, get this, play their own insturments.
Nicholas Aden
Tool may be the best, most unappreciated, modern band.
This isn't a new thing. Anyone remember Milli Vanilli from the 80's? The Monkee's from the 60's. Popular music has always been a business, not an art form. It is all about taking dollars from teenagers.
I agree with Pitgoddess and Qhaley, there is some fantastic music around that just doesn't get airplay because record
companies judge it as "Not commercially viable". In my little city of Perth there are at least 10 bands that I am only too happy to spend money to go and see live at the pubs and clubs. And those ten only represent the ones I have seen so far that in my mind are world class.
Local bands might only play to a hundred people at a time, and their CD's might not be mixed down to the highest quality, but they can be entertaining, good to dance to and great just to be in the crowd and listen to them. Besides, a small gig of a 100 people can have so much more atmosphere than a football stadium with 40-50,000.
Look around, music is alive and well and florishing in a club or pub near you!
Cathii
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Those who know everything have learned little from life.
Music seems to be for a different purpose now.
If you're thinking older decades with musicians with talent, the family life was different and so was entertainment.
As time progressed (and people didn't?), rebellion set in. Music strived to change. Entertainment was different. Music before was more... calm? (I'm kind of thinking of Sinatra for some reason and the years surrounding that...)
Lyrics changed, artists changed, the audience changed.
Now- the goal seems to be shock factor. Lyrics, dances, clothing (or the lack thereof), and its purpose. And while there are the occasional people that have the talent and skill that win and 'make it'- they are pretty much drowned out by the other noise around them.
But let's face it, sometimes we want to hear the noise. It's crazy and stupid and fun and let's us be that way to. But if you want to find music that's actually "music"- you can. Just maybe not on the radio...
There is plenty of good music available for listening today. Sure, one must search harder for good music then simply turning on the Top 40 radio station, but there are plenty of great bands that do not get the popular coverage of the more mainstream bands. To restore your faith in contemporary music, you should look at such bands as Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, Coldplay, Nurses, Ben Folds, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and U2. Yes, music is not what it was in the 1970s, but there are still plenty of great artists that you should listen to rather than complaining about the bad ones. Especially check out the Decemberists, they have a very Beatles-y sound.
The more people there are in the country and in the world, the more music will be made. The more music being made means more crap music AND more good music. There is plenty of great music to be found, it just so happens that what is popular is what appeals to the "groupthink" minded culture, and tends to be more about a catchy beat than anything else. It's made to sell, not made to be quality.
I don't know what you like, but here's some suggestions:
If you like catchy songs with a bit of humor: Adam Green
Politically charged anthems: Against Me!
Genius: Neutral Milk Hotel
Simple, emotional acoustic: The Mountain Goats
Punked up bluegrass: The Avett Brothers
What pop should sound like: Of Montreal
-Tim
"It costs nothing to be honest, loyal, and true." -Avett Bros.
Listen to metal :) \m/
Hail The PitGodess!
Yeah I agree. But as a lot of other people said, there is a lot of good music out there, just not really on the radio or on TV. I admit, I do like some of the popular music (such as Justin Timberlake...I can't help it), but for the most part I avoid the radio. But myspace is really great for finding bands. I also used to go on purevolume.com, but I haven't been on in a while so I can't tell you what it's like there now.
Two side notes
1. For anyone who likes Mega Man or who likes a good story...look up The Protomen. Their album tells the story of Mega Man and I have to say, it can be very addicting.
2. I'm seeing The Decemberists in less than a month! I'm very excited :D