There is something very, very wrong with today’s music

[SuicideSquid]

...this is new...

Dude. Stop.

 

[Galliardist]

A matter of opinion.
I've heard little modern music being produced that I would call great, or even decent.
Time will tell and we will see how much of today's music is still around being played in 50 years as some from the 1970s is being played today.

You aren't the target audience for most of today's music - great, decent, or trash. Someone else gets to judge that, and probably not @Hapo

Maybe it's better that we bury most music that way and allow it to reinvent itself, and the same for most forms of art. It allows a story to come out of the chaos, and the next generation to learn a progression of what worked to build on, and allows the present generation to be chaotic and experimental and the next chapter of the story to emerge out of that.

The music from the 1970s we still play today will itself mostly die in the next 30 years or so. So what?

 

[rdenney]

You aren't the target audience for most of today's music - great, decent, or trash. Someone else gets to judge that, and probably not @Hapo

Maybe it's better that we bury most music that way and allow it to reinvent itself, and the same for most forms of art. It allows a story to come out of the chaos, and the next generation to learn a progression of what worked to build on, and allows the present generation to be chaotic and experimental and the next chapter of the story to emerge out of that.

The music from the 1970s we still play today will itself mostly die in the next 30 years or so. So what?

Not so sure about that. Lots of 70’s music is attracting young crowds looking for something more authentic than corporate lyrics and Autotune. And lots of it is being covered by younger groups.

Much music teens of the 70’s laughed at as irrelevant is still being played. I know of two amateur and one professional swing band in my county alone. And it’s those same teens, now a bit less immature, dancing to it, along with their (now) adult children.

Good music endures. The tricky bit is knowing what’s good enough to endure, though it’s a lot easier to predict what will fade into well-earned obscurity. But the creators of a lot of that knew they were creating the ephemera of the moment.

Rick “creating is now easy; the challenge is getting the good stuff widely heard, which is harder now” Denney

 

[thecheapseats]

quite an interesting thread... I do wonder (and can only speak to my country) if budget cutbacks in music education in schools over the last several decades is an issue - and whether less early exposure to music performance (learning to play an instrument) or music appreciation (being exposed to the history of music) - has in some very abstract way impacted music content produced today...

I'm being careful to not cite specific styles, genres or methods of composition or recording - just an observation...

 

[Galliardist]

Not so sure about that. Lots of 70’s music is attracting young crowds looking for something more authentic than corporate lyrics and Autotune. And lots of it is being covered by younger groups.

Much music teens of the 70’s laughed at as irrelevant is still being played. I know of two amateur and one professional swing band in my county alone. And it’s those same teens, now a bit less immature, dancing to it, along with their (now) adult children.

Good music endures. The tricky bit is knowing what’s good enough to endure, though it’s a lot easier to predict what will fade into well-earned obscurity. But the creators of a lot of that knew they were creating the ephemera of the moment.

Rick “creating is now easy; the challenge is getting the good stuff widely heard, which is harder now” Denney

I was careful to say "mostly". How much is already just ignored, or remembered by a few older people?

 

[thecheapseats]

A banjo player returns home after a gig one evening...​

Parking his car by his housing, he realizes he forgot to bring in with him his banjo from the backseat. He let's it go, thinking it'll probably be there in the morning still. Next morning he approaches his car, and notices that the rear window of his car has been smashed in! Uproared, he rushes to the car, and what does he find once he gets there? Two banjos in the backseat.

Accordionists have the same problem.

long ago (51 years to be exact) - I was walking across a parking lot on Vine St. in Hollywood having just completed a required audition for my union card (musicians union) - and noticed a bumper sticker on a car in the union's parking lot...

it read, "Use an Accordion, Go to Prison"...

it seems everyone has predispositions for likes and dislikes in music...

 

[rdenney]

quite an interesting thread... I do wonder (and can only speak to my country) if budget cutbacks in music education in schools over the last several decades is an issue - and whether less early exposure to music performance (learning to play an instrument) or music appreciation (being exposed to the history of music) - has in some very abstract way impacted music content produced today...

I'm being careful to not cite specific styles, genres or methods of composition or recording - just an observation...

This question is hotly debated by music educators, most of whom would agree with the premise that early exposure develops appreciation.

I would agree with that, too, but I think there are even deeper issues. One is that a significant segment of the population believes the trappings of culture (including orchestral music) are so infused with European heritage that it represents the oppression of European culture over alternative cultures.

Another segment of the population believes the schools have no role in providing cultural training or general education, but should focus only on marketable skills.

Arguing against these positions is that the study of music is more than the mere learning of a skill, and constitutes a legitimate academic pursuit in its own right and therefore a part of what it means to be educated (rather than merely trained). In so doing, music study improves both language and math skills.

On the first issue, it’s nearly impossible to even acknowledge the debate without being shouted down, let alone make reasoned arguments with any expectation of persuasion.

On the second issue, music educators undermine their arguments by measuring their programs in trophies earned at various contests and playing at football games focusing the energy on winning with a specific rote-memorized program rather than experiencing the range of literature and performance opportunities. It turns music into an extracurricular sport more than a core academic subject.

I don’t know the solution beyond encouraging all I know who are raising children to build all kinds of music into their family life. But people have to be willing to be what they want their kids to be.

Rick “people will always make music, but highly developed and complicated music maybe not” Denney

 

[thecheapseats]

great post - with a lot of content that I won't address, as my thoughts would have little general interest with nothing specific on topic to do with this thread... however, on one point you made I have an actual confirming example...

...In so doing, music study improves both language and math skills....

yes it does - specifically math... raised my son as my father had raised me - to become a world class musician, if he so desired (i'm a second generation studio musician)... he certainly developed the skill sets (could have gone pro) but fell in love early with a more abstract mathematic discipline... today he's a theoretical physicist... stuff happens...

 

[Gringoaudio1]

Dude. Stop.

OMFG I was just about to post the same thing!

 

[Grumpish]

My parents thought that what I liked was (mostly) shite. I think that most of what is produced these days is shite. Who is wrong, who is right?

 

[Sal1950]

The main difference I see is that when I go to concerts today by 1970s bands, I'd say the audience
was about half us boomer gen, the other half late teen to 40s somethings.
But when I was in my youth, I don't remember anyone my age being at all into my parents generation music (big band, Sinatra, Dorsey
type stuff. We all hated it.
Read into that what you will.

 

[Albiepalbie]

I am fairly certain that creative expression through music peaked with the advent of the "banjo orchestra."

View attachment 223091

Whatever plucks you

 

[Sal1950]

That guy on the left with the guitar is never going to be heard! He could be playing a completely different tune and no one would notice. Banjos are LOUD ... ;-)

And don't forget that pinnacle of culture the mandolin orchestra:

Now that's what I call Classical Music

 

[Frank Sinbeans]

I spend quite a chunk of time every week discovering new sounds, and thankfully my music tastes continue to expand because I easily find new stuff I like (I know way too many people whose tastes remain in their high school years). There are some pretty good artists that surfaced for me over the past 5+ years (check 'em out!): Jay Som, Nilüfer Yanya, Wolf Alice, Wet Leg, Hello Mary, Mamas Gun, Surprise Chef, Julia Jacklin, Caroline Rose, Altin Gün, Albertine Sarges, Corridor, The Proper Ornaments, Uèle Lamore, Parquet Courts, Meatbodies, SPELLING, Flipturn, Arlo Parks, Goon, L'Rain, Bartees Strange, The Weather Station, Alabama Shakes, Moonchild, Aldous Harding, Girl Ray, Kikagaku Moyo, Black Belt Eagle Scout, ........and on and on.....

 

[Gringoaudio1]

I spend quite a chunk of time every week discovering new sounds, and thankfully my music tastes continue to expand because I easily find new stuff I like (I know way too many people whose tastes remain in their high school years). There are some pretty good artists that surfaced for me over the past 5+ years (check 'em out!): Jay Som, Nilüfer Yanya, Wolf Alice, Wet Leg, Hello Mary, Mamas Gun, Surprise Chef, Julia Jacklin, Caroline Rose, Altin Gün, Albertine Sarges, Corridor, The Proper Ornaments, Uèle Lamore, Parquet Courts, Meatbodies, SPELLING, Flipturn, Arlo Parks, Goon, L'Rain, Bartees Strange, The Weather Station, Alabama Shakes, Moonchild, Aldous Harding, Girl Ray, Kikagaku Moyo, Black Belt Eagle Scout, ........and on and on.....

Thanks for the list. I’m discovering so much great new music too. Aldous Harding is the only one on your list that’s on mine too.

 

[Doodski]

I need to spend some time, like months getting new music. I have some but I'm lost in a time warp.

 

[thecheapseats]

I spend quite a chunk of time every week discovering new sounds, and thankfully my music tastes continue to expand because I easily find new stuff I like (I know way too many people whose tastes remain in their high school years). There are some pretty good artists that surfaced for me over the past 5+ years (check 'em out!): Jay Som, Nilüfer Yanya, Wolf Alice, Wet Leg, Hello Mary, Mamas Gun, Surprise Chef, Julia Jacklin, Caroline Rose, Altin Gün, Albertine Sarges, Corridor, The Proper Ornaments, Uèle Lamore, Parquet Courts, Meatbodies, SPELLING, Flipturn, Arlo Parks, Goon, L'Rain, Bartees Strange, The Weather Station, Alabama Shakes, Moonchild, Aldous Harding, Girl Ray, Kikagaku Moyo, Black Belt Eagle Scout, ........and on and on.....

great list...

 

[Gringoaudio1]

New to me but not new necessarily new music … I’m enjoying RainTree Crow, Smog, Tindersticks, Peachpit, Esbjorn Svensson Trio, Hadouk Trio, Ben Watt, The Durutti Column, The Blue Nile, Jose Gonzales, Yo La Tango, Divine Fits, Cass McCombs, Vetiver, Devendra Banhart, Andy Schauf, Lambchop, Damian Jurado, Bill Callahan, Wilco, Tweedy, The Clientele, PJ Harvie, Elliot Smith, etc etc etc

 

[Sal1950]

I need to spend some time, like months getting new music. I have some but I'm lost in a time warp.

I have so many albums on my drive that I've never gotten around to listening to yet.
Not to mention what's on my Apple 4k streamer.
So much music, so little time.

 

[Doodski]

I have so many albums on my drive that I've never gotten around to listening to yet.
Not to mention what's on my Apple 4k streamer.
So much music, so little time.

For me I would search and scour YouTube for new music and that takes time... I have other things I am doing...lol