What happened to music?

POSTED BY: kaneman
UPDATED: Saturday, September 5, 2026 17:18
VIEWED: 28076
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HUGHFF

Thursday, June 7, 2007 11:00 AM

Re Country Music: Alt country (eg Jason and the Scorchers) continues to be the most unappreciated popular music genre in the world today. And how anyone on a Firefly board can knock country music is a little mystifying - the soundtrack of our BDH's lives is heavier on the C&W than any other genre, including east asian ethnic.

I decided around the time I left scholol that anything that makes the charts (and ever has) by definition sucks. Most of it sucks like a whirlpool, some of it sucks like an open wardrobe. I don't mind listening to sucky music at times but the more copies it sells, the less interested I am. Anything that caters to a mass market has to have all the uniqueness (is there such a word?) vacuumed out.

What really pisses me off, however, is music that has been recorded for ipod. They have it so digitally compressed that its virtually unlistenable. Two recent albums that I've listened to that have done that are Arctic Monkeys (the first one, I haven't bothered with the second) and the Costellos. They sound like they had some potential but the albums are the musical equivilent of a hangnail. Not painful, just a dull, annoying ache.

Edit:- I'm 42: obviously I hate rap.

www.cpfc.org - my life
www.nbhs.school.nz - my work

FINN MAC CUMHAL

Thursday, June 7, 2007 12:48 PM

There is a lot of unappreciated country music, but I think that is because a lot of popular country music tends to be very predictable, in both its lyrics and its melody. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll find very some very good music and some varieties like bluegrass, blues and traditional music which are widely underappreciated by modern audiences. I've never met anyone who claimed to hate country music that didn't make exceptions for certain types of country music or certain artists.

I’m not anti-Billboard. I happen to think that a lot of popular music is very good. One thing I found interesting was that in the midst of the declining popular music starting in about the 90s, there was a song that was top on the charts that was a collaboration between Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas called “Smooth,” which is a great song. It stands in stark contrast to the popular rap music with its complex Latin rhythms and melody and lyrics that are actually song to follow the melody. So a song is not necessarily bad because it is popular.

I tend to agree with people that it is rap that has destroyed popular music, but I think the roots of this go back much further. At some point, the emphasis on talent was exchanged for an emphasis on appearance. Someone like Bob Dylan or Janis Joplin, regardless of their obvious talent, would have trouble making it in the music business today as a solo artist next to people like Britney Spears, who has no talent apart from pretty eyes and boobs. Listen closely to Britney Spears – she has trouble holding a tune and she has no vibrato in her voice. She can’t sing, but she is on top (or she was). It’s not just rap music – popular music seems to be dominated by ostentatious displays that put actual talent in the back seat. And in that kind of environment, gangsta rap, with its central offensive flamboyancy, is obviously going to bubble to the top.

Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.

Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.

-- Cicero

KANEMAN

Thursday, June 7, 2007 3:10 PM

"Re Country Music: Alt country (eg Jason and the Scorchers) continues to be the most unappreciated popular music genre in the world today. And how anyone on a Firefly board can knock country music is a little mystifying"

Well, I can't stand country. I do love Allison Krauss, though........I am the lucky one.....

KANEMAN

Thursday, June 7, 2007 3:23 PM

I would agree that it seems to take a downturn in the mid 90's. My point was not anti-rap. I do state I like the later stuff in my post. I just think the musical integrity is lost, that the masses are sheep and are being force fed some of this shit. The lyrics have gone in the toilet, and...Where are the musicians?

For the record...My favorite bands, musicians, or performers are.....

The used, The cure, Taking Back Sunday, The misfits, Allison Krauss, The outfield, R. Stones, B. Marley, Iron Maiden, Fleetwood Mac, and Motha fu*kin Bach..........Well, with a sprinkle of New Order....

EMPIREX

Thursday, June 7, 2007 3:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
You guys are making yourselves sound very old.

Everyone thinks music was great when they were young, and the new stuff is crap.

Next, you'll be chasing kids off your lawn.

LOL! But I'm only 24 and I agree with them entirely! I can't stand listening to the majority of the newer stuff. When I look at my music collection, it's mostly 1930s - 1970s. Sure I loved some of the 80s pop music; I grew up listening to it because of my older sister. But I agree that music started going downhill in the early 90s. I mostly hate rap. But I do enjoy some of eminem's music. It's entertaining and funny. Do I have any of his CDs? Nope. I like Kanye West, but then he uses a lot of actual music and his lyrics are very clever. I have both of his CDs. But he's about it for me when it comes to rap.

The newer artists that I've fallen in love with recently - I have to thank the online community for helping me find them. I've discovered a lot of artists from watching X-Files and Firefly fanvids: Keri Noble, Patty Griffin, K's Choice... Especially the first two. I ran out and bought ALL of their CDs. Not a bad song between the two of them.

KHYRON

Thursday, June 7, 2007 3:55 PM

It's not just popular music, I listen to some pretty weird stuff (alternative - and mean the proper, real alternative, not that junk they play on the radio and call alternative) and there's been a huge downward spiral since about '95. Every now and again some decent song comes along, but most part it's awful, and even bands that used to be good start producing rubbish that for some reason sells more copies.

Questions are a burden to others. Answers are prison for oneself.

EMPIREX

Thursday, June 7, 2007 4:10 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by hughff:
Re Country Music: Alt country (eg Jason and the Scorchers) continues to be the most unappreciated popular music genre in the world today. And how anyone on a Firefly board can knock country music is a little mystifying - the soundtrack of our BDH's lives is heavier on the C&W than any other genre, including east asian ethnic.

It was actually my love for Firefly that kindled my new love for american roots/bluegrass/country music (Check out the soundtrack to the movie "Songcatcher"). Not the new stuff mind you (with the exception of Alison Krauss and Old Crow Medicine Show), but the classics: Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris. Also my love for Loreena McKinnet and Caroline LaVelle's celtic-inspired world music is another direct influence of Firefly on my musical tastes.

REDLAVA

Thursday, June 7, 2007 4:10 PM

Pretty much what has happened to music is the corporate radio station. Companies like Clear Channel have pretty much ruined the music business. There is some great music out there you just have to look harder than usual to find it. It is next to impossible to find a good independent radio station anymore. I mostly listen to NPR now in my car on the way to work and back just so I don't have to hear the same crappy Hinder or flavor of the month pop/hip hop song every rutting day.

Even 89.7 The River here in Omaha is starting to get on my nerves. For every decent rock tune they put out there are two crappy ones they have to play twice. My home town of Iowa City has the local university station that I would listen to everyday. Some of their music was crappy, but some was real good, and the best part was that 80% of the bands I have never heard of or listened to before.

I crave variety and musical talent, not the next Beyonce song that sounds like the last one.

CRUITHNE3753

Thursday, June 7, 2007 4:26 PM

As I see it, the industry quite simply wants to condition large amounts of people to enjoy mindless drivel, because then they can sell mindless drivel in huge quantities without having to look for any actual talent. Noticed in the last few years there hasn't been much in the way of manufactured "boy bands"? The reason for this is that the industry has re-focused their manufactured pap by misappropriating the term "R&B" so they can target a larger audience than the traditional 12-year old schoolgirl market.

Also wasn't rap/hip-hop a lot better back in the 80s and early 90s? Edgy, intelligent, funky stuff like Public Enemy and De La Soul, but now it's idiots like 50 Cent. I'm hoping that out there somewhere, there's some talented, charismatic black kid who's just come across his uncle's collection of James Brown, Edwin Starr, Parliament/Funkadelic and the like, and in a couple of years say what needs to be said and kick things into shape.

One thing the past few years - here in the UK at least - has been the phenomena of taking the entire instrumental portion of a hit record from a number of years ago, and replacing the vocals with some vacuous bimbo singing all the wrong words.

I wouldn't dismiss programmed music outhand, there has been some great music made using sampling and programming by those who take the time and effort, but then it is the technology that makes it easy just to knock out a half-arsed 4-4 beat and make do.

SICKDUDE

Thursday, June 7, 2007 4:55 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Redlava:
Pretty much what has happened to music is the corporate radio station. Companies like Clear Channel have pretty much ruined the music business. There is some great music out there you just have to look harder than usual to find it. It is next to impossible to find a good independent radio station anymore.

Exactly!

"I am your father, Luke. Give in to the Dark Side, you nob!" - Doug McKenzie

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