Why does modern music suck these days? [RANT]

Community Blog
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I'd like to start off this rant with saying that I am expressing my own opinion about music, and as I always say, everybody has their own opinion and I respect anybody who either agrees or disagrees with me.

That being said, I am a man of rock and roll, specifically Led Zeppelin, Disturbed, Metallica, and similar artists from the late 1900's.  However, I also really enjoy listening to early 2000's pop music, because, well, I like it.  Real people with somewhat real talent were making music in both of those time periods, with obviously more talent as the music gets older.  I like to flick on the radio often to hear what new songs are coming out, and I always end up switching back to my local classic rock station because most of the brand-new songs coming out in the pop genre are simply annoying (almost as annoying as I am!).

Today, I am struggling to find any modern songs that are actually good, legitimate songs with effort put into the instruments and vocals - they are all about the money and how much of it they have.  Take Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" for example:  Fairly new artist, somewhat catchy tune in the chorus, but not much else is good about it.  It's got a synthesized beat, synthesized instruments, and it has been in so many commercials and such that it's being run dry very quickly.  People like it because of the featured singer (I apologize for not knowing her name), who sings with a catchy tune about how "She's so fancy," and about how I apparently already know.  Aside from that, they are raking in enough cash to purchase a small planet.

Most pop artists today are taking advantage of the fact that most teenagers, including myself, love bass.  So, they are putting computer-generated beats that, according to a real forum topic that I read on IGN.com [LINK], are "sick," "dope," and "they bang in the whip" (whatever that means).  (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the beats I'm talking about are called trap beats.)  In other words, the beats suck.  They are linear, extremely bass-heavy, and they mostly all sound the same.  "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry was the first pop song that I heard on the radio that had a beat like that, and I think that Dark Horse might be the song that sparked the uprise of those headache-inducing beats.  What ever happened to actual drummers?

At boy scout summer camp a few months ago, one of my fellow scouts (who is, sadly, beginning to turn into a punk, probably from hanging out with the wrong people) asked me if he could play some music from his iPod on my portable speaker.  Being his senior patrol leader, I said sure, as long as it's appropriate.  He told me the song was called "Started from the Bottom," and I figured it was going to be some country song or something.  He put on some rap song, this one in particular:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RubBzkZzpUA

My dad (he is the scoutmaster) nearly lynched him.  All of the other kids in the troop were pretty grossed out by his choice as well.  In all honesty, who wants to hear some guy on an LSD trip talk in a very drunk, tired-sounding voice attempting to rap?  I sure know I don't.  I heard that very song come on Milk Music one time, and I was not too enthused...

What are your thoughts on this new-age music?  Do you like the direction that music is going today?


-Corbin

2

I agree ... that is not good

But that is not to say there is some rap music that is made by talented people .. even though the genre is not my cup of tea.

3

lol, drake, i dont like him specifically cause his whole image if a deception but whatever, it's not a bad song really. started from the bottom tho? mother fucker was an actor on degrassi high lol. anyways, there's still good music dude, it's just harder to fine. try bandcamp. been finding alot of great indy artist there. fuck pop music tho, run by rich white dudes who's sole goal is to make money and presenting you this fake made up reality. 

4

ugh, that stupid hook is stuck in my head. thanks alot!!

6

lmao ... been there ...

7

Did Drake really start from the bottom? Like really? If living in a rich Jewish family is the bottom, then what's the top?

8

Yeah a lot of music does suck ass - but there are some good bands out there as well.

Katatonia

Opeth

Chevelle

Filter

The Butterfly Effect

Pink Floyd

Nine Inch Nails

In Flames

Deftones

Black Strobe

Interpol

Sevendust

The Tea Party

The Temper Trap

Tool

A Perfect Circle

Ashes Divide

Year of No Light

And while that is a list on a very wide variety of artists/bands chances are most of you will like some of it.

9

It really depends where you are looking and what you actually like. Obviously, pop won't satisfy [general tense] your "old-fashioned" rock-and-roll tastes. :P That's not to say there wasn't pop back in the days of the bands you mentioned, but there haven't really been any truly innovative rock bands in the past decade and a half, as far as I know. That said, almost all of my music collection, save Pink Floyd and Alan Parson's Project, are from the turn of the century and onward. That's not to say I don't enjoy prog rock, but there's only so much Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson I can take in a sitting.

On this trend, though, I think that Sigur Ros, fun. (Aim and Ignite, *not* Some Nights), Animals as Leaders, and Praezisa Rapid 3000 are all notable progressive new age, though not necessarily well-known. If you're wanting to get into more synth-heavy stuff, Miami Horror's Illumination is pretty decent. Nikki Nack by tUnE-yArDs. Shaking the Habitual by The Knife if you want to get into darker, grittier stuff. Most of these aren't rock-y (though AAL is Djent-style Metal), but personally, I think they're all pretty decent.

10

Kasabian and The Strokes are considered contemporary, aren't they? There's some good rock out there, even in the mainstream. You can't expect bands like Nirvana and Oasis to come out every couple of years.

I'm a child of the 80s, so don't know what most teens today listen to. To be honest, even miley cyrus and beiber aren't much worse the manufactured pop music from the 90s onwards. Are they really a step below the spice girls? It's the fast food of music. It's to be expected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw09tAcNB0Q

Also, Bruno Mars is pretty good. Pop and very mainstream, but good as far as that genre goes.

I'll check out bandcamp. Lately I've been listening to bands from before i was born, the Ramones and such (i.e. rolling stone magazine type of music). Would be nice to find some current ones.

11

Just spent the last hour listening to new music I have never heard before ... and I think there is a lot  of talent out there ... for example this ... Crystallize - Lindsey Stirling (Dubstep Violin Original Song)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHjpOzsQ9YI

It may not be the type of music you prefer ... but she is easy on the eyes and you cannot say she has no talent.

12

I actually really like Lindsey Stirling!  She's got some real talent.

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I've heard most of the artists of there, mainly Pink Floyd and Tool.  Are they still making new songs?

14

Probably the debt ceiling.

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Haha, it's been stuck in my head for awhile too, I ended up playing Into the Darkness by Kittie and that got it out of my head.

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Ahhh I see what you did there, haha XD

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I haven't been on Bandcamp since Zweihander Ear Slayer came out!  I'll have a look.  I must agree about what you said about pop music though.  I don't listen to too much, mainly stuff like older Avril Lavigne and things like that.

18

sadly no

19

Well you have to understand that today's Mainstream music is meant to be catered to Urban Youth, and Adults who haven't grown up yet.

it's not how it was in the 80's and 90s where Music was so diverse you had radio stations who would play Depeche Mode, Slipknot. Deftones, Evanescence, Metallica, and then alittle Nas, Jay-Z and Eminem and all those other rappers and also alitle bit of Pink. Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani and Britney Spears (when she didn't lose her mind). and its never going to go back to the way it was. People Now-A-Days are very close minded with music, (NOT SAYING EVERYONE) but you can tell people in the mainstream media are close minded. cause they play nothing but hip-hop and Pop music. I remember listening to Linkin Park, A.F.I, Green Day for the first time on the radio in the early 2000's, now where the hell are they? they are still making music and still have a following, but the mainstream media doesn't care anymore. another perfect example is H.I.M (the band if you aren't familiar), I remember when Dark Light (Their Best Album) came out in 2005 Sold Impeccably well, went on the top 20 charts here in the US. Never heard a single of their songs on the radio. also to bring a point NOT ALL rappers are bad, i will admit Modern day rappers are bad and are really talentless. but there is a few who actually make decent music you'd just have to do a bit a research. overall nothing in the main-stream music industry is ground-breaking anymore. and i don't think it will get back to that in a while, cause people (These New Artists) won't be themselves, they only follow trends.

I myself grew up in an Urban Environment and still living in one, however i do keep my horizon's open with music. i do listen to electronic music, Industrial, indie rock, Black Metal, Death Metal alittle bit of Hip-Hop here and there from the 90s and early 2000's. but today's music mainstream music ehhh not so much. its not meant for me or any of us nor can you or I can relate to it.. i would just explore your horizons with music and just ignore the radio cause you aren't going to get far.

20

I really liked most of those songs, especially I Look to You and Brennisteinn.  Water Fountain was quite a weird one, but I kinda liked it!  I can't say that I enjoyed Shaking the Habitual though, that was alright but not quite my taste.  Thanks for sharing those though, I really do appreciate it and hopefully other people will see your post and check them out as well.

21

Drake is a source of a lot of anger in my life whenever I see his face or hear his voice. But you've got to look harder. There's a shit ton of good music out there. It's just hard to find. Be patient. I use Pandora and Last.fm to find new bands. Generally, Pandora has helped me discover a lot of great bands that I've never even heard of.