The answer is to explore other types of music not found in the mainstream. Use the internet It's one of the best tools for discovering new (or old, depending on your preference) music
There has always been terrible music, just go and randomly look at a Top 40 chart from any year you care to. You will spot rubbish there somewhere, even in the so called classic years in the 60s and 70s.
The difference now is that the Top 40 is FULL of rubbish, IMO, as the way people listen to music has changed so much. Its mainly just 'kids' that download singles isn't it? Too many people are just happy to hear 'music', they don't really care too much what it is...hence the X Factor and Heart/Capital is full of MOR songs that don't offend anyone as such.
But people who are really interested in music and finding class artists, will delve deeper and find great music is there, its just not always obvious.
this is a silly thread, there is still brilliant music out there you just need to look for it
Well as a couple of people have rightly pointed out on the "Top of the Pops 1978" thread over in the TV forum, why SHOULD we have to go looking for it? Why isn't it being delivered to us through the normal channels?
Thirty years ago you could listen to the chart rundown on the radio and hear pop, soul, disco, reggae, rock, indie, novelty songs, easy listening, comedy, rap...all in one show. Nowadays listening to the radio is an endurance test in homogenous mush.
Not only is the music industry ridiculously conservative and narrow in its approach but the media is also culpable in limiting the range of music options available to the public, particularly to a younger audience
^^ If you look at the Top 40 at the moment there is quite a bit of variety actually. I was mildly surprised. Whether the music is any good is another story....
real music is music made by playing real musical instruments..that's why it's called music
it's like real football is played with a real ball on real grass
easy
First of all, you couldn't have picked a worse analogy.
Secondly, do you think that the first time an electric guitar was showcased, people that only listened to classical music would be a big fan of it?
Times change, technology updates constantly. You can still make an amazing piece of music without having to use instruments that have been around for decades. Some of my favourite songs are the ones which fuse together stuff like strings and brass with contemporary instruments created with technology.
The thing that IMO needs to change is the quality of lyrics. Even if it's cheesy lyrics about love it would be an improvement. Anyway, there are a lot of acts in the charts that use what you call "real instruments." Obviously outside the charts there will be more, but dance is starting to disappear now. Everyone uses the internet to listen to what they want - do the same.
I think the thing about "real" instruments is silly. Even rock bands that use "real" instruments use a lot of computers in recording to process the instruments and make them sound a certain way.
Conversely, when you all electronics, it's not like the computer makes music by itself. You still have to have creativity and skill to create sounds on a computer.
I enjoy music both with real instruments and electronics, it all depends on the quality of the song and as someone else said how interesting the lyrics are.
To me, music took a real nose dive when my most favorite singer James Otto was pretty much pushed out of it. Did the industry just want somebody who didn't grow as much as him because James, to me, is the best that there is!
God bless you and him always!!!
Holly
P.S. Six foot and five inches is what James stands at and to me. his last album named Shake What God Gave Ya! was severely overlooked!
In answer to the OP on song structure i think a great example in the mainstream is Ellie Goulding- Halcyon the structures of the songs on that album are effortless and for the most part flawless so really there is great mainstream music out there that gets ignored. Music has now become about convenience and people simply don't want to mine for it but it is there if you look hard enough.
Ah yes .. "I only like one particular genre of music so I declare that to be 'real' and everything else forthwith to be crap and not 'real' !. I shall proceed to whine that 'music isn't what it used to be' and name one artist I can't stand as an example of the decline in the quality of ALL music when truth be told, I have actually buried my head so far down in the genre of music I like, I wouldn't know good music if it poured a bucket of paint over my bottom !".
Comments
There's nothing wrong with it at all
Holy Ghost!
Ladyhawke
Queen of Hearts
Imogen Heap
I forgot to list those last night
Personally, I believe one of the best albums in the last 30 years came out this century: Back to Black - Amy Winehouse.
She's not very well known over here but is massive in Canada
I only got to hear of her when some of her songs were featured on a Canadian police show called Due South
The difference now is that the Top 40 is FULL of rubbish, IMO, as the way people listen to music has changed so much. Its mainly just 'kids' that download singles isn't it? Too many people are just happy to hear 'music', they don't really care too much what it is...hence the X Factor and Heart/Capital is full of MOR songs that don't offend anyone as such.
But people who are really interested in music and finding class artists, will delve deeper and find great music is there, its just not always obvious.
Well as a couple of people have rightly pointed out on the "Top of the Pops 1978" thread over in the TV forum, why SHOULD we have to go looking for it? Why isn't it being delivered to us through the normal channels?
Thirty years ago you could listen to the chart rundown on the radio and hear pop, soul, disco, reggae, rock, indie, novelty songs, easy listening, comedy, rap...all in one show. Nowadays listening to the radio is an endurance test in homogenous mush.
Not only is the music industry ridiculously conservative and narrow in its approach but the media is also culpable in limiting the range of music options available to the public, particularly to a younger audience
who are you to declare what "real" music is?
it's like real football is played with a real ball on real grass
easy
First of all, you couldn't have picked a worse analogy.
Secondly, do you think that the first time an electric guitar was showcased, people that only listened to classical music would be a big fan of it?
Times change, technology updates constantly. You can still make an amazing piece of music without having to use instruments that have been around for decades. Some of my favourite songs are the ones which fuse together stuff like strings and brass with contemporary instruments created with technology.
The thing that IMO needs to change is the quality of lyrics. Even if it's cheesy lyrics about love it would be an improvement. Anyway, there are a lot of acts in the charts that use what you call "real instruments." Obviously outside the charts there will be more, but dance is starting to disappear now. Everyone uses the internet to listen to what they want - do the same.
Conversely, when you all electronics, it's not like the computer makes music by itself. You still have to have creativity and skill to create sounds on a computer.
I enjoy music both with real instruments and electronics, it all depends on the quality of the song and as someone else said how interesting the lyrics are.
God bless you and him always!!!
Holly
P.S. Six foot and five inches is what James stands at and to me. his last album named Shake What God Gave Ya! was severely overlooked!
Or something like that
And one that is. most ironically, a champion of the dreary effort that is this year's UK Eurovision entry..!