I cannot relate to the music of today...

[JoePal]

@Reapergurl That's always a great song. For me, I can't help but picture that scene in Pulp Fiction, though. I haven't seen most of Tarantino's older films since they came out but that song and "Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel (used in Reservoir Dogs) both give me intense flashbacks to specific scenes.

Also, on topic, I agree with many of the sentiments here but I also think music and accessing music is so vastly different in the current day and age. Radio/mass media music is no longer the huge goliath that it once was. People can find music on the internet in such an immediate way, and so many artists on local and global levels are putting their work out there, that it is 100% possible to never listen to another pop song in your life. Or, radio-friendly pop song, I should say. Personally I totally love pop-style (the concept of a good hook and all that jargon) but not the stuff forced on us all the time.

ALSO, this topic is so interesting because of how people perceive what is "good/original" vs what is "bad/mass produced." Someone mentioned being into real music like Green Day, which is only funny to me because when GD first came about and I was a young lad, SO many punks were up in arms about how they ruined the genre by making it too accessible. Personally I've always gotten down with Green Day, but I think the objective nature of art/appreciation makes it hard to nail down concepts of what is good or bad.

I listen to a lot at any given time. Currently digging the Raury album from last year [hip-hop meets chamber folk], the Hamilton soundtrack and mixtape [because holy $&($& this stuff is good], Kid Cudi, Iron & Wine, The Decemberists [last two because they take me back to younger days], Girl Talk (because I love the frenetic energy of it all) and Courtney Barnett. Playlists are always changing on my ipod/phone (I have an ipod still.. I'm old?) to keep life interesting.

Something I really love, though, is folk or any song that tells a story. This means that a lot of the music I listen to is kind of boring and can lull you to sleep but whatever. To each their own.

 

[Reapergurl]

@palinskyjoe 'Radio-Friendly' indeed.

Actually, according to Billie Joe Armstrong, that was never their intent; it just so happened that the end result was so. Thing is, Green Day was also never really Punk Rock, if you go by their sound, which was more Alternative and 70's Progressive.

Of course, getting technical about this; most Punk Rock falls under Hard Rock, Metal or Alternative subcategories.

I think most songs that have tangible lyrics (and even some that don't) tell a story; it's just how it's interpreted.

Here's an example of a story telling song that has no lyrics:

Such amazing music... ♥

 

[jezebelthenun]

The way I see it, music goes through generational cycles. Remember the 50s? (Me either, but I think we all know plenty of 50s tunes) Music was boring, manufactured, and existed solely for the purpose of making money. The 60s came and, by the middle, music had become a form of self expression that far exceeded the poppy, money machine style sound and sentiment of he previous decade. The 70s brought disco, which was, again, mainly looking for profit and had no adequate substance. Mostly, it all sounded the same. The 80s were special, because there was such a balance between the musicianship and the monetization, that it could, hypothetically, be the greatest music decade ever. We had actual metal coming into the mainstream with Metallica and Iron Maiden, and we had the glam rock extravaganza, AND we had Richard Marx and Michael Bolton, and they all found a place in musical society. Not to mention the unlikely success of college rock thanks to bands like REM, The Talking Heads, and The Violent Femmes. Then you had the emergence of the hip-hop scene, which took mainstream music places it had never even DREAMED of going before. I could go on and on, here. . . Ahem. . .The 90s brought us a more grounded musical approach, dialing back the superficial in favor of raw, emotional grunge. In the same vein, we saw hip-hop evolve into a much dirtier, more dangerous form. Ever present were boy bands and pop divas on the other hand. Metal also evolved into the various "cores", and, sadly, raprock was a thing.

Since then, I haven't paid a lot of attention. I had kids and had no time for going to shows and living for the pit. It's basically been the kind of thing where, if I hear something I like, I MIGHT seek it out later. Sia is a good example. On the surface, she's poppy and has that electronic sound, but her music and lyrics move me. She's exceptionally talented, in my opinion, though not what I might typically look for in music. Some bands have stood out here and there since 2000. The Killers are pretty great. . .

 

[Larry Jones]

Not sure if anybody's mentioned this, but the fact is that the stuff that becomes famous / remembered is probably really good (which is why it's remembered), whilst all the other crap gets forgotten. Of course, that's a process that takes time after the stuff has been written and heard, and so right now in the present moment, we're just hearing all the stuff that's coming out and the vast majority of it hasn't been forgotten yet. Does that make sense?

The other side to this is that it's purely a matter of who / what you choose to listen to. It is no active effort for me to completely avoid the majority of songs being released at the moment (charts etc). I have very little interest in it so I'm not even aware of it.

 

[mlogan]

I haven't read all the replies since my last one - many of them are quite lengthy. I will say briefly, that while I do agree I can't relate to a lot of pop music lately, I agree with another poster, that maybe I don't need to. Not on a deep level at any rate. Not every song has to have some great deep meaning for me to enjoy it. Some songs are just simply fun. That being said, what I consider "not relating" to are either songs whose musical composition is highly irritating to me, or I notice how absurdly stupid and shallow the lyrics are, to the point that it bothers me.

I have no problem if bands or artists incorporate other music, it can make for some really fun pieces, as long as credit is given where credit is due. I know it's not exactly the same, but I love this mashup - I think it's incredibly fun. Is it deep and meaningful? Not even the slightest. Is it fun and makes me want to dance? Yep.

 

[Reapergurl]

Some bands have stood out here and there since 2000. The Killers are pretty great. . .

DragonForce (1999-present) is a great power metal band; but not exactly popular.

@Larry Jones I am with you, brother. I rarely pay attention myself. Even still, when it's forced on you, it makes you cringe when it's nothing you want (or especially need) to hear.

@mlogan Aerosmith and Run-DMC go so far back. I remember when Darryl was actually a guitar player (I don't remember who for but he was reeeeealllly good).

Here's some DragonForce.

The BG in the video is not the correct album cover though...

 

[jezebelthenun]

DragonForce is awesome! I have them in the car right now. Also, how much does this sound like a DragonForce song?!?!?


Hubby and I always joke about that.

 

[Reapergurl]

@jezebelthenun Yeah, has quite a similar sound, but still is much more of a Progressive Metal sound, whereas DragonForce is more focused on guitar solos, tremolos and harmonics. That and drowning out their bass player. lol

 

[Tigersong]

Sadly, Christian music isn't any different than mainstream- there's the good, the bad and the bland. I will say this- there are Christian artists in a variety of genres.

Sometimes I actually prefer Youtube singers (Malukah, Miracle of Sound, etc.) because they're not just expressing the same old feelings. I can't hear "Reignite" without tearing up, and have you heard any of katethegreat19's songs? Such a great, lilting sound and she plays half a dozen instruments.

If you're looking for good, meaningful rap try Lecrae *probably spelled it wrong* or Roy Tosh.

I'll probably remember my first experience with Lindsay McCaul till I die. The other bands had elaborate setups; she had a guitar and her voice.

 

[Reapergurl]

@Tigersong Kate is a magnificent singer. I happen to know her, and she can riff; she might not have the skills that Kerry King does, but she is really good at pitch harmonics (a lot of SLAYER's solos and riffs).

'Christian' music?

Honey, it's either Rock, Vocal, Alternative or Jazz with religious inferences.

Læcra? Name sounds familiar...

 

[Tigersong]

Yeah, I was going to say there's no such genre as "Christian music". Also, there are some very cool songs in "Music Inspired by The Story", my favorites being "Move in Me (Paul)" and "Bring Us Home (Joshua)".

 

[Reapergurl]

@Tigersong This right here, is one of my favorites; describing my Real Life oh so well...

 

[Tigersong]

Are you the monkey or the secretary? *ducks thrown objects*

 

[Reapergurl]

@Tigersong I'm quite the literal Code Monkey.

I write status reports, on paper (no computer-all done by hand), and file them, as well as everyone else's papers.

It's funny; there is a lovely secretary at the front desk, unlike the one in the video she's a redhead and much less pale.

 

[defunct-user]

Heh. Most if not every generation cannot stand the music of the generation after it. (Here's lookin' at Biebs. BLEH!)

 

[Reapergurl]

Heh. Most if not every generation cannot stand the music of the generation after it. (Here's lookin' at Biebs. BLEH!)

lmfao 'BLEH!' indeed...

But what if...pop songs were Metal?

Or, if Eminem were Metal?
I'd love to see this guy go nuts at a concert; be worth every Septim spent.

--------

Edit:

I watched the Grammys. The tribute to Prince made me melt at the breakdown.

Congratulations to Adele for both Song AND Album of the Year.

You made the record books, my dear...not many have gotten both awards in the same year.

 

[gstv87]

there are some very good musicians out there, among the kind that I'd consider "crap".
the thing is, they want *to make music*, while *the company they work for* wants to *make money out of whatever music their musicians may make*.
so, there's your first conflict of interest, which gives you nonsensical crap that people listen to, for the sake of being catchy or trendy.
you have talented musicians who just want to exist as musicians and play or sing, and people who want to use the music as a commercial product "tailor made" to suit "target audiences", and "target audiences" who need a sort of personal anthem that they can identify with, because they feel like they're special snowflakes who don't fit anywhere.

I used to not get Lady Gaga at all..... I didn't understand why the crazy outfits, or the weird music videos, or her overall weird style.
but, when you take all that away, and stick to the music itself and the lyrics, she's actually REALLY good at it.
I still don't get her, but I can't deny she's talented.
EDIT: Eminem. There's another one.
his tunes and lyrics are good.... it's just that many people see him as "the rebel who represents us against this oppresive domination", and he just goes along with it because it helps him sell products.

the thing is, the teens and kids these days don't get it: they just see the image.
you need to teach them to look past that, into the actual product.


I don't listen to commercial music anymore, I just hand-pick songs I like (or tunes.... they don't have to have lyrics on them)

 

[Reapergurl]

@gstv87 Yeah, I agree with ya. The kids really don't understand, and often don't care to.

One of the reasons why I like music and rhythm games is because they often have great songs.

Here's an example of a great song. Source: Rock Band Blitz


It's along the same lines as Rock Band Unplugged.

 

[Reapergurl]

I recently got back into a game I hadn't played in years, the Lumines series.

Much like Tetris, only you clear 2x2 (or larger) squares of the same color.


But now that I've played this game a bit, I remember BEP's 'Pump It'...ick. I used to LIKE that too...wow.

But here is a song in the game that I think is unlocked too early.


Yep, the song and video play in the background.

Both the songs mentioned are in Lumines II, btw.

 

[Trihan]

Personally I can listen to almost literally anything. My friends used to make a game of trying to find music I couldn't stand and only one to date has ever succeeded, having won with Yoko Onno's "Birthday Cake".

That said, I definitely favour music from the 60s and 70s and some 80s. My favourite artists and bands are Val Doonican, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Bobby Vee, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Everly Brothers, Richard Marx...