Has Music Already Peaked?

[TruePaige]

I've been seeking out bands that aren't big but have sound/lyrics I enjoy and it has made me think that no, it hasn't peaked but yes, mainstream "chart" music is drivel.

 

[destrekor]

Music waxes and wanes as certain genres get more of a spotlight. That spotlight destroys that genre over time, record labels move on to the next big genre, and over the years the music of the genres out of the spotlight improves enough to the point that that particular genre suddenly explodes and quality within that genre gets a lot of attention.

Personally, as far as Rock goes, a lot of bands have a song here or there that just stands out, but in general there is a lot of similarity to them, though I cannot say I turn away their music completely. I'll definitely listen to modern bands, because I don't want to overplay my favorite bands.

Thankfully Led Zeppelin's discography is massive, and quite varied in sound, so I needn't ever worry about overplaying their music. 🙂

The modern "rock" bands that get a lot of my attention:

Coheed and Cambria - own entire discography, and it is excellent - Neverender live set is outstanding

Incubus - band has moved through varied sounds, early stuff sounds far different from latest stuff)

Killswitch Engage - latest CD is outstanding, very melodic

Thrice - constantly redefining their sound, experimenting. Harder rock preferred: The Artist in the Ambulance has a great collection of songs. Rather unique sound imho, hints of metal to an edgy hard rock. The 4 elements of nature concept (across 2 CDs) isn't entirely perfect, but each "element" grouping has at least a couple stand out songs that show a lot of talent. The latest CD offers almost what I dare say as a mix of bluesy crooning into focused version of their elements sound approach.
Listen from beginning of discography to the latest CD, and just watch the sound evolve.

A lot of that music above - is it OMG BEST BAND EVER worthy? That is arguable, and I'd likely say no, although those above can often be said to be my favorite musical groups (also forgot The Mars Volta, though Deloused' remains my favorite album even though they've released 3 or 4 since then). Just depends what sound one is looking for. I thoroughly enjoy listening to the music listed, something I cannot say for the majority of the rest of my music in my collection. I like an eclectic mix of music, but to be thoroughly enjoyed, it has to be something special to me, can't feel generic.

Coheed and Cambria's next album will be coming this Spring, and I am absolutely stoked for it. I cannot imagine what sound they'll come up with, considering now they have Chris Pennie and he can now actually record on the album (last album he was officially with the band, but contractually unable to record on the album, so Taylor Hawkins had that duty). The possibilities are now crazy, it better have more prog influences like the first 3 albums.

 

[Fritzo]

It peaked with Led Zeppelin and will never return.

Well, being a Zeppelin fan I'll agree, but the 70's are where it peaked:

1) Performers of the 70's and earlier relied on talent and practice. They weren't driven by money and record deals for the most part.
2) BECAUSE of their talent and practice, they landed record deals and money.
3) They took queues from previous generations and developed blues, jazz, and classical into a modern sound that everyone enjoyed.

Today:
1) Performers can be manufacturered--why bother learning an instrument if you can use a computer to make any sound you want.
2) As shows like American Idol showcase, people think they can walk in, sing, and become rich. Voice cracks? Fix it with Auto-tune. You had just better look good because record companies can't market ugly singers.
3) Performers aren't influenced by past music- THEY JUST REGURGITATE IT. Clips, loops, and remakes are pretty much filling the music scene today.
4) And finally- this is a big one: Music has been stripped of melody, down to a basic beat layered by oversinging. Nobody popular is making guitar riffs or keyboard rolls or bass slides anymore (probably because they don't actually have the talent to do that).

Music is in the toilet today, while people with actual talent go unnoticed. What's sad is I don't see it changing.

 

[skace]

Music has never peaked, will never peak, and you're an old fogey if you think otherwise. And I'd seriously question anyone who sits around listening to solely 70's music all day long. Talk about limiting your options.

 

[krylon]

Most of the opinions in this thread have already peaked

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

there has always, always, always been a disconnect between good music and what gets played on Top 40 radio stations. you're looking at the best of the past and comparing it against the sludge of the present.

This. Loki is bang on.

I have lost nearly all interest in modern music. Every now and then there is a band that catches my attentention (Broken Social Scene - Uniqie sound from a large group of talented artists), but lately Ive been going to the archives for refuge. Sinatra FTW, and dare I even say *gasp* classical! I think Im getting old. I must be because recently Ive found that I 'feel' more from listening to Bach than I do from anything popular today.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Music peaked with Mozart! (/ducks)

 

[syrillus]

I think loki probably said it best, the difference between music today and music in the 60's and 70's isn't that music in the 60's and 70's was better, it's more likely that music that was popular then is better than music that is popular today. There are just as many, if not more, good bands/artists today as there were in the 60's and 70's.

That said, I think auto-tune is probably one of the worst things to happen to the music industry ever.

 

[destrekor]

Well, being a Zeppelin fan I'll agree, but the 70's are where it peaked:

1) Performers of the 70's and earlier relied on talent and practice. They weren't driven by money and record deals for the most part.
2) BECAUSE of their talent and practice, they landed record deals and money.
3) They took queues from previous generations and developed blues, jazz, and classical into a modern sound that everyone enjoyed.

Today:
1) Performers can be manufacturered--why bother learning an instrument if you can use a computer to make any sound you want.
2) As shows like American Idol showcase, people think they can walk in, sing, and become rich. Voice cracks? Fix it with Auto-tune. You had just better look good because record companies can't market ugly singers.
3) Performers aren't influenced by past music- THEY JUST REGURGITATE IT. Clips, loops, and remakes are pretty much filling the music scene today.
4) And finally- this is a big one: Music has been stripped of melody, down to a basic beat layered by oversinging. Nobody popular is making guitar riffs or keyboard rolls or bass slides anymore (probably because they don't actually have the talent to do that).

Music is in the toilet today, while people with actual talent go unnoticed. What's sad is I don't see it changing.

you're listening to the wrong shit.

Reference my post.
😛

Look for clips of Coheed and Cambria playing live (Neverender), where they frequently turn out songs far longer than the album version.

Co&Ca is a great band that, like Dream Theater or Rush, if you can get past the sound of the vocals, you find a lot to enjoy.
Not going to say that the musicians in Co&Ca are as technically proficient and great as those in Dream Theater can be, but it's also different music, different approach.

Look for 'The Final Cut' live performances, any of "The Willing Well" series of songs (Final Cut is Willing Well IV), "The Light and The Glass" (starts slow, ends awesome), "21:13", if you can find it, "Welcome Home" w/Warren Haynes, "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth:3", and countless other songs.

The band's concept can get in the way for some people who don't enjoy the actual lyrics, but the songs really match the feel of the underlying story. Epic story moments come with epic sounds quite often. Also, often downright depressing or bordering on "uh, wtf?", but I actually enjoy following the story (comics/graphic novels help spell it out as the lyrics can be vague).

I'm just more interested, or worried, about the band's future after the next album, considering they say the story ends (with the beginning; next album is a prequel). Supposed to be contracted for a few more albums, no idea what that really means in the end. They better stay together, and at the worst, change their name since the name is related to the concept.
Wonder if they'll keep to the concept but just expand moments within or that happen on the side, or create concepts that are confined to one album.
Not that anyone cares to discuss this here. So I'll quit. 😛

 

[evident]

rock has been dead the last few years. especially in the mainstream.

 

[vi edit]

rock has been dead the last few years. especially in the mainstream.

Not sure what you count as "rock" but Wolfmother and the White Stripes are nice touch of color to the otherwise dreary landscape of corporate sponsored music.

 

[Ksyder]

Music has never peaked, will never peak, and you're an old fogey if you think otherwise. And I'd seriously question anyone who sits around listening to solely 70's music all day long. Talk about limiting your options.

alot of that 70's rock is amazing as well, I'm not going to try to list band names because I'm not a music junkie like i used to be. But I've had my mind blown by some great 70's rock.

My main complaint about mainstream music now is that 2 very popular genres- emo/punk and nu-metal seem to come from the barre-chord school of guitar playing, and the 70's rock seems like it was more interesting in terms of musicianship. They did not hide their sound behind a wall of guitar and screaming.

 

[Ksyder]

Not sure what you count as "rock" but Wolfmother and the White Stripes are nice touch of color to the otherwise dreary landscape of corporate sponsored music.

Agree.... these were 2 bands that come to mind when I was thinking about this. Ironically, both of these bands have that throwback vintage 70's sound.

 

[skace]

alot of that 70's rock is amazing as well, I'm not going to try to list band names because I'm not a music junkie like i used to be. But I've had my mind blown by some great 70's rock.

My main complaint about mainstream music now is that 2 very popular genres- emo/punk and nu-metal seem to come from the barre-chord school of guitar playing, and the 70's rock seems like it was more interesting in terms of musicianship. They did not hide their sound behind a wall of guitar and screaming.

And I wasn't saying 70's music was all crap, however I'd expect a music enthusiast to be able to pick something up from every generation. You might have more music from the 70s, but if _ALL_ your music is from the 70s then you are just as close minded and jaded as my sister who will only listen to the hits of the 80s and 90s that she listened to growing up. And yes I realize the person who said that didn't grow up in the 70s, but the result is apparently the same.

The "wall of guitar and screaming" sound has been around for awhile. Most of the better bands just weren't in the US, and when they came into the US, couldn't muster enough fans. So they'd go back to sweden or somewhere and get treated like gods.

Look at a band like Aryon, roots straight into hippy land and even they have some good metal now.

 

[nageov3t]

alot of that 70's rock is amazing as well, I'm not going to try to list band names because I'm not a music junkie like i used to be. But I've had my mind blown by some great 70's rock.

My main complaint about mainstream music now is that 2 very popular genres- emo/punk and nu-metal seem to come from the barre-chord school of guitar playing, and the 70's rock seems like it was more interesting in terms of musicianship. They did not hide their sound behind a wall of guitar and screaming.

it's funny, that one of my main complaints about a lot of the rock from that era.

I think of Pink Floyd like I think of James Joyce, wherein they're complex for complexities sake, not because it actually adds something to the story. it's like masturbatory rock.

 

[jemcam]

2pac didn't touch my life, but I agree. I don't think there has been any good music done since the late 70's. It all started going down hill when disco peaked.

 

[masterxfob]

i grew up listening to pearl jam, nirvana, tupac, and such, but the 70's were truly the golden years. i hardly listen to anything outside of the 60's, 70's, and 80's.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

There are still amazing artists out there. Its just that the media won't allow powerful music to be played on radio or tv. That happened in the 60's and they paniced because it almost caused a revolution so it won't be permitted again. From now on its mindless bullshit.

 

[Red Dawn]

you're listening to the wrong shit.


Look for clips of Coheed and Cambria playing live (Neverender), where they frequently turn out songs far longer than the album version.

You've got to be kidding, that band sucks ass.

 

[vi edit]

I really feel bad for artists to be honest. Make something that sounds like a popular band from a particular generation and you have people blasting you that you aren't unique enough. Try to create your sound to divert from the norm and people say you are too unique.

Right now I'm listening to the album from "Them Crooked Vultures" which is Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones (yeh that one) and the Queens of the Stone Age singer and the music sort of has pieces of the band Cream, The Stones, Radio Head and obviously influences from the members own bands. It's pretty cool...but too much of a mish mash for most people.

 

[KeithTalent]

There is a lot of great music out there and much that is better than anything Pink Floyd did (hugely overrated in my opinion). Of course I just converted all of my old punk albums (70's and 80's stuff) and that is pretty much all I have been listening to, so I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite for saying there is better stuff out there.

KT

 

[evident]

Not sure what you count as "rock" but Wolfmother and the White Stripes are nice touch of color to the otherwise dreary landscape of corporate sponsored music.

meh, they sound like the corporate sponsored "indie" sound that's been the recent trend.

 

[vi edit]

meh, they sound like the corporate sponsored "indie" sound that's been the recent trend.

It's funny you say that because The White Stripes is about as far away from corporate sponsored music as you could possibly get for a commercially successful band.

It's interesting seeing people's perceptions of bands.

 

[destrekor]

Not sure what you count as "rock" but Wolfmother and the White Stripes are nice touch of color to the otherwise dreary landscape of corporate sponsored music.

funny you should say that. I forgot to mention Wolfmother earlier. Their latest album is a very enjoyable listen, just got through playing the album just now too. 🙂
I liked their previous album, but Cosmic Egg is a very fun listen.

That said, it definitely has that old rock feel, colored up a bit.

 

[destrekor]

You've got to be kidding, that band sucks ass.

I wouldn't expect YOU to like them.
😛

But, that said, give those songs I specifically mentioned a listen. Especially their latest live versions. They've improved their musicianship a lot, and going back to their older material they dress up the sound a lot. They brought their A-game to the Neverender shows, so if you listen to those versions and don't like... I understand disagreement.

But, is it musicianship you hate or just their sound and style in general? Like I said, they've improved over the years, though the latest album lost most of the progressive sound, likely due to the drummer, not saying their previous drummer was of any quality. Chris Pennie helps liven up all their songs, since all of the studio versions are pre-Pennie.