So basically, again, you guys are just down in the doldrums because you seriously do not seek out music outside of what is talked about on this message board, what your wife listens to, or what they play on the radio. God, I hope I do not undergo this terrifying habit when I grow older.
I would like to step in and make a difference in your lives, and recommend some new, or perhaps overlooked music. All you need to do is suggest to me what style has been a favorite, what songs you've liked in the past, favorite bands, etc. I will try my hardest to help drag you up out of this quick sand called "being old and boring" and perk your ears up with some new attitude.
So basically, again, you guys are just down in the doldrums because you seriously do not seek out music outside of what is talked about on this message board, what your wife listens to, or what they play on the radio. God, I hope I do not undergo this terrifying habit when I grow older.
Of course you will. It comes naturally. You'll also get a firmer grip on as to what's good, and what's not.
Personally, I don't think that "pop" music is any more in the doldrums now than it ever was. In some respects, due to the internet in particular, there's more creativity and flexibility today than once there was. There are more independent producers and artists than previously even thinkable. It is only natural of course to identify with the pop music you grew up with. That would be the 1980s for me too, though, frankly I might as well listen to my own vacuum cleaner as to Depeche Mode.
What is CHARACTERISTIC of much of today's mainstream pop (Rhianna, Lada Gaga, etc) is the "wall of sound" approach that is meant to overwhelm the listener with overindulgent arrangements, trying to keep him or her from thinking - rather than to encourage thinking. And that has, unfortunately, had repercussions on film music, too.
nuts_score I'd be interested in some suggestions for rock and metal, including progressive style of both if you have some. It might give me some I hadn't heard before.
So basically, again, you guys are just down in the doldrums because you seriously do not seek out music outside of what is talked about on this message board, what your wife listens to, or what they play on the radio. God, I hope I do not undergo this terrifying habit when I grow older.
Yeah, that's my point too.
Why would one compare the great music of yesteryear with the CRAP music that is now? Why not rather compare the GOOD music of yesteryear with the GOOD music that is now? Like film music or anything else, it's all about where you look for it.
Yeah, I forgot to blame Disney, who has created the cycle; 1) have a hit TV show 2) make a record -(usually barely sung by the 'star" and heavily layered with backing tracks) 3) become a celebrity
Disney is at the forefront of packaging people and images. Image is something like this attractive person, shiny and clean from the overlit tv shows, makes sparkly overproduced happy songs. They perpetrated Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato on us, and the Jonas Brothers, I am sure there are more.
Exactly. I don't think there is a female actress on Disney that doesn't have at least one song if not several albums. All pretty girls but they simply cannot sing. Nothing against them either. But it's sad when you think how many far more talented singers with gorgeous voices will never be heard because they are not "pretty enough".
nuts_score I'd be interested in some suggestions for rock and metal, including progressive style of both if you have some. It might give me some I hadn't heard before.
Awesome! Thank you for just responding to my post Siriusjr, rather than coming up with some kind of run-around paragraph about how I'll devolve into an old, hairy-earred dude.
Firstly, I'd recommend to anyone into rock & roll and its more progressive forms the Australian band Tame Impala. I saw them in Atlanta last month and it was a truly amazing show. This is as perfect as a modern spin on '60s psychedelic rock can get. Give this single a listen!
I'd be interested in some suggestions for rock and metal, including progressive style of both if you have some. It might give me some I hadn't heard before.
These bands are more post-rock than prog-rock, but you may find some of their material to your liking (Mogwai, in particular):
- Mogwai - Sigur Ros - Explosions in the Sky - 65daysofstatic
Bad pop singers have been around as long as pop music itself. But as to why it seems to be more prevalent nowadays... I have no idea. Perhaps it has something to do with how much smaller the world is today than it used to be. I guess we can thank the internet for that. (And, somewhere, Andy Warhol's ghost smiles.)
@nut_score. I think you might be forgetting that this topic is bemoaning the sad state of "pop music". Meaning "popular music". Meaning that to which is given, whether we like it or not, the most exposure. Many of the bands that are being mentioned above are excellent, but more often then not they are not getting played on the radio. They are not getting "that" exposure, requiring the listener (who is hungry for good pop music) to seek them out. Seeking out the good stuff is, by definition, WAY different than the media endlessly hammering us with it 24/7. But, here again, I suspect being bombarded with musical garbage is not unique to our generation. It just feels like it is. I bet that fans of good pop music 80 years ago had the same concerns.
So basically, again, you guys are just down in the doldrums because you seriously do not seek out music outside of what is talked about on this message board, what your wife listens to, or what they play on the radio. God, I hope I do not undergo this terrifying habit when I grow older.
Yeah, that's my point too.
Why would one compare the great music of yesteryear with the CRAP music that is now? Why not rather compare the GOOD music of yesteryear with the GOOD music that is now? Like film music or anything else, it's all about where you look for it.
I agree with you two.
There's always been good music in every field just as there has always been rubbish whether in the past or the present, I prefer to keep my ears open.
Also, like some others here, I'd go nuts if all I listened to was film scores, variety is spice.
@nut_score. I think you might be forgetting that this topic is bemoaning the sad state of "pop music". Meaning "popular music". Meaning that to which is given, whether we like it or not, the most exposure. Many of the bands that are being mentioned above are excellent, but more often then not they are not getting played on the radio. They are not getting "that" exposure, requiring the listener (who is hungry for good pop music) to seek them out. Seeking out the good stuff is, by definition, WAY different than the media endlessly hammering us with it 24/7. But, here again, I suspect being bombarded with musical garbage is not unique to our generation. It just feels like it is. I bet that fans of good pop music 80 years ago had the same concerns.
Good points all around, I'm just never satisfied with the "pop music" label. From my perspective, the 50s and 60s were littered with the best of "pop music." And while at work I really only stick with the "50s on 5" and "60s on 6" Sirius-XM radio stations because I know I'll enjoy every song.
Now, from today's "pop" standards there is certainly less quality to choose from, but there still exists strong musical output from new and older artists. I'll next supply two suggestions which are radio-frequents.
The first, from an Icelandic band called Of Monsters and Men, is repeatedly played on out local Atlanta "pop alternative" radio station, and it's one of the few new songs I've really felt an attachment to. This is a great song and the rest of their output is very good as well...
My next suggestion might be an acquired taste as this artist has a divisive following. Personally, I find New York City musician Lana Del Rey to be a breath of fresh air in modern songstresses. Adele is terrific, and she certainly has wide appeal, but Del Rey is something unique to me. Her style is provocative, and her songs always hook me and I have a huge emotional and even intellectual appreciation of them. My song recommendation is from her second EP, and is not yet a big single playing on the radio, but the song (whose title evokes Ray Bradbury and The Twilight Zone, or Walt Whitman depending on your familiarity with one or the other) is terrific.
Good points all around, I'm just never satisfied with the "pop music" label.
I think you've hit upon a quality that all of here share. We are frequently dissatisfied by the status-quo which is being foisted upon music lovers at-large. It accounts for our presence here on this board, in fact. I'd go as far as to say we are a more discerning bunch than your typical listeners.
Yup, part of this discussion is 'what is pop', and especially radio play Top 40 type material. Mostly I started the thread to target mainstream pop, which is pretty awful, and pretty successful. This dichotomy provoked the idea for the discussion.
I agree that Adele and Lana Del Rey are great, and Explosions in the Sky and some of the other stuff mentioned here. I greatly enjoy Josh Groban, his last couple albums were departures from that David Foster pop blend. He has an awesome voice, and when the production does not bury it, it is really amazing. This applies to Adele and Lana too, sometimes the production weighs to heavily. I am not sure that these are really 'pop'?
Anyway from ITunes US Top 10, which of these have real merit? We covered Imagine Dragons already I guess.
Roar Katy Perry Blurred Lines (feat. T.I. & Pharrell) Robin Thicke Wake Me Up Avicii Applause Lady Gaga That's My Kind of Night Luke Bryan We Can't Stop Miley Cyrus Royals Lorde Radioactive Imagine Dragons Safe and Sound Capital Cities Hold On, We're Going Home (feat. Majid Jordan) Drake
Well I'd say Lady Gaga has a fantastic voice that frequently gets buried in the mix. Look for some of her live acoustic performances online and you'll see what I mean. She is clearly pandering to the modern style of pop that emphasizes heavy bass beats over everything else so it is hard to find a good song to recommend. I'm still holding out hope that at some point she will release a fully acoustic album.
to Thomas- first off , they are not getting the same vibes from music as another is. Listening to the majestic theme from KING OF KINGS does not give off the same vibes as eerie chords in the score PSYCHO.People like me and there are many. love film scores because they fine the melodic line often a cut above a lot of the music from other fields of music.Again I am stressing not what is good or bad music which is just an opinion, but something one loves that finds that love can be achieved better with a certain type of music.Not trying to bantered here on 2 fronts but as I said to LUKAS kendall over 20 years ago in a letter published in his great mag. I have a book on a table that list great themes from films from 1930 till yesterday, the yesterday of 1993 and the yesterday of this year 2013. looking at the list of hundreds of thousands of films in it are thousands of nice melodic themes, the number does not change dramatically be it the year 1935 , 1946, 1957 , 1968 1979 1990 2002- 2011 etc-peace.
to Timmer- I Agree with the first part of your statement there always been good and bad stuff[if again, is there a person wise enough you could write that in stone?] But believe me one surely can devote a large part of his time listening to film music the past 80 years and be VERY SATISFIED if MELODY is your thing, along with other aspects of creative film composing.
to Timmer- I Agree with the first part of your statement there always been good and bad stuff[if again, is there a person wise enough you could write that in stone?] But believe me one surely can devote a large part of his time listening to film music the past 80 years and be VERY SATISFIED if MELODY is your thing, along with other aspects of creative film composing.
I'm sure one could. Especially because film music is a conglomerate of so many different musical genres, it's not really one genre. However, for me personally, I need other types of music that isn't composed with a timed, visual accompaniment in mind. A more "free" form of music, if you will, whether it's pop, rock, classical, jazz or electronic or whatever.
Also, it's not like the melodies you so admire are absent in other types of music.
