Why Does Most of Today's Music Suck So Much?


I really didn't want to write a "get off my lawn" title for this blog post. I really wanted to call it, "Why I'll Always Be Old School When It Comes to Music" or something equally as gentle. However, for SEO purposes, most people are going to be asking Google, "Why does today's music suck so much?"

(By the way, the two clowns in the photo on the right above call themselves Twenty One Pilots. I'm not even going to get into why they suck so much, but if you can stand the auditory torture, look up the video to a song of theirs called "Car Radio" and you'll hear--and see why.)

Let's face it: a lot of music being heard on the radio waves today does suck, particularly pop music. I know because I was forced to listen to it in work a few weeks ago. My work station is currently the front reception desk until our expanded office space is ready to use (we don't actually have a receptionist, but it was one of the few available places for me.) In the front reception area is a speaker. I have no idea who turned it on one afternoon, but all of a sudden it started playing one pop song after another. Since most people work in their own areas and offices I was really the only one that was going to get any benefit from it. "OK," I said to myself. "I can deal with this. I haven't listened to any of those pop stations in an awfully long time. I'll be open minded. Let's see what the young 'uns are digging these days."

Within an hour I wanted to shove bananas in my ears. After two hours I wanted to scream.

Then I realized the speaker had a volume control. So I went over to it and turned the volume down. The following day, I brought in my earbuds and I stopped being lazy about downloading Spotify to my office MacBook.

I tried, guys. I really did, but to no avail.

Why did the music grate on my nerves so much? Because every single song. Sounded. The. Same. Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat.

Everyone sounded auto tuned. Every song had practically the same inane lyrics. Every song sounded like it had all been produced electronically. I couldn't make out a single guitar or horned instrument with the exception of "Uptown Funk" (admittedly, a modern song I DO like, because of its horns and retro sound.)

Today's music is truly soulless. There's no more individuality, no more creativity. It all sounds like it was produced by the same record company (there is some truth to this, which I'll get to in a minute.)

And believe me, I'm being kind here. I came across another blog recently where the author didn't mince words; he declared--right in the post's title--that "if you're under 25, your music is f***ing garbage."

One of the reasons I do love the music of the '60s, '70s, and '80s so much is because every singer and band had their own unique sound. You hear a song, and you can immediately identify who was playing it.

Not so in the year 2016. I invite you to watch at least part of the following video by Infowars journalist Paul Joseph Watson. Watson is a controversial figure; Infowars is known for being a conspiracy theory website, but this commentary is not about politics or world affairs. It's about the downfall of music as we know it and as spot-on as it is, I must warn that it may depress you. My favorite part? When Watson states that, "Now any stupid f***ing bimbo or braindead twat can be dragged off a reality show, dropped into a recording studio, and have their shrill, warbling voice auto tuned for mass consumption." And that's just the least of it. Watson believes we're being brainwashed. He may be onto something.



And by the way, I totally agree with him about Coldplay, too. I hate their music and think they're vastly overrated.

I don't understand how any self-respecting DJ can play any of this pap.

And Watson is right about the "verbal diarrhea" trend. Have you heard the song "Work" by Rihanna and Drake? (I can't believe right now I'm mentioning people named Rihanna and Drake on Go Retro.) I won't torture you with the music video of the song, but here's some of the lyrics so you can see how asinine the "writing" behind this gem was:

Work, work, work, work, work, work

He said me haffi

Work, work, work, work, work, work!

He see me do mi

Dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt!

So me put in

Work, work, work, work, work, work

When you ah guh

Learn, learn, learn, learn, learn

Meh nuh cyar if him

Hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt, hurting

Yeah. Apparently "haffi" is a Jamaican term, but I'm not going to bother trying to decipher the "meh nuh cyar" gibberish. And those repetitive lyrics! You can trust me when I say the song is just as bad as the words.


Sadly, it's all about the almighty dollar and how much crap the record companies can shove in our ears. In 2002, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released an awesome album called The Last DJ which takes aim at the money-grubbing music industry. A lot of critics at the time thought that Petty was being a cranky crybaby with this release, but there's a lot of truth in tracks such as "Money Becomes King" and "Joe" ("Bring me a girl // They're always the best // You put them on stage // And you make her undress // Some angel whore that can learn a guitar lick // Hey! Now that's what I call music")

I want to clarify that there IS still intelligent music being written and produced that features artists playing their own instruments, but you have to hunt around for it. In my area, there's an independent radio station that features new artists but will also play some of the old classics, too (the Spectrum station on Sirius is pretty similar.) In the past few years thanks to my local independent station I've been introduced to Muse, Fitz and The Tantrums, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, David Gray, and J.D. McPherson. But I can't consider myself a true fan of any of them; it's more like I'm familiar with a few of their songs and I like them enough to not change the channel, but none of them have meaning to me like Chicago, Steely Dan, and Electric Light Orchestra.

In the past few weeks I've been asked by a couple of coworkers if I miss hearing the music and want it turned back on. I think you can guess that I've politely declined, explaining that I can't take today's pop music and prefer to listen to my old school playlists on Spotify. It kind of surprises me, though, how many people have said that they don't mind listening to it.

Well, I could go on and on here. But frankly, I think my energy would be better invested by this point by listening to real music by people with real talent, that can play instruments.

Do you agree? And if there's any recommendations you can make for good modern music, let me know in the comments!

53 comments:

  1. And it gets worse with each passing year, the radio stations cut back on their already pitifully short playlists, on which every song has the exact same beat and no melody line. And none of the DJ's on commercial radio know a damn thing about music....There are some decent internet stations, I find myself listening either to the net or my own record collection these days.

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    1. Hi Jeff - before he passed away, I used to wonder how Dick Clark could possibly host his last few years of his "Rocking New Year's Eve" of crappy musical guests when he lived through the greatest eras of music. Now I wonder why a local DJ that I listened to back in the 80s is still at the same top 40/pop station that plays one train wreck after another. That's why Tom Petty wrote "The Last DJ"..."There goes the last DJ // Who plays what he wants to play // And says what he wants to say." I blame part of the mess on the Internet as well, which has made people addicted to instant gratification. Sadly, the few people out there that are talented get virtually no media attention; the idiots shaking their rumps and spewing out garbage do.

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    2. You better like it because your going to hear the same song 10 times a day.Either that or sell your stereo.Im about to give up Telly

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  2. The net has downsides and upsides...Of course the moment Taylor Swift releases something (even a commercial for God's sake) it's going to be plastered everywhere. But if you do some digging you can find good (though usually very genre specific) stations. And there are still a few college stations and community broadcasters trying to play things off the beaten path. But I don't think Radio as a whole is going to change for the better in this country soon. Too many corporations like Cumulus and Hubbard and Fox dominating the landscape, all with their cookie cutter formats...

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    1. Fortunately the net gives you access to radios anywhere in the world. I find myself listening to "local" associative radios that are actually far away from where I live.

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  3. When I'm in the car with my kids and they listen to their radio stations, I swear it sounds like the same song is being played for hours. Most of the time, when I have a long trip, I usually plug in my iPod if I can. I just can't take the radio.

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  4. This is not only pop music. Country is just as bad. It's fairly difficult to tell the difference between pop and country any more. Much of what was said in the mini-doc is spot on. I give you props for listening a couple hours. I'm lucky to last through 2-3 "songs". I'll just stay with my downloads and spotify custom stations and YouTube playlists.

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    1. Debbie, that's a good point I forgot to mention. I'm not a country fan, but I've been hearing for a while now from those that do enjoy country music that today's "country" is as homogenized as pop music.

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  6. Oh you are right! I had initially thought I was just subsiding into old-fogeyness, but it all sounds the same! Just liike movies are getting formulaic, it's as if music is getting formulaic. Even the themes - older songs at least explored more subjects than just relationships. With few exceptions songs now are either about relationships or broken relationships. I can't bear trying to find something I can stand on the radio anymore. I just rely on playlists.

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  7. I couldn't agree more! Thank God for NPR, which I listen to in my car, and Youtube, which enables me to listen to my old favorites with the headphones on. Excuse me, now I'm gonna listen to some stuff by the Who, and then maybe some Three Dog Night. Screw Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. :)
    M.P.

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  8. There definitely hasn't been a defining sound (unless lack of one counts) for close to 20 years. My kids listen to '80's music. By the way, Jeff Lynne and ELO just released an album in December. There's some good stuff on there.

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    1. No clue there was a new ELO album, but doesn't surprise me since the older bands don't get the publicity they used to. Thanks for your comment, Tom.

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    2. Why are the truly great artist allowing this to happen? They still have us, but we don't have as much of them. I remember when I was in my teens in the eighties, I thought great music would never go away. It is time for the pendulum to swing back. Please, I can't take this crap anymore.

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    3. Been starving for good music too. Heard the Rich Man album from Doyle Bramhall ii and it was like the first time I heard Hendrix. Can't stop listening to this record. Fills my soul because it's what he's giving us.The writing, musicianship, and genre blending/bending is masterful. I am truly thankful for Doyle, and I think you will be too.

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  9. "Include me out," too. Gave up on radio long ago, except for local college stations and several others via Shoutcast. No personality anymore; if you travel a bit, you'll hear the same station nicknames ("Power this" or "The Hawk" that), the same bumper voices, the same style of station IDs and so on. And with the new royalty/licensing rates in place, many Internet-only broadcasters are going dark.

    And don't get me started on auto-tune! Slight vocal imperfections are what make for distinctive voices. A-T just makes everything impossibly perfect. And bland.

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  10. Augustus Owsley Strudel IIIApril 09, 2016 2:25 AM

    Popular music these days can be put in one of 3 boxes; Pop, Rap & Hip Hop or alt.rock. I hate them all! I don't even consider Country or Metal into the mix, they are both total jokes & too pathetic to listen to. I will dissect the first three,
    1. Pop - music for pre-teen girls. This includes Beyoncé (OMG, the auto correct put the accent over the e! How powerful is that!), Lady GaGa, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Rhianna, the Disney clones, American Idol, etc. So you want to be a pop singer? Forget it! There is no place to develop your talent, you are either on top of the charts, or nothing. You will never be on top of the charts, you are not a model. You don't have a choreographer & dance troupe. You don't have a studio of engineers, studio musicians, and all the tricks that a studio provides. You probably have better songs, but that is the least important thing. The songs you will be singing are pre-programmed for you. The music doesn't matter - celebrity is all that matters.
    2 Rap & Hip Hop - music for white, suburban gangster wanna-bes.
    I don't care what your name is. I don't care about your booty. I don't care how many bitches you have in the club. Just go away - and turn down the music in your car, your fenders are rattling.
    3 alt.rock - music for hipsters. In the town where I live there is a radio station that plays this type of music & it is HUGE! Everywhere I go there is some guy with a beard & his grandpa's gray cardigan playing an acoustic guitar, whining in a flat tone, singing a wimpy, tuneless song. Every time I listen to this music, I want to buy a pair of Birkenstock's & turn vegan.
    I'm gonna keep playing with my band, playing music I like (60s, 70s & 80s songs played our way) and not ever thinking about all the junk that passes for popular music of today.

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    1. Well said Bro .Oh no not the Bro word .Uhhg

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  11. I don't really listen to radio anymore. But when I do I usually listen to classic rock radio stations. The only modern music I listen to is indie stuff and Eurovision and I think you would enjoy Caro emerald.

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    1. I love Caro Emerald! I don't remember how I discovered her, but one of my favorites by her is "Dr. Wanna Do."

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    2. Those are some my favorites from her. Speaking of favorite songs I think one of my all time favorite songs is comfortably numb by pink Floyd.

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  12. Phew, so true. I literally hate pop music these days. It defined us , it was the soundtrack to our growing up through middle years but now, as they say, OMG, just drek.

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  13. My life at work improved vastly when I got an mp3 player. And we actually didn't even have the worst of the pop stations on. I occasionally have to go into Walgreens. The Muzak there seems to be programmed by a ten year old. It's excruciating. And don't look to country music for any relief. It's just as repetitive and pretty much pop with a vague twang. Oh, one of Coldplay's better songs, "Talk" is a reworking of a Kraftwerk song....

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  14. http://wfmu.org/

    "Independent freeform radio broadcasting at 91.1 fm in New York and 90.1 fm in the Hudson Valley with gobs of online offerings."

    "Rolling Stone Magazine, The Village Voice, CMJ and the New York Press have all at one time or another called WFMU “the best radio station in the country” and the station has also been the subject of feature stories in The New York Times and on the BBC. In recent years the station has gained a large international following due its online operations and counts Simpson’s creator Matt Groening, film director Jim Jarmusch and Velvet Underground founder Lou Reed, among others, as devoted fans of the station.

    "WFMU’s programming ranges from flat-out uncategorizable strangeness to rock and roll, experimental music, 78 RPM Records, jazz, psychedelia, hip-hop, electronica, hand-cranked wax cylinders, punk rock, gospel, exotica, R&B, radio improvisation, cooking instructions, classic radio airchecks, found sound, dopey call-in shows, interviews with obscure radio personalities and notable science-world luminaries, spoken word collages, Andrew Lloyd Webber soundtracks in languages other than English as well as Country and western music.

    "All of the station’s programming is controlled by individual DJs and is not beholden to any type of station-wide playlist or rotation schedule. Experimentation, spontaneity and humor are among the station’s most frequently noted distinguishing traits. WFMU does not belong to any existing public radio network, and close to 100% of its programming originates at the station."

    And if for some reason I want something more in line with a "Top 40" sound, I go check out what's been performed at the Eurovision Song Contest..... Seriously, it's pretty good.... http://www.eurovision.tv/page/timeline

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  15. After watching SNL last night, I couldn't believe how much 21 Pilots sucked. So, I searched for "21 Pilots suck" and found this blog. This post is right on!! I haven't listened to radio in decades mostly for reasons that you cite. The last era of music that I liked was the punk/new wave era. Since then, every once in a while I come across some band like the Black Keys or Alabama Shakes that are doing it for me. Otherwise, it's back to Jeff Beck (who at 70 years old is still putting out fresh, quality music), Eric Clapton, the Stones, Pink Floyd, Kinks, etc. I had XM satellite radio for a long time, listened to Fred, Ethel, etc., but after the merger with Sirius they got rid of the best stations and added blathering DJ's. Just wanted to give you kudos for the post and to vent a little.

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    1. Thanks, Ed! So, 21 Pilots has made the big-time by being chosen as the musical act for last night's SNL, huh? Coincidentally, I ALSO searched last night for "21 Pilots suck" to see where Go Retro landed in the search results, but I was also pleasantly surprised to see I'm not the only person with that opinion...it turns out a lot of younger music fans don't like 'em and don't get 'em, either.

      "My name is Blurryface and I care what you think." Well good, because we think you suck! And that "Car Radio" song and creepy video is just one of the worst things, ever.

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  16. okay so i completely get that some of twenty one pilot's songs aren't great- stressed out is a brilliant example- but there's a reason why they have millions of fans around the world. many teens feel alone and anxious and depressed, so they'll do anything to find comfort. that's who tøp's music is aimed at. their first and second albums helped me to overcome some tricky stuff, and i'm thankful for that. sure, older music is better lyrically, and modern pop music really does suck ass, but please ry to keep an open mind as to why people like bands such as twenty one pilots and my chemical romance

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    1. Not sure about 21 Pilots but My Chemical Romance is awesome!

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  17. Different person than the previous anonymous commentor btw. And @ the last commentor, dude if 21 Pilots is right for you and helped you through some hard times then it sounds like it fits the definition of "good music" on a personal level. Good and bad are relative terms. I will acknowledge, though, that I dislike all but one of the 21 pilot songs I've heard. But hey, if its not hurting anyone else... everybody love everybody and all that.... no judgements.

    "Today's music is truly soulless. There's no more individuality, no more creativity. It all sounds like it was produced by the same record company"

    @Pam: Fist, you have a very cool site. I appreciate that you also hold previous decades of music in high regard. Second: As far as monotypic pop-singer/pop-dance music is concerned, WBUR's On Point had a really good segment last winter explaining it at least partly. The link to the archived podcast is below.

    http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2015/10/02/dr-luke-taylor-swift-katy-perry-pop-music

    Synopsis: Swedish producers, writers, and DJ's pump out factory assembled hits. Its a fairly successful style of making music, though lacking in originality.

    Two Swedes responsible
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denniz_Pop
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Martin

    Sweden kicks a$$ even if Swedish producers make some fluffy pop hits.

    "I think my energy would be better invested by this point by listening to real music by people with real talent, that can play instruments."

    I get what you mean, and I've been there. I used to evaluate the quality of music on the skill it took to perform or write lyrics. My thoughts on this have changed though. Today I judge a song more on its effect. If it makes you feel good or if you enjoyed it or it inspired you or it introduced you to new ideas....then its a good song. I am a bit concerned by the dumbing-down of society through music, albeit.

    To be fair, instrument playing is not a prerequisite for good music. Disco was considered pop junk by rock fans in the 70s, but compared to a lot of rock it used a greater diversity of instruments (strings, keyboards and pianos, bass and electric guitars, analog synthesizer machines, drums, horns etc). Its all relative.

    Good and original music is all around, but maybe not always on FM broadcast radio. Soundcloud is awesome for finding good "Indie" musicians.

    Mi Haffi: I have to

    Keep on rockin'

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  18. One thing. Those 'clowns', is that what you called them? Well they saved my life. Listen to the meaning before you judge the screaming next time, K bud?

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  19. I'm a 31yo man who likes practically every genre except rock/roll/metal, country, classical or 60's/70's/80's music. And you're a woman who looks like she's in her late 40's or 50's and likes every genre I hate, so obviously you aren't going to like the greatest (1 man) band alive atm in Twenty One Pilots. Their music is unique as every song is practically a different genre altogether.

    Not all of todays music sucks...

    Rap music has been going downhill since the mid 2000's
    R&B has gone downhill since the 1990's
    Grime has gone downhill since the mid 2000's
    Dance music has gone downhill since the mid 2000's
    Pop is relatively the same with slightly more autotune.....

    Ok maybe you're right todays music does suck, but.....

    Rock has been going downhill since it left the 'Rock & Roll' days of the 1950's ;-)

    There's a reason the majority of rock/roll/metal/60's-80's/classical music gets played on 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th sister stations, instead of the main 1st commercial station, and that reason is you rockers are in a minority. If anyone wanted to listen to people smashing drums, playing shitty guitars and not being able to sing then they'd be on mainstream radio more often.

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    1. "I'm a 31yo man who likes practically every genre except rock/roll/metal, country, classical or 60's/70's/80's music."

      So you dislike EVERYTHING. What is left?

      "And you're a woman who looks like she's in her late 40's or 50's..."

      You've taken the immature approach of insulting the author's looks because you have no real basis for your argument.

      Third, this is a RETRO themed blog. We celebrate all of the music you apparently don't like here. If you don't like it, don't read it.

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    2. By the way, I'm 44. I know I don't look like I'm 25, but no one has ever told me I look my age and certainly not older. Here's a blog post from just a few months back showing a photo taken of me at the time. Or just see my photo under the About tab in the menu; that was taken 2014 and was NOT touched up. Or just watch the YouTube channel for this blog. I take care of myself and protect my face from the sun. You must be blind or extremely ignorant.

      http://www.goretro.com/2016/09/when-seventies-child-me-becomes-middle.html

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  20. OK. I'm older than dirt. I finally broke down and listened to a few Twenty One Pilots songs. I certainly don't hear anything unique about them, most of the songs sound similar to each other and no different than the other groups that tread the same ground. Obviously I'm not their audience. YouTube lists as an associated act Panic! At The Disco, those guys I like! I'm not sure what D. G. likes either, I guess modern pop. Different musical tastes than me, for sure. Why he's commenting here? No clue!

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  21. Anyone that is ultra sensitive to someone telling them that their generation's musical acts suck -- well then, I hope you'll take a look at this blogger's tenderly worded musings. My post is pretty polite by comparison. He pulls no punches, and I agree with everything he says: http://www.nolandalla.com/25-music-listen-fucking-garbage/

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  22. These days 90% of Billboard's Hot 100 is pure garbage in the worst way. I feel completely disconnected from contemporary popular music because I can't get into it no matter how hard I try. Modern Folk is where it's at these days. There are still people putting out music with lyricism and interesting musical arrangements but they're all doing it under the guise of "folk" music. My personal favorites include Joanna Newsom, Mariee Sioux, Alexa Woodward and Angel Olsen. Some more popular examples include The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons—I'm less of a fan but they do put more work into their music than a lot of the other pop trash you hear on the radio.

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  23. The 1996 Telecommunications Act: February 8, 1996 - the day music died
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFsu-a6KIHI

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  24. Check out The Moderns and their new album Blue Sky. It's new, but it's got more of a classic rock feel than anything I've heard recently.

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  25. You should try The Moderns new album Blue Sky. Especially the song "The Price You Pay." New material with a very classic rock feel. Price has been described as a Dire Straits type sound.

    gabo

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  26. Check out The Moderns and their new album Blue Sky. It's new, but it's got more of a classic rock feel than anything I've heard recently.

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  27. First of all, thank you so much for this blog post! I thought I was the only one who thinks pop music sucks nowadays! And yes, pop music does sucks nowadays and I hate that Rihanna's song too! I always hear it being played on the supermarket here in my village! I first thought that Justin Bieber sang that song, but it's that b*tch Rihanna! I mean, the song Work is repetitive as hell and it's so annoying to hear especially that repetitive lyrics part that you've mentioned here! Rihanna's old songs were better (for example: Please Don't Stop the Music and If It's Lovin That You Want), but I don't listen to Rihanna anymore since her Anti album (man, I even hate the album title! she must be anti-pop or like an antagonist! I wish she chose a different album title!)... Pop music were better and less bad since the early 2000's and 90's, but it's starting to get really bad and worse since 2014! And I hate it! So I listen to old songs instead! I wanted to try listening to retro music too if it's better than the pop music garbage nowadays... There was still good pop music in the early 90's and 2000s, but nowadays it's just bad, too repetitive, less creative, too much auto-tune, being bad, etc... This is one reason why Donald Trump was elected (the bad lyrics or explicit pop songs)... I hope you read my contact form message to you, but keep this just between the two of us! Thank you for this blog post and I'm happy to see someone else saying pop music sucks nowadays! [9/10 for this post]

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  28. The day the music died 15/09/1995.Thus is not to say I don't hear some pop music I like from time to time .Classical baroque or romantic era music is of a very high standard and it bewilderes me how no one has ever been able to reproduce anything like Beethovens 9th or the intricacys of Bachs keyboard works ,or Vivaldi four seasons.
    Then came the 1920s to 1950s.Personally hated most music from this period in history though it was understandablely my parents favourite times.😆There are some exceptions but it's mostly terrible.
    Then came 1950s to 1990s I believe this to be the most inventive time in music history when referring to popular music .Theres just so much good music in all genres from those decades like ,Zeppelin to floyd Bread split endzs icehouse ,Garfunkle,Tangerine dream ,Jarre Dylan,James Taylor and even Early Maddona and some house music in the early 90s.I could go on forever but after the 90s, music started to degrade.
    The introduction of rap music and US gangster culture was definitely a bad influence. i believe this type of jungle chant type music if you can call it music is evil.
    Then came the total bimbos like Boncey and Rhianna and the like.These folk have made every young female worship glamour and bling taking away their innocent souls .We live in changing times and a lot of the innocence and emotional link with music is being lost.
    There are some that try to mimick the folk rock and such today but they will never improve on what's been done already.
    Overall though I think music is possibly a generational thing.We all have a stronger connection with the music we grew up with or related to some point in our lives.
    This explains why I never liked my parents music and they didn't get off on mine.I can't say that holds for the young folk today.Because l have heard of lots of 25 to 30 yr olds going retro.This might be an indication that modern music is really bad.Technically I'm not going to say why but it could be that the lack of harmony and the inability for people to write catchy melody phrases is rare now.I can't speak for anyone born after 1990 as this generation seems to be totally different phase of humanity.The after 1990s ones are just indifferent to everything and grow bored of things quickly.

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  29. If you listened to Christian rock music it was also unique because it was done by people who understood what that generation needed trying to reach out as many songs also had an inner *story* to them. Sweet Comfort band/Petra/Phil Keaggy whom also did a lot of acoustic guitar instrumentals. My favorite is Lights of Madrid which has a lot of Spanish guitar in an unique way.

    Try 2nd Chapter of Acts songs which many used keyboards that were new at the time. One of my favorite songs is Hey Watcha Say https://youtu.be/uozgvm-f4q8

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  30. We are in the end times. Every 20 or 30 years we usually go thru a spiritual revival which the last one was in the 1970s and a little bit of the 80s. The bible says in the end times there will be a *great thirst* for the word of God as there won't be another spiritual revival.

    So far there hasn't and we are overdue as a lot of Christian rock n roll reached out to the lost as otherwise their message would get lost in the sex and drugs music.

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  31. I stopped listening to popular music sometime around 1989. Seriously. The 1970s was the zenith of great pop and rock music and the heyday of the singer/songwriter. Those days are long gone. I grew up listening to American Top 40 every weekend. So glad I got to experience that as well as buying record albums. The younger generation's music (and most of the rest of their culture) is a big pile of soulless crap. Sad.

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  32. I don't listen to radio anymore, but when I do, I listen to talk radio.

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  33. Im going to have to disagree. You see not all modern music is crap, its just that the crap gets more attention. There are loads of great modern bands like fall out boy, panic at the disco or bastille to name a few. Also twenty one pilots are not crap.

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  34. I don't know what happened. I remembered when people actually performed and played there instruments like virtuoso's, regardless what genre because of the years and time they spent practicing. Now you have all these dancers running around on stage with a light show going on. Sad part is allot of the music you hear is mostly over processed and Auto-Toned, makes me sick to my stomach. I bet if you where to put them in a room and ask them to play without all the over produced tracks it would be a different story. Record company's don't build musician they want everything on a silver platter and fast like McDonnalds. There's still great music out there you just got to look for it.

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  35. Just turned 40 and have been a music fanatic my whole life. I've been a fan of a lot of bands across many generations. I like Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, The Beatles (was obsessed for awhile following the Anthology releases), Stones, Floyd, ELO, U2, GNR, Def Leppard, Nirvana/STP/Pearl Jam (was big into grunge and the whole Seatle scene), Oasis, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, etc., etc.
    Twenty One Pilots is one of my favorite bands EVER! How anyone can say they sound formulaic is beyond me. I've heard no one like them.
    I get that people enjoy their generation's music but how many times can you hear Hey Jude or Comfortably Numb?
    I get that some people appreciate great musicians but I personally don't care how the sausage is made, just what it tastes like. Of course Paul McCartney is a better musician than Tyler Joseph but I promise you Tyler could write and compose Penny Lane. It's a simple song and if you listen to Twenty One Pilots, The Killers, Imagine Dragons and many other newer bands and go back and listen to it (Penny Lane), you'll realize how simple it is. I'm not saying simple is bad but part of pushing music forward is unlocking new sounds and processes. Sympathy for The Devil or Sweet Child of Mine could easily be produced today but Message Man, a Twenty One Pilots song, could not have been produced in the 60's, 70's or 80's.
    I contend that a song you like the very first time you hear it, won't stand the test of time. Not that it isn't a good song, but it is rarely great. There are certainly exceptions but I've found that some of my favorite songs have become so only after hearing them a half dozen or more times and that's why many complain about the current generation's music. It's not that the music sucks, it's that the older listener has heard their's and previous generation's songs enough times to realize they are good and are too stubborn to give a new song a chance. Remember, these complaints that you are making about the current generation's music were once made about yours.

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  36. Finding this post as I researched a band I have come to truly appreciate, 21 Pilots. I see the posts above all leading to the previous post by Cliquer and I think you nailed it. The Stones were the "devils music" in my dads house when he was growing up, Grandma was into Glenn Miller. Nirvana was just a lot of screaming, 2pac was pounding, Tool was satanic...never to me, but that is what I was told. I am a musician, bass guitar...36 years old. I LOVE classic rock, top to bottom with very few gaps in between. I LOVE big band, swing, from MN have come to appreciate the Andrews sisters and many others who performed in that era like Benny Goodman Glenn Miller etc. I grew up on grunge and would put Neil Young, MICK Jagger, and Dave Grohl into similar categories in terms of their ability to rock in many different ways and or with different people and or for ever and ever. To insult a generation who now is clinging to words and music (Tyler Joseph = a good pianist, awesome rapper, fabulous and SPIRITUAL writer) that resonates with them, their spiritual hunger...isn't that what has been happening for generations? ERRONEOUSLY? Come on now.

    By the way, I don't like Justin Bieber as a role model for my kids...except if one of my kids could ever drum as well as him, I would be proud to man up in a rythym section with a bad ass drummer...cause believe it or not, that dude can stick. Just sayin.

    Peace music lovers.

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  37. A hundred years from now, the Beatles' music will still have an audience and be cherished, as will the music of many other classic bands and performers.

    The same cannot be said for 21 Pilots. If I hadn't had to listen to a crappy pop radio station that one day, I wouldn't have even heard of them.

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  38. I love you Pam. I'm only 31 but I can't ever recall a time that I ever liked what was "cool." I think the last time I did it was 1998; I was 12. My father raised me on 60s rock so for me, rock is dead. If it wasn't for Queens of the Stone Age and Primus putting out new CDs this year, I would have no reason to enter a music shop. I feel pretty lucky that they are even putting out new music. When people laud 21 Pilots as Modern rock, it makes me want to puke. If their music helped you in any way, that's great. But there is no guitar in their band. That is not rock!!!!! Please put them in the category that they are, pop.

    Right now I've become a huge Stone Temple Pilots fan. I've had a blast listening to albums nearly as old as I am, and am glad I have a large selection of old music to dig through for the rest of my life because I'll certainly never be finding a new act I'll like. At least not until "modern alt rock" starts including guitars again.

    - Vanessa

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