My Defense of Modern Music

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       There was a brief day in the history of mankind when an artist could release essentially whatever he felt like without the grating pressure of a record company insisting on a single and without artistic restraints. This moment occurred many times in the late 60s and early 70s. Many would say without a second thought on the matter that those moments of brilliance and artistic development--which resulted in much output in our progressive territory--should be cited as the best moments in artistic rock music (I use the term to differentiate with preceding classical music) to this date. And many would agree, for who could deny the awesome power of such artistically strong and unhindered bands as King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Can, Camel, Gong, Zappa, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Yes, etc., etc.? Well, the answer is no one--at least no one who enjoys this era and realm of music, and certainly no one who grew up in this era--loving anything and everything it produced. 

    But there are those that would argue--and those that do. I am one of those people. Before I proceed I’d like to note that I am especially fond of the music from this era, as--believe it or not, I grew up on it too--thanks to my Dad. However--there are many today who would argue that music past this generation of creativity is hardly worth listening to--these 70s purists--and this is the point I plan to argue. The idea that modern music is not forward thinking and nowhere near as creative as music from eras before it is based almost solely upon one argument: the invention of the computer and its effect on music and the music industry. (For the record I am directing this document at no one on this forum--I am writing this for school and for my own practical reasons). 

    This argument, of course, has much in the form of validation--but, in my opinion, much more validation when we look at the good things this object has spawned. Now, of course the issue of music becoming “too easy” comes to mind. Many people bear the idea that in the Seventies it was harder to get your hands on a guitar, write some songs, promote yourself, and find a record company--and yes, it probably was--and yes, in this sense, music is “easier”. But then again, how is this not a good thing? Think of how many creative ideas the world would never hear if “becoming a band” was as difficult as it used to be. Ponder upon the notion that music stems from all people--essentially, it is conceivable that every band has one good song in them, and every person has the ability to write one good song or to put forth one good musical notion (I’m not saying every band/person takes advantage of this however…). If this is true (and generally speaking it is) then, in the Seventies, the chances were you’d hear, say, one out of a million of these ideas. Now, with some personal application and with a little broad-mindedness, you can hear (or create) much more, much faster. This stems partially from the Internet, which, accordingly, has “made the world a much smaller place”. 

    Now, for the computer’s effect on the actual art of music we have several issues to face. One, is the high dosage of awful music produced with the machine--music that, unfortunately, is the music of our generation--of my generation. This is the one point that I cannot argue with justly. I would have been a much happier person had my fellow peers grown up loving Jethro Tull and Yes as opposed to Brittany Spears and Fallout Boy--but what can I do about it? This has no barrier on music in general in my opinion though--there has always been the mainstream, and computers aren’t very likely to change that. The difference now, is that music has become a large shelf. There is the music of the top shelf--our beloved mainstream music, then--underneath, there is everything else--and this is where the magic of the modern world occurs. 

    This is where bands like Porcupine Tree, Mr. Bungle, Radiohead, The Mars Volta, Tool, Kayo Dot, Taal, Secret Chiefs 3, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Explosions in the Sky (all post rock in my opinion), etc., etc., comes into play--this is where the creative bursts of energy shine the brightest--and this is the place we hang around and the place which I’ll defend until I die. All of the aforementioned bands (along with many, many more) are--in my opinion, just as talented and inventive (by today’s standard) as the bands from that Golden Age called the Seventies. 

    This is easily argued against, of course, due to preference--but, no matter how you cut it, technically you can’t argue--the bands today are perhaps even more musically learned and technically adept than the bands of yesterday. These bands also have the added benefit of experimentational freedom due to “Indie” music and Self-Promoted music--and, again, The Internet. All of these things allow for music to be recorded and for music to sound like it never has before. These things allow for such bands and music to arise as you’ve never dreamed of hearing--and these things limit almost no constraints on a musician who is tried for money. The computer--while on the surface, scarring the musical scene, has--indeed, probably is--the one thing that has saved it. We have computers to thank for the production of so many unique ideas and so many new musical motifs and traits it’s impossible to count. We have modern musicians to think for their broad-mindedness and ability to think up the things they make these machines do. We have technology to think for the Progress in Music that exists under the Decline of music. Music--in my opinion, has reached a point that is no longer the Paradox of the 70s-90s--one step forward and two back. No, we’ve finally reached an age unhindered by restraints, where anything you can conceive in sound is possible, and where artistry is at its largest. We have reached the modern age of music, and it is just now beginning. 

    My last stand in the defense of modern music exists in the form that we’ve just begun. Listen to the music of the Seventies and you’ll hear a relative unifying sound that goes with almost everything of the age. Now, go listen to a Fantomas album. Next up is Kayo Dot. Take a listen to Porcupine Tree. Then The Mars Volta. Listen to a 65 Days of Static album. Go take a peek at the new Secret Chiefs 3 album. It’s hardly ever the same. This variation is a huge strength of our current musical era. Essentially, anything you’d ever want to hear is there somewhere--you just have to find it. 

So, taking that idea and expanding upon it, it’s easy for me to defend modern music--almost too easy. While the classics have been written and cast in stone, music is evolving once you look deep enough to notice. We’ve reached an era where anything can happen in this art, as long as there are willing musicians, there is a way to create the music they want to hear, and consequently we--as the audience, can hear anything we want to hear. It’s there, under the top shelf. If we look, we’ll find. Music is at it’s Second Golden Age--and one, I think that will be everlasting.          

Edited by king volta - January 23 2007 at 16:12

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