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1800iareyay 
Prog Reviewer
Joined: November 18 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2492
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 Posted: June 20 2008 at 11:54 |
 spookytooth wrote:
This is all I have to say about mainstream radio in the late 00's:
If a song like "Crank Dat" could be number 1 for 6+ weeks (something like that) than I don't have a lot of hope...well, for the radio at least. On the billboard 200, I am seeing improvements. I just saw Snakes and Arrows from Rush go to number three last year, and R.E.M.'s new album went to number two this year. In Rainbows also went number one. Magic from Bruce Springsteen also went number one.
Even hip hop on the billboard 200 has been showing some improvement. Kanye West's "Graduation" went number one, as did "American Gangster" from Jay-Z. Wu-Tang Clan's new album also charted high (25th, I think).
To sum it up, the music on the radio is imploding on itself, but some of the albums on the higher area of the billboard 200 are pretty good. Plus, it's cool to see Rush being in the top five on the charts again...
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To be fair, Kanye West's "Graduation" is atrocious. Utter crap, except for his whiz production. He was never a good lyricist or voice, but Christ, he had better rhymes than that. And people called it one of the albums of the year. Cryin' shame. Now, last year had some pop gems, from Springsteen to Arcade Fire, and this year has the best R.E.M. album since Automatic For the People and that new Coldplay album not only doesn't send me into a frothing rage, it's one of my favorite of the year. I agree that albums, though selling less due to teh interwebs, are charting increasingly because of quality (notable exceptions: anything coming from a Disney Channel show). It just gets kind of old to see threads like this on this or any forum, not to mention the conversations you have in the real world, saying how "it's not like it was in my day." You know who else said that? Your parents. These are the same people who vacantly dismiss all rap, despite such undeniable talent as Eric B. and Rakim, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, and so on and so on (granted it hasn't been that hot recently unless Jay-Z releases something), and call today's pop music empty when they used to dance to Madonna. I fail to see how other people's tastes somehow ruin your experience listening to other music. This of course excepts Hannah Montana. There is no excuse for that crap.
Edited by 1800iareyay - June 20 2008 at 11:55
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A B Negative
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 02 2006
Location: Methil Republic
Status: Offline
Points: 1594
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 11:58 |
"Popular music" has always been rubbish, that's why we seek out more fulfilling music, that's why we're on this forum. I spent most of the 80s trying to avoid Wham, Swing Out Sister, Matt Bianco, Curiosity Killed the Cat...
Don't get me wrong, even today there are a few diamonds hidden in the dirt (I'm not averse to Sugababes) but most of it is plastic, formulaic and disposable.
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"The disgusting stink of a too-loud electric guitar.... Now, that's my idea of a good time."
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Sacred 22
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 24 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 1509
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 12:03 |
Pnoom! wrote:
Sacred 22 wrote:
What is dished out on radio is utter garbage and only getting worse by the day. Humans by in large are so very manipulatable. Tell them what to listen to and they will. Just listen to the crap bouncing out of most cars today as they pass by.............
Yup, the masters of the music industry these days are nothing more than big fat pant loads following an agenda put forth by their masters. I won't go any further.
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yeah, ears have so much damn influence over what we listen to! People are so very manipulatable, listening to what their ears tell them they like. Gawd. 
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I liken it to the age of the pin cushion kids. Hey, they told them to stick pins all over their bodies and draw on them to....ha ha ha ha ha. An aquired taste in the words of Gentle Giant. Look up Pavlov and do some research on the matter and you will find that we are indeed very manipulatable. Monkey see monkey do.
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Hawkwise
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 31 2008
Location: Ontairo
Status: Offline
Points: 4119
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 12:43 |
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The results are skewed in favour of a minority. Yes this is true now more than ever Money is lavished on the Mainstream even though the Mainstream is the minority when it comes how much music is bought and listen to, anyone who really has any kind of interest in Music doesn't really take any interest what goes on in the mainstream of music , Charts are more meaningless now than they ever bean, only need to sale a few thousand records in the right store and there you are on Top of the charts its totally meaningless ,
But why be upset by it? just ignore it , any true fan of music will graduate towards more interesting and real music, The Mainstream Music scene (sic) has nothing really even to do with MUSIC it more about Advertising, Advertising has become a Huge industry all in its self and the Mainstream is all part of that ,
Just ignore it, it is a shame that there isn't more good music on the TV and Radio but there are good shows out there again you just have to search a little bit harder , and now with the wonderful internet
there more music to search and find than ever before, search it find it ENJOY !!!
I have never really understood music fans Moaning on and on and on on about how crap the Mainstream is ,
just ignore it as i do, Oh but what about the kids you cry !!! being forced fed this crap, well thats bullsh*t to
Most Kidd's ignore the Mainstream crap to once there 11 or 12 there music taste soon start to mature,
what about American Idle?etc etc all those crap talent shows you Cry, what about them since when was TV any good anyhow, and i am shore all the old Granny's sitting at home with there young Granddaughter
love it, dont mean You Have to watch it or take any notice of it.
The Mainstream is all about Advertising and MONEY, why bother yourself about it.
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Slartibartfast
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam
Joined: April 29 2006
Location: Atlantais
Status: Offline
Points: 29630
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 13:23 |
Look at the bright side, it just might drive some people to prog. 
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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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TGM: Orb
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 21 2007
Location: n/a
Status: Offline
Points: 8052
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 13:28 |
Slartibartfast wrote:
Look at the bright side, it just might drive some people to prog.
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It's already done that for at least one person.
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The T
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 16 2006
Location: FL, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 17493
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 13:44 |
Sacred 22 wrote:
Pnoom! wrote:
Sacred 22 wrote:
What is dished out on radio is utter garbage and only getting worse by the day. Humans by in large are so very manipulatable. Tell them what to listen to and they will. Just listen to the crap bouncing out of most cars today as they pass by.............
Yup, the masters of the music industry these days are nothing more than big fat pant loads following an agenda put forth by their masters. I won't go any further.
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yeah, ears have so much damn influence over what we listen to! People are so very manipulatable, listening to what their ears tell them they like. Gawd.
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I liken it to the age of the pin cushion kids. Hey, they told them to stick pins all over their bodies and draw on them to....ha ha ha ha ha. An aquired taste in the words of Gentle Giant. Look up Pavlov and do some research on the matter and you will find that we are indeed very manipulatable. Monkey see monkey do. |
For once, me and Sacred22 agree completely.... Don't discard things just because you don't want them to be true... It has been proven scientifically by psychologists and psychiatrist how easy it is to manipulate... and in this case, remember: you're not being manipulated to like something, you're being manipulated to buy something.... It's all for money.... From the message that's being told within the videos themselves (be rich, spend in cars and "ho's") to the constant bombardment with shows that make you want to earn a quick buck so you can live like the "stars" (MTV Cribs????) to the generic music.....
Granted, if radios and MTV suddenly started airing nothing but prog, they would lose some audience.. yes... it's more complex and difficult to digest.. but it would gain SO MUCH popularity that the theory would be proven: lots of people just listen what they're being told to.
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Avantgardehead
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 29 2006
Location: Dublin, OH, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 1170
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 14:35 |
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I avoid radio completely as even the "indie" or "alternative" channels play the watered-down, trite stuff that any Hollister regular can recite.
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http://www.last.fm/user/Avantgardian
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Moatilliatta
Prog Reviewer
Joined: December 01 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 3083
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 15:59 |
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I don't see the use in fussing about how bad popular music is. I like my music, that's all that matters. Plus, the fact that my music is pretty esoteric makes it a bit more special. That's speculative, but I feel like if everyone I knew liked the same music, it wouldn't be as special. Of course we all don't want to be the same. Different people find satisfaction with different music. People who like to dance are obviously going to gravitate toward music that is meant to be danced to, which is generally simple music, for example. Most "good" music requires more focus and time, and not everybody places enough value on music to take the time to get into it. Sure, a lot of mainstream music is made to make money, and that is detestable, but there's nothing we can do about it that we aren't already doing. Sure, I'm going to refuse to listen to my brothers rap and metal music in my car most of the time, but if he wants to listen to that on his own time, if he's happy, great.
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www.last.fm/user/ThisCenotaph
 
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salmacis
Forum Senior Member
Content Addition
Joined: April 10 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 3928
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 16:19 |
I've never seen the point of getting worked up about the 'manufactured' pop acts or those reality shows- that sort of stuff will never go away- it will always be there. A lot of pop wasn't so hot in the 70s or 80s either IMHO- indeed, I find watching 80s re-runs of Top Of The Pops particularly horrifying due to that awful syn-drum/programmed nightmare, the de rigeur Stock/Aitken/Waterman production team behind so many hits creating a formulaic sound and, lest we forget, the truly awful fashions. So let's not get too rose-tinted here! 
The real problem for me and I stress in the UK, is the aforementioned 'indie' acts we have to put up with as somehow important over here- these are the only acts that get a look-in on the BBC 1's coverage of the UK festivals.
I was staggered that Last Shadow Puppets project that bloke out of The Arctic Monkeys cooked up with a bloke from another nondescript 'indie' act was compared to Scott Walker just because they put strings on it and they mentioned him in interviews a few times- had these people forgot Scott Walker was a fantastic vocalist and a genuinely daring, groundbreaking artist? I have literally not heard anything from the UK in years that has even been close to being innovative. I don't mean to sound snobby here but frankly, when in recent weeks The Kooks can get to Number 1 in the album charts and The Pigeon Detectives and The Fratellis end up in the Top 5 I don't hold out much hope for things changing!
Take this week's issue of the NME- it loudly proclaims that Scottish act Glasvegas are the best new band in Britain on its front cover. Now, I heard this lot earlier in the year and thought they sounded like The Proclaimers without the singalong choruses. If they are the best new band in Britain then we really are f*****!
There is some damned good stuff coming out of the American indie scene at present though, I might add- these acts actually sound like they have been exposed to more than just indie guitar groups or 70s punk. I have enjoyed the work of Yeasayer and Fleet Foxes in recent times for a start- indeed, I think prog fans would find much to like about Yeasayer. I suspect they might like UK band Elbow's latest album 'The Seldom Seen Kid' as well- they are not a new band though by any stretch, this is their 4th album.
Edited by salmacis - June 20 2008 at 16:23
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jimmy_row
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 11 2007
Location: Hibernation
Status: Offline
Points: 2601
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 20:12 |
salmacis wrote:
There is some damned good stuff coming out of the American indie scene at present though, I might add- these acts actually sound like they have been exposed to more than just indie guitar groups or 70s punk. I have enjoyed the work of Yeasayer and Fleet Foxes in recent times for a start- indeed, I think prog fans would find much to like about Yeasayer. I suspect they might like UK band Elbow's latest album 'The Seldom Seen Kid' as well- they are not a new band though by any stretch, this is their 4th album. |
I can't say much about the UK indie scene, but I agree with what you said about the US scene. Especially Fleet Foxes, they are looking to be my top band among other "niche bands" that manage to sound different enough to keep me from complaining. that's what I like to see from current bands, to at least show their own approach even if the ground is well-worn. I can't say that I'm disappointed about this apparent movement toward the 60s/70s approach in some pop music (after this was considered "uncool" through the last two decades).
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Signature Writers Guild on strike
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Sacred 22
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 24 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 1509
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 21:00 |
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I think Steven Wilson sums it up quite nicely in his song 'The Sound of Muzak' off of 'In Absentia'
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jammun
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 14 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 3449
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Posted: June 20 2008 at 23:47 |
There's always been crap coming over the airwaves. It's just that it used to get mixed in with some decent stuff now and again. I don't listen to the radio anymore, so I'm not sure how bad it's gotten. But obviously when The Archies' Sugar Sugar was on the charts at the same time as some Beatles' single, this is not some new occurrence.
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Henry Plainview
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 26 2008
Location: Declined
Status: Offline
Points: 16715
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Posted: June 21 2008 at 00:09 |
The more time goes on, the few qualitative differences I see between the different "eras" of radio music. People just forget all the horrible manufactured sh*t that was out in the '70s because it preserves our "memory" of it being a blissful golden age before these damn kids and their rap music. But of course, most of the people here like classic rock, too, so I'd be lynched for suggesting that More Than A Feeling and Back in Black are just as boring as many things out today...They're just better musicians because they couldn't rely on autotune.
I do have to agree with T, people are very easily manipulated. We are manipulated too, just in different ways. Don't think that you're too smart to be fooled...
stonebeard wrote:
hey, when was the last time I saw the sun or hung out with a girl? |
Psh, who needs girls? COOTIES COOTIES COOTIES EMOTIONAL INTIMACY AHHHH!
WalterDigsTunes wrote:
I don't listen to any post-1989 music, thankfully. Keeps out all the foolishness of today, plus all the dire 1990s goofiness too. |
Wooo, arbitrary limits!
Edited by Henry Plainview - June 21 2008 at 00:15
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if you own a sodastream i hate you
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WalterDigsTunes
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 11 2007
Location: SanDiegoTijuana
Status: Offline
Points: 4373
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Posted: June 21 2008 at 02:40 |
Henry Plainview wrote:
T
WalterDigsTunes wrote:
I don't listen to any post-1989 music, thankfully. Keeps out all the foolishness of today, plus all the dire 1990s goofiness too. |
Wooo, arbitrary limits! |
The 1990s signal the death of music. Arbitrary limits? Only if I want to keep out awful modern noise.
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Henry Plainview
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 26 2008
Location: Declined
Status: Offline
Points: 16715
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Posted: June 21 2008 at 02:43 |
It's an arbitrary limit because you are refusing to listen to anything recorded after your cutoff. I guarantee that I could find at least one modern group that you would like a lot, but you'll never hear them because you don't want to. Closed mind, etc. etc., we've all heard it many times before.
Edited by Henry Plainview - June 21 2008 at 02:46
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if you own a sodastream i hate you
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WalterDigsTunes
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 11 2007
Location: SanDiegoTijuana
Status: Offline
Points: 4373
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Posted: June 21 2008 at 02:43 |
I like pre-89 artists who keep on keepin' on 
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Henry Plainview
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 26 2008
Location: Declined
Status: Offline
Points: 16715
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Posted: June 21 2008 at 02:47 |
WalterDigsTunes wrote:
I like pre-89 artists who keep on keepin' on |
I meant actually modern bands, not old ones that carry on even though they probably should have quit years ago.
What a shame that after all those centuries music died 2 decades ago. It had such a good run!
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if you own a sodastream i hate you
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BroSpence
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 05 2007
Status: Offline
Points: 2614
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Posted: June 21 2008 at 02:47 |
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There's plenty of good music out there, I'm not saying there isn't.
What I'm getting at is that in the last few years the state of mainstream music has gotten considerably worse. I'm only 22. I remember my senior year of high school and the radio still played stuff like the White Stripes, Tool, old Red Hot Chili Peppers, the rap stations would play Jay-Z, Beastie Boys and even Go-Go (D.C. area specialty). Now only 4-5 years later there's not even a band or artist on the stations worth trying to find. As in the musics has gotten REALLY REALLY BAD. This isn't an old man's complaint of modern music.
Yes there has been bad stuff in the mainstream throughout the ages, but none like today. I mean "Kung Fu Fighting" was an awful song. Yet it still had a melody that you could remember. It had memorable qualities despite its badness. Today the songs are without any catch, and are pretty much based on new slang terms which is even more stupid. Lil Wayne is the best rapper? The guy has the most nasally, forced sounding voice and he just blurts out random words. There isn't much style to his craft. Ghostface Killer already mastered something similar and better than that over a decade ago.
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WalterDigsTunes
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 11 2007
Location: SanDiegoTijuana
Status: Offline
Points: 4373
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Posted: June 21 2008 at 02:50 |
Henry Plainview wrote:
What a shame that after all those centuries music died 2 decades ago. It had such a good run! |
Amen to that, mate.
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The Lets talk about awful music of today thread
