Glittering blackness of bickering jackasses
Recently the asinine notion has made it’s way into many people’s minds that music sucks today. I feel that they couldn’t be more wrong.
Unless of course they made this statement; “Music was way better back in the sixties and seventies with the likes of the Beatles and Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix and The Meters and Zepplin.” or “The baroque period was the greatest time for music writing.” Horse doody I say. I do not want to detract from any of those bands or baroqueial periods, in fact I love them.
I love music.
We still have all that music. It hasn’t gone away because Built to Spill writes rock songs in minor keys or because Nintendo-ized sounds can take the place of a string section. If Beethoven had a room full of sound equipment and a Japanese friend, he would be M83.
I do however see a problem with todays music scene, the fact that there is too much good music out there. The big record labels are a herd of bickering jackasses groping blindly in a glittering blackness.
What we must do is search out those rare but numerous jems, gleaned from the cusp of doom, and shout about them from the mp3 blog rooftops and anyplace else there are ears to hear.
Music is better than ever, not to mention the fact that we can listen to a little Curtis Mayfield or Albinoni whenever Modest Mouse feels too forced.
Now everyone can agree that wall paper was better in the ’70s.
August 31st, 2006 at 10:30 am
I couldn’t agree with you more… And with the internet there is an endless supply of new awesome music. The only reason why people can think that music sucks is because they only listen to the radio, mainstream music is over-rated, over-played, and overly sucks. They don’t put any effort into finding music.. and those people should be ashamed of themselves.
August 31st, 2006 at 6:36 pm
word. seriously a lot of people think that ‘music sucks’ nowadays because they compare everything to all the awesome stuff that came out way back in the day. and it’s ‘cool’ to be able to say that your favorite band of all time is led zeppelin and that you like older music because it makes you look more ‘into the music’. don’t get me wrong, led zeppelin is way amazing, but there is tons of cool ish coming out now. like most recently broken social scene has pretty much made me go ” oooooh. this ish is SO good” they play awesome music, there’s tons going on, they put on a great live show and it just works.
and granted, most of the music on the radio isn’t the best but there’s a reason why it’s on the radio. it’s catchy and it makes you feel good and that’s what the majority of the people want. something that makes the feel good. i, on the other hand, like music that makes you think. but that’s a totally different rant i could save for later.
ok i typed all that really fast, if it doesn’t make sense…. my fault.
September 1st, 2006 at 3:29 pm
You have to admit the people that chose what got played back in the day were much more talented than today (look at Led, The Cars, The Beatles, Jimi H.) But I dont know if it was all that was available for radio exec.’s or that producers just trusted these crazy artists that were bent on trying new things. Personally I think the latter.
Maybe I’m a little old school because I still have hope for mainstream radio culture to get their act together. I think it ebbs and flows. I mean “alternative music ” was born not too long ago and came crashing into mainstream radio. I loved rocking to Radiohead, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins back in the glory days. I discovered each one of those bands on the radio. I hope that can still happen. I also remember the feeling of utmost gratitude and elation to the muses for sending me Curtis Mayfield, Money Mark, Weezer, and so many more after long hours of flipping and sampling through records and CDs at the local Babaloo’s Record Shack.
I’m not sure that the internet has brought me that same fullfilment. But, similar to Ninjamin, the internet has opened up tons of old out of press stuff that was impossible to find (Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Willie Hutch) and I’ve discovered some awesome old artists that weren’t all that popular. (Television, The Meters, Eddie Harris) Internet works in both directions of time. I guess I’m one of those that needs to let go of the old days because I wouldn’t dream of letting go of music I found on the internet. And I think some exec.’s need to start browsing and just go out on some limbs.
I guess what I’m saying is music will always be a wonderful essential part of my life and I have a feeling it is an endless discovery of gems. It is our job as the Masters of this dojo to recruit younger generations and bring them to enlightment, Matrix style. Bow to your Sensei….BOW TO YOUR SENSEI!!!
September 5th, 2006 at 2:16 am
You know what!!! I think I was too soft in my response! The last time I listened to the radio they were jamming Modest Mouse, Interpol, The Hives (those guys rock, so shutup), The Strokes, The Walkmen, and (the best for last) Dear + Glorious Physician! That’s just to name a few!!(Yeah that last one was kinda my harassment that caused that… but I hear they play them all the time now) All be it that was a year ago… but I’m guessing it wasn’t too different on the radio out West than it was in the East! Dayam! Those lazy @$$ guys just need to shut the #e!! up and change the channel!…Please excuse my peace-and-love-hippie-warm-fuzzy message from before.
September 7th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
You really are too much of a hippie it’s true. My boss now used to be a stick it to the man sort of hippie until about a month ago when he was promoted to management. He is probably the angriest manager I have ever had. I think he is just upset that he has abandoned his hippie ways.
September 8th, 2006 at 10:26 am
I agree with you Ninja man. There are lots of classics from our past that we can relive every single day if we so choose. I was raised on drum and bass and The Monkees from my dad. Folk mandaline jazz from my mom, and hip hop from my friends. I still enjoy old music today, if not for the beats or tunes, but also for the memories they bring from growing up.
Even mainstream rap, which is more my area of expertice, gets made fun of on a daily basis, and I with it. But there are a whole lot of underground, political, non gangster slaughter lyrics and beats out there to discover. If anything, the music era of now a day is greater and dare I say better than before, as we have more variety and more unique music to freely choose from each and everyday.
September 8th, 2006 at 1:33 pm
I should post a good rap song, just for you Tokyo. Maybe I will. Maybe I will.
September 9th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
Dope Domingo! (that’s probably sacrilegious, huh?)
September 10th, 2006 at 12:23 am
As far as hippies go, listen to Blood On The Wall - Right To Lite Tonight and The Cars - Take What You Want 500 times and it will rock the hippie in you in the crotch! Just those jams and I could bang my head through the wall with my “rock on” horns held high.
January 17th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Speaking of glittering blackness have you checked out any of the Black Keys lately. BAM! Another good one!