My feelings on modern rock

[iscream22]

Hi im iscream22,

*1st of all im going to state this is just my opinion and im not speaking for anyone else but myself*

Personally, i think a lot of todays modern rock music stinks. Im 24 and i grew up in the 90s listening to bands like The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Nine Inch Nails, White Zombie, Alice In Chains, Rage Against The Machine.

Rock was so important to me then and that music still is important to me today.
I turn on the tv and radio these days and i am dissappointed with much of the music especially the EMO CRAP with all these bands claiming to be punk but theyre really whiny.

I also think rap has gotten soft i was very much into Bone Thugs N Harmony, Biggie Smalls,Wu Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, Westside Connection, Snoop Dogg, The roots, Tribe Called Quest.

Rap was a lot more bad ass and hardcore too and now you have garbage like 50 cent and Akon.

Anyone else feel the same way or am i just jaded these days.:smoke:

[hit11man]

im 26 and couldnt agree more. The above mentioned bands were all some of my favs.
Lately though the only rock (newer) bands im seeing as being really good are kings of leon, raconteurs (and white stripes) and so on.. im not sure if were jaded or the whole industry is making it impossible to find what doesnt suck

[Dougie Brootal]

all music sucks now. i agree.

[ANC]

I'm 28 and also agree for the most part. Exactly the bands and rappers I listened to. There is plenty of good music out there but it's definitely not brought to the forefront as it was in the 90's. Rock stations now play either 90's stuf or that awful pop-punk shit. I gave up on rap music right after Big Pun.

[Sue_Bender]

Oooooo...I think we're forgetting Nickleback!

[midwestjeff]

Oooooo...I think we're forgetting Nickleback!

If only.

[Sue_Bender]

If only.

I'm glad you keep them close to your heart.:wub:

[realmenhatelife]

I think the problem is that you're limiting your sampling of contemporary music to popular bands. The small/indie and otherwise DIY componant of music today is huge compared to the period you're talking about. The music of today, that you dont like, isn't intending you to be it's main audience- it's being sold to people younger than you. You're also looking at the past through rose colored glasses, you've forgotten all of the crap in the 90s just like in the next decade people will forget the crap of 2000-2010.

The awful, slow death of the record industry is really the best thing that can happen in music because it's forcing people to learn about bands in new ways, which are significantly cheaper and inspire a much less casual interest.

[King Hippos Bandaid]

all music sucks now. i agree.


QFT

"Music is None of my Business" Marge Simpson

[KnoxHarrington]

Listen to XMU a while. You'll hear some good stuff.

Stop listening to shitty, ham n egger commercial radio.

[midwestjeff]

Listen to XMU a while. You'll hear some good stuff.

Stop listening to shitty, ham n egger commercial radio.

Great station name.

99.9 Ham n Egger Radio.
Playing all the drivel and featuring the wacky morning duo,
Ham and Eggs, in the morning.
You bring the coffee, we'll bring the funny! Wakka wakka!

[badorties]

there's plenty of bands making great music: wilco, radiohead, black keys, tv on the radio, hold steady, white stripes, black lips, lcd sound system & countless others

they just don't make it to the rotation of major market stations ... and now with satellite, the internet and mp3s, there's no need to listen to radio

[iscream22]

No i havent forgotten the music of the 90s. Thats the majority of what i listen to older stuff. Soul asylum, collective soul, gin blossoms, better than ezra etc.

And yeah there is some good music out there today im not totally jaded i enjoy radiohead, thom yorke, the shins, the decemberists etc. So its out there i realize. But the majority of mainstream music is trash.

And MTV sucks now too it used to be rad, and VH1 is heading that way with a lot of their reality programming (GAG)

And yes ive listened to xmu. Some of it is very good (ex fischerspooner) but some i cant dig cuz i think its pretentious.

And i dont listen to "ham and egger" radio i rarely listen to the radio because every day when i flip through its all music i dont dig.
ESPECIALLY the artists from american idol like daughtry are among the groups i despise most

[JerseyRich]

You guys are starting to sound like the Blowhard.

There is so much great music out there right now. It's just being played on Top 40 rock radio or being played on MTV.

If you look hard enough, it's out there!

[iscream22]

The awful, slow death of the record industry is really the best thing that can happen in music because it's forcing people to learn about bands in new ways, which are significantly cheaper and inspire a much less casual interest.


Please elaborate more im trying to see your point but cant get my hands on what youre trying to say.

you mean downloads?? I think downloads are good but i believe stopping the production of cds and records ( i collect vinyl as well) is horrible! Its the physical form of music and its the way that people have been getting their music for a long long time (records).

To me that furthers music going down the hole, because it entices artists to produce songs as singles and not as an album.

[iscream22]

You guys are starting to sound like the Blowhard.

There is so much great music out there right now. It's just being played on Top 40 rock radio or being played on MTV.

If you look hard enough, it's out there!

I think you mean just NOT.

And yeah i agree with you Jerseyrich (this is my first time being on the board in a long time, and i remember you having the Clerks sigpic am i right?)

There is good music still being produced and you have to look harder for it but still a lot of the indie music seems to be less of a wild/dangerous sound. Rock and roll used to have the persona of badass like the rolling stones and sex pistols.

Im just dissappointed that our future generations of rockers are being mass marketed very meek, whiny rock, i just hope that many of these kids can see that there is better music out there. At least if they listen to new whiny stuff listen to something thats creative like The Blood Brothers.

[hammersavage]

I would go as far as to say that music is better today than in years past. With production being so easy as well as all forms of music being so readily available, young musicians can make great music that can sound like anything they want.

music played on ***RADIO*** is an absolute disaster and if i judged music on that i'd kill myself.

[GameRelatedSig]

Radio definitely blows. I live in Edmonton, home of 6 top 40 stations, and one "classic" rock station that's just top 40 from 1975.

If it wasn't for Satellite radio, I'd have just stabbed my eardrums out already.

[epo]

Commercial sucks, but that is the format! Why are people surprised?

Think about the example: "The 90's" and the bands listed...The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Nine Inch Nails, White Zombie, Alice In Chains, Rage Against The Machine.


The Pixies & Sonic Youth were never on commercial radio.
The Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie & NIN got their hits played.
Alice in Chains & Rage got some rotations, but became more popular after the fact.


This isn't unusual. This is a common phenomena with today's over-programmed, over-formatted stations. (Read: Clear Channel)

I generally find this "music today stinks" complaint from my friends who have stopped looking for new things. It's not that "today's music" stinks, it could be that your methods for finding new music haven't changed.

[KnoxHarrington]

Try this: go to www.pandora.com. Plug in a band you know and like. It will pull up more bands for you that share characteristics with that other band, and you will probably find several other bands you've never heard of and love. Highly recommended.

Shit, if they ever come out with an app for the iPhone that allows you to stream it anywhere, that might be the end of XM for me.

[realmenhatelife]

Please elaborate more im trying to see your point but cant get my hands on what youre trying to say.

you mean downloads?? I think downloads are good but i believe stopping the production of cds and records ( i collect vinyl as well) is horrible! Its the physical form of music and its the way that people have been getting their music for a long long time (records).

To me that furthers music going down the hole, because it entices artists to produce songs as singles and not as an album.

Downloads figure into it, but really its a much bigger picture. The music industry started running in a way that discourages creativity. A band getting a push by a major label is basically in debt and they have to sell records to pay that back. Plus the record label is spending so much money on promotion they're going to choose bands that have the broadest appeal. So noone really wants to do anything very different, or appeal to a niche market, or try to convince people that something is good. The business of major labels is to sell you stuff you've already heard and already like. They push brands; and how often is the most visible brand the highest quality?

So, with the internet, a band can record, distribute and promote themselves almost for free. A band can book their own tour by using message boards or networking with other groups. These individuals clump together and start labels, recording studios, venues, distribution sources etc all with priorities totally removed from major labels. Since the money (both what you spend and make) is scaled so far back it doesn't matter if noone is interested. The most undigestable, unenjoyable, incomprehensive noise still contributes to an overall atmosphere of creativity.

The catch is, as a fan, you have to look harder and be openminded. However, this means you get to see your band in a club instead of a stadium, you might get to interact with them, and they're probably going to point you to other stuff you really like because they're not competing with those other bands for money.

When I talk about downloads I'm talking about album downloads, not singles. Singles are more major label things. They don't encourage you to buy the album because they look at the music as a commodity instead of an art form. Bands are still writing cohesive albums, and they're definately still making stuff for you to collect. The indie vinyl market is very very active.

If I were going to sum it up I'd say that nothing artistic ever benefited from being sold by the nonartistic.

[LaBoob]

I'm constantly looking for new sounds, whether I'm reaching back to the 60's or 70's, or I'm finding something new. I agree with some others here when I say that there is PLENTY of amazing music being made now, it just takes more work than it did in the past to find them because they're not played through mainstream media and there's also so MUCH now that you have to filter out a lot of crap to get to the gold... That's why I'll almost always take recommendations from friends whose taste I trust.

[badorties]

Commercial sucks, but that is the format! Why are people surprised?

Think about the example: "The 90's" and the bands listed...The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Nine Inch Nails, White Zombie, Alice In Chains, Rage Against The Machine.


The Pixies & Sonic Youth were never on commercial radio.
The Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie & NIN got their hits played.
Alice in Chains & Rage got some rotations, but became more popular after the fact.


This isn't unusual. This is a common phenomena with today's over-programmed, over-formatted stations. (Read: Clear Channel)

I generally find this "music today stinks" complaint from my friends who have stopped looking for new things. It's not that "today's music" stinks, it could be that your methods for finding new music haven't changed.

WDRE played the pixies and sonic youth

[fezident]

There's no shortage of great bands. The problem is; they get lost in the shuffle.

LUDO just came out with a record that's nothing short of brilliant. It's Weezer... meets Queen... meets Broadway showtunes. Clever lyrics. They're on a major label. If I didn't see 'em on Jimmy Kimmel a few weeks ago.... I'd never have heard of 'em. Now, their record is on a constant rotation on my iPod.

Same goes for HEAD AUTOMATICA. (Elvis Costello kinda pop/rock.)

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE somewhat recently released The Black Parade. A true masterpiece that has NOTHING to do with their earlier work. Unfortunately, it slid under the radar. Too much of a departure for their existing fans... and their emo stigma prevented them from gaining any new ones.

Etc etc.

Bands release great music all the time. Now that MTV isn't the "go to" venue for all things new... these bands disappear without a trace.


Having said that: A band called FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS is gonna be on Conan tonight. I'm heavily involved with that project. If anyone here watches it, lemme know if you enjoyed what you heard.

[Gvac]

First of all, WELCOME BACK iscream!!!

Long time no see, brother. Hope all is well.

As for the topic at hand, if rock and roll isn't dead it's certainly on life support. There are a few bands that catch my ear from time to time but none that blow me away. The sad fact is that the most interesting music being made these days is in other genres.

[TheMojoPin]

The sad fact is that the most interesting music being made these days is in other genres.

But that's not a fact at all.

[JerseyRich]

First of all, WELCOME BACK iscream!!!

Long time no see, brother. Hope all is well.

As for the topic at hand, if rock and roll isn't dead it's certainly on life support. There are a few bands that catch my ear from time to time but none that blow me away. The sad fact is that the most interesting music being made these days is in other genres.

Return that Wilco CD to me, Grandpa!

[CambriaBurning]

fezident... forever the sickest kids are badass.

head automatica too...

As for this thread... I dont know... There's plenty of bad music no matter what time you come from, and there's musical tastes that I change after a while. You can down on whatever you consider to be "emo" music, but I'd rather listen to those bands than any of the the ones I listened to in high school... all that nu-metal garbage was TERRIBLE. Korn? They're fuckin' horrendous, FIX YOUR BASS TONE. That's one of the only things that annoys me on the O&A show, when they get guys like audioslave or godsmack in there to play a song. I'm sorry, but "like a stone" is boring as shit, and they're music is just meh. I cringe when I hear Opie say "GODSMACK ROCKS" because godsmack SUCKS. They're a terrible band with idiotic music. I'm just over that stuff. Gee, where's my Saliva CD? Ewwwwww.

Some of the bands from the 90's that were good are still around, bands like the Foo Fighters.

For new bands, I'm sorry, but Mars Volta, Muse, Mutemath, and a few others are just amazing. If you're into the harder metalcore progressive stuff, Protest the Hero is badass.

Oh, and it's in my name, so I'll say it, Coheed & Cambria are amazing.:thumbup:

[fezident]

Agreed. There are many brilliant bands out there like MuteMath & Ludo. They should be headlining huge venues but, for whatever reason, they're never given a chance at radio & retail.

I went to The Virgin Megastore recently, and I was flipping through the racks of discs, and many of the new releases have a sticker that reads "as seen on youtube!" or "featured on Myspace!". Those stickers USED to read "contains the hit single....".
That's how flat the musical landscape has become.

A modern rock band could come & go and nobody would notice. A band just gets lost in an endless sea of other bands trying to get noticed.

[TheMojoPin]

MuteMath

"I know those words, but that sign makes no sense."

[dino_electropolis]

wanna preview of the future of modern rock??


come see muledose @ Webster Hall, June 28th.......

(shameless self promotion, yes.)