Music nowadays is shit: Discuss. (1 Viewer)

[Diumraid]

But isn't this a positive thing? That's exactly what I want music to do, to affect me emotionally

Creativity often acts as a kind of therapy for the artist - the mere act of getting what's inside out of oneself is more than half the deal - add some reasonable craft and you've got a seaworthy boat. The need that the work answers is what resonates with other people, the need to express comes first - not conniving to manipulate the emotions of needy people. It's like a fuzzy line in the sand between 'us' and 'them' Come on @egg_ - you're better than this.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Music nowadays is great

NIN's 'Head Like a Hole' mashed with 'Call Me Maybe' is terrible and perfect | The Verge

 

[Anthony]

Creativity often acts as a kind of therapy for the artist - the mere act of getting what's inside out of oneself is more than half the deal - add some reasonable craft and you've got a seaworthy boat.

This happens a lot more with music that people "just don't like" a lot more often than they'd care to admit.

 

[washingcattle]

I don't for a second believe record company's sign bands because they make good music. Maybe at one point,a very long time ago,but I'd say nowadays you could write the best songs in the world but if you can't be marketed they won't sign you.

(maybe you'd get a job as a writer,but only maybe,and then you'd probably be told what to write)

In a way that's always been true, but there have always been exceptions. Meatloaf is pretty much the quintessential example.

This happens a lot more with music that people "just don't like" a lot more often than they'd care to admit.

Good point.

I personally don't think there is anything more boring than a person (especially a man) playing an acoustic guitar well and singing well.

That said I still have the upmost respect those who do that and I can see the merit in it. I just don't like it.

Part of this question, as some have hinted at, is not so much what it means to those of us who came of age some time ago, (I could spend a dozen lifetimes getting the most out of the music I've already got) but rather the people who are coming of age in this time. As a very old man i should be at least a little frightened of youth culture but instead I find myself frightened for the kids. One look at Scuzz TV and I'm quaking.

I think it has to do with the industry getting better and better at manufacturing emotion and creating emo bands (for example) that play a teenager's soul like a grand piano.I know this is not new but the more they move into rebellion and dysfunction etc., the harder it becomes to tell the real from the ersatz if you don't know any better.

Like I said before the music being produced is only good when it's idea-led (artist-led) and the business follows. There seems to be no ideas in mainstream culture right now, only market targets. We got our jollies from mainstream portals like TOTP, MTUSA, MTV (old style) and others. How different would it be to grow up now?

But isn't this a positive thing? That's exactly what I want music to do, to affect me emotionally

Creativity often acts as a kind of therapy for the artist - the mere act of getting what's inside out of oneself is more than half the deal - add some reasonable craft and you've got a seaworthy boat. The need that the work answers is what resonates with other people, the need to express comes first - not conniving to manipulate the emotions of needy people. It's like a fuzzy line in the sand between 'us' and 'them' Come on @egg_ - you're better than this.

Were veering nicely into a discussion of verisimilitude in music now. I'm looking forward to this.

 

[Diumraid]

This happens a lot more with music that people "just don't like" a lot more often than they'd care to admit.

If music is primarily meant to meet a personal need it follows that it might not mean anything to anyone else at all. Many musicians arguably ought not to be aiming their work at the public at all. I would like to see more people being creative and fewer trying to be professional.

 

[Diumraid]

If music is primarily meant to meet a personal need it follows that it might not mean anything to anyone else at all. Many musicians arguably ought not to be aiming their work at the public at all. I would like to see more people being creative and fewer trying to be professional.

When I say 'see' people being creative i really mean 'not see them' .. just glad to know they're getting their jollies.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

When I say 'see' people being creative i really mean 'not see them' .. just glad to know they're getting their jollies.

I see.

 

[Lili Marlene]

If music is primarily meant to meet a personal need it follows that it might not mean anything to anyone else at all. Many musicians arguably ought not to be aiming their work at the public at all. I would like to see more people being creative and fewer trying to be professional.

I'd agree with this to an extent but some of my favourite music was written to be performed or written to be listened to.

Like how most of my favourite books were written to be read, not just as a diary.

 

[Diumraid]

I'd agree with this to an extent but some of my favourite music was written to be performed or written to be listened to.

Like how most of my favourite books were written to be read, not just as a diary.

I'm being a little disingenuous, as are you possibly; working for your own satisfaction doesn't mean the form has to be private. If you like novels then you might like to write a novel. Beyond that, you can trust that there's an urge to reach people and to have one's work validated in some way which means that there will always be a lot of people having a go so there will probably always be something to read / hear / otherwise engage with as long as there are people. There's a utility aspect as well in that we'll presumably always need the magical function of the arts in our lives - maybe these should be sourced locally rather than from mega-corporations? In any case there's little fear that the community / public aspect would disappear.

There's a certain pressure to succeed that tends to direct people away from their own instincts and toward the way in which things tend to be done. I believe this is why most kids give up drawing and painting as they hit their teens, or younger - the work isn't matching up to some idea of what an 'artist' does. All kids are true artists (even if they don't know it) - if all adults were true artists, selling their work would be equivalent to trying to sell a child's painting - equally priceless and worthless. It should be more OK in society to be a confirmed amateur - literally 'for the love of it' - that's the wellspring.

I'm not trying to posit some future or past utopia so don't ask me how this other paradigm actually works. It's really just a questioning process. When we speculate we rehearse for possibilities. The better the speculation, the better prepared we are - much like a fire-drill.

 

[shower another shower]

Music should be made for one reason only. To glorify god(s).

 

[Lili Marlene]

I'm being a little disingenuous, as are you possibly; working for your own satisfaction doesn't mean the form has to be private. If you like novels then you might like to write a novel. Beyond that, you can trust that there's an urge to reach people and to have one's work validated in some way which means that there will always be a lot of people having a go so there will probably always be something to read / hear / otherwise engage with as long as there are people. There's a utility aspect as well in that we'll presumably always need the magical function of the arts in our lives - maybe these should be sourced locally rather than from mega-corporations? In any case there's little fear that the community / public aspect would disappear.

There's a certain pressure to succeed that tends to direct people away from their own instincts and toward the way in which things tend to be done. I believe this is why most kids give up drawing and painting as they hit their teens, or younger - the work isn't matching up to some idea of what an 'artist' does. All kids are true artists (even if they don't know it) - if all adults were true artists, selling their work would be equivalent to trying to sell a child's painting - equally priceless and worthless. It should be more OK in society to be a confirmed amateur - literally 'for the love of it' - that's the wellspring.

I'm not trying to posit some future or past utopia so don't ask me how this other paradigm actually works. It's really just a questioning process. When we speculate we rehearse for possibilities. The better the speculation, the better prepared we are - much like a fire-drill.

Don't even get me started on the adults using the childhood as a utopia idea for their own purposes.

But yes, I'd broadly agree with this, I just felt the thread was going too far towards "and if anyone else listens it's a bonus" to remain unchallenged. Like you said, it's just a questioning process.

 

[Diumraid]

Don't even get me started on the adults using the childhood as a utopia idea for their own purposes.

I forgot the other reason a lot of people give up art - it's really hard, that's why professional artists simply cannot be overpaid.

 

[egg_]

The need that the work answers is what resonates with other people, the need to express comes first - not conniving to manipulate the emotions of needy people.

I dunno dude

Exhibit A) there are plenty of artists whose own emotion is clearly authentic but whose output doesn't resonate with me at all

Exhibit B) lots of corporate pop music makes me jump for joy

I don't care if the creator is an artist suffering in a garrett, or a well-paid hack in an LA studio somewhere, I just want the music to shake me

 

[hugh]

I don't have time to engage with this but the notion that music (or any art-form) should be an expression of some inner "authentic" emotion is way too limiting in my opinion (not entirely sure anyone is actually saying that mind you). That way leads to a hell of earnest young men with quivering voices and acoustic guitars. Like Egg, I'd prefer manufactured pop music over that any day. Carry on please ...

 

[Diumraid]

I dunno dude

Exhibit A) there are plenty of artists whose own emotion is clearly authentic but whose output doesn't resonate with me at all

Exhibit B) lots of corporate pop music makes me jump for joy

I don't care if the creator is an artist suffering in a garrett, or a well-paid hack in an LA studio somewhere, I just want the music to shake me

A) As I said some peoples work isn't going to resonate with anyone, hence the idea that it might not be suitable for pop culture - some will resonate with lots - it's not a measure of your own authenticity if you don't feel something.

B) I assume it's genuine joy that goes into joyful sounding music, or at least some kind of bittersweet irony - like a depressed comedian - who said it was all angst in fairness? Getting feelings out seems to mean one thing around here.... hmm

 

[Diumraid]

I don't have time to engage with this but the notion that music (or any art-form) should be an expression of some inner "authentic" emotion is way too limiting in my opinion (not entirely sure anyone is actually saying that mind you).

To give this point its due - I don't propose 'expression' as meaning anything other than getting what's inside out - like juice is expressed from an orange; what happens then is a world of contingency.Larry loves OJ but he's had enough, so no thank you!, Harry thought he hated OJ but has had an epiphany, Barry loves OJ but thought this batch was merely adequate. I would say that a pure transmission of anything is the least likely of all possibilities.

 

[ann post]

I don't have time to engage with this but the notion that music (or any art-form) should be an expression of some inner "authentic" emotion is way too limiting in my opinion (not entirely sure anyone is actually saying that mind you). That way leads to a hell of earnest young men with quivering voices and acoustic guitars.

i've no idea if anyone said it either. i agree with what you are saying though. its something i was conscious of the last few years. i'm always thinking of the synaptics of writing. this thing where 'emotional purity' is a must leads to the songs being a venting platform, or a crutch of sorts. writing mode gets looped with emotion mode. they become simbiotic. emotional songs forever. not actually what music is for.

has anyone got any good reading on the synaptics of creativity, throw it at me!

 

[The septic]

Who gives a fuck if music is shit nowadays. Every song ever recorded is available on my phone, my computer, that crappy tablet I just bought to keep the kids happy. If you had told me this would be possible when I was 18 years old, I would have literally fallen on to my face just dreaming about it. The internet is the best thing to ever happen to music!! There is great music being produced every day, in every genre in most countries of the world any we can listen to it whenever we want.

 

[The septic]

Oops. Well that's the first drunk post of 2014 out of the way. Sorry about that. Was having a particularly fruitful night of youtubing.

 

[washingcattle]

I dunno dude

Exhibit A) there are plenty of artists whose own emotion is clearly authentic but whose output doesn't resonate with me at all

Exhibit B) lots of corporate pop music makes me jump for joy

I don't care if the creator is an artist suffering in a garrett, or a well-paid hack in an LA studio somewhere, I just want the music to shake me

This is the equivalent of saying all films should make you happy and entertain you, when the fact is that some of the greatest films ever made do the exact opposite of that and are brilliant because of it.