2011-05-03, 03:07 PM
Dusk Wrote:People's tastes in music tend to be based on the crowds they hang out with and what they're familiar with. I don't like most current pop music. I don't know exactly why; I have different issues with different artists. Overall, it just doesn't sound good to me. I grew up in the 90s, my parents moved to the states in the mid 80s and all the music we had around the house for all of my childhood was 80s and 90s pop music. I like Britney Spears...I'll still listen to her earlier stuff, like Stronger and Toxic. I dunno, it seems like her current stuff, like "Till the World Ends" is all mixed for clubs and doesn't sound like something I'd listen to elsewhere. There isn't too much you can say about Pop in terms of emotion since the nature of the genre is that it's catchy and fun to listen to, not something that makes you think, so it's definitely not that the quality of music has degraded over time. It's just different and weird to me. Of course my music tastes have broadened over time but as far as modern music goes, I just listen to a random assortment of indie artists.
As for people hating on your music, that's just typical elitism.
Really well said, and I definitely agree with your analysis of modern pop music. Why I love it and listen to it is absolutely not because of it's profound depth in communicating some idea that will really make me sit and think, but because I'm a rhythmic person before a melodic person, and a melodic person before a lyric person. In other words, if I love the rhythm and sound to a song, I'll typically love it, and most modern pop music plays around with different variations within the same chords and 4/4 structures that are interesting to listen to (side note is that, as a dancer, I love thinking of how different rhythms and sounds can be expressed through dance).
If I want to listen to something profound and intelligent with regards to conveying an idea through lyrics or through a "feel" to the sound itself (if that makes any sense), I'll listen to Ludo (phenomenal alternative rock/borderline indie rock band, similar to The Decemberists) or Tchaikovsky.
Oh, but I must tack on a massive "ditto" to Khoi's and other's comments about lyrics: if I can understand them and they're absolute trash, I'll hate the song. I'm probably more understanding than most with lyrics and don't mind most mainstream, cookie-cutter varieties, but "I throw my hands up in the air sometime saying eh-oh, gotta let go. I wanna celebrate and live my life," etc.? Give me a fucking break. Anyone could write that in 5 minutes.