We don’t think that. We think the world will end them.
The music today is soulless, meaningless crap. That and how kids today are, to sum up things, more likely to be suffering some mental or emotional illness. Apparently, IQs have been dropping as well.
If you didn’t link the video, I would’ve marveled at a country music song being #1 LOL.
The concept of Stepford Wives is criminally underrated…
Also, shout out to (at least) a passing mention of Elvis Costello.
That’s a Great example of Exactly what I meant!
When I asked what do you mean, it was a reference to the lyrics of the song.
This topic comes up with the boys from time to time and i always tell them the same thing, good music is out there, but you have to find it. There are tons of great bands and artists, but for the most part they aren’t very popular. I miss the days of physical music. Rick beato gives his thoughts.
I agree.
First couple of albums from Journey were quite different, though. Very prog rock. I guess they wanted to make some dough, so they took to a more commercial route.
Spice 1
Scarface
Geto Boys
DMG
Too Short
Probot
Grohl is a true metal head
THE MELVINS inspired everyone
If you’re referring to chart toppers, then yes it’s objectively getting “dumber.” Not only is there a trend over the past few decades in the average reading level of the lyrics going steadily down, but the music itself lacks any variety or nuance such as unconventional time signatures. It’s sad that you see it across every genre of music too.
Seriously, let’s take two chart toppers separated by just 40 years, both with pretty simple lyrics/message. Just listen to the extreme gap in complexity.
I agree with much of this except that first part. I think it’s misleading and oversimplifying to say listeners are “dumber” on average. It may be more accurate to say that we are in an age of information overload and with so many more jobs shifting over into the tech space, that perhaps the average person doesn’t want to actually think about the nuance of a chord progression or the hidden meaning behinds the lyrics they’re listening to. They are ok turning the brain off for a second and don’t need to necessarily be challenged by a complex jazz progression or trying to dissect the metaphors in Pink Floyd. I can only support this hypothesis anecdotally admittedly, though. I work for a high frequency trading firm with some of the most brilliant traders and devs I’ve met, and yet I’m still shocked how many of them rock out to the most basic bitch pop music on the job. 
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Spice 1. I probably wouldn’t classify those listed as “new” though.
A lot of the smaller blues and americana artists are putting out some great stuff lately (even some of the bigger older names like Keb Mo are still knocking albums with real messages out).
Meanwhile, garbage (not the awesome band Garbage) like Lizzo, Chapelle whatever-her-name, Megan thee Stallion (whatever the hell that is), get played non-stop.
Spice 1 is a genius. Check out his first album.
I have some guilty pleasures.
I could have said ignorant or uneducated (music wise) to have been clearer. Back when you had AOR radio stations, you received what was essentially a musical history lesson. I remember hearing U2, Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, REM, Hendrix, Iron Maiden and Prince, for example, all played in the same hour. This is why the argument is different now. If you listened to heavy metal in the 80s and your parents were like, “why don’t you go listen to the Beatles instead of that crap,” you knew who the Beatles were. The Beatles were even an influence on Cobain. If your older brother or uncle said that Black Sabbath was better than the hair metal you listened to, you knew who Sabbath was. You could say that EVH was better than Hendrix or Clapton because you had heard all three. Nowadays, kids aren’t familiar with older music so they can’t even defend their music when older people call it crap. With that said, I do know younger people who, after having listened to older music, admit it is better.
I believe experiencing music is an important part of the human experience. There is something primal about it that is almost as old as humanity itself. Depriving people, in this case younger people, of that experience by making music a product that lingers in the background, that doesn’t play an important role in your life, has zero artistic value (it’s anti art), leaves a vacuum where understanding, appreciating, and coping with being human once took place.
Zach Bryan, Jason isbell are phenomenal lyricists. And Justin Vernon’s projects are some of the more progressive and influential musical ventures I’ve ever heard (I admittedly am a HUGE fan of his). EDM was effectively disco, and just like disco there was a lot of a really great music made in the genre, but it was more a vibe than an art form. Hip-hop is in a weird place with female artists biting late 90s and 2000s male rappers subject matter, and male hip-hop is stuck in a weird emo moment. The war on drugs, the national, vernons aforementioned projects are all producing quality rock.
Times and tastes change. The older we get, the weirder and worse new music becomes. It also becomes harder and harder to come up with something new, fresh and likeable as more and more music has been made
It’s not getting weirder, it isn’t even weird, that’s the problem. It’s contrived, derivative and safe.