Everything is Retro - Music - Forums : Best Ever Albums

RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?

Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland

Moderator

BrandonMeow wrote:

I really didn't contradict myself...I do agree there isn't one defining movement of this era, (I'm just not sure I agree the mainstream is simply harkening back) and that is because of you being able to be both a "mod" and a "rocker" to use your example, instead of them being exclusive. Everything is mixing together. Plus, movements are mingling more...there is a maelstrom of ideas to chose from, instead of slipping into just one scene or another. Even though having something to identify with is lost in this, I think it just means there is more individuality and uniqueness in the music. I think almost everything these days is unidentifiable and ambiguous and impossible-to-identify. There are positives and negatives to that.
And regarding parents being able to enjoy the music...well, with your one retro example, sure, but things like dubstep (well, usually the more popular "brostep" variety) are intensely popular and I highly doubt many parents would enjoy it. And regardless, I think artistic integrity stands high above creating scenes, and styles.

I think that's an important point.

Everything is blending together. There is a wealth of ideas and movements to choose from now, it's not just rock and hip-hop or something. There are so many genres and so many small movements and access to all of these is so easy that anyone can easily be apart of any movement. Sure, there isn't one defining movement that everyone remembers the decade by, but I don't think there needs to be.

The movement people will remember this and the past decade by is the exponential expansion of music. There's so much now. Not at any point in history has there been so much music so easily and readily available. That is what these decades will be remembered for, the expansion of the art of music, not for one genre, but hundreds.
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davidhuret

Gender: Male
Location: Lille,France

It seems the original quote specifically referred to a lack of obvious evolution between, for example, 1998 and 2008.
I'd have some difficulty, given a piece of pop (in the broadest sense) music I don't know, to pinpoint its year of release as far as the last dozen years are concerned. No such problem with the 1960s for instance. 1967 had a sound far removed from 1966, itself light years from 1965, let alone 64.
So I tend to agree with that quote. Lots of recycling recently. Sometimes the results are great, or at least entertaining (Foxygen is a prime example), depending on the source material.

sp4cetiger

In the 2000s, it seemed like most of the mainstream rock was being categorized as either emo or indie rock. The former, in particular, had a distinct subculture and sound that went with it. Both were used by kids to distinguish themselves from older fads, like britpop and grunge. There may be more blending going on now because of the internet, but I don't understand why people are saying there were no mainstream musical movements to identify with.

The whole retro thing isn't new either. There was a rockabilly revival in the '70s and a punk revival in the early '90s, for example. Oasis certainly wasn't the first to repackage old sounds in the mainstream. Not even close.

Listmeister

Gender: Male
Location: Ohio

The sound of the late 90's was softer, more Celtic and Britpop influenced while current music is harsher, more varied, more Country influenced.

Comparing similar artists.

2000: Christina Aguilera, Sarah MacLachlan, Destiny's Child, Janet Jackson
2010: Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Lily Allen, Beyonce, Florence and the Machine. Ke$ha

2000: Smash Mouth, Barenaked Ladies, Goo Goo Dolls, Smashing Pumpkins
2010: Fall Out Boy. Nickelback. the Black Keys. Train. Linkin Park

2000: N Sync, Backstreet Boys
2010: One Direction, fun.

Comparing artists without equivalents.
2010: Daft Punk. Arcade Fire. My Chemical Romance. T-Pain. Kanye West. The Black Eyed Peas.
2000: Kylie Minogue. Sonique. 2Pac. Shaggy. Kula Shaker. Enya. Loreena McKennitt. Aqua.

Also, artists' careers are lasting much longer than they used to. When the Beatles broke up in 1969 after 7 years of recording, that was considered a good run for a band. There were exceptions, but even as late as 1990 a decade was about as long as an artist could hope to stay current.

2000-2010: Britney Spears. P!nk. Eminem. Radiohead. Coldplay. Enrique Iglesias. Green Day. All of these are showing no signs of slowing down.

I think there was a dramatic shift between 2007 and 2009, although I can't pinpoint a moment when it shifted.

bigeyedfish

RockyRaccoon wrote:

I think that's an important point.

Everything is blending together. There is a wealth of ideas and movements to choose from now, it's not just rock and hip-hop or something. There are so many genres and so many small movements and access to all of these is so easy that anyone can easily be apart of any movement. Sure, there isn't one defining movement that everyone remembers the decade by, but I don't think there needs to be.

The movement people will remember this and the past decade by is the exponential expansion of music. There's so much now. Not at any point in history has there been so much music so easily and readily available. That is what these decades will be remembered for, the expansion of the art of music, not for one genre, but hundreds.

Well said. Maybe in retrospect, we'll be able to categorize this decade and the last somehow, but it seems to me that popular music has transcended the 'scene.' Artists make music however they want, in their own personal way. Also significant is the way lyrics are no longer tied to genres so much. I mean, you can generalize, but the lyrical stylings aren't a defining trait of a genre.

The great advantage of today's musical environment is that everything is out there, being made. Punk is 'over,' but there are punk bands today, for example. Every genre is alive and available. The biggest disadvantage is that, since there is really no need to categorize musical tastes and identify with any real opinion, many people (especially of my teen age) simply don't. iPods are filled with a single top 10 hit per artist. This isn't everybody or even the majority, but it happens often. Many people don't have a specific taste in music.

Romanelli
Bone Swah

Gender: Male
Location: Broomfield, Colorado

Moderator

noWaxJim wrote:

I vividly remember my Mum saying in '94 when I left Blur's Parklife in my CD player how much she 'enjoyed listening to it'. Parents are supposed to loathe pop from beyond their generation - and it's this distinction between music of the past and the present that makes pop music so essential to the lives of most Western teenagers. When was the last time that happened? Now the pop stars of today and tomorrow are being chosen by Mums and Dads via telephone voting on talent shows. Christ alone knows how Boy George would have gone down on Pop Idol.

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I could not agree with this paragraph any less. There are a LOT of "parents" who loathe the music that their children listen to. However, just because a lot of them do, doesn't mean that's how it's "supposed" to be, it's not a fact that ALL of them do, and it's statements like this that end up categorizing anyone who is older as closed minded, uninformed, and inferior....which is what you are by saying it. Placing the blame for the bad things in today's music on the parents is pathetic and stupid. YOU are the one who is acting like an "old person" by disregarding the opinion of those who have experienced a hell of a lot more than you have both in life and musically, and there are just as many people who are stupid about music in your age group as there are in your parents age group. And I'd be willing to bet that there are at least as many young kids voting for their favorite "idols" as there are older people. You could maybe ask...who's voting for the cute one, and who is voting for the best singer?

If your reasoning for liking certain music is because your parents are supposed to hate it...well, that's just kind of ridiculous.
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tatlawson

stop listening to the radio if you want to do something good for the earth