I’ve met people that don’t listen to music.
All I can say — I don’t get it.
I’m not even sure I want to get it.
The mystery might be easier for me to swallow.
Or else I might get caught in an endless vortex of the hell are you talking about?!
I’ve also run into MANY different people, from all walks of life, telling me something like this:
Today’s music sucks.
I CANNOT DISAGREE MORE.
The idea that music sucks at a specific time in history is absurd.
This comment goes hand-in-hand with the folks that will tell you they listen to everything except country and classical.
Gimme a break.
I will accept that it may take a little more digging to find what you like, but the amount of valuable music coming out today is ridiculous. It’s overwhelming.
It’s a torrential flood of possibilities.
Every. Single. Day.
Plus, there’s all the stuff you missed because you’ve spent the last 10 years proselytizing Prince’s virtuosity because of the 67 instruments he played.
Or making sure everyone knew the Purple Purv could shred basketball courts much the same as the guitar.
At this point I make sure to always mention my burning adoration for Purple Rain…
To those that want to limit themselves to the same-old, go ahead.
Keep discovering new things in old news.
I get it. I do the same thing.
I continue to study countless albums in order to see what I may have missed, what else they may offer, and how my perception of the same music changes with age.
But don’t make dumb, catch-all statements like today’s music sucks.
Because then you go to a bar where some random touring band is playing. You realize, they’re not so bad. Hell, they’re pretty good. But you gotta save face and stand still because
You’ve already said everything new sucks.
Movement is blasphemous. It may appear as though you’re having a good time. Just hold your beer, stand still, and (maybe) bob your head… looking at you Nashville and Chicago and LA and...
It takes guts to get up and perform in front of strangers.
It takes even more guts to put on a show and try to entertain people.
Everything you do is under scrutiny or ignored or drunkenly made fun of.
And that’s because we’ve forgotten how to value what we have.
Abundance destroys.
Look at how much time you spend searching for something to watch on Netflix or Hulu.
It’s the same amount of time it would take to watch the movie.
Then you waste more time by complaining a review about how much time you wasted on that 4-hour movie.
It’s the same with music — EVERYTHING is so readily available.
The new Cambodian-Christian-Jazz-Shoegaze album is right there.
Or there’s always a show to go to wherever you are. It’s almost a chore to go watch a live performance.
But it’s important to show your face at this particular show even though you’re not really into them that much.
Am I right?
We have too many choices.
There’s no reason to appreciate the band that traveled 1000 miles to play to 5 people. Another one is playing tomorrow.
Just the same, there’s no reason to appreciate the vast number of albums you can dig through to find a gem.
All the new stuff will never compare to what once was.
So you get stuck watching and listening to the same stuff.
It locks you into the same patterns of thinking.
The radio is a great example of this.
I recently listened to some Ohio and Wisconsin radio. Both of these stations clearly had playlists. Everyday you hear the same songs. Every. Day.
But both of these stations touted some slogan along the lines of “We play everything.”
These radio stations play everything just like that person claiming they listen to everything —
False.
Now, if you’re listening to the same tunes because it gives you time to mind-wander, I’ll STFU.
I like your style.
But if you think music, as a whole, in this specific moment in time, can altogether suck..
You are incorrect.
I welcome any comments and am open to discussing this topic.
Nothing could excite me more.
I’m no music critic, but I consume a good amount of music.
Some of it makes me laugh and some of it makes me cry.
Some albums I listen to once and forget, while others become personal favorites.
But all of it inspires me.
I love hearing and seeing something new.
Even if it’s something I’m not particularly fond of, the experience it offers me is worthwhile.
The only way to get out of repetitive consumption patterns is to step out of what you know and into something new.
Challenge yourself with some new music.
Below are a bunch of awesome artists to let your mind wander to.
You can listen to them in different settings or with different people and I bet your experiences will vary.
Or just listen to them because they’re something new that’s been offered up.
But for the love of god, stop complaining about the 0.0000000000001% of music out there that you hear and dislike.
It’s a lot like traveling somewhere and coming back to tell your friends and family that you kept running into assholes everywhere you went…
One begins to wonder.
Heard of all my suggestions??
Please send me your recommendations :)
Maral - Ground Groove
Bandcamp — Spotify — Apple Music
Maral does an interesting exploration of electronica with curious samples and fun noise manipulations. She samples a lot of Iranian folk, which makes it feel like a rhythmic preservation of history.
Christina Vantzou - No. 5
Bandcamp — Spotify — Apple Music
I guess you’d call Christina Vantzou an atmospheric-classical composer?? The way she plays with space attracts my ear to her. This album has beautiful compositions, field recordings, lush vocals, and noises I can’t begin to place. It’s sad, eerie, upbeat… it’s all over the place.
Indian Wells - No One Really Listens to Oscillators
Bandcamp — Spotify — Apple Music
This guy turns knobs at the right time. You focus on something for long enough and just as it feels like you’re in a rhythm, he changes it. The music video below is very beautifully put together for the track.
Szun Waves - Earth Patterns
Bandcamp — Spotify — Apple Music
Szun Waves has been a favorite since I stumbled upon them. Lots of atmosphere, layering, and room for space when necessary. You could say this is experimental jazz, but it’s rooted in the feeling they’re trying to establish, so even the wild, chaotic parts feel purposeful and necessary.
Oren Ambarchi - Ghosted
Bandcamp — Spotify — Apple Music
This album is so rhythmic. It’ll go great with your commute, especially if you walk. The beats become hypnotic, allowing the noise to come through and narrate. Oren releases A LOT of music, so if he speaks to you then there is plenty more to dive into.
Lucretia Dalt - ¡Ay!
Bandcamp — Spotify — Apple Music
I hope everyone gets the chance to enjoy Lucretia Dalt. I found her on a Monika Werkstatt collaboration and have been hooked ever since. This album is incredibly accessible because it sounds like a love letter to her Colombian upbringing, while her older stuff is more noisy. Apparently ¡Ay! is a concept album focusing on a consciousness trying to understand the 5 Aristotelian senses.
Weird Studies #131 @40 minutes, goes into the 5 senses, but they attribute the concept to Plato. Since Plato was Aristotle’s teacher, it only makes sense.
Maybe, since Socrates taught Plato, the concept originated with Socrates and developed more and more through each student to reach its final manifestation.
Any academicians who can answer this are welcome to educate me.
Anyway, listen to Lucretia Dalt.
She explores incredible ideas with sound and music.