In a world full of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, one has to wonder; where has all the good music gone?
This may be (somewhat) opinionated of me, but it seems that good music is disappearing. It also seems that our expectations of what good music is may be disappearing with it.
Let me start out by saying that I am a 19-year old college student who enjoys the classics. When I say classics, I don't just mean The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, I mean Beethoven, Mozart, Barber, Mahler, Brahms, Bizet, Berlioz, et. all. I stopped listening to the radio several years ago because the music became overly repetitive. I ended up hearing the same songs every hour, and the sad part was that the songs played were terrible and instantly forgettable. I am, of course, talking mostly of rap and hip hop.
Rap and hip hop have undergone drastic transformations from what they used to be. When rap first started out, it was somewhat more decent and more meaningful. There were people, especially like Tupac, who cared about their communities and the environments in which they were living, and they sang about those problems. Today...well, you'll be hard-pressed to find a song that is not about sex, or being in a club, or having lots of money. The only rap group that I have found (so far) that is worth listening to is The Flobots.
The same goes for rock bands. Almost anyone who knows music can name the great bands of the 60's and 70's off the top of their heads (Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, Seger, just to name a few). Today, there are a myriad of rock bands, most of which sound the same and are instantly forgettable. The good bands which remain today are relics of another time (U2, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, etc.). Most contemporary bands have adjusted themselves to the sound of the loathsome Jonas Brothers (the damned antipathy of good music) or an overall generic sound. Sure, there have been some exception, but it is difficult to sift through the flotsam to find something enjoyable. Too many bands do not experiment in radically different sounds; that is what made The Beatles so innovative. They experimented with their music, ranging from including orchestras to using sitars.
Classical music is probably the most emotionally-invoking music known to man. I am not talking about the music created for movies, usually known as "instant music," but entire symphonies. The works of Beethoven are typically ignored by today's youth (except for some more educated people). Most cannot even name one American composer, though only one is really worth mentioning: Samuel Barber. For those of you who have seen the movie Platoon, you will know this song. For those who haven't, well, close your eyes, clear your mind, and let the music form your imagination.
Can music be saved? Sure, there has always been a gradual evolution of music, but what is seen today is anything but evolution. It is almost the equivalent of electing George Bush for a third term. I'd like to hear your thoughts on contemporary music. What are its downfalls? Its accomplishments? What good contemporary music is out there?