The Decline of Rock Music

[Hackfest]

I thought I'd see how everyone weighs in on this subject. I don't really listen to the radio, but it's painfully obvious to me that Rock is all but dead. I can't stand all those depressed, monotone clones that are out there today vocally, and it bothers me to no end that the music is bland and uninspired. When Slash played a solo in old G n' R, you FELT it. That's close to extinct now. The feeling of raw energy from Axl (whether you appreciated his style or not) was alive, unlike Nickelback and the other tripe out today. Does anyone agree?

[jen]

I agree. Though my favorite genres tent to be more along the lines of Folk Rock, and more laid back stuff. I have found that it is very difficult for me to find anything in the Rock genre that I would even give the time of day anymore. Back in the early nineties I had a much broader ranger of rock music in my library, but it has been years since my last purchase of a new rock album. Things are becoming so repetitive. To me, hearing a song, that reminds me of another, while it may be comfortable, is not new and exciting, as I think fresh new music should be.

[jq]

hackfest said:

I thought I'd see how everyone weighs in on this subject. I don't really listen to the radio, but it's painfully obvious to me that Rock is all but dead. I can't stand all those depressed, monotone clones that are out there today vocally, and it bothers me to no end that the music is bland and uninspired. When Slash played a solo in old G n' R, you FELT it. That's close to extinct now. The feeling of raw energy from Axl (whether you appreciated his style or not) was alive, unlike Nickelback and the other tripe out today. Does anyone agree?

I didn't really see an option for me, so I went with the best one.

Look, here is the thing. Yes, Nickelback sucks. So do 95% of any other garbage getting played on the radio. But this isn't because rock has declined-- this is because the music business as a whole has declined. They are pushing crap. They aren't pushing experimental artists anymore. MTV plays only what is safe, and mainstream.

Having said that, you should be reminded that just because the mainstream isn't paying attention to good rock acts doesn't mean they don't exist.

Radiohead put out an album this year which is just about as good as any rock album you have heard. NIN also came out with a badass record. Though they are mainstream, I really think the White Stripes have consistently put out good rock material. Their new album is really pretty good. Then there is the Eagles coming out with a new album, Arcade Fire, and as for progressive rock, Porcupine Tree just came out with a killer progressive album. I still like old King Crimson better, but Porcupine Tree's album competes with most any progressive rock aside from Red.

As for guitar oriented rock with a gnr sound, honestly, I couldn't tell you who is making music that sounds like that these days, simply because it is a genre that doesn't spark my interest. But I garantee you there are bands out there who still hold guitar solos in a high regard. (A semi- mainstream example would be Velvet Revolver, but I realize that is an obvious, and not the best recommendation.) I strongly recommend signing up for rate your music (www.rateyourmusic.com) and exploring music through that web site. You will be amazed how much great music is coming out THIS YEAR that isn't getting talked about.

The CDs that came out this year are better to me than almost any CDs in my collection. I was a big fan of the newest Bjork album, the newest Tori Amos album, and especially, M.I.A. (Not to mention the others I have mentioned.) I am still waiting for Tegan and Sara's newest effort to come through the library-- I can't wait.

The mainstream isn't going to point out good music for you anymore, so you will have to find it yourself. But I guarantee there is really something for EVERYONE this year in music. There are so many great bands, and there really isn't one genre that is without excellent musicians. It is just that the dying music industry isn't promoting anyone good because they are clinging to music which is "safe" and "predictable." Seriously, get on to RYM and read what people have to say. Here is a list of albums which people love. You won't like all of them, but you WILL find that GREAT music is coming out THIS year if you look hard enough, and many struggling bands NEED your support.

[jq]

Also, I recently saw Dredg at the El Corazone. Man, they are a GREAT progressive act! It is just unfortunate that now WE have to be the ones to find good music, because the mainstream won't do the culling process for us anymore.

[jen]

That's the thing though, I absolutely love Bjork, Radiohead, and Tori Amos, but I would not know if I would consider their genre to be,"Rock." When I read the opening to the thread, the first thing that came to mind were bands like, Nickleback, Puddle of Mudd, Cold, and Avenged Sevenfold. None of which I particularly care for.
I don't think that music in general sucks. I have been able to find some of the most amazing artists I have ever heard recently. I guess it's just a matter of what genre you consider certain music to be. All of the artists you have mentioned, are wonderful, new, and refreshing to me. When reading the topic, they were not what came to mind when thinking of rock music though. I do agree that we all have to weed through the mainstream to get to the good stuff. I remember a time when stuff on the radio was the good stuff. Now, I would not listen to the radio unless it was the last option for music on the planet, and even then I would probably find a book rather than suffer through the noise.

[Kizzume]

I'd say that mainstream rock is dead. It has sounded the same for 14 years. Rock used to change a lot, now it's a big homogenization. And jazz left rock more than 25 years ago, when hair bands were becoming popular. If jazz started to make its way back into rock, I'd probably feel differently.

[Hackfest]

Jen, you posted almost precisely what I was going to in response to jq's post. Amazing! Anyway, that was an informative post jq, nonetheless. Kizzume, you say 14 years eh? LOL - That's how long Axl has been working on Chinese Democracy. I'm excited to see if this album lights the world on fire the way Appetite did. I think nowadays that is an impossibility, yet of the stuff I've heard from it, this lame mainstream crap is going to get wrung out if CD ever releases. jq, did you mean Sara McLachlan? While not rock in almost any sense, I really like just about everything she has done, except that live stuff with Avril Lavigne.

[Kizzume]

Outside rock, I think there has been a lot of good music out there. You just aren't going to hear it on the radio. The radio plays narrow versions of all 5 genres. (There's a lot more than 5 genres, but to modern radio, there are only 5 genres)

You have to look for good music.

But rock--it's just so cliche' and generic now (generic because exact types of it have been done way too much)--it's more generic than "new" country, it's almost as generic as techno. Until other styles get brought into rock besides rap, I'm not going to be impressed. It's just too cliche' anymore.

[jq]

kizzume said:

Outside rock, I think there has been a lot of good music out there. You just aren't going to hear it on the radio. The radio plays narrow versions of all 5 genres. (There's a lot more than 5 genres, but to modern radio, there are only 5 genres)

You have to look for good music.

But rock--it's just so cliche' and generic now (generic because exact types of it have been done way too much)--it's more generic than "new" country, it's almost as generic as techno. Until other styles get brought into rock besides rap, I'm not going to be impressed. It's just too cliche' anymore.

Honestly, I think an overexposure to ANYTHING makes it cliche. And lets face it, we have been very exposed to rock music-- immersed in it-- for decades now. What makes it cliche is that almost every idea you can imagine has already been done, and therefore, by coming out with a rock CD, you are probably doing something that has already been done before. And indeed that is cliche.

But that isn't the artists fault. We've been immersed in it for decades. It will make a comeback, but for now we need to be immersed in other things before rock can be revitalized.

Althoguh for me, I like the newest trend with the rock music that I consider to be good. That is, the inclusion of new technology. Sometimes all I want is guitar oriented rock. I still think there is a lot of good guitar rock out there. But that can indeed get boring, and I am glad that so many artists now include other instrumentation and production ALONG with guitar.

I will still argue that most songs are better with at least a LITTLE guitar though. The total absence of guitar for me has the same effect to the ears as the total absence of piano or synth. Yucky.

[Hackfest]

jq, you should hear "Better". Do you like just Reznor or the NIN sound in general? Anyway, his old guitarist (Robin Finck) is in the newest line up of Guns N' Roses and the song "Better" was written by both him and Axl Rose. It combines that guitar rock sound with some fusion of an industrial sound a bit. I am making this call now: When "Better" is released as a single, it will tear up the charts. Not that mainstream is important, but this will give rock the kick it needs to start getting back on track. Anyway, I have a studio leak of "Better" that I can send you if you want to hear it. I never thought anyone could replace Slash. Finck does so, and more. I guess it kind of proves though, that however unfortunate, G N' R is Axl + talented musicians, not Slash.

[jq]

hackfest said:

jq, you should hear "Better". Do you like just Reznor or the NIN sound in general? Anyway, his old guitarist (Robin Finck) is in the newest line up of Guns N' Roses and the song "Better" was written by both him and Axl Rose. It combines that guitar rock sound with some fusion of an industrial sound a bit. I am making this call now: When "Better" is released as a single, it will tear up the charts. Not that mainstream is important, but this will give rock the kick it needs to start getting back on track. Anyway, I have a studio leak of "Better" that I can send you if you want to hear it. I never thought anyone could replace Slash. Finck does so, and more. I guess it kind of proves though, that however unfortunate, G N' R is Axl + talented musicians, not Slash.

Oh yeah, I am aware of Robin Finck collaborating with Axl Rose. I'm a big finck fan. I have been wanting to wait and buy this album, rather than download, because this record has surpassed any other for most money ever spent in the studio. For that reason, I would feel bad downloading it, BUT, if/when it gets released, you can be sure I will be supporting the artist in this circumstance. I think slash is probably overrated-- he certainly hasn't done anything I care about SINCE gnr, though I haven't studied real hard.

I have read a lot of different reasons, but I still don't know if there is any good one for whyChinese democracy hasn't been released yet. What is your theory?


(Anyway, I will definitely get the album when it comes out.)

[Hackfest]

I'm certainly purchasing the album. I always support artists. But since I am buying it, there's nothing wrong with previewing by downloading what you can of it first. Heck, a few people I know have listened to my downloaded stuff of it, and are because of that going to buy it. Chinese Democracy hasn't been released yet for a couple of reasons. First, going through guitar players means that every time they get a new guitar player, they re-record the master track. This avoids paying an ex-member (Buckethead). Second, and more importantly, is that Axl Rose is an absolute perfectionist. He won't release it until he sees it as perfect. Which is another reason to download it as it comes along, to get different versions of it in its progression.

[jq]

hackfest said:

I'm certainly purchasing the album. I always support artists. But since I am buying it, there's nothing wrong with previewing by downloading what you can of it first. Heck, a few people I know have listened to my downloaded stuff of it, and are because of that going to buy it. Chinese Democracy hasn't been released yet for a couple of reasons. First, going through guitar players means that every time they get a new guitar player, they re-record the master track. This avoids paying an ex-member (Buckethead). Second, and more importantly, is that Axl Rose is an absolute perfectionist. He won't release it until he sees it as perfect. Which is another reason to download it as it comes along, to get different versions of it in its progression.

Well then, how about a pm concerning that song with Robin Finck?

[Kizzume]

Buckethead--I recently got to hear some Buckethead. That is some tripped out shit. Watching a video of one of his shows is rather strange too. I don't know how I feel about it yet. I know the KFC bucket is a strange gimmick.

[Hackfest]

You guys have both been PM'd.