The Evolution of Modern Music...

.... and the devolution of talent?

The surf music of the 1950's once faded out as the iconic changes of the 60's took place, bringing into the public eye many young, talented guitar-slingers and songwriters; there was Hendrix, Clapton, The Beatles, Zepplin, The Grateful Dead, and that's just one genre. People embraced the music. Popular music was a self-evident genre: music which was popular at the time-- as opposed to its modern definition, which if defined by example would make one cringe at the nasal, almost prepubescent voices nearly shouting over generic, highly produced backing tracks composed by studio musicians. There was once a time where rock music and pop music could be defined by either term without sacrificing its integrity by falling under the latter.

Unfortunately that time has passed. Today-- let's face it-- the vast majority of pop and rock music quite frankly sucks. We've gone from the poetic perfection of Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" to the staggering genius of Blink 182's lyrics in "Blow Job". It's all quite disappointing really. Don't be mistaken, the rock star attitude and concept of live band music have not nearly disappeared (though they may have come close in the Nsync/Britney era). These rock star essentials are still very much present. Unfortunately more often than not, it's the talent-- the X factor that is missing. Bands take their nice Gibsons and Marshall stacks, crank the volume, and belt out the loudest, power-chord ridden, bitter lyric bound excuse of a song, accompanied by screaming voices and light shows designed to produce a widespread distribution of seizures as a weapon of mass destruction, all concluded by a violent "sacrificial" display of aggression in the destroying of anything on stage that is of monetary value. Catchy? Maybe. A dime a dozen act? Absolutely.

Don't get me wrong, people probably thought the same thing about Hendrix and The Who when he lit his guitar on fire and they smashed their instruments respectively at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival in front of a mixed crowd of innocent hippie girls and acid-crazed junkies. The difference is, I can't picture anyone remembering the majority of today's musical artists in the way that musical icons of the past have been. Something is obviously missing from modern music, and it will take a musical revolution to fix it.

Musical devolution is often associated with the hip-hop/rap genre, and I doubt the direct correlation. Since its creation rap has experienced its own high points and downfalls. There were the originators, the innovators, the men with messages. And then someone discovered the profitable machine that is known as most modern rap, where record companies find a decent looking face, throw him a catchy name that hints at a vague trace of street cred, and pump out a new, overproduced song with accompanying dance illustrated by a cheesy, yet expensive music video. These songs linger around in the dance clubs for a few months at a time, with song after song sharing a beat vaguely separated from the previous, and people eat the music up. Sorry to all the club goers (I don't go to clubs expecting to find lyrical genius either), but at the same time it is this kind of music that gives modern hip-hop such a negative view. Songs about supersoaking hoes and two-stepping (a Soulja Boy reference for those of you who haven't stepped foot onto a college campus lately) just don't hold much water. Once again, the rap/hip-hop genre is still cranking out its fair share of talent. But these artists are overshadowed by more profitable music like the artist aforementioned, similar to how young prodigies in the blues and rock world are overshadowed by large, profitable names.

The infectious disease that is the slow-burning destruction of music is not confined to any specific genre. Jazz and blues are weening away, rock is an excuse for what it used to be, and rap is becoming an excuse for music in general. Those who come close to the ranks of the past's greatness by means of channeling their influences are shunned as replications of dead or dying icons. But if you're going to do something totally original, make it worth listening; otherwise I'll stick to the so-called copycats who come close to hitting the spot that those so long ago once did. So this is the part where I beg more artists to bring us listeners music we can listen to and come away with something. I know from experience that being an artist is not easy; I'm basically asking you to throw out a piece of your soul so I can devour it with my ears to cure my exponentially expanding thirst for something great. Someone bring us a little closer to the evolutionary side of things in music. Otherwise we'll be single-cell organisms before we know it.


-----------rant over.


-Mark