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On the state of mainstream rock and alternative rock

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Triple-S

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I've somewhat noticed this.

Tnis is not a "KIDS THESE DAYS" rant, in fact? it's actual in support of a lot of younger musicians who are doing their own thing.

But it's a bit of an eye opener of the difference in terms of "playlists" I've seen between a "Active Rock/Mainstream Rock" (such as WMMS, WRQK) and a station like the local alternative station out here.

I'm a little stunned that the "Active Rock" stations have become the epitome of uncool. It feels like their playlists have yet to change since I was in High School. (reference? 2nd Bush administration).

On the flipside? At least it feels like with the alternative station (sans for "Imagine Dragons") that there's some reasons to believe that Rock is evolving and that were some good acts to have even come out the decade before.

But is there a reason why the former is just "stale" in terms of sound and quality at the moment?
 
Kids aren't into rock. There is much more buzz elsewhere so that's what they'll create. Rock is dead for now. The drums just don't hold up.. Same way 80s drums sounded antiquated in the 90s to 2000s, paradigm has shifted to more rap and edm based drums and a much fuller sound, or, into some iteration of trap.

Unlike pluto is a good newer band. Cage is still doing stuff as is arxtic monkeys but it just isn't in vogue at all

Edm and rap have taken that harder rock element and incorporated it into their own arms of music. Thats where those listeners have gonr
 
I feel like I've been waiting for a great new rock band for 10+ years.

They exist but you're never gonna get the "Smells Like Teen Spirit"/"Welcome to the Jungle" like moment that led to such a band exploding on middle america.

I mean I was talking to someone at the Kitten/The Nixons/Smashing Pumpkins show about "The Black Keys". I had mentioned that, despite being indeed a local act? They never got airplay locally until "Howlin' For You" in 2011. He was sort of stunned, as he had heard for them dating back to 2004 or so.

That is really embarrassing for a market like Cleveland which used to boast how it launched a lot of acts that are now "pop culture" staples.
 
All of the kids who initially got into various strains of rock like punk scream post ore etc are getting into and making it in rap.

Scarlxrd to suicide boys to zillakami, ghostmane.

It's easier to do it in your own and there's a market for it. Just makes sense to focus energy there
 
Some of the big EDM acts and electronic/syth rock got their start in punk/emo. I use to like rock/alternative/punk but the lack on new bands to evolve the sounds has stalled it. Even Paramore who were in that punk category has shifted their sound to more electronic/syth pop rock.

Live shows too are the difference. People will knock EDM and other forms of electronic music but the crowds are way more energized. Electronic music took over because the crowds were way more fun and involved at festivals that I went to. People (me included) would leave rock acts to go to EDM acts we barely knew to have a way better time at festivals.
 
The overall point is to not knock say Indie/Alt. aka "Stuff that got played on 120 minutes". It feels like those are still somewhat relevant. Partially because they're able to adjust their sound/energy to match the EDM scene.

They're playing festivals globally, creating memorable songs and are overall holding up a struggling genre IMO.

The point is more so how embarrassing it is that mainstream rock in terms of radio play, festivals and creating "memorable" songs is cringe inducing

I mean, per this chart? You went from U2, Van Halen, The Rolling Stones and the like to a lot of acts that are not "household names" by any manner

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainstream_Rock_(chart)
 
Kid born in '97 here. Why would anyone listen to "active rock/mainstream rock" when most acts from the 60s-80s were so much better?

Maybe I have this perception because I envision mainstream rock being bands like nickelback.

Greta Van Fleet sounds just like Zepplin if you're really trying to scratch that itch for a decent modern rock act. Besides that, some of my favorite bands are apart of rock's subgenres like indie rock or psychedelic rock.

Take my opinion with a grain salt since I don't know much, but that seems to me the direction rock is going. Diversifying into a bunch of different subcategories
 
Kid born in '97 here. Why would anyone listen to "active rock/mainstream rock" when most acts from the 60s-80s were so much better?

Well yeah, why would anyone want to listen to Papa Roach/Seether/Disturbed/Breaking Benjamin/Finger Eleven?

They feel like someone took the "angst" element of the 90's Grunge/Alternative scene and forgot that said groups had talent to back that up.
 
Well yeah, why would anyone want to listen to Papa Roach/Seether/Disturbed/Breaking Benjamin/Finger Eleven?

They feel like someone took the "angst" element of the 90's Grunge/Alternative scene and forgot that said groups had talent to back that up.
Talent can be either writing a song people like or being a virtuoso at your instrument. Subjective
 
Kid born in '97 here. Why would anyone listen to "active rock/mainstream rock" when most acts from the 60s-80s were so much better?

Maybe I have this perception because I envision mainstream rock being bands like nickelback.

Greta Van Fleet sounds just like Zepplin if you're really trying to scratch that itch for a decent modern rock act. Besides that, some of my favorite bands are apart of rock's subgenres like indie rock or psychedelic rock.

Take my opinion with a grain salt since I don't know much, but that seems to me the direction rock is going. Diversifying into a bunch of different subcategories

I also think it's just much easier for people to work on music by themselves or with one other person. People can create sounds on the computer now with all the sound packs. They don't need another actual musician to work with to get that instrument. I find more and more "bands" that are just one person's music or just two people from the actual live band.

That could be why it's much more diverse but there isn't any great bands out there. You rarely get 4 or 5 great musicians working together to make an album. I think each much rather work on their own sound.
 
I also think it's just much easier for people to work on music by themselves or with one other person. People can create sounds on the computer now with all the sound packs. They don't need another actual musician to work with to get that instrument. I find more and more "bands" that are just one person's music or just two people from the actual live band.

That could be why it's much more diverse but there isn't any great bands out there. You rarely get 4 or 5 great musicians working together to make an album. I think each much rather work on their own sound.
I think one musician is a lot more likely to create good work than several people without the same vision.

Producers and songwriters that make livings just writing songs tend to do their own thing
 
I think one musician is a lot more likely to create good work than several people without the same vision.

Producers and songwriters that make livings just writing songs tend to do their own thing

I think it can work both ways. I know alot of good bands that are a single vision of one artist, like Bleachers. The same guy is also part of the band "fun." We hear of these super collectives that never seem to put out good music too.

I think the "rock band" is built off multiple musicians understanding a certain instrument. I think when they collectively come together on a sound, you get that "Great Rock band".

But I think you are right that it's easier and more likely to make good music from one or a small collective of people. Maybe the pain of finding that collective sound with alot of people gets that great sound but who know. Maybe technology killed the great American rock band.
 
'
I think one musician is a lot more likely to create good work than several people without the same vision.

Producers and songwriters that make livings just writing songs tend to do their own thing

That's interesting. I'd agree that one person in a lot more likely to create "good" work than are several people without the same vision. But what if those several people do have the same (or even better, different but complementary) visions? When you get multiple talented people working together, adding together their different bits and visions --even if it is just playing within their own style a song written primarily by one guy - you get layers, complexity, and synergies that you simply cannot get with just one guy. One guy sitting at his computer isn't going to come up with Stairway to Heaven, or Sympathy for the Devil, or Close to the Edge, or In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, or Dream On, or any number of the best songs by the great bands.

That's actually what I think is missing nowadays, for the most part. The complexity, intricacy, and depth you get from multiple great musicians, working together but all putting some of their own stamp into each song. What we get overwhelmingly right now are some nice songs, the vast majority of which are pleasant enough but ultimately forgettable. Nobody is going to give a shit about most of them, even the hits, in 10 years. Maybe not even 5.

The problem is that to do that right -- to have multiple competent musicians blending together to make a superior product, takes pretty exceptional musicianship, including an advanced understanding of musical structure. And that's not nearly as easy/fun for some at sitting on a computer and letting it generate music. So...it's becoming a lost art.
 
'

That's interesting. I'd agree that one person in a lot more likely to create "good" work than are several people without the same vision. But what if those several people do have the same (or even better, different but complementary) visions? When you get multiple talented people working together, adding together their different bits and visions --even if it is just playing within their own style a song written primarily by one guy - you get layers, complexity, and synergies that you simply cannot get with just one guy. One guy sitting at his computer isn't going to come up with Stairway to Heaven, or Sympathy for the Devil, or Close to the Edge, or In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, or Dream On, or any number of the best songs by the great bands.

That's actually what I think is missing nowadays, for the most part. The complexity, intricacy, and depth you get from multiple great musicians, working together but all putting some of their own stamp into each song. What we get overwhelmingly right now are some nice songs, the vast majority of which are pleasant enough but ultimately forgettable. Nobody is going to give a shit about most of them, even the hits, in 10 years. Maybe not even 5.

The problem is that to do that right -- to have multiple competent musicians blending together to make a superior product, takes pretty exceptional musicianship, including an advanced understanding of musical structure. And that's not nearly as easy/fun for some at sitting on a computer and letting it generate music. So...it's becoming a lost art.
There are current musicians that invent musical styles and create music just as complex (and I'm not sure I would even use that as any sort of measurement as to how good a band is.. That's sort of a generational divide. Like I personally think rush is self indulgent trash and difficult to listen to and the white stripes who wrote pretty simple stuff were far better. Or a myriad of other bands - and a little band called the Beatles would probably agree ) that I dont think you guys are going to be familiar with because you aren't curating music and it isn't really your guys hobby currently.

Sia is a fantastic writer, diplo has mastered a littamy of different music styles, Corrigan wrote most of smashing pumkins stuff, Matt Bellamy writes muses, skrillex is fantastically innovative and his bands were trash and his solo music is incredibly difficult to write and produce

The reason things are "forgettable," is 1. Because people actually like it better than the bands you guys remember and 2. You guys only remember the good stuff from your times and are less aware oh everything now. We also tend to like whatever we grew up with and identify with it more. The same way we think whatever cast we grew up with for snl and all predecessors suck.

Seriously, I don't think you guys are aware of some legitimately good music that comes out my far more artists today than in the past as it was a time were it was much more difficult to actually make it. Everyone does it now as markets are more accessible and it's a less expensive hobby. It's anything but a lost art, it just isn't what you like because you few up with the who and music evolves.
 
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