R.I.P. Good Music…

Think of any musician from 20 to 60 years ago: Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Queen, etc. The list has no end to it. Now think of present time; think of the musicians that really stick out. Coldplay? Maybe the Killers? The folk-song Shins? At one point, Britney Spears? I cannot think of anyone that poignant, that special, that unique. Even rap has changed. We’ve gone from Run DMC to Lil’ Wayne. So what the hell happened in between?

The key to good music is to keep it simple. The way to get a person’s attention is to produce something they want to,  but more importantly can, sing along with. The Beatles exemplified this theory. Hey Jude, With a Little Help from My Friends, and Eleanor Rigby are just a few of their hits that anyone can sing to. John Lennon was the philosopher. His lyrics made his songs something to sing with. Paul McCartney was a new generation musician. A close look at a song like “I Will” shows the complexity, but sweetness of his vocals.

The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin revolutionized music in the sense that the head vocalists were not exactly an Aretha Franklin or Ella Fitzgerald. Yet their music was still catchy to the ear, and easy to sing along with. I think of “Satisfaction” and “Stairway to Heaven” as the main examples. Rolling Stones were rock and rock-and-roll, for the most part. Led Zeppelin was everything: blues, rock, soul, and even folk, a “unique combination”.

You can even look at rap from as little as ten years ago. There is no longer a Rakim, a KRS-One, or a Biggie Smalls that dominates the scene. Rap, in terms of its message, and its style, has dramatically changed. Look at Nas 14 years ago. Illmatic features him spitting lyrics across any bar with no rhythm being the exact same flow. Jay-Z would change his speed up and down to fit the bar, such is “Hardknock Life”. The message was much different as well. It was about the somewhat typical “thug life”, one filled with poverty, misery, and a drive for success.

Eminem was quite different. By far one of the most controversial figures in the history of music, he spoke of his personal troubles, and his incessant need to cruely yet comically insult gays, other rappers, and eventually government. The Slim Shady LP is his most raw, most old school record, while the Marshall Mathers LP is the most powerful, most heart-stopping and serious record. By his next record, the old Eminem was gone, and it seemed as though music was going with it.

Ok, maybe not at that moment. Blink-182 was around before the Marshall Mathers LP. Look at “All the Small Things”. It’s simple, but too simple. Blink-182 helped bring in “modern” rock, exemplified by, essentially, guitar strumming or bass strumming. Also, vocals were no longer powerful. They became more faint, weak, and even whiny. Look at Paramore, which is one of the more popular rock bands in current music. In “Misery Business”, it’s still strumming found in the guitar progressions, with a fast tempo typical of modern rock, and it’s still a voice that’s not especially unique. It still has a whiny tone. Haylee Williams is not that special.

Going back to rap, the main stars are Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne, Young Jeezy, and even 50 Cent. All of them have tried to sing, Mr. West and Lil’ Wayne being the most obvious examples. “808s & Heartbreak” is one of the most horrendous albums I’ve ever come across. Mr. West and Lil’ Wayne use Auto-Tune for a reason… they were never meant to sing. Mr. West’s new album has somewhat catchy songs in “Say you Will” and “Coldest Winter”. He just shouldn’t be singing them. In “Heartless”, there is very little complexity. Again, just too simple. His verses stick to one note with a whiny characteristic that makes his voice go up and down. Someone like John Lennon could at least stick to one note, typical of his style, and provide powerful and moving lyrics to compensate for it. Such was not the case for Kanye. It is clear to see that Mr. West has endured quite a lot of pain based off of this album, but surely he could have used his old approach, and bring out another classic like “Gold Digger” , “Diamonds from Sierra Lone”, or even “Stronger”.

Lil’ Wayne is “killing” hip-hop. His lyrics are abysmal. He is not funny, interesting, or clever. He is unique because of his nasally voice that sounds like an asthma attack. Nonetheless, his lyrics aren’t particularly spectacular. Take “A Milli”:

“Ima Millionaire,
Im a Young Money Millie in aire, tougher than Nigerian hair,
My criteria compared to your career just isnt fair,
Ima venereal disease like a menstrual bleed..”

Compare this to an Eminem track, such as “Bad Meets Evil”:

I don’t speak, I float in the air wrapped in a sheet
I’m not a real person, I’m a ghost trapped in a beat
I translate when my voice is read through a sismograph
And a noise is bred, picked up and transmitted through Royce’s head (AAHHH)

There’s just no comparison… but it’s still being made.

Coldplay seems to be the one band that truly does stick out like a sore thumb. Viva La Vida was one of the few albums of recent time with unique and catchy songs. “Lost” and “Viva la Vida” were especially impressive, with melodies that were easy to remember.

On the other hand, there is the pop sensation, Britney Spears, coming out with her new album, Circus. Despite Britney Spears’ massive popularity, she is not going to be remembered for her voice; it will be for her personal life. Fans say she is a true perfomer. This is just false. When dances are so robotically choreographed like hers are, that’s not performing. That’s just memorizing a routine. When talking about true performers, Michael Jackson must be the first mentioned. He has unfortunately lost his popularity because of his popular, but his moves and his songs are immortal. The King of Pop needs no queen.

There should no comparison to current and old music. Old music will always be better, unless someone revives modern music. Mr. West claimed he would… clearly that didn’t work out.

Until then, perhaps society can try to look back at the “good ol’ times”, or they won’t last forever.

Please comment; I want to hear YOUR opinion.