Is Anything Really "New" Anymore?
FANTASTIC conversation happening over at Tesco's place, stemming from this post by chrissuede. Here's my take on the thread:
There is new music out there that's good; part of the problem could be that jaded factor (it'll never be as good as that first hit--maybe that's why I talk about that infamous mix tape I got when I was 16 all the time--my personal Rosetta Stone of good music), it could be that as adults we don't have the time/energy/discretionary income to pour into record after record after record, and all the subsequent concerts that went along with all those fantastic records we bought. I remember my mother threatening to ground me if I bought another set of concert tickets.
Maybe it's because as we get older, with more history and more listening behind us, we can hear all the influences embedded in these new bands, so nothing ever really sounds "new" anymore, the way it did when we were 15. But I think there is good, new music out there these days. But it's not going to speak to us the same way it did when we were kids because we're not those people anymore. Different concerns, different life paths, different reasons for getting up in the morning. It's easy to get complacent as adults, and stop trying, which is entirely why we NEED to keep looking for music that excites us still.
Maybe it's staving off the inevitable "getting old", but hell, why welcome it with open arms?
Discuss among yourselves, please... is there new music out there, or are we (am I) just getting old?
posted by
HRH Courtney, Queen of Everything
@
3:07 PM
9 Comments:
I've said it before: The only thing new is you.
Ugh....
I hate the fact that I'm getting old and start saying things like, "I used to listen to them back in [insert random date between 8 & 12 years ago], but they just don't do it for me anymore." Or other things like, "They sound just like a band/style/subgenre I used to listen to [insert random date between 8 & 12 years ago]."
I don't wanna be "that guy".....
APN
Music is such an amazing thing. When you consider there are only eight notes on the scale, itls astounding that so many musical genres and variations exist. But music, like other art forms, builds on its own legacy, either through imitations, variations on a theme (many classical musicians were experts at this), reacting to the 'old' stuff, merging and mixing styles and influences, plugging in or unplugging, and on and on. New music is out there and, thanks to the internet, has never been more accessible to so many. But if by 'new' we mean something that sounds like nothinh else to ever come before it, then I don't think there's been anything new since the first caveman (or woman) pounded a stick on a hollow tree.
AC
I try to buy about 25% new stuff, meaning artists I don't know already. This month it was OK Go because of their catchy viral videos. The sound is very 80s influenced but at least it doesn't sound like anything else lately.
That "anonymous" guy last night was me, BTW, trying to type on my mobile phone, so pardon the typos please.
Anyway, I just wanted to add that
The new groups are not concerned
with what there is to be learned
They're all too busy fighting
for a good place under the lighting
Someone famous once said/sang that, but that was a long time ago, and they probably stole the idea from somebody else.
AC
If I hear something I like, I buy it. I've been listening to music as long as I can remember and I still get that rush from hearing something new. I don't care what the genre is.
My latest 'oh my god' is Tegan and Sara. So good.
I'm kind of addicted to the new. I need it.
unless a band grew up entirely in a vacuum, they're going to have been influenced by a variety of musicians over the years. influenced is okay. as long as they take a sound and make it their own. i think there's tons of good, new music out there in any genre.
however, to me, one of the biggest powers of music (for good or bad) is the power it has to teleport me instantly back into a moment in time. and alot of the time that's why i listen to the same old music over and over. i want to relive this or that moment, or if i don't want to dwell in that particular moment, i know that a certain feeling can be triggered by certain pieces.
i don't have the endless hours that i did as a kid to explore new stuff. i listen to it whenever i can, but sometimes now i need a desired effect quickly, and so i'm forced to rely on the old staples. i'd love to have summer vacation and spring, fall and winter breaks again.
the other factor to my listening to so much old vs. new is just the lack of inputs. in jr. high, high school and even in the barracks in the army, i was constantly being fed music by my peers. that just doesn't happen any more. unless i make a definate effort to go out and find it most of my immediate input streams are mainstream. and honestly mainstream outlets stick with things that sell. so it all sounds alike.
Artists constantly build on what has come before. They are influenced and inspired by the existing work of others, yet they still manage to create work that is uniquely their own.
Every time I pick up my pen or reach for my camera, I know that whatever vision I ultimately create, it is mine and mine alone. But I have so many others to thank for providing me with the guidance and mentorship that allowed me to get to this point in the first place.
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