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Thread: Why is modern pop so terrible?

  1. #111
    Join Date: Jun 2014

    Location: Chorley Lancs

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    I'm Steve.

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    I can enjoy a wide variety of music, including new releases, as long as the singer has a good voice. I often hear stuff I like on Radio 1, but when someone played Now 98 at Christmas, it was truly awful. Nearly all the vocals sounded like they were done by robots.

  2. #112
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by struth View Post
    Abba; yes at least they can sing, and at least pick songs that are catchy(not sure who wrote em). "
    ABBA wrote their own stuff, one of the blokes wrote it all in fact, not sure which one it was.

    Might have been more influential than you think, 'Pretty Vacant' was ripped off from ABBA's 'SOS', according to Glen Matlock.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  3. #113
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

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    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    And I'm a generation after you and my father loved Fats Domino and Little Richard but would complain about the 'modern rubbish' me and my brothers listened to. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
    It sounds rather more elegant in French: plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose... Yup, as Geoff (Oldius) says, this is another old farts thread!

    If you think all modern music is terrible, then quite simply, you're not getting out enough to assess the current scene, especially on the indie, rock/blues and electronic side of things, and expanding your tastes in music accordingly.

    The good stuff I'm referring to might not be classified as "pop" (which is probably the key), as most modern "pop music", which I take mainly to be what fills the charts, is indeed dross. You need to move away from the mainstream.

    If you dig a bit deeper, there are lots of great up and coming bands out there, but you need to do some exploring [and here file-based audio can help greatly in expanding one's musical horizons] and get to some gigs to discover it. You won't find it parked on your arse at home, playing the same old shite you've been listening to for the past 30 or 40 years, moaning about the state of things now like some piss-stained, slipper-shod granddad!

    Middle-aged 'audiophiles' tend to be rather insular-minded, musically, and stuck in their ways, which is why they so often fail to see the wood from the trees...

    One such new (blues/rock) band I discovered, when out with some mates at a pub in Chester, was Washington Reed. Just young guys, but fuck me do they have some SOUL. Pin your ears back and check this out [turn up loud]:



    Groovy, baby!!



    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

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  4. #114
    Join Date: Jun 2010

    Location: Essex, United Kingdom

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    I'm givingyouaprettygoodclue.

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    Linking this and some chats on other recent threads.

    I don’t read the original question as being based on music today not being as good as when I were a lad. IMHO there’s probably as much good new music now as there ever was, much of it scattered across the internet where you need to look for it. The question is about “pop”, which is a specific slice of music.

    I see pop as being mainstream-targeted, predominantly melody-based music promoted by single tracks. A barometer for it is the Top 40. So while I’m mindful of becoming my parents, it's still my perception that today’s Top 40 and national station playlists are more uniform than, say, in the ‘70s. In turn, that lack of diversity weakens modern pop by comparison.

    Today’s charts are dominated by an incestuous merry-go-round of the same artists partnering each other. Have a quick look, 10 of last week’s Top 20 are collaborations. Listen to recent Now That's What I Call Music compilations and there's a homogeneity of genre, style and production. Pick up a cheap '70s compilation in Tesco as a comparison and you'll be hit by the difference.

    Hence my holding up The Birdie Song as an exaggerated example of pop having been better in the past. I detested it when I was young and I do now, but - bear with me in trying to move from perception to fact here – in September ’81 it was in the charts alongside artists as diverse as Ottawan, Duran Duran, Cliff Richard, Teardrop Explodes, Bucks Fizz, The Police and Depeche Mode (I’m not going to list the whole chart, but a glance will show you the drift). Now if you’re thinking, OK I get the point about diversity but those were all cack as well, then at that time the chart also included Tainted Love, The Model, One In Ten and Start Me Up. I can’t say I personally like all of those singles but from a critical viewpoint I think that in the eyes of many they’re proven good pop songs and last week's chart hasn't a cat in hell's chance of matching that standard or range.

    If you were to do a Now… compilation from September ’81 it would have greater breadth and strength than one today, so I buy the assumption in the OP’s statement.

    Perhaps flippantly I mentioned Barking by Ramz in an earlier post. It's merely gormlessly abject in its baseness and every era has its dross. But at least Da Da Da had irony.

    Pete

  5. #115
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Good post, Pete! I completely concur.

    "Pop music", as a mainstream music genre, I'd say has deteriorated since the period you mention, certainly in terms of diversity, if not necessarily 'quality', which of course is subjective. In that respect, who's to say that the Birdie Song is any better or worse than the latest from Bruno Mars?

    That said, I agree that there's a distinctly homogenised element to the pop music being produced now, which makes everything sound rather 'samey', especially within mainstream dance music, and particularly amongst the female vocalists who populate that sector.

    My point, extrapolating the discussion further, was simply that middle-aged audiophiles historically are creatures of habit, when it comes to the music that they listen to, and thus rather insular in their tastes - and so most need to get out more, or explore other avenues, in order to expand their musical horizons

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  6. #116
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    It sounds rather more elegant in French: plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose... Yup, as Geoff (Oldius) says, this is another old farts thread!

    If you think all modern music is terrible, then quite simply, you're not getting out enough to assess the current scene, especially on the indie, rock/blues and electronic side of things, and expanding your tastes in music accordingly.

    The good stuff I'm referring to might not be classified as "pop" (which is probably the key), as most modern "pop music", which I take mainly to be what fills the charts, is indeed dross. You need to move away from the mainstream.

    If you dig a bit deeper, there are lots of great up and coming bands out there, but you need to do some exploring [and here file-based audio can help greatly in expanding one's musical horizons] and get to some gigs to discover it. You won't find it parked on your arse at home, playing the same old shite you've been listening to for the past 30 or 40 years, moaning about the state of things now like some piss-stained, slipper-shod granddad!

    Middle-aged 'audiophiles' tend to be rather insular-minded, musically, and stuck in their ways, which is why they so often fail to see the wood from the trees...

    One such new (blues/rock) band I discovered, when out with some mates at a pub in Chester, was Washington Reed. Just young guys, but fuck me do they have some SOUL. Pin your ears back and check this out [turn up loud]:



    Groovy, baby!!



    Marco.
    I never said all modern music was terrible. Bought this the other day http://www.factmag.com/2017/05/04/bl...irst-20-years/

    It may be a new album but the band have been going years, they are from my generation so they've got some idea what they are doing.

    There are only so many ways to put three chords together, and I don't see today's youth doing it as well as what went before. Like I said previously I often follow links to new music given on this forum and others and am almost always disappointed. Sometimes laugh-out-loud disappointed. 'London Grammar' are a classic example. People rave about that bland pap? Seriously?

    Sorry if I am pissing on people's musical tastes but, well, I am

    No way am I going to use valuable listening time listening to something new just because its new. (And by new I mean utterly derivative of what has gone before, and not even derivative in a good way, just total cack).

    Screw that for a game of soldiers.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  7. #117
    Join Date: Oct 2017

    Location: Ontario, Canada

    Posts: 791
    I'm Svend.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    One such new (blues/rock) band I discovered, when out with some mates at a pub in Chester, was Washington Reed. Just young guys, but fuck me do they have some SOUL. Pin your ears back and check this out [turn up loud]:



    Groovy, baby!!



    Marco.
    Excellent stuff! Love it. Thanks for posting that.

  8. #118
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    I never said all modern music was terrible. Bought this the other day http://www.factmag.com/2017/05/04/bl...irst-20-years/

    It may be a new album but the band have been going years, they are from my generation so they've got some idea what they are doing.

    There are only so many ways to put three chords together, and I don't see today's youth doing it as well as what went before. Like I said previously I often follow links to new music given on this forum and others and am almost always disappointed. Sometimes laugh-out-loud disappointed. 'London Grammar' are a classic example. People rave about that bland pap? Seriously?

    Sorry if I am pissing on people's musical tastes but, well, I am

    No way am I going to use valuable listening time listening to something new just because its new. (And by new I mean utterly derivative of what has gone before, and not even derivative in a good way, just total cack).

    Screw that for a game of soldiers.
    Lol - before I answer that properly, what did you think of the Washington Reed music video I posted? Liked Black Grape, btw. Reminds me a little of The Fun Lovin' Criminals

    Sven, you're welcome. In my opinion, those dudes are very talented, and when that video was produced most of them weren't long out of high school!

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  9. #119
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Lol - before I answer that properly, what did you think of the Washington Reed music video I posted? Liked Black Grape, btw. Reminds me a little of The Fun Lovin' Criminals

    Sven, you're welcome. In my opinion, those dudes are very talented, and when that video was produced most of them weren't long out of high school!

    Marco.
    It's okay, not really my sort of thing though.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  10. #120
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Fair enough, but I think you'll agree it's representative of some decent new music, not likely to be found if you're too stuck in your ways!

    How may folks here I wonder, including you, *actively seek out* new music that they might like, either by:

    a) attending local gigs/live music events

    b) reading music magazines, in paper form or online, and checking out some of the recommendations

    c) listening to non-mainstream music content on the radio

    d) visiting local independent record shops and checking out new music releases from bands you've not heard of before

    I do all of those

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


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