When did new music stop being entertaining..?

[Haselsh1]

I am everso slightly getting attracted to the music of Porcupine Tree.

[Pete The Cat]

I am everso slightly getting attracted to the music of Porcupine Tree.

They passed me by until about 8 years ago when someone recommended "Deadwing". Never looked back after that, as well as PT it opened up Blackfield (Tears For Fears meets Pink Floyd) and Steve Wilson's solo stuff. ' bloke's a genius.

Pete

[Gazjam]

Shaun,
get out and see more live music mate.

I’m not meaning big corporate stadium gigs run by committee, but smaller more “word of mouth” bands pounding the live scene to get a break.
The musics out there, just takes a bit of work to find sometimes.

I lime Porcupine Tree too, pretty awesome.
Fear of a Blank Planet is the one thats doing it for me at the monent.

Our very own Progmeister Steve has a regular podcast, its pretty great for all things Prog, classic and upcoming.

Check it out.

[Tim]

I'm with Gaz, if you are feeling jaded with the music scene it's (IMHO) because you aren't seeking it out. There's so much out there, but you need to find it - you clearly have an interest to be here

I got a bit jaded maybe 9/10 years ago thinking there's nothing good that's new any-more, I just kept playing what I had, didn't buy a lot of new music and pop and mainstream was not for me, as it pretty much never has been. BUT, I liken music to an iceberg, everyone knows about the top 10/15% and that top tier gets all the exposure and all the money. A lot of that top tier isn't that talented either, but it's heavily marketed and it's the flavour of the month and in two years time it's all on the shelves in charity shops. The real talent is below the water line, unseen, not on the radio and not many of your friends (unless they are muso's) will know who they are either.

I go to 50+ gigs a year, small venues, really talented musicians nobody has heard of, with an average ticket price of £15. Get on mailing lists, actively seek what's available locally and all sorts of doors open, it's like a snowball. There's never been so much out there as lesser known artists have to play live a lot more now to earn a living, great for me, not so good for them.

Buy some magazines, I get Country Music, Mojo, Uncut, Maverick all the time - I look at the top reviewed album releases and check them out, most are from below the waterline. 5/6 years ago if you had told me I would have been listening to the genres I enjoy now, especially Country I would have called you a lunatic! Spotify is essential if you don't have it.

If you want it to, it gathers it's own steam and I literally can't keep up now, just so much amazing music out there and the more doors you open, the more the interest grows.

Porcupine Tree are great, sadly gone, but living on in Steven Wilson, who really was/is Porcupine Tree anyway. Check out Backfield, especially the first two, No-Man, Strom Corrosion and Steven's solo work, particularly The Raven That Refused to Sing . . . Drive Home, ooo that guitar solo gives me goose bumps, cranked on headphones it's dizzying. Deadwing is a really great PT album too.






It's all out there, but how much do you want to find it? So much music, so little time.

PS I understand your first post a bit more now

[Haselsh1]

Very interesting comment about getting out there and seeking out the music. The fact is that back in the seventies you didn't have to, it was everywhere. The music media was all over the bloody place full of new bands and exciting music that no one had ever heard before. For me that all centred around the synthesiser which had of course only just been invented and therefore never heard before. Could it actually be that music has run it's course..? Could it be that there is never again going to be any originality..? I bloody hope not.

It sort of reminds me of the guys I grew up with back in the late seventies/early eighties who were inevitably in local bands because they could 'play' guitar. They always used to announce that they had been heavily influenced by such and such an artist or musician but when asked what style their music was, would reply "We are pretty much original"...??? How the hell can that be..?

I think that originality is now restricted to a few people who are genuinely 'original' like the guys already mentioned here, Wilson being a fine example. I shall seek out more of his work if it is available on vinyl and take time to get involved in it.

[Haselsh1]

"PS I understand your first post a bit more now"

Yeah, I think it took a bit more input from others to become clear. My fault, not yours.

[Tim]

I shall seek out more of his work if it is available on vinyl and take time to get involved in it.

Steven is a prolific artist, always having something on the go, be that re-mastering classics or his own work. He releases on vinyl all the time and re-releases stuff too, he's old school and new-school! Grew up with a Dad who loved Pink Floyd and his Mum was an Abba fan, so it makes him rather interesting style wise sometimes.

https://burningshed.com/store/stevenwilson

http://stevenwilsonhq.com/sw/

Get on the Burning Shed and his mailing lists, as he has limited vinyl editions out all the time, which are sought after so you could call them an investment maybe.

He's touring the UK imminently, not sure what tickets are available - he's a perfectionist, so his live shows are always a bit special.

Hope you find something you like