You're actually right, but that's because I misphrased what I meant to say. Their commercial succes has probably been great, as in they have sold loads of records. That's not what I meant though, what I meant to say is that Soundgarden, AiC or Tool weren't popular amongst a 'mainstream' crowd, which Led Zep or the Beatles etc. were. Also, I know about Alice In Chains just having released an album, and has gotten good reviews I believe, that doesn't really have anything to do with the topic at hand though.
Either way, my original point was that the OP should either not count Tool, AiC or Soundgarden as great 'mainstream' bands of the 90's, or should count The White Stripes and QotSA as great mainstream bands of the 00's. Which of the two you prefer is up to you...
The problem with saying that sucky music today is worse than sucky music of the past is that your opinion is always gonna be colored by nostalgia. MC Hammer and New Kids On The Block were garbage but when you associate the music with memories of watching Saturday morning cartoons, the nostalgia factor is going to work. You probably have fond memories of Ace Of Base playing on your mom's car radio when she bought you a Super Nintendo or Chumbawumba or some other crap on the clock radio or CD shuffler when you lost your virginity which colors it as better than when your college dorm mate wakes you up with a cover of Mad World for the hundredth time at 7 in the morning or when little kids drag you to see The Jonas Brothers movie or Hannah Montana or some other crap.
Trust me, music was just as bad then as it was now. The only difference is slight shifts in genre and worse recording techniques.
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Obviously there was great music made in the last decade, but the point raised in the OP was that new, legitimately talented bands aren't really getting the same level of exposure as new "break out" bands did in the last decade, is a legitimate and accurate concern. I don't think the OP is suggesting that there aren't great and talent bands that deserve to be successful... just that those bands aren't getting the same level of recognition as they would have in the 90s. If you ask 10 people off the street if they've heard of The Smashing Pumpkins, and then ask them same question about Arcade Fire, I think the difference in the answers would be pretty drastic. It's about public awareness, not a lack of good bands.
I honestly think it might be a North American thing, because I'm aware of a lot of great bands and talented musicians from UK (Ireland primarily for some reason), and the Australia, and I'm not even really looking for them... so whats up with that? They must have better agents and PR or something.
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I find it difficult to take such sentiments seriously when the likes of...Opeth, Mastodon, Tool, The Mars Volta, Devin Townsend, Panic Cell, Akercocke, Iron Maiden, Emperor, Megadeth, Dark Tranquility et. all continued to release excellent albums in that decade.
Music gets worse due to the numerous Indie bands/artists mixing random sounds and calling the finished product "music".
Scene music like Nintendocore, the new Screamo bands... they are products of Indie music.
The growth of the Indie music scene is the cancer of the music industry.
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Jul 22nd, 2010 03:38 PM
