Editorial: Does new music suck?

Ever since the 60's this question has been asked, however since the year 2000 it seems to be making a reappearance with the rise of the internet. I have read multiple articles discussing this topic and I have decided to through my hat into the ring as well. Of course all forms of media is subjective and there is no right answer here. That said, lets dive into the age old question. Does new music suck?

First off we should clarify what counts as "new". For the purposes of this article, I will say that music released in the new millennium is new, and anything before is "old". 

Lets start off with the argument that new music does suck. From what I have read online, the general agreement is that the overall over-sexualization of the music industry, swearing, auto tune, and stealing material from older artists and incorporating them in their own songs (plagiarism). Another big problem supporters call out is the large amount of marketing and money that happens in today's generation.

Mandatory.com posted a list in 2015 titled "11 Reasons Music Sucks Now More Than Ever". The article supports most of the arguments I have all ready stated and in response I would like to discuss them one at a time.

1. The statement that there is too much sex in the music industry, or too much swearing for that matter is quite honestly a reflection of the culture and the new openness that the western world has created over the past 2 decades. And since music is inherently tied to the culture it is born into, one would have to criticize the western civilization as a whole, not just the music which stemmed from it. In all honesty the amount of skin hasn't really changed much since the golden age of music because we all adapt to what we are shown. Those who argue that artists were more modest 50 years ago forget that there were still those who pushed the envelope and were appalled even then. Elvis Presley is one of the most famous voices of all time, but when he was popular everyone though he was very sexual for moving his hips back and forth. In short using sex or swearing as an argument that new music is inferior is not a solid argument as it all evolves with the times.

2. Auto tune came with territory of new technology. However this argument does hold some weight behind it as abusing Auto Tune can hide whether an artist can sing or not. This tied into the current trend of overproducing music is something I don't really like personally. On the other hand using new production techniques in order smooth over certain vocal mishaps does improve the quality of the on disk tracks. There is a certain balance of these techniques that should be applied if they are going to be used and if one looks a current pop music, generally speaking, they are using it responsibly.

3. Stealing music samples and ideas from other artists has been around for decades and is not at all a new practice. There are even court cases dating back 30-40 years. Because of this, plagiarism is really an issue that should be applied to all aspects of media regardless of age as there will always be people trying to copy and sell other peoples work.

4. Again, the music industry has always been a big money maker so I don't get why people are surprised when they see an increase of sales due to the rise of the internet. Since the 1980's and the rise of MTV it has been an extremely marketable business, and the more technology we get the more that aspect of the art will increase. It is not an issue with industry in particular, it is an issue with the interconnection of the current generation. Artists and Record Producers have merely taken advantage of it.

That said, new music is not perfect. With the rise of the internet it has allowed certain artists to find fame who would have never gotten famous 40+ years ago. One hit wonders such as Rebecca Black and more infamous stars such as Justin Bieber more than likely wouldn't have become massive successes.

As a final point, it seems that people who argue that the majority of new music isn't good, fail to realize that the majority of old music wasn't good either. That's the nature of the beast. Sure there were a lot of amazing music released in the glory years however there was an exponentially large amount of sub par music made as well. The same thing is happening today, and it will continue to happen forever. Especially when in an over saturated market like the music industry, whenever you have a large amount of releases, the majority of them will most likely not be an OK Computer, or a Back in Black.

In conclusion, New Music does not suck. But it is not a golden age either, because I believe such a time has never existed in the music industry. Sure the brand new technology introduced recently needs to be regulated and used in moderation, however even back in the 60's and 70's new technology was introduced and they were able to use it to its full potential. The art of music is alive and well and acting as it should be, evolving with the culture and times adapting and changing as it should. Because if it remained the same all these years it really wouldn't be an art form now would it?                           

The Sign Album Review

The 1990's, in terms of music, is generally laughed at by the current generation for whatever reason. It really confuses me as to why this happens because some of my favorite albums of all time came out during this decade. And one thing that the 90's was fantastic for, it was dance/pop music. When Ace of Base blasted onto the scene in 93' with their debut album The Sign, it made an already great year even better. The more I think about it, 1993 was an amazing year for music for a lot of genres, with Nirvana releasing the critically acclaimed In Utero and the Smashing Pumpkins releasing Siamese Dream. But a lot of music fans have probably heard of both Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, which is why (among other reasons) I chose The Sign this week over the latter two.

The Sign was the first and only major hit for Ace of Base. Which is interesting because unlike other one hit wonders who only have one great song to their name, this album is jam packed with amazing singles and filler tracks alike. Surprisingly good writing for a dance album. And although it sticks to a very stiff formula, it really doesn't need to change it up to remain entertaining. And for some reason, the tracks never feel repetitive, so its easy to listen all the way through.

First off we have All That She Wants, the first single and track on the album, and boy what a way to kick off an album! One of the major problems dance music seems to have is the lyrical quality. While this single doesn't hold the quality of the Beatles or some other extremely popular songwriters, the lyrics remain fresh and interesting enough that they don't detract from the musical content. But the lyrics are a small portion of dance music. And I am happy to report that this single is a fantastic synth pop dance tune that has a very hilly feeling to it. It is a true Beach Tune, a song that I could see myself singing along to while lying out in the sun. It accomplishes this by utilizing a soft electric drum kit, easy going mono synthesizers, and even some synthesized horns hear and there. This track was the perfect one to open the album with as it eases you into it without rushing things.

For the second single, we have Don't Turn Around. Similar to the previous track, this one has a very cool atmosphere, making for another very melodic sounding single. It makes great use of synths, captivating beats and once again, an infectious melody. Not much else can be said other than it continues the strong momentum as the album moves along.

Now for the big one, the third single, The Sign. I believe that this is one of the greatest 90's dance singles ever. It gets everything right, fantastic melody, easy simple lyrics, and unbelievable songwriting. It is structured perfectly in terms of a dance track. it quickly gets to the chorus and moves at a steady pace. All of these things mixed together leaves the listener unable to sit still. And just the cheeky sounding nature of the track will leave the melody in you're head for days.

The forth and final single, Happy Nations, gives a nice change of pace for the latter portion of the album. While the musically it really does not evolve much from the previous singles (aside from making it even more melodic) the lyrics are what really make this one for me. Adding Swedish in the verses builds onto the oppressive atmosphere in the song, which is an interesting turn for a dance album to take. In short, this track helps close the album on a quite, mysterious and almost chilling note.

In my opinion there are no filler tracks on this one, in my opinion every one of these tracks could have been able to be released as singles. All following a pretty linear formula, yet in their own ways they are different enough to keep you listening throughout the entire album. There isn't anything new about the filler tracks that I haven't really mentioned already, but lets just say that this is an easy album to listen to all the way through.

Basically, this release is one of the best dance/pop albums out there. It has fantastic writing, substantially good lyrics, and catchy melodies on nearly all its tracks. Because of the reasons mentioned, it is an easy sell to any dance/pop fan, however if you aren't it might be a little more difficult. Regardless I do believe everyone should at least give it a listen, if for no other reason then to look into a decade which helped popularize the current pop scene.

    FINAL VERDICT
8/10 
(Great)
   

      

Are You Listening? Album Review

Back in 1993, a band by the name of The Cranberries released the alt rock album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? That's a review for another day, but in short it is one of my favorite albums to date. One of the aspects that made the album/band so great was the vocal talent of its lead singer Dolores O'Riordan. With her thick Irish accent and ability to sing just about any genre, she is just a wonder to listen to. So when the band broke up in 2001, she went on to pursue a solo career. And it's here, on May 15th 2007, that we have Are You Listening?, her first solo release.

One of the things this album gets right is variety. Every track feels unique with a number of different techniques used musically. I believe this is a very important aspect in keeping the listener engaged. It bothers me when an entire album feels like just one song being played on loop. Essentially Are You Listening is a throwback to O'Riordan's earlier days with the Cranberries, having the same overall feeling and atmosphere. 

In The Garden, the first single on the album, is by a head-and-a-half the worst single on the album. Its attempt to bring elements of hard rock and metal into the formula just doesn't work, and is almost cringe-worthy. O'Riordan's vocals aren't the problem; we have seen her do this kind of thing before and succeed. Most notably the critically acclaimed single, Zombie, back in 1994. It is a very interesting release, because the verses stick to her normal formula (which I actually prefer), but the chorus just breaks into this hard rock style that seems completely just out of place with what O'Riordan is known for.

Human Spirit on the other hand, is a fantastic alt rock single, with an interesting melodic feeling to it and an great twist on the type of music she has already demonstrated to us. Really, if you are a fan of alt rock, than this is a standard track; it follows the typical alt rock formula very closely, the only thing different is its melodic spin. Regardless, the vocals and atmosphere of the single makes it a joy to listen to. And is by far my personal favorite track.

Talk about a melodically classical tune: the final single, Black Widow, is unlike anything that O'Riordan has performed before. And that can be a pro or a con, because it becomes even more of an acquired taste than before. The progression of this song is very fascinating to watch, it begins as a very eerie track using many classical strings and grand piano, and later adds a distorted guitar into the mix, giving it more of a hard rock feel for a bit before ending the same way it began. The writing is strong from a critical stand point and in addition the vocals and lyrical content is as well, but the overall sound of the track can be hard to listen too. Which will probably turn away a number of listeners. Nevertheless, it is a strong track and a welcome change of style from the older work.                  

Honestly, the filler tracks this time are generally more of the same sorts of things we have seen during her career with The Cranberries. Adult Alternative Rock styles that simply make old fans happy. The best example of this is probably the first track on the album Ordinary Day, which is such a return to a formula that one could be forgiven for mistaking it for a Cranberry track.

In conclusion, this is a solid effort from O'Riordan. It's not superior to Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? But it's a good solo effort that returns to the standard Cranberries formula while adding many melodic elements to the tracks. When comparing this album to the later Cranberry ones it stands on par with them, rather then surpassing their previous work. As a suggestion, if you are interested in hearing Dolores O'Riordan's truly amazing voice, check out The Cranberry's early work before listening to this solid alt rock release.

FINAL VERDICT 

6/10

(Decent)

      

Look Sharp! Album Review

1988 was a very interesting year for music; R.E.M released their sixth studio album Green, Sonic Youth released their fifth album Daydream Nation, and Public Enemy released the critically acclaimed It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. But the 90's pop game would be changed forever when Roxette burst onto the scene with the hugely successful Look Sharp!.

Look Sharp! establishes the base line for what Roxette would be famous for in the early 1990's, and that is their strong melody lines. Per Gessle, chief songwriter of the duo, can be seen honing his skills through this album, as he wrote nearly every track by himself. Something that takes a great amount of talent and skill to accomplish. Marie Fredriksson, the female lead of the band, has a very strong and powerful voice, which fits very nicely with Gessle's softer, tamer vocals.

Even though the record never hit the top ten (number 23 on billboard 200) it did spawn 4 number one singles. The sunny and jumpy "The Look", the powerfully optimistic "Dressed for Success" the passionately strong "Dangerous" and the overproduced soft rock tune "Listen to Your Heart". All of these tunes are more than enjoyable for the ears as they highlight the strengths of the band, mixing the interesting vocal abilities of both members with strong melody lines and fantastic production values.

Dressed for Success is the strongest single out of the bunch for a number of factors. It shows off the fantastic vocals of Fredriksson, establishes a simple yet extremely catchy melody, and finally gives the song enough productive polish in order to build onto the style. 

Listen to Your Heart on the other hand, is the weakest single. While not the worst song ever written, its slow soft rock nature mixed with overproduction gives the music itself little to keep the listener coming back. Once again, the unique vocals of Fredriksson saves this single from being a complete throw away as well as showing off the strong vocal talent which would continue on throughout the next decade.

Both The Look and Dangerous are similar in style, containing a solid, powerful aspect which Roxette was known for in the early days. The softer vocals of Gessle on both of these tracks, with Fredriksson providing backup is a very interesting contrast to the other tracks on the record, unlike anything I have heard before. These two singles are expertly written with a catchy pop melody and strong drum beat to compliment it.

When it comes to the filler tracks on the album, in my opinion, there is none. Every non-single is catchy and addictive enough to keep you listening, throughout the entire album. Sure not every one of them is top notch, however they are more constantly positive than even the critically acclaimed Joyride album was.

In short Look Sharp! is a fantastic album, and gets every aspect of catchy 80's pop right. Both members of the duo have flawless vocals that nicely compliment each other, and Gessle's songwriting abilities is absolutely incredible considering he did the majority of it by himself. It is a solid release and would kick off their extremely successful 90's career, regardless, Look Sharp! remains one of my favorite albums to date and I can easily recommend  it to any 80's pop fan.

FINAL VERDICT

9/10

(fantastic)