[Devel]

(Original post by CherryCherryBoomBoom)
OK, fair enough. I agree that there are some really good pop artists like Janelle Monae that I really like and then I'm surprised don't do well in the charts. Sometimes I wonder if it's a matter of lack of promotion though. Like, I'm not sure I've actually ever heard her music on music channels or radio, just the internet and occasional TV programmes. Whereas someone like Rihanna will probably always be popular as long as she's always making music and her music is always played 24/7 on the popular radio stations.

It has just made pop music as a whole a bit dull and boring. Artists like Janelle Monae are the closest we have to talent like Prince in terms of pop music. It is just a shame that it is overlooked.

[there's too much love]

(Original post by Jake22)
It is all relative. Some people would say that the pop music you like is just shallow dirge created by (relatively) talentless hacks. They could make qualitative comparisons with say, Mahler and give convincing arguments why your favourite bands, in the grand scheme of things are as shallow and unsophisticated as a 5 year old banging on pots when compared to a musical piece with vaster depth and scope. They would say, "if they only listen to rock/pop and haven't heard any actual art music then they don't know what music is"

Playing devil's advocate - let's look at Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian don't play their instruments or sing to any decent level of proficiency. Their song structures are basic, predominantly based around a single tonal center with typical modulations only ever involving switching to the relative minor for a chorus, bridge or refrain. Rythmically, their music is generally a simple embellishment of 'four to the floor' and texturally, the arrangements are basically guitar playing root position diatonic triads (or very occaisionally root position diatonic 7th chords) with the bass generally just doubling the roots. Sometimes, there are trumpets or violins playing simple melodies or arpeggios over the top.


Now, I actually like Belle and Sebastian and don't care much for Britney Spears but when I hear a B&S fan trying to make out that in purely musical terms they are better musicians from the point of view of performance and composition or that there music is in anyway sophisticated - I just laugh my head off. It is utter *******s. I like their witty lyrics, I like some of their catchy melodies and the gentle nature of their typical arrangement but I accept that musically they are shallow and without any profundity, insight or originality. Even Britany Spears songs, penned by trained producers generally contain snazzier arrangements, more intricate harmonic progression and voicing although lyrically they are generally inferior.

I'm not saying that Belle and Sebastian play sophisticated tunes.
But a lot of their songs are very happy tune wise. Their lyrics, cynical as ****.
Now that's taken off a lot recently. And I do quite like it in general. But there's something provocative about that mix.

Now, I like a lot of art music ('classical', jazz etc.) and also lot of pop music (including pop, rock, grime, metal, indie, folk etc.) I don't bother with this "they don't know what music is" business because I appreciate that music of differing levels of profundity serve different purposes and can be good or bad.

But when people say that for example, Belle and Sebastian are musically more advanced than a Britney Spears song... I do wonder whether they know anything about music

Hang on, I'm not saying Belle and Sebastian can play amazingly well. But musically you think they're at the same level as Britney Spears?
You're acting as if I said they play like (this is annoying me a lot now, I can't remember the name of this metal band, they're not what I like, but I do have admiration for the speed at which they play, they've done a lot of very fast covers of songs from games (like mario)).


At the same time, would you really excuse them of just making sounds for money?

Britney doesn't seem to show an ounce of creativity.

[Doughnut]

(Original post by CherryCherryBoomBoom)
Why? Some people don't really care that much about music and might have better things in their life to worry about. Which in that case, why should that be any problem of yours?

I'm not really annoyed by it, I was just mimicking the thread starter. However, I do feel a sense of frustration at times that people aren't a little more curious as to what music there is out there. For me, it's one of those things that makes life worth living... I'm sure you have hobbies/interests that you couldn't live without and I bet occasionally you wish that other people would be able to get as much enjoyment out of it as yourself if only they delved a bit deeper into it.

[there's too much love]

(Original post by TheHansa)


Autotune is very sucky indeed.

genuine pity btw

The way it's usually used, most definitely.

[ROYP]

(Original post by Doughnut)
I'm not really annoyed by it, I was just mimicking the thread starter. However, I do feel a sense of frustration at times that people aren't a little more curious as to what music there is out there. For me, it's one of those things that makes life worth living... I'm sure you have hobbies/interests that you couldn't live without and I bet occasionally you wish that other people would be able to get as much enjoyment out of it as yourself if only they delved a bit deeper into it.

Not sure what you mean by the bolded bit. As in were you more echoing my opening post or going against what I'd said? Because they don't seem directly related

[Doughnut]

(Original post by ROYP)
Not sure what you mean by the bolded bit. As in were you more echoing my opening post or going against what I'd said? Because they don't seem directly related

I started my post with 'I want to punch anyone', that's all.

[ROYP]

(Original post by Doughnut)
I started my post with 'I want to punch anyone', that's all.

I thought that just after I posted. My mistake

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

(Original post by Doughnut)
I'm not really annoyed by it, I was just mimicking the thread starter. However, I do feel a sense of frustration at times that people aren't a little more curious as to what music there is out there. For me, it's one of those things that makes life worth living... I'm sure you have hobbies/interests that you couldn't live without and I bet occasionally you wish that other people would be able to get as much enjoyment out of it as yourself if only they delved a bit deeper into it.

Yeah, I see what you mean. As well as being a pop fan, I am someone who does also like to look for more music beyond the mainstream, but at the same time I guess if some other people don't want to do that, then that's their problem really (well, if it really is a problem, depending on your perception of it). As long as people don't give each other **** for what they do or don't like, then I think it's all good

[gagaslilmonsteruk]

Maybe the title is a bit too extreme. However, it does annoy me when people mickey take as a result of one's music taste - however, I don't think its just music - it's film, tv, sport and political views, music just seems to be the main one. I was a ten pin bowler and people didn't take me seriously because I prefer that over football. I like Desperate Housewives, and as much as other people may dislike her/them, I am a MASSIVE fan of Lady Gaga and the Glee Cast - as you can imagine, being a guy I got the mickey taken out of me, but tbh I couldn't care less.

[Frodo Baggins]

I want to get a chainsaw and hack the legs of those who say there is such a thing as real music. 1 upped you OP.

[Miracle Day]

(Original post by Alofleicester)
Middle of the road stuff with no emotion or power behind, just safe music-by-numbers designed to appeal to as many people as possible.

Emotion or power is measured by the individual. I could feel emotion or power from one song, whereas you won't and feel it from another. Don't be fooled by your 'indie bands' or whatever, all artists want their music to appeal to a mass audience.

[Wish I Could Change This]

(Original post by Devel)
This is what has caused the gradual decline in quality in chart music as a whole. When you have artists like Janelle Monae, who are actually making new and exciting pop music, being overlooked for the most part for another chart hit that brings nothing new to the table.

Irrelevant but is the picture in your sig from QOTSA?

[stac4321]

(Original post by Nephilim)
What if one only listens to Classical because they don't enjoy other genres? How is that pretentious (btw, in "Classical" there are at least 5 genres -- Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Neo-Classical, Modernist). I used to like bands like The Beatles and Pink Floyd, etc. But I now I just find their music boring and simple compared to musicians like Bach and Prokofiev, etc.

Exactly this.

Have you heard EVERY single genre, every artist, every single song every made. In which case why settle, why stop seeking out new experiances because you've found one you're happy with.

That's the whole point of listening to music. It's art it challanges your ideas, it gets to you experiance something in a way you've never experianced it before.

[Gob Bluth]

Usually it's the idiots who live in the past and only like performed classic rock music. Sad really, it's them missing out.

[Devel]

(Original post by Wish I Could Change This)
Irrelevant but is the picture in your sig from QOTSA?

Its Brian from Gaslight Anthem.



I do love QOTSA thou.

[Wish I Could Change This]

(Original post by Devel)
Its Brian from Gaslight Anthem.



I do love QOTSA thou.

....
Ok, cool.
They are awesome, high-five for you,sir!

[Ra Ra Ra]

(Original post by Miracle Day)
Emotion or power is measured by the individual. I could feel emotion or power from one song, whereas you won't and feel it from another. Don't be fooled by your 'indie bands' or whatever, all artists want their music to appeal to a mass audience.

Genuinely curious, do you feel emotion and power from a song like 'Baby'? What kind of emotion is it?

I hate pretentious idiots who use the term 'real music', too. I love most types of music from any time. It has to be said, though, the number of people I've come across who refuses to listen to any song released before 1990 'cos it's old' is getting ridiculous. It works both ways.

[Miracle Day]

(Original post by Ra Ra Ra)
Genuinely curious, do you feel emotion and power from a song like 'Baby'? What kind of emotion is it?

I hate pretentious idiots who use the term 'real music', too. I love most types of music from any time. It has to be said, though, the number of people I've come across who refuses to listen to any song released before 1990 'cos it's old' is getting ridiculous. It works both ways.

No. That said I don't look for either in a song. I look for catchy songs. I'm not a huge fan of Bieber's earliest songs though tbh.

[sclez1]

I don't get the problem with music snobbery, I really don't. Sorry!

[Gary Barlow]

I hate it when people say my band don't make real music.