“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music”
- Sergei Rachmaninov
"Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul."
- Anonymous
I am a true blue lover of music. I can enjoy a broad range and a variety of genre. Not unlike most people I know, I have studied music sometime in my life and I play both guitar and piano.
Without meaning to be disrespectful to my brothers in the 'hood, I can't, for the life of music, explain what is recently happening to this beautiful medium of expression.
How can one's heart and soul speak of something as utterly hideous like this one?
In the 21st century, we see different types of people in the music industry.
There are artists and there are cutting-edge artists.
There are talents, and there are "sublime" talents.
And there are "FREAK" shows.
I am deeply saddened by the fact that often, music and record producers (those individuals who control the "ka-ching" of the recording industry), have resorted to flagrant and gross perversion of the expression of the language of the souls.
How else would you explain the proliferation of abominable and despicable music freak video shows?
Don't get me wrong, I am quite a progressive artist. I believe in free-expression.
I am probably one of the few proud Gen-Xer who listens to Tupac's poetry.
But, Kanye West? Lady Gaga? And fairly recently, a talent who had to resort to cheap and sleazy videos like Katy Perry? Nicki Minaj showed potential, bit why the heck this?
I am mainly rattling off a few inexcusable names, but there are more. A lot more. I mean, come on!
Are you seriously still buying into this stuff?
Where is the music? Where are the notes? Do you need to measure the amplitude and frequency to justify your answer? Where is the language?
It is not speaking to me. Perhaps it is still speaking to you and you get the "meaning."
What is more horrifyingly painful to observe is the countless of legions of fans that buy into this crap and they will lynch you if you say anything against what they call, "such a creative masterpiece."
Fine, go ahead, lynch me now. As far as I am concerned, there is no art here nor music here. Just a bunch of fanatics ritualizing and glorifying any monstrosity and repugnance or any symbol of evil personified, desiring to be called, "cutting edge."
That song and video are an example of how sad music can get and still be popular.
ReplyDeleteAs far as popular music today I like one or two songs but not the artists. I think there are still good song writers out there that can put together the lyrics and music, but nobody is consistent and the pressures to make money are real too now that the monster has been created. Its impossible to tell when a new voice or talented group will emerge but it will never be like it was with elvis to the beatles and then led zepplin transformed music into mysticism while burt bacharach and hal david moved as deeply into the mysticism of love with the adult contemporary crowd. Michael jackson was interesting but I think it all ended with him. The magic was no longer completely the music, and became the show and the hoopla of the star. Now Im not saying there isnt amazing talent and new great things to be heard, im saying as far as moving the entire world of music to a new place from where it is now. Now its a litle polarized with rap and country still gaining popularity at both ends. I really dont understand whats happening in music but luckily if you hunt around you can find great songs. There must be a thousand different genres of music now too from punk trance to trip hop new age. Great post PBB!
Very well said sis. I second all your words. Its criminal to call this load of crap music. I do not unfortunately have a lot of knowledge on world trends but it doesn't take you to be a genius to understand that this kind of shit you mentioned is blasphemous to the spirit of music.
ReplyDeleteWhy are music lovers taking it?
Ah, music. What it is and is not. Now this come to you from a real dinosaur, who happens to love music, any and all music (as my tastes in Legacy's Cafe can attest). Now what is true music touches very close to that part of us that is the soul, and is a gift from our creator. There are some pieces of music that come so very close that I consider them to represent the very nearness that musicians want to touch. Many of these pieces are very popular (Bach's Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Pachelbel's Canon in D, Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water - to name a few), while others are less popular (Schubert's Gute Nacht (from Winterreise), Hovhaness' Prayer of St. Gregory, Barber's Violin Concerto). While many other pieces of music achieve a state of wonder, it seems to me that what determines whether a piece of music is great is more a determinant of the attitude of the musician than anything, for if he approaches music from the standpoint of humility toward music itself - therein lies the distinction.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies, but this is something near and dear to me.
Love that blog !!
ReplyDeleteIt is a sad trend, albeit the fact that in the 21st century, not a lot of people truly appreciate and embrace the meaning of music. It is almost criminal. I absolutely agree with you River and JM.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes Drachma, I know music is very close to your heart. It is a gift of our souls to mankind. I just wish they would give true music the respect true music deserves.
This is just an opinion from a chaotic mind, but I truly believe that due to a possible lack in music appreciation course being taught in schools nowadays, there is going to be a lack of musical taste/interest/appreciation. I don't know if schools still teach music at the elementary level, but they did when I was in school, and I was in band throughout high school and when I was in college I did take music appreciation courses. Taste in music is to each their own, but I will say that if one has the basic knowledge of what actually constitutes music, they would think twice before worshipping the manufactured crap of the masses.
ReplyDeleteThat is NOT to say that electronica or other music made from synthesizers is not music. I happen to enjoy many different genres, which include trance, EBM, and elctroindustrial, but the popular music today is recycled and tasteless. Even the meter of many songs are the same, and that is truly a sad state of affairs. How many songs is Rhianna going to come out with before she talks about something other than sex?
I would recommend to all the youth of today to go and take a music appreciation class. You can like your pop music, and get instilled with the basics of opera, jazz, world, and pop music alike. I don't like opera too much, but I sure as hell appreciate what goes into creating it.