No. Synths are variations of pianos, greatest of all instruments so I respect them greatly. But when you see an artist like Usher liver, there is no band or synth player. There's maybe a DJ, which is usually a sign the songs are created with only a computer. And when you sing over a computerized track, the Japanese have a popular name for it. Daft Punk and NERD used real instruments played by people for their music. That gets more respect from me.
You're not saying that Andre Benjamin isn't a talented musician are you? Hey Ya is one of the best songs in their bracket, and the fact that they have it seeded so low tells you everything you need to know about the Grantland staff. One of their writers called Recovery "neutered" in an article today. Pop music is stupid because it's marketed at teenagers and teenagers are stupid. The stars are largely just models serving as a public face. Hell, the Black Eyed Peas largely only exist because John Legend didn't want his name attached to garbage, but was still interested in huge wads of cash. I like that Gorrilaz took this to the logical conclusion where the band was made up of literal cartoons.
That list of eight is a joke. To see the only "Rock" song as Mr. Brightside is laughable at best. Are you really trying to tell me that just out of these three bands, Foo Fighters/RHCP/Tool, not one of their songs released after 2000 is better than Mr. Brightside? If this was strictly a Best Top 40 Pop/RB song of the millennium, I could understand, but to completely ignore 2 or 3 major genres of music invalidates this entire list.
My bad I forgot the time frame. Take Stadium Arcadium. It's an amazing double album. Which encompasses several styles throughout. Plus they were admitted to the Hall of Fame.
It's an era where kids listen to what's forced on them. It's a BAD list, giving hint that the Lowest Common Denominator is what determines popularity. Oh well, at least Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse aren't in the top 8. People would be leaping off high roofs.
From the (admittedly few) times I've seen her perform, I'm thinking she sucks in bed. Not a lot of movement, not a lot of emotion. She looks awkward and if it carries over into bed, then she's not going to be great. But then maybe she hasn't had her Miley moment yet, where she just says "fuck it, I'm tired of catering to little girls" and behind closed doors she lets it all go. Of course, I'd hit it regardless. Miley too.
Oh no you don't with that bullshit Grandpa Crown. 2000 on is where music became the most free. This is when Napster hit, people started burning music, and CD players were sold at Walgreens for $15. This is the time when people had THE MOST access to music easily without having to waste an afternoon in an old record shop. This is when Best Buy expanded their CD sections. Oh no I'm NOT letting you get off with that assbackwardfuckery of a statement. They have access to the music you listened to, and they don't want to listen to it. Not because its marketed, not because its forced. Do any of you fucks even understand how radio music is selected? How music is picked out for commercials? It's all focus grouped and surveyed. People have to like it before its approved to be used or played on the radio. There is no more payolla in radio. The pick a few singles, test them, and see which one everyone likes then release it. Its not like "Oh we're going to make these people love this song by playing it 100 times." So the whole "forced to like" argument is fucking retarded. YOU fuckers on the other hand were restricted to the radio that had considerably less focus groups, and WAY less access to music. You were held to your local stores, your friends collections, and were more apt to go into your parents collection. People like the music they grew up with. End of story. A different generation of people grew up with a different sound of music. The rockist view that music has to be played with instruments is bullshit. The tools have always changed over the years, the instruments are now different. Yeah Rock was left of that list, so was polka and funk music. Oh, could it be that those genres are fading like dinosaurs once did? Or maybe they're becoming less mainstream. Who knows? I love when you old fucks become the arbiters of what's good in bad in music, because I KNOW back in your day you guys loved music you parents thought were complete shit. Its a cycle, deal with it. I pray to god I'm not one of the old farts talking about how music sucks these days and force my kids to listen to Rihanna so they can hear real music.
Madden 25 comes out today. In fact, it's being delivered to my house probably as I type this. I want work to be over so I can look up at the clock tomorrow morning and be like "Shit, it's 4."
I don't think I'm out of line by saying in the last 13 years there are rock songs that should have been included on that list. I actually really like the music my parents listened to. Most of my first influences in music came from the 50's and 60's. I didn't started forming my own musical tastes well into my mid teen years and it's been ever evolving. I am open to liking a wide range of music, but when you make a best song of the new millennium list and completely ignore a lot of good music in favor of some really vapid songs, you can't take the list seriously.
Whoa now, don't be broad-brushing there, junior. I like many of the songs that Grantland is knocking about, and agree that most people tend to like the music they grew up with more. But, there are lots of current songs (or since the Millenium songs) better than ones I "grew up with." But, if you want to gain traction with your argument you better be leaving out phrases that defend Tik Tok.
It's also the time when artists didn't need to make a whole album actually be good at all. Because people were just able to download a song here and there they thought was good. Not every band made every song great but the point is that quality went out the door for a lot of main stream music. They could just pump out some garbage and hope people buy the single on iTunes. The rest is just filler shit. Image Dragons is a new band that I think is highly underrated and that the whole album is actually really good from beginning to end. Same with AWOLnation. They have a mixed electronic rock style that isn't at all like the old stuff. My problem with new pop bullshit is that it's more about promoting an image and having a studio churn out some dreck once or twice a year. Instead of a great group who writes their own stuff and spends five years creating something that means something to them. Not some shit about your highschool boyfriend or how you like going to get drunk at some douche bar with your friends.
I didn't recognize any of the songs on that list, but then again I don't listen to Pop or R&B. But for fuck's sake, that list was posted on Grantland; did anyone really think it was going to include anything but popular mainstream stuff?
Sorry pimpin but I just can't get behind the dial turn music focus groups bullshit being the arbitrator of "good" music. Clear Channel has fucked the top 40 with this AND the rock stations with this simplistic out dated bullshit. It narrows the range of music to what will be tested in the first place. It also narrows what audience radio stations are going to focus on so you get a bunch of tweeners turn that knob to Ke$ha's formulaic dance pop. It basically takes all of the creativeness out of making and selling music. Since clear channel went whole hog on this after they bought everyone out guess what? Radio is fucking DEAD. I haven't followed this millennium bracket thing but I don't agree with your assertions.
Well you can't agree with my assertion if you're disagreeing with something I never asserted, I never said focus groups because the arbiters of "good" music. Never did I once say that. What I DID say was music isn'tt FORCED upon anyone. "Oh its only popular because its in a TV commercial a million times OR because its played on the radio a million times because they don't have a choice to listen to anything else" is what Crown said and is a false concept lots of people push. Those songs are on the radio or commercial ONLY because people have said they liked the songs and were popular. That's all I'm saying bro. Entirely different argument. If you listen to the radio enough, and for awhile I did. You'd hear a song get played a few times in a week as a single, then wouldn't hear it again. Then it'd come out like 6 months later and be a huge hit. The first time I noticed this (and then later researched it because it was odd and found out the shit I'm discussing now) was Pink's "So What" back in Feb 2008. Clear Channel played it for a week, but it didn't catch on. Shit got shelved then became a hit when it officially released in August of 08.
Well your are asserting that the songs you hear on the radio are test marketed and focus grouped as the way songs are picked to be on the air/commercials over payola. But record labels use the same market research and focus grouping on what music to write, produce, and sell to begin with. Fuck why do you think you hear a song maybe 3-4 times, it gets shelved, and becomes a hit? They are test marketing what singles to release. I think the inherent problem with test marketing and the dial studies is that people tend to only like what they are already familiar with. Since they aren't going to play stuff that has been twisted to the right side of the dial you are going to hear Tik-Tok 90 times a day over something new or experimental. Any new release are going to be tested through the narrow parameters the radio stations want. So in essence yes the shit is forced on us. Also on the record labels end song writing is down to a business science as well. There are chord progressions, melodies, hooks etc that sell well. I forget where I read it but there is a chord progression that is in an inordinate amount of hit singles, I think Avril Lavigne and John Mayer used it a lot. Since tonally it is very psychologically satisfying to hear it gets used quite a bit and can be used across genres. You don't think the music industry factors that shit in on what they are producing or test marketing in the first place?
Interestingly, Pink's "So What" is one of the songs that does this in the chorus. 1, 5, 6, 4 EDIT: Pink's song is actually 1, 3, 6, 4 - which is a variation of that same persistent progression, and if this were the Musician's thread, I'd write more.
..in regards to THIS: so.....thoughts? Because I saw NO lessons or advice, just a droning 40+ minute commercial of the same stupid PUA bullshit.
On a different note, here's something a bit nicer. Life advice from Bill Watterson, with the illustration inspired by him.