Something I notice about mainstream "modern rock"

In my opinion it started quite a ways back, for instance Nirvanas Nevermind is a little too sleek, it has a sheen that was applied to it during production.


In my opinion, digital recording was embraced immeditaly and people began experimmenting with the sleek new sounds they could get...add in compression (yes, most modern rock is compressed to hell) and you've got a new bland wave of recording happening.
Too bad 1 inch analog tape is so expensive, it's so much warmer than digital , and the reason records used to sound better production wise.

Never fear, there will always be do it yourself bands making challenging recordings, as well as good producers who don't buy into all of this.

 

The problem with the radio relating to modern rock is that they use their own compression/limiting/loudness maximizing tools ... so they are taking music that is already squashed to all hell and smashing the last drops of dynamic range out of it ... all for the sake of consistency!!!

 

Oh no you aint shittin on Tool.

I disagree. There's nothing at all mainstream about their sound.

 

I have to say I disagree with the original comment about Tool. I'm listening to the CD "Salival" right now, the live version of "Pushit" is amazing, I suggest you download it. Lateralus is a great CD as well.

 

New music sucks...and I have stopped listening to the radio as well, I also love your picture Clockwork Orange.

Yes, everything with music today is 100% plastic...a load of rubbish.
Its such a sad world...at least i still have my Pink Floyd.

 

Well I disagree with that but y'know.....

 

I completely agree with Pressed_Rat

 

God... not EVERYTHING is shit today... I agree a lot of it (most of it... probably?) is, but there's certainly a lot of good stuff. You just gotta look for it, cause most of it you never hear about it - it's not advertised!

 

Tool always seem to just drone on for me.
i personally cant stand perfection, sounding to clean is a waste and holds no interest to me.
i like music to be loose, and noise is good.

 

Quote: Its such a sad world...at least i still have my Pink Floyd.

Maybe someday you will try some new things.

From reading Penny's posts in the past, I can promise you she could recommend some fresher music to check out.

 

Oh sure I could! If anyone asks

 

Well I havent listened to Tool in a while, but i agree with you about pretty much all you said. i like the modern rock/ hollywood movie comparison. I dont know if the new way of recording (digital) has anything to do with it. I definatly dont like the sound as much. I even enjoy the sound of digital better when its put to analog, like when i make my music. But it just seems like its so much more easy to put together an album digitally, as far as the cuts, and overal sound quality goes. Yes theres a complete lack of emotion in the music, but most people who listen to it cannot tell. if anything, they think its more emotional, based on the lyrics that often sound angry or depressing, but is really just a way to get the fans to "relate" to the band, where they probably dont have those problems theyre talking about at all. Everythings fake, and its only going to get worse from here.

 

good lord, dont even lump Tool in with all the modern rock bands, thats just sacriligious. Tool has this heavy metal/ art rock thing going on that is a little too far from the mainstream. You dont see them blatently copying other bands like nickelback, puddle of mudd and three doors down do for example. All these bands sound the same, I think it all had to do with Creed in recent years, just taking nirvana riffs, and writing lame lyrics on top of them.

you are right though. corporate rock radio sucks for the most part. It all has to do with clear channel running the stations across the nation. They have a set format the station has to live by, and they cant play any music that does not follow that format or genre.

Personally, I like to listen to the college radio here.... you get all different types of music from ambient, bluegrass, rock, alternative, blues, electro, etc.

or Ill listen to the locally run classic rock station 101.1 the FOX, out of Kansas City. THey arent as predictable as most radio stations around here.

 

I believe I was the one who began that thread in the old forums when I was operating under the name "dystopia".

As a total Tool junky I have to disagree with your lumping Lateralus in with the rest of mainstream radio. My reason is this: they really do sound that good. Most bands sound overproduced because you know there's no way they can sound that clean and tight live. Tool does. Members of the band have discussed their theories on production and Pro Tools specifically. Thing is, they use more old-ass analog equipment than almost anyone. I think if you compare the sound of Lateralus to, say, something like NIN's The Fragile or even A Perfect Circle's newest album, Thirteenth Step, (I'm a fan of both albums and I'm listening to APC as I write this) you'll hear that the latter CD's have this brightness and perfection and fakeness which aren't present in Lateralus. And having seen both NIN and APC live, I can assure you that they can't reproduce those albums live. Which isn't to say that their live shows aren't good. They rule, but they don't sound as much like the albums sound when compared to Tool. Except for a handful of moments of studio magic (song 3 "The Patient" comes to mind), Lateralus is actually pretty damn live-sounding.

But, disregarding my typical Tool-fan fanatacism, I do know what you're saying about Lateralus, and it brings to light the significance of production in the music-making process. When I listen to most modern rock I totally agree with you. It's so much ear candy covering up total lack of talent.

On the other hand, what do you think of music that's shamelessly all about production, like pop stuff like Britney Spears or Kylie Minogue? I have to admit that for as much as I try to hate stuff like that, I consistently find myself impressed with the skills of their producers. Those producers are as amazing as any musician, as far as I'm concerned. I might not be a fan of what they're doing with their skills, but they are definitely doing some high level shit.

The problem with the modern rock schlock is that the bands act like they're responsible for their sound, whereas with pop music nobody's thinking that Justin Timberlake is making that music live in the studio and that a band will be able to perfectly replicate it live. It's no good when the production is better than the music as is the case with most of what's on the radio. When you pair kick-ass production with a kick-ass band, then it's different.

It seems like a lot of bands that actually have integrity struggle with balancing a desire to utilize the latest technology (imagine Hendrix deciding the electric guitar was fake-sounding) with a desire to "keep it real". I think today's best bands pull it off, and I can't imagine a single band today worth their mettle totally eschewing the benefits of computer-assisted production. The key is to use it in such a way that makes your life easier but keep it from overwhelming the album.

 

Have been talking about this for years with friends, and i totally agree that the production on most modern music is way too slick, sterile and polished.


Artists like nine inch nails are an exception, because trent reznor has never tried to cover up the fact that he likes his music that way at times, but he can still manage to get some really harsh, abrasive and dirty sounds out of his gear.

I love the production work of steve albini, and the work he has done with 'neurosis'. The sound you hear on record, is as it was in the studio, so it sounds 'alive'. He is also an 'analoge' user, so the music always sounds warm and organic.

 

Tool sucks....

Hmm... I'm trying to think of more, but a completely self-produced mainstream band that I can think of is Oasis. And they rock.

The Dandy Warhols aren't very mainstream, but they are signed to capitol, making them a mainstream band. What they make is good music.

Jack Johnson kicks ass.

Britain's got a few good mainstream bands along with Oasis, too... the only ones you hear of in the states are Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand. Not that they're good or anything.

There's a few more that I know of, but I cant remember if they are signed to independent labels or not.


And about tool... listen to some real music.

 

I have a theory abou thtis, but I'm stoned and I don't know how clear it will come out. I don't think this is really about the fact that a lot of bands sound the same. I think it's about the media. Sure, a lot of modern rock bands sound similar, but I think that has to do with personal preference, not lack of talent. I believe that we hear these bands and certain songs because the media decides what is going to be considered good enough to be modern rock. There are tons of not so well known bands out there that would blow us all away. People will all different music tastes and styles. BUt the ones who fit the mold the media has created are the ones who are successful right now. Those are the bands that they put on the radio, and there's nothing anyone can really do to stop it. If you feel that listening to that isn't satisfying, go out and find something new. I would be willing to bet there is a band for everyone of us that touches our soul if we're willing to search to find them.

 

ha, you think thats bad... what about the new rock bands that put things like record crackle and extreeme distortion on their rekkids to sound 'authentic'

 

No kidding. There's a $2800 software used by most industry pros... among other things it adds noise, hiss, "tape distortion" and "analog warmth". It's like a sad, after-the-fact attempt to put life back into the music.

I haven't read thru this whole thread, so maybe someone has said this already: Digital compression is killing music. Compression is what producers use to pump up the levels to insane volumes so that the music sounds "louder". You can imagine what that does to delicate, soft parts. Now even great bands like Yes have fallen prey to this. Maybe, like headymoechick sez, the unknown bands are our best hope. Mainly because they can't afford the $2800 software

 

no ...i'm sure butterfly that you don't completely disagree with it...
In fact you disagree with the fact that not 100 % of music today is made of plastic ...(what a fantastic word!!)
but clearly you know (i'm sure of it) that 90 % of the music today is made of plastic.

there's always big artist even now...but sadly in this modern time they all took place over you little butterfly wing


NB: be quite ...the libertines are one of those honnest bands