Well I am the first to admit I am obessed with my music....Its been and still is a massive part of my life....from being lucky enough to play in the Country music scene of the 90s to now just chilling out and listening to the tunes. My question is...Do you think the X Factor and shows like it..destroy grass roots music and creativity..and just produce a manufactured commercial "sound" that Dr Frankenstien (Simon Cowell) can create and unleash on the world like a big monster? I may well be showing my age but since the end of the 1980s the chart music scene in my opinion took a total nose dive and I was trawling through the music channels the other night...and I thought to myself...this stuff all sounds the same...there is nothing new or unique that grabs you by the jaffas and makes you wanna stop what you're doing and listen...and say "Whos that...I must get the name of the song and artist and get a CD (do folk still buy CDs?...I do )....The last time someone made me do that was when I heard Richard Hawley on Radio 2 ...that guy has total soul in his voice...and at the time I was driving back from Southampton and this song came on "You don't miss your water"....and I just had to pull over and stop to listen and write down who it was cos I had to have it (check it out if you aint heard it..its a sad soulful song ..with feeling...that is totally lacking with a lot of these Robot Karaoke singers that fill the airwaves these days) So does Simon Cowell and the X Factor produce the devils farts? :devil:
I watch a fair amount of reality tv, but the X factor is not a show i watch. I don't buy cd's anymore, but I did by an album last week actually. (The War on Drugs - Into the Dream) if you're curious. Lyrically it is nothing special, but to me the band is like a mix of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Brian Adams. It is super chill and good for driving and snuggling.
Sounds a good mix to me....I'll give it a listen thank you....I'm all for super chill stuff.....Thanks for the tip :guitarist:
You are so very welcome. Another HF member actually turned me onto them. Another amazing band that you might like is "Mother Mother". Check out the O My Heart album...Eureka and The Sticks are really good albums as well. Let me know what you think!
You are just showing your age and/or preference. I think music is totally subjective in terms of taste, however I did come across an article recently that suggests scientifically (I suppose as much as one can be about the topic) that except for 1983, the majority of the 1980's was the least diverse decade for popular music in the past 50 years. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/computer-scientists-prove-80s-music-boring/ I do feel this current decade of popular music seems more 'manufactured' than the previous few, I don't know if that says anything about diversity but pretty much all popular music feels 'safe' now, like the majority of it could be played on those music contest shows.
Yes alas you are right...I must face the fact that i'm now an old Trout :bigcry: ....Some good points made there.
Yeah I will do....I'm in a New Riders of the purple sage mode at the moment....but I will check out the goods you mentioned....Take it easy and happy listening unk:
I'll try to make this succinct. I think a lot has changed. I'm of the opinion that most of the work produced and promoted by major labels and played on mainstream stations today is just garbage. It is designed to attract the lowest common intellectual denominator and the most profits from a changing (or already changed) industry. I'm sure we could all think of great examples of this. The good news is that with the technology available today, which we didn't have 20 years ago, more people than ever can record and promote their own music....for better or worse. So while mainstream popular music of most genres has got worse, there are many ways to hear great music being made independently. Unfortunately, the shows like X-Factor seem to portray music making as something it really isn't....not for 99.99% of actual musicians. Being a successful on one of those shows does not mean you're a musician.
That is well put....The social media has its good points as well as its bad (sadly Justin Bieber was discovered on there i think)..but it is an outlet for real musicians to play their art to the world.....If they must make these brain numbing talent shows I just wish they would start searching in the bars and clubs and find the grass roots performers who have been paying their dues for years...perfecting their art...and developing their own style...cos that is whats needed in the music industry today in my eyes.....I wasn't very old when David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust) came on the scene...but when he did I thought "Wowser"...We don't just seem to get artists like that anymore....Even when the Sex Pistols pitched up...it was like a breath of fresh air.
There is a good quote on this topic from Dave Grohl floating around but I didn't find it yesterday when I was looking for it. But it was basically about how young people may be lead to believe that standing in lines for auditions is how you become a musician....instead of jamming in the garage until you figure it out.
Yeah that sums it up nicely.....The X Factor type of show is all about instant success..and I personally don't think that is good for the art of music...or in the long run the "artist"....Although of course sadly a lot of people want it because of all the wealth it brings...and when that becomes the number one aim...sadly the music is the loser.....But this world can make most crave money and all it brings.......Some of the best music I heard when I was in Nashville in the 1990s..was being played either out on the street by folk trying to raise a few bucks for a meal...or in the Honky Tonks where they played for tips only.....They had the passion for the music...and just wanted to be heard and share it.
