Musings on music as of late
So I did some major music exploration for like an hour when I heard the whole argument that Christina Aguilera is copying off Lady Gaga thing. You wanna know whats pretty amazing? How the music industry can totally be swayed by the work of a few people.
See, somehow in a matter of about two/three years, pop music has changed. What use to be the favored sound has now become more electronically driven. So now we get singles by Katy Perry and Lady Gaga that are heavily influenced by electronica but has attained mainstream success.
So who are the people that drove this change? Strangely enough, Madonna, Kanye West, and Timbaland. When Timbaland made the Justin and Nelly Furtado cd, he began to go into his synth period. Now hip hop began to bridge the gap to dance music while attaining pop success. He somehow managed to stay RnB while staying really computerized (Ayo, Technology, SexyBack, etc). Madonna's Confession on the Dancefloor pushed this further (incredible that Madonna still managed to be ahead of the time. Truly amazing). Notice that she didn't really have to change her image between that cd and the new one. In fact, she kept the dance appeal and drafted Timbaland and Justin Timberlake to drive home the point. The people in charge of Britney's image (cause I don't think she makes these decisions herself) jumped on the bandwagon. Blackout was set up to be her comeback. It had a heavy dance sound that borrowed from Madonna and really good songs on it. Unfortunately, Britney was still not in the right frame of mind, but that didn't stop the cd from having major success. The takeover only need one more piece, Kanye West.
Kanye's collaboration with Daft Punk basically altered pop music. Kanye received even more success (if that was possible) and solidified the connection of dance/electronica and pop success. now more people were exposed to the synthsizer, the drum machine, etc. So what happened after that? It trickled down.
Now we have got people like Katy Perry building her image on dance music and being 'different.' Rihanna jumped on too it with singles like Dont Stop the Music and Disturbia. And now we got Kevin Rudolf and Lil' Wayne...yes...rap verse on a pop/dance hit. Ironically, this song is being sold as rock. Just like Katy Perry is being sold as rock/pop. But its not. Maybe since rock has lost its aggressive edge, electronica is becoming the new rock.
Yeah, i said it. Rock has lost its aggressive edge. Coldplay won the best rock group in the European MTV awards. Coldplay? They are great alternative...but what happened to rock? I am not talking about the cheesy sound of Nickleback...or the pop/rock/emo/I'm a whinny teen with problems sound of My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. I mean no insult. They are good in thier own right...but I am just tired of only listening to that. The variety is gone. Its a shame that Coldplay took the award for the best rock album. Really? that is a whole lot of piano...a whole lot of piano. And its not even like rocking piano like Little Richard. No. It is the piano of soft rock classics.
SO, i was watching a video today of the guy leaving a Justice concert. He made some comment about how the band came really hard. Like really hard. he said that they are the "new rock." I didn't get it until now. They are the new rock. Its harsh, and aggresive, and the closest thing to that old rock spirit that is out there. And it has taken over pop radio. Now we are living in the age or Electronica. And I said electronica and not techno. Not the House sound of Cascada. No, I am talking about the sounds of Justice. The sounds of Boyz Noise. and the sound that has filtered it way down to the new packaged pop star, Lady GaGa.
So, its time to wake up a hear the synth line cause I don't think this is going to go anywhere anytime soon...that is unless Timbaland, Madonna, Kanye, and a few others decide to pull the strings in a new direction.
Why did I write this? I felt like I had an epiphany of sorts. I doubt someone reads it. Not many people come on here anymore, but I just wanted to add my two cents.
See, somehow in a matter of about two/three years, pop music has changed. What use to be the favored sound has now become more electronically driven. So now we get singles by Katy Perry and Lady Gaga that are heavily influenced by electronica but has attained mainstream success.
So who are the people that drove this change? Strangely enough, Madonna, Kanye West, and Timbaland. When Timbaland made the Justin and Nelly Furtado cd, he began to go into his synth period. Now hip hop began to bridge the gap to dance music while attaining pop success. He somehow managed to stay RnB while staying really computerized (Ayo, Technology, SexyBack, etc). Madonna's Confession on the Dancefloor pushed this further (incredible that Madonna still managed to be ahead of the time. Truly amazing). Notice that she didn't really have to change her image between that cd and the new one. In fact, she kept the dance appeal and drafted Timbaland and Justin Timberlake to drive home the point. The people in charge of Britney's image (cause I don't think she makes these decisions herself) jumped on the bandwagon. Blackout was set up to be her comeback. It had a heavy dance sound that borrowed from Madonna and really good songs on it. Unfortunately, Britney was still not in the right frame of mind, but that didn't stop the cd from having major success. The takeover only need one more piece, Kanye West.
Kanye's collaboration with Daft Punk basically altered pop music. Kanye received even more success (if that was possible) and solidified the connection of dance/electronica and pop success. now more people were exposed to the synthsizer, the drum machine, etc. So what happened after that? It trickled down.
Now we have got people like Katy Perry building her image on dance music and being 'different.' Rihanna jumped on too it with singles like Dont Stop the Music and Disturbia. And now we got Kevin Rudolf and Lil' Wayne...yes...rap verse on a pop/dance hit. Ironically, this song is being sold as rock. Just like Katy Perry is being sold as rock/pop. But its not. Maybe since rock has lost its aggressive edge, electronica is becoming the new rock.
Yeah, i said it. Rock has lost its aggressive edge. Coldplay won the best rock group in the European MTV awards. Coldplay? They are great alternative...but what happened to rock? I am not talking about the cheesy sound of Nickleback...or the pop/rock/emo/I'm a whinny teen with problems sound of My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. I mean no insult. They are good in thier own right...but I am just tired of only listening to that. The variety is gone. Its a shame that Coldplay took the award for the best rock album. Really? that is a whole lot of piano...a whole lot of piano. And its not even like rocking piano like Little Richard. No. It is the piano of soft rock classics.
SO, i was watching a video today of the guy leaving a Justice concert. He made some comment about how the band came really hard. Like really hard. he said that they are the "new rock." I didn't get it until now. They are the new rock. Its harsh, and aggresive, and the closest thing to that old rock spirit that is out there. And it has taken over pop radio. Now we are living in the age or Electronica. And I said electronica and not techno. Not the House sound of Cascada. No, I am talking about the sounds of Justice. The sounds of Boyz Noise. and the sound that has filtered it way down to the new packaged pop star, Lady GaGa.
So, its time to wake up a hear the synth line cause I don't think this is going to go anywhere anytime soon...that is unless Timbaland, Madonna, Kanye, and a few others decide to pull the strings in a new direction.
Why did I write this? I felt like I had an epiphany of sorts. I doubt someone reads it. Not many people come on here anymore, but I just wanted to add my two cents.