Popular music is mediocre!
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- Me answering a letter from John about whether or not popular music is necessarily mediocre.
I've got a stomach ache: • Yummy Yummy Yummy I go...
What did you think of this album? Love it? Hate it? Why? What should I review next, eh?
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Y'all know this is just my opinion, right?
SHOUTOUTS!
Another shoutout to Matt Farley!
My IQ is over 400 and i listen to sine waves through my 10k dollar oscillator.
System malfunction.
Sine waves are literally the simplest form of sound. That makes you a simpleton.
Silot I listen to whale song and let women fart in my mouth.
Silot not cosine waves, you're dead to me. Dude I'm so above that, I'm listen to graphs of 4^x. Fite me
metube I need a female to fart in my mouth.
Going bald was the best thing Anthony ever did
Heiße Wurst It’s called a joke, dumbfuck
@@blair3264 you shouldn’t really listen to a doctor especially one doctor. Did he spend a few months with you to diagnose this?
Lol his hair got tired of seeing itself in the mirror.
Breaking Bad
This whole letter was r/iamverysmart material.
Partial or r/im14andthisisdeep
Or r/lewronggeneration
Tfw to intelligent
Agreed
Cunt Goblin ow the edge
To compare today's top 100 with that from 20 years ago is going to yield some unfair results. The internet has introduced a distribution route that decreases the need for radio airplay to sell music and therefore allows artists to take chances that major labels would not allow. Moving away from major labels is to move away from aggressive marketing and guaranteed chart positions. The result is more music for everyone but a chart that no longer reflects what a wide range of people are actually listening to.
Is this the Salad Fingers guy? What's up man! Gave me some good nightmares in 5th grade ha
Hey David, never saw it that way... You might be right. BTW i really like some of your Locust Toybox stuff.
I heard Clunka Minkus had some fire pop music that accurately reflected the taste of a majority of its population. Naturally I went the check it out but it turns out none of that "music" ever existed.
I heard you had a new album out, I really like your music
Didn't think of that. Great vids by the way keep it up.
"Listening to more obscure music doesn't mean you're smart" one thousand times yes
But when your smart, you're more likely to listen to some obscure music.
Florian Choquet
I guess one "you're" out of two isn't bad. Try listening to some more obscure music. You'll get it next time.
Eric Diebel
Hahaha sorry i'm french, I admit this "your" is really ugly. I was trying to troll in a certain way, but a part of me really thinks complex and obscure music, attract intelligent people, and repels dumb people, for obvious reasons that I don't intend to debate here because it seems the atmosphere is more in the grammatical hilarious jokes field. (no irony here I promise)
Florian Choquet Ah, I hate when I'm a snarky grammar nazi with English as a second language folks, whoops. It's okay if you don't want to debate. If I were interested in debating I would've written a nice, long response, and not a pithy grammar take down. Enjoy the music that makes you happy.
Listening to obscure music only means you enjoy obscure music. It has absolutely no connection with one's ability to think. It is silly to judge anyones ability on the basis of musical taste.
If you think you are more inteligent based on the music you hear, this is a clear sign you are not
Felipe Syderas whats your proof its not? why you under estimate what music can tell about you?
Enderman22 yeah music taste tells a lot about a person.
TAVARI but not their intelligence
I'm not more intelligent because of the music I listen to - the music I listen to is of a higher quality and thus has been approved by my superior intellect.
Enderman22 intelligence is actually relative, for example, Lionel Messi is a football genius, his intelligence is reflected physically. Shakespeare was a genius too, but maybe he didn' t understood shit about math. Then Mozart was a musical genius, even tho he was probably not very good at sports. And finally Albert Einstein, the classic "genius" archetype, was indeed a genius, but of exact science, so it's likely he wasn't a good artist. There are multiple types of intelligence. And I do believe I have "better" musical taste than most people, but honestly I don't think I'm that smart, compared to most of my roomates in engineering school.
It was a day like any other. Anthony Fantano, the Internet’s busiest music nerd, was hard at work listening to music that he was to review. It was sunny, and slightly humid, so he had left his shirt off for the day. His girlfriend was dealing with an emergency at work.
But all of a sudden, Anthony heard a knock at his door. His muscles rippled as he got up from his desk chair. He slowly walked to the door… He saw a dark silhouette through the window.
“I wonder who that could be…?” Anthony wondered.
He slowly opened the door. And, to his great surprise, his biggest idol was standing before him… MC Ride. Or as his friends call him, Stefan. MC Ride peeked in the doorway, and said,
“H-hey… um I don’t know if you know me… b-but I’m in a band and our van broke down about a half mile back… I w-was hoping you had some tools laying around…”
Now, although Anthony had always loved Death Grips and their music, he tried to play it cool. After all, he kind of had a crush on Stefan ever since he heard his voice on Beware. Luckily, Anthony had a big shed in his back yard full of his dad’s old mechanic tools.
Anthony smiled, and replied, “Sure… I recognize you. What band again? Deaf grapes or something?”
“N-no… Death Grips…” answered MC Ride.
Anthony laughed. “ha-ha, that’s right! just come on in! I could definitely give you a tool to use…”
He led MC Ride to his back yard. On the way, He could feel Ride’s gaze on him. He wondered if he liked what he saw. He opened the door to the shed, and Ride quickly shuffled in to grab what he needed.
“He’s even cuter in real life…” Thought Anthony.
On the way back, Anthony hastily offered Ride a beer.
“Hey man, want to have a beer? You seem like a cool dude.”
“Well… Zach and Andy are waiting for me… but I guess a quick beer wouldn’t hurt I guess.” Mumbled Ride.
At first, they sat awkwardly in Fantano’s living room. But then they started talking about Death Grips and other music. They were soon off on a riveting conversation.
After a while, Anthony said; “hey… I haven’t really been honest with you Stefan… Can I call you that? To tell the truth, I know a lot about Death Grips. I’m pretty much your biggest fan.”
“Ha-ha… Yes I know… and I have to confess something too. I watch almost all of your video reviews. Y-you could say that I’m your biggest fan.”
Anthony then did something very risky. He laid his hand on Stefan’s leg, right above the knee. Their eyes met, and the next thing Anthony knew, their lips were locked and they were lying on the couch together.
“Can Andy and Zach wait?” asked Anthony.
Ride’s response was to continue kissing him. They made out like this for a few minutes, and then Ride started slowly moving down to Anthony’s private area, kissing his beautiful chest on the way down.
“Please” whispered Anthony.
MC Ride slowly unbuttoned Anthony’s black shorts. Anthony’s rock hard penis sprang up, and MC Ride started sucking it off. It was the best blowjob of Anthony’s life. Far better than any blowjob his girlfriend had ever given him. The way Stefan’s tongue moved… it was amazing.
“Ohhhh Stefan… I think I want you to do the nasty in my taxi!” yelled Anthony.
“I AM THE BEAST YOU WORSHIP” replied MC Ride as he took Anthony’s cock out of his mouth.
Anthony bent over on the couch, and got on his knees. Ride undid his all-black jeans, and revealed his lengthy penis. He started to put his throbbing penis into Anthony’s butt, when all of a sudden,
“IT GOES IT GOES IT GOES IT GOES IT GOES YUUHHHH!!!!!”
“Oh my God!!” screamed Anthony. “You get-get-get-get got-got-got-got it in!”
MC Ride wasn’t a tender lover. He pumped and pumped until finally, in euphoria, he came inside of Anthony’s butt. He withdrew, exhausted, and laid down next to Anthony, who had reached orgasm as well.
“H-how was it?” Asked Stefan.
“you’re good…” Whispered Anthony. Whispered Anthony. “I liked your lovemaking. I would give you a strong six, light seven.”
LOOOOOL
this is the funniest thing I've seen today
lmao what
I just shit my pants laughing hahahaha
LMFAAOOOOOOO
SoRrY I OnLY LiSteN tO DeAtH GrIpS
I have an undeserved superiority complex partly due to my music taste, which constantly battles with my cripplingly low self esteem. Hey, atleast I admit it
same here
I feel you on a spiritual level
you just exposed me.
You just said something very true about me as well. That insight could take me better places
Sheldon Cooper from the The Big Bang moment. cool
Don't dislike popular music if its popular music
I dislike popular music if its bad music
Which most of it is unfortunately. In my case I tend to use the term 'bad' if it is just significantly worse than what I consider to be my standard of judgement. In other words, taking what I perceive to be the best song I have ever heard to be 100 AU (arbitrary units) on a relative scale, I would call a song at 70 AU bad just because in the wider scope of things there are more than enough songs that exist at 90 AU or more, so why settle for a 70 (certainly less than 80 is unappealing at best).
to be completely honest - its about 30-50% that are bad.
it would've been the same in the 60s and 70s
I like maybe 5% of what's on the charts at any given time
Kyle Tomlinson Taiwanese people live in Taiwan.
Eh, fuck it if it's popular or not, if the music is good, then it's good.
This guy writing the letter sounds like a 15 year old atheist.
Is that good or bad?
Ben Tate Rhetorical question
+Ben Tate It's bad if they think being an atheist makes them cool. It doesn't, can confirm.
+Alpha Reads When you're a teenager you think its cool. Now it just kinda sucks.
+Brian Brecker what? No one who is an atheist thinks they are cool. It's just an absence of the belief in a god... Like it's such an non issue in most atheists lives. You can't just dismiss someone's completely unrelated letter by calling them atheist lol
Everything is mediocre and we're all going to die.
+300daysandnights ^
+300daysandnights "Life's a bitch and then you die. That's why we get high, cuz you never know when you're gonna go..." Yup.
The sooner the better lol just fucking kill me please
Salieri
300daysandnights EMMURE- World of Intulo
I'm feeling a strong 3 on john's arguments and theory.
out of 130 IQ
"All music that is popular is bad". Literally the most closed minded thing I've ever heard.
It's understandable, though.
With shit like anaconda and shake it off topping the charts, you can't blame people for thinking that.
There are some talented folks like Daft Punk, Macklemore and Lorde, atleast.
TheTechnoBroz macklemore lmao
PointlessLPs ?
TheTechnoBroz Don't compare shake it off, with that unimaginative shit that is anaconda. Just because something is popular and charts doesn't mean it's bad, also as far as hip-hop artists go Macklemore is a joke with a few listen-able singles.
thelukestar619v2 I am sorry, but its in the same league, its an obnoxious "fuk the hatrs >:(" anthem that is just there to earn money.
I can smell the fedora and vape machine off this letter
Demon Days of Vinyl I can smell the vaporwave
Demon Days of Vinyl That letter should be used as toilet paper.
Demon Days of Vinyl what is a vape machine?
I would vape your post if I could
Demon Days of Vinyl and reddit
Popular music is mediocre: ua-cam.com/video/be_HVMwiBAM/v-deo.html
Please have Cal answer a letter!
Antango, I agree that current popular music isn't necessarily mediocre; and much of it is super catchy and creative-sometimes. But my real problem comes from the lack of instrumentation. What happened to the guitar solo? Or even the classic riff? God forbid a prominent bass line or a drum break.
Judging popularity is pretentious.
Hey Anthony, could you do a Bloodbath review? If my assumptions are right you dig death metal quite a bit but don't dig Opeth so much. I'm just curious what you think of Bloodbath being that its kind of the death metal star child of Opeth and Katatonia.
OllieNorthMK Katy Perry had a sax solo on TGIF, that's pretty cool
I feel like the dude that wrote the letter should have added a "p.s. (tips fedora)".
+Clever Brunozoid also Praise Komrade Staleen
+joshua stickels also 8==========================================================D
+joshua stickels also 8==========================================================D
+joshua stickels fedora or trilby hat?
2 years late, but both. simultaneously.
The Shrek soundtrack is mediogre
Shrek 2 soundtrack is pretty good tho.
+Shoopan really? I find it to be quite ogrebearing
Pretty ogrerated imo
W
oh no you didn't said that
I hate musical elitists, the people who say 'You listen to that band, how can you call yourself a lover of music?", I just spring the Beatles fallacy on them. They say "It all sounds the same though". Yeah, because your 15 albums of obscure ukulele playing, banjo picking, quavering smokey voice "Indie Bands" are completely different aren't they?
That's a gross misrepresentation and oversimplification of independent music, man. For every popular genre, there is an underbelly of each, let's not get into hyperbolics. :P
But it's true though. Every time the "indie" kids would play their music over our school speakers it would just sound the exact same from band to band. Yes, not all independent music fits into this category (the reason I gave the criteria in my original post) but it's true.
I love indie bands, but you're totally right about most of your statement.
I can like Childish Gambino /and/ Death Grips, even though only one of them is "cool," and still be a music lover.
Leavemealoneabout Usingmyname I have a couple of "indie bands" on my music (most of the ones who have become mainstream anyway). But feel free to hate, I have many a popular music on my iPod, I've become the thing I used to hate.
The only music worse than pop music is Indie music. Lol.
I love the tone of the IQ argument. He round-about humble-brags by insinuating he's 130+ IQ and therefore just might not "get" popular music because he's just too smart.
Which is especially stupid considering that if you have a high IQ, and a high IQ isn't required to understand popular music, he shouldn't have any trouble "getting" it in the first place.
John sounds like a psuedo-intellectual who seems insecure of his own musical taste.
Yep, straight out of /r/iamverysmart.
Indubitably amusing, Sir Nicholas
Nicholas Lim ZJ
dude, even though i also think he is wrong, at least he confronts his theory against other's point of view. That means, he's willing to change his mind.
Pointing out that he seems like a insecure person isn't bringing anything at all to it.
Nicholas Lim ZJ But he has both Neutral Milk Hotel albums on vinyl. He's super smart.
since when did listening to obscure music make you smart??
+13Mikestar He said it didn't.
Martin Finnegan it was rhetorical, I know what he was saying.
+13Mikestar I think his point was that your rhetorical question was completely irrelevant since the person who submitted that note already clarified that he wasn't saying that listening to obscure music makes you intelligent or vice versa.
+13Mikestar it doesn't, however asserting your own tastes which doesnt conform to what radios shove down everyones throats surely indicates a sense of individualism
+13Mikestar Mozart makes babies smart
My IQ is 4 billion and I smell sounds and hear colors
And you're a mountain on a chicken.
Cool
Mountain Chicken my IQ is 10 billion beat that
beautiful
Linking musical taste or any kind of taste to IQ is just a way of reassuring oneself about one's intelligence. It leads to poserism with people pretending to enjoy stuff that they think is smart just because it sounds smart, sometimes even lying to themselves.
Don't be insecure, and do yourself a favor : find things you legitimately enjoy, not "smart".
👏👏👏
I don't see crowing about your intelligence because you listen to Television or Radiohead. I lost all snobbiness when I met my wife, a conservatory-trained musician, who has sophisticated thoughts on Shostakovich and Bartok.
How can you be so pretentious to write out a note like that. Damn.
+Care Bear Zach It's got that typical clunkiness that always happens when someone tries to sound smarter than they actually are.
+Martin Finnegan Tossing words into the mix
+Care Bear Zach What exactly made it pretentious?
+B!ack. His try hard attempt at sounding intelligent, saying that people who listen to popular music are stupid, and that's why he listens to different music because he's supposedly of a higher IQ. I can go on.
Care Bear Zach Seemed to me like he was just asking for an opinion on whether or not IQ could have anything to do with music preference and stating his own opinion on the matter. I didn't hear anyone dismissed as stupid hands down or anyone else declared as intelligent without doubt- he did question his own intelligence at the end.
But yeah, his writing did sound a little over the top... I suppose that could be called pretentious.
Suggesting that people with higher IQs like 'better' music is sheer pretentious elitism
Have you ever seen an IQ test? They dont define your true intellectual capacity. Mainly your effort in self eduction or the cash spent on your education.
MVEMJSUNP Beyond Exactly! :)
That's oppressive abd I am triggered
Anthony's rendition of "Yummy Yummy Yummy" completes my life. All of it. Guaranteed.
well this didn't age well
Was this a prophecy?
He just see the future
JUSTIN-😏
Yeah you got that
i really do hate teenagers that think "oh it was on the radio? IT'S SHIT GOTTA HATE IT BLINDLY".
Most things on the radio are shit.
Filippo Medas
*****
shut up, you dweebs
Slow How about no?
i'm proud of you for standing up to the system
Slow what system? Im standing up to an asshole.
It's not that popular music is bad, but bad music has become popular.
well said my friend
Odd, I had a music teacher tell me that in 1966 about the Beatles. Welcome to his club.
Rik Van Horn it was 1966.........................
a not-even-smart switcharoo doesn't make it true. so electronic music, hiphop, rnb and alternative rock are bad music? boy you're gonna have a nice time arguing that
steve smithson its not the genres as a whole that are bad, but bad artists are representing those types of music in the mainstream world.
"I don't think [Kanye West's] music is dumbed down"
whoopity scoop scoopity whoop
This was 7 years ago dumbass and that was a pretty smart way to promote his album
that only happened so he could troll drake tbh
Anthony Fantano is mediocre.
Cal Chuchesta on the other hand...
VictorFr0st you aint get no W you get the whole world wide web '-'
I think it's just a case of liking music more then others. Because lots of people started their musical journey in the mainstream, but as they got burnt out on all those artists, they went deeper, seeking other music, gradually getting to more lesser know artists and more obscure genres. But at the same time, many people who are really into music like us, might not have a huge interest in say film, or TV, so all of our favorites there are mainstream. And that's because the more you indulge yourself in an interest, the further you get from the mainstream. It does not relate to intelligence.
Great point.
Sometimes simple pop songs are fun. Not everything needs to be taken 100% seriously. Of course if one only appreciates "art music", then a simple catchy pop song has no value to them.
Also, I hate the pseudo intellectuals who try to prove they are somehow better than others because they listen to complex music or underground music or "art music" or whatever. There are even people who think listening to bands like Led Zeppelin and Metallica makes them somehow superior to people who listen to for example pop, hip hop or electronic music, even though LZ and Metallica are like the definition of mainstream (not saying there's anything wrong with LZ or Metallica - I think they are great bands but you are not special for liking them because they are some of the most popular bands ever).
I do think to make a song that appeals to as many people as possible, it needs to have something catchy in it. And to make something catchy, it needs to be simple enough. It needs to be something people are already kind of familiar with but there's also something new in it so that it's not too boring. Well, obviously you can also make something catchy by just playing it over and over again. After enough repeats people will remember it and be able to sing along with it.
But yeah, I think there's music for different purposes. Many hit songs work well as party songs. They are easy to listen to and have a beat that makes you want to dance and a chorus that's easy to sing along with. They work for having fun. They are not songs that you would seriously listen to just for the music. But for example progressive rock doesn't work as party music. To enjoy something like progressive rock, you need to focus on the music. It's not easy to listen to - you need to pay attention to it. And even then it may take a couple of listens to really get used to.
But isn't the whole reason to see a band live to have fun, and dance or sing along with them? (Part of me is seriously asking. I'm some teenage jerk who has only been to a few shows in his short life) I would always rather see someone I think is fantastic and am interested in for their lyrical and musical complexity, (which doesn't always have to be that complex or interesting to please me) than someone I can just say is good for easy listening. Plus the part of me that's an asshole ( it's only like 80% of me) resents a lot of popular music because of its lack of complexity or interesting-ness and thinks better of myself for "being above it". (Like I said, 80% asshole). I don't think I'd ever to a show of someone who's music I don't really like and don't listen to. You brought up some valid and interesting points, and this whole topic is one I've thought about a lot...in my short life.
Henry Soults
But I think some people like simple pop songs or the reasons I mentioned - it's great music to party to. Something like prog rock doesn't work for partying that well.
People listen to music for different reasons.
When I go see a band, I usually want to listen to the music. I find dancing and singing along with the music kind of distracting. I just enjoy listening to the music. But that's just me.
"I don't think I'd ever to a show of someone who's music I don't really like and don't listen to."
Well, I wouldn't pay to see a band that I don't enjoy listening to either. But some people like a band because they play good party music. People genuinely like mainstream pop. But I'm pretty sure at least part of why they like it is because it is easy to listen to and it's good party music. Some people don't like complex music because they listen to music for a different reason. If it doesn't have a good beat, it just doesn't interest them. If it doesn't have a catchy chorus, it's just boring to them.
Deep lyrics don't fit all songs. If you want to have a "having a good time" song, deep lyrics may ruin it. Take something like James Brown's "It's Too Funky in Here", the lyrics are basically nonsense but that doesn't take anything away from the song. This applies to many funk songs. I don't think more complex lyrics would make the songs any better because the purpose of those songs is to just have a good time and enjoy the groove.
Complex song structures don't fit all songs. It's all about what you expect from the music. If you appreciate some kind of complexity, then complex song structures are good. But sometimes that can ruin a song. Sometimes a straight forward rock song is just awesome.
For example the problem I have with songs like "Pull Me Under" by Dream Theater is that it could be a lot more straight forward. I would prefer the song that way. But now it has too many parts in it before the first chorus. And to me that's boring. I do like some Dream Theater songs, but for some songs a more straight forward approach would work better. It's kind of hard to explain. But sometimes too much complexity is what makes a song boring.
"Pull Me Under" is not even that complex, and I actually enjoy some of their more complex songs a lot more. To me it just feels like it has too many sections and too much technical wankery before the first chorus. It would work better if it was more compact and went straight to the point. That was just an example.
And some Megadeth songs have too many riffs in them that change too frequently. That makes the songs lack coherency (this is also a feeling I get from some Dream Theater songs). But somebody else may completely disagree with me.
Just some random examples. And I'm of course just expressing my own opinion.
I think complex songs lack emotion to some degree, which is why a lot of people like railing against it. Pop songs can be good, but you can't deny that complex songs ,from a technical standpoint, are more mentally stimulating.
I'm pretty sure fun in music is completely subjective. A lot of metal music isn't exactly there to pull heart strings or be serious. Most of it is fun and energetic but arguably a lot more emotion and artistic care into it than the average pop song. Don't see how fun and complex are mutually exclusive or take concentration to enjoy? Blast the average metal song you don't need to concentrate to get hyped.
MaggaraMarine a little late to the party, but the reason we say LZ and Metallica and stuff like that is more surperior, is because it takes more talent to make than your average pop song. Nothing else. However, while saying this, Metallica and LZ are very mainstream, but back in the 70s and 80s it was 100 times harder to get mainstream than today...thus making the bands with more talent win out. And guess what? Metallica, LZ, Rush, and Pink Floyd are some of the most talented bands ever, while also being some of the most mainstream rock bands.
It's ridiculous to associate mediocre 'popular' music, or any form of media, just with those of a lower IQ. Finding catchy music enjoyable is not something that is exclusive to those of a low IQ, regardless of lyrical quality. And what about people who listen to it ironically, for example, or when too drunk to care that it's crap?
What it comes down to, really, is how much a person is interested in music. If they're not that interested, then they're not going to bother to find music with more substance that Katy Perry, nor are they going to put much thought into the lyrical or musical skill these artists show. Even if they're an Einstein.
Conversely, a genuinely good band can appeal to morons. Look at the Beatles; as well as all the screaming girls that made up Beatlemania, they were a big influence on the teenage hippies that Frank Zappa tore into on his song 'Who Needs The Peace Corps?', who were merely following a fashion, rather than having any genuine concern for the social and political values of the movement. But does that make the Beatles a band for idiots? Surely it just means that bands can apply to both craze following morons and real music fans at the same time?
That and add to the fact that you have no idea whether or not someone would dig something regardless of however "inaccessible" it may be, because you don't know why someone would like something. My friends mainly only listens to linkin park and shit, but I've shown him fucking Gorguts and a bunch of Death Metal bands and he's dug them all, he digs pretty much anything I can throw at him so long as it's not drone or ambient.
MrGwuin Exactly. And different people find different things inaccessible. Your friend finds drone and ambient inaccessible, my closest friend is really into that stuff but finds that he cannot enjoy Gorguts, Slayer, Linkin Park and all metal in general .
Yeezy Smalls Precisely. He enjoys anything as long as it has energy and it's loud and stuff. Sure, it's not a very deep reason to like it, but at the end of the day he still likes it. People seem to think someone who only listens to popular stuff can't like something "obscure" because in order to like those things you must see music with a deeper meaning and such, which is completely ridiculous; I used to like GY!BE simply because I thought it sounded pretty, it wasn't until much later when I started appreciating the atmospheres and mental images and such.
MrGwuin which is the converse of my friend, who enjoys anything where the melody is distinct (something he doesn't feel exists with death metal and such, and he just thinks Linkin Park are shit) and they have put a lot of thought and musical skill into their music. His favourite artists are Aphex Twin and Tim Hecker (also Fleet Foxes).
That's a great point - I mean, who's to say you can't enjoy Lorde and Neutral Milk Hotel? There's this absurd idea that popular music and obscure music separate people into two different camps, essentially, and one can't combine with the other. But Lorde still has musical substance, why is that no longer true just because of her immense popularity? Similarly, Nirvana, Radiohead and Green Day (well, on American Idiot and Dookie, anyway) were bands I used to like because they had a catchy sound, but now I'm fully able to appreciate the effect they had on music, and the amount of talent and genius that went into their music.
Oh and GY!BE are fucking incredible. I bought Lift Your Skinny Fists just yesterday, probably up there with my all time favourites. I'm thinking I'll almost definitely buy F#A# Infinity as well.
I somewhat agree with the IQ comment, not that everyone who likes pop is an idiot, but the lyrics and songs are aimed at the lowest common denominator. The fratboy partying idiots, the screaming girls following trends, etc. Pop music has an incredible amount of one hit wonders because they make one single that appeals to the lowest common denominator of the masses, sign to a label, and then are replaced by another one hit wonder doing the same thing.
He either likes Tool and Mozart or Arctic Monkeys and Tame Impala.
All popular though so probably not
@@reroutespace I think that was the point he was making, the writer is a hypocrite.
me who likes all four of 'em: *walks away slowly*
There's two types of popular music: 1. Music that is produced so well by great musicians that know how to create music that everyone will love both sonically, lyrically and deeply. 2. Bland trendy music that sells millions because of good marketing. However, example 1 will go down in history (Beatles, Bowie etc.) Example 2 will be lost in history (Archies, One Direction etc.)
TheHotFalafel The word pop is a loose word to me. A song can be of a different genre like rock and be popular, so pop, but pop is also it's own, modern, generally bad genre
TheHotFalafel I'm no fan of one direction, but what makes you think that their music and outrageous popularity will be lost in history?
The Beatles suck. Horrendous. They are only liked because they're dead and their great marketing, like you said.
Zachary Morin they are already forgotten
You haven't heard anything related to Beatles but their boy band stuff (which I agree is trash). But their albums after are amazing imo.
Here's the thing guys: whether a song is good or bad is completely subjective. Just because "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles is simple, short, and "poppy" does NOT necessarily make it bad. I still love it. Likewise, just because something like, say, Cygnus x-1 by Rush is complex and intricate does NOT necessarily make it good. (big Rush fan, don't mean to hate on them, just using this as an example.) All I am saying is that different music will appeal to different people and no one is ever really "right" or "wrong" in their opinion of "good" music. To each his own.
I think you could have even listed Kendrick Lamar as a mainstream figure today that doesn't sacrifice intelligence for popularity. And yes, to anyone who wants to try to tell me otherwise, Kendrick Lamar IS mainstream now.
well said
Kendrick Lamar is terrible. Sounds like any other rapper
@@judetgI'm not a Kendrick stan but his voice is pretty instantly recognizable. Even when I first heard him (on Wesley's Theory)- I was pretty surprised.
Not liking something = it’s wrong . Adds up
Sturgeon's Law: ninety percent of everything is crap. Popular music in the past was "better" because we only remember the 10% that wasn't crap.
One thing that I think has changed and somewhat skewed our perspective, is that music is far more fragmented and diverse than it ever has been before. Back in the 60s, there were really only a handful of different kinds of Western music, so when something good came out, a higher percentage of the population caught onto it. That's why Baby-Boomers all tend to like the same music.
These days we have so much more to choose from, so people are more divided between different kinds of music. I'd bet that if you added up all the Flying Lotus fans, Queens of the Stone Age fans, James Blake fans, Mayer Hawthorne fans and Chance the Rapper fans you'd get a group of people comparable in numbers to, say, Katy Perry fans. There's more people listening to non-pop music than people listening to just pop music, but they're so divided between different genres and scenes that they can never unite and compete with the millions listening to top 40 music.
The guy writing the letter sure sounds like an elitist tosser though, ey?
Haha, I actually like almost all of those artists.
Good point. I've never thought of it that way before.
alright, but music is just tuned sounds that only humans like. telling someone that their music taste sucks is like telling them their favorite color sucks. its stupid and pointless and just like all art its completely subjective.
hahahaha yeah exactly
What a pretentious letter...
Malte Fly true
r/IamVerySmart
@Alvin r/ihavereddit
@Alvin I feel the same way bro
In my opinion the quality of the pop artists today is based on the artist's motivation. If you take an artist like Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber, a lot of their motive (not all of it though) is just to make money or be famous. Take some artists like Sia, Lady Gaga, or Beyoncé. Their music is taken more seriously and has better critical acclaim. What's different about them is that they make music because that is what they love. If you are passionate about something, the product will be better.
Wtf Beyoncé had no artistic integrity whatsoever until she made lemonade and that's if you believe that shit. Beyoncé is the definition of vapid pop artist.
Making generalizations about the entirety of music is idiotic. Thank you for making this video, it really needed to be said how people are biased when they look into the past.
AQ, you're 110% right. And it happens to everybody. It's called the mythic past.
Here's another thought. …The average American listener has had a very closed acceptance or mindset towards music. Take for instance Jimi Hendrix, when he was being introduced. What did his management do? They shipped him over to Europe first, knowing very well the U.S. wouldn't understand or accept him. He exploded in Europe, then they brought him back to the U.S., and then the U.S. thought he was amazing. …It's the same with the Beatles and the British Invasion; Black people had been playing the Blues for decades (Robert Johnson and the birth of Blues), then the Blues was exported and picked up and transformed by the English, and then they spat it back out to the U.S., where the average American raved the Blues, when it was born in their own backwards. …So, back to the question, Pop music is mediocre. Since it seems that the larger U.S. audience is unwilling or unable to accept new music or different forms of music (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.).
I'm glad I'm not the average American listener.
But pop music is nothing new. And I don't understand what you mean about the Beatles. Yes, the American audience was skeptical if a British group could be successful in the states, but their first trip here was the largest televised event in history at that time. I think the whole thing about Jimi Hendrix and the blues was about race, since America was much more divided at that time. While Jazz was heralded as the black man's greatest contribution to music, the blues was denounced as too simple and for only folks living in poverty. I don't think it has to do with Americans being closed-minded towards music, at least now days. Just look at the ridiculous popularity with "Gangnam Style" and other K-pop/J-pop groups here.
Nice rebuttal.
David Byrne made a good point in his book "How Music Works" about this very subject. An excerpt:
"The idea used to be that the record company A&R folks all had good ears, and, as Lenny Waronker said, they could sense that these kids and their songs could , just maybe, become hugely popular and make a pile of money for the record company. At some point in the 80's these guys with the special ears began to disappear. Most of the major labels began to merge with one another, or even with non-music businesses. Warner Bros., where I was, got absorbed by Time, Inc. (Maybe we'd all get good reviews from Time from now on!) And then, to make it even more confusing, that entity merged with AOL. The new stockholders and boards soon demanded quarterly accounting, which pressured the labels to produce significant hits on a regular basis. The "ears" who spotted and nurtured talent were well paid, so to pay off the debts accrued by the recent mergers, these guys were let go. Then even the guys who managed and used to own the record labels were paid handsomely to go away. Other guys who didn't have a history of dealing with musicians thought they could do just as well or better by being more ruthless and efficient. Mostly, though, they didn't do any better. The smaller labels that survived still relied on their love of the form and their gut instincts, and because they were actually paying attention, sometimes they hooked a big one. They knew when something moved them, but they didn't have the same financial resources and marketing manpower as the big boys. Turning one's heart, ears, and love into cash could only be a 'sometime' thing."
tl;dr record companies merged with non-music businesses (AOL for example) and treated artists like cash cows that required quarterly profits, making the quality suffer.
Makes sense.
Leonard Bernstein also said the majority of popular music being made was garbage in 1967. How wrong was he?
It all coincided with the advent of the DJ.
I remember when recording sessions started to become sh!t. It was because the "cool" tw@ts snorting endless coke at the back of the studio were waiting for everyone to show them what to do and say next... And occasionally they'd pretend they made a decision that would make the track "cool". "uh, YEAH! Put the Newmann 800 drum machine on it now, they're like, cool right now!" and "oh no, that's so YESTERDAY!"... "Hihats are so cool", "no, we have to sample from vinyl, man, send the runner out for the track because IMPORTANT THINGZ, man"
And then he would take credit and put his brand-name on it. And the fat record company dick lapped it all up while he got his line and met "Kimberly".
Some were cool though. Some.
MOO not that wrong
I'm almost always turned off of popular music, but not for the sheer fact that it's popular. But because most popular music is really lively and almost fake in a way. Something I can't really connect with. And sure, maybe there is a talent factor to some of the songs, I won't disregard that. But if I can't get into the song, then it doesn't matter how talented the artist is. I won't listen to it if I don't like it.
oh mr aultman
I know it might sound pretentious to some degree, but I'm pretty choosy about what I listen to. There are lots of types of music I like, but I'm just not really into the sound of manufactured pop music. The same goes for indie acts too.
Alexander Aultman When you say "the sound of manufactured pop music" I think you're getting at something I've been thinking about a lot lately in my own musical appreciation, or lack thereof. The polished, hyper-clean and massively compressed production values of what is most "ear-catching" on radio can often sound too sanitized, clinical and familiar to create the experience of novelty, excitement and being challenged that I listen for in music and find compelling. I'm not being a purist about it either - I appreciate everything from gritty anonymous tape experiments and kvlt bm to headphone-ready, production-rich ambient electronica that is entirely software based, including the whole range of production values in between. I can absolutely appreciate a catchy pop hook - there's usually at least one song on the radio in any given month that I can actually enjoy for a simple melody and clean composition, although I'd be hard pressed to listen to an entire album from the same pop star.
I can't stand people who go around commenting on old songs like "I'm 13 and I listen to this instead of shit today like Katy Perry. Sorry for what my generation did to music". Nobody cares. If you like Pink Floyd but hate Kanye West, then listen to Pink Floyd and don't listen to Kanye West.
Number 42 As a 14 year old, I agree.
Old Anthony: REAL silly goose 😜 (quirky, animated even)
New Anthony: FAKE silly goose 🤮 (pretending/masquerading)
tf are you on about
The only problem i have with mainstream music is how it's idolized. Do you know how much i've heard drunk in love today? Too much. I understand that it's catchy but people have made it seem like it's the greatest thing to happen to earth since Jesus.
Totally agree with you on that one. It's not the fact that it is popular; it's the fact that it is glamorized to the point of godsend.
It literally is still like that
not all popular music is pointless theres some underground music thats garbarge and some thats not. theres some popular music that very meaningful.
agreed
you should follow back on instagram
I feel like his John's theory actually is kind of interesting until he starts using objective words to describe subjective things, as well as him starting to act "higher-than-thou"
cheese ballz
"The Monkees weren't about music, Marge. They were about rebellion, about political and social upheaval!"
"Are you trying to tell me that listening to indie amd underground music does not mean I'm intelligent?"
I get your point comment section, however, if someone tells you that Toosie Slide is the greatest song that has ever been written, don't tell me that you wouldn't think said person is kinda stupid
2:33 NEW ORDER TASK FORCE REPORTING FOR DUTY
WE MUST PROTECT BERNARD SUMNER
There's two types of popular music, the kind that appeals to the lowest common denominator , and the kind that is just popular because it's good.
The person who wrote the letter seems to group all popular music together and then gets confused because his theory falls apart. The idea that some music gets popular because it appeals to the biggest mediocre crowd isn't bad.
I'm gonna assume that Anthony got this letter through carrier pigeon.
What's the IQ of Cal Chuchesta?
Numbers can't adequately describe that man's intelligence.
ExperienceLOS7713 Not sure if you're insinuating that he's a genius or that he's a moron... or both....
Ruaraidh Johnston Definitely both
Off the charrs
I don't like being fed my music like what happens to a lot of more pleb music listeners through the radio and whatnot but at the same time I think there are artists in that spotlight that make great music (or at least did at one point), whether it be the Foo Fighters, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars, or Coldplay, there's a lot of good music where maybe some more close-minded people wouldn't care to look (I'm looking at you, metalheads.) But also, everywhere you look there will always be dumbed down and bland music whether it be on the radio or in the underground.
Categorising "metalheads" as "more close-minded" than others, might not be advised. Anyone can be "close-minded", regardless of what their most commonly enjoyed genre might be.
So Im close minded cause i listen to mostly Metal? not all metalheads are close minded "elitist" asshole's. Im sorry I don't like a vast array of different music, that doesnt mean im close minded, i actually like quite a few other genres besides metal, woah surprising huh? I just don't like rap/pop cause i think the majority of it is too repetitive and recycled that it all sounds the same to me, it never goes anywhere cause of the lack of innovation. Like what you want I don't judge others cause they don't want to explore different style's or have a completly different musical outlook than me, I just won't talk about music with the person, simple as that.
Note I said "some" metalheads. I don't have a problem if it's your favorite genre of music, I have a problem with the people who claim this stupid crap like "Oh a macbook isn't an instrument, it's not real music, it takes no skill." Know what I mean? I also despise those people who have that mentality that more extreme is better. Like when my friend calls a metal band I like a "pussy band" because its not in as low of a tuning or something dumb. I'm not saying all metalheads are like that but I see it a lot in not only metalheads but also self proclaimed aficionados of any genre really. And if any genre is having problems lacking originality and has the least amount of room to grow it's probably modern day deathcore and metalcore. Though metalcore will always be my guilty pleasure.
ThisIsnt MyRealNamelol it certainly had its flaws, but I would not say Sempiternal was lacking in originality at all. In fact, better still, One Of Us Is The Killer was a great album
ThisIsnt MyRealNamelol
Yeah more than some i'd say, yeah i know what you mean i make electronic music myself, depends on the style of it, it takes alot of thought and dedication to construct it, i rather physically play the music i make instead of pressing play at a venue, most people think that electronic music is talentless, i usually joke around with saying its a pussy band or whatever, i know most are serious and too "Kvlt" and "brootal" for those bands, yes i i agree with you on deathcore, there no originality in it anymore, its breakdown after breakdwon they dont try anything new and different, deathcore fans are just as bad as death metal fans, "if it doesnt have breakdowns it sucks" i like some metalcore, not as much anymore, but if someone has it on ill jam out to it.
My IQ is 360 and I only listen to whichever XXL freshmen get downvoted the most each year. We exist
Every decade has its shitty music. Popularity is irrelevant.
It's important to remember that music is popular for more then one reason. This is why labels put just as much focus on the looks of an artists, as they do on the music itself. As simply listening to something, doesn't create much of an identity on its own. Because when identifying something, we rely on the sense we use the most, which is our vision. And this means we sometimes also judge things based on how they look, more then anything ells. Especially if we don't have a lot of experience with what we are faced with. One example of this is food, which is why kids often say they don't like particular food, based only on how the food looks, rather then tastes. Music shares this problem as well. Teenage girls become fan of boy groups, not really because they love the music, but because they like the looks of the boys in the group. This becomes even more prominent by the fact that they are young, and therefor are more persuaded by their emotions. And their lesser experience with listening to music, means they won't be as critical about the music itself, which brings me to my next point.
How we perceive music, is directly affected by the type of music we are use to listen to. Or in other words; we don't all listen to the same piece of music, in the same way. Because our experience with listening to music is very different from each other, depending on how much music we listen to, and how many different genres we listen to. If you are use to listen to a lot of jazz. you will experience a pop track very differently, then someone who just listens to the radio. This is, again, very similar to how we perceive food. An a la carte chef, who has developed his tastebuds for years through eating a lot of different high quality food, will taste food very differently, then someone who has no real interest in food. Not because the a la carte chef cares more about food, but simply because his tastebuds are much more trained in tasting different kinds of food. And therefor have a lot more pillars of which he can measure taste from. Listening to music is exactly the same. The more you listen, the more you learn to listen.
His hearline looks like a glitch
Hipsterism isn't actually that new a thing, there were always people who listened to obscure music or read obscure books to distinguish themselves somehow from the "majority", either to satisfy their ego or to troll the majority. I like obscure music but I never boast about unpopular bands I manage to find somewhere. And no, I don't think I'm more intelligent than anyone else. I simply like obscure music.
r u a hipster
Finding obscure stuff can be fun. For example, one of my favourite bands is Woccon, a melo-doom/death metal band. I've listened to other stuff in the subgenre and nothing has grabbed me. The obscure has to set themselves apart in some way and it results in some great experimentation, even though it's not always for the best.
So someone who boasts and desires to satisfy their ego by listening to someone like say.. Caravan, is a hipster? Doesnt really define a hipster as listening to caravan isnt all that 'hip' by todays standards.
I've always thought a hipster borrowed aesthetically from beatniks and grunge, but basically took music direction from Pitchfork and Vice, tied to indie but a jack of all musical trends. Also whatever you're into, they were into it before you, and they liked way better stuff. Loser.
mitchell2719 I have discovered Bandcamp not long ago and found two bands that weren't at all listened to on Last.fm :) I don't think this is some universal measure of success, but still I have the satisfaction noone knows them :) I'm talking about American black metal band WORSEN and lo-fi grind DEAD PEASANTS - awesome stuff, check them out.
Bring this series back fantonio
why do you have hair
will you ever do videos like this again? i always find myself rewatching these videos. they're the reason i give the needle drop a light to decent 9 tbh
A good way to look at it is to look at it like the video game industry. That majority of people arnt "big gamers" and therefore only really play games like candy crush because they arnt really looking for a sit down experience. And also must popular music is just as good and bad as unpopular music.
There's no comparing video games to music. There's such a thing as having other interests. I personally dislike video games, and love music. I mean there is gonna be good and bad popular and unpopular of both, but they aren't even in the same category. That's just my opinion though
Chris Francis I understand what you're saying but I was using that has an example because a lot of people play video games and so it would be a good way to explain it.
I think your example fits to a degree but not quite.
The way it fits is, that there is a casual and a hardcore demographic. That is, the people who play games casually are comparable to people who listen to music mainly as background noise for example in the car/bus/train or on parties etc. And both mediums have people with differentiated tastes where the act of playing or listening is less of a distraction and more of a hobby that you get invested in.
Where I think it doesn't fit is in the artistic qualities of both mediums and this is important because the video dealt with whether popular music has artistic qualities. Music is a medium where artistic worth is valued a lot in the 'hardcore demographic'. That isn't to say that artistic worth in games is irrelevant (_Shadow of the Colossus_), but games and gamers are usually very much indifferent to artistic merit. In fact, often times artistic merit is seen as pretentious or unnecessary, since it tends to draw on other elements that are valued higher, like game mechanics.
Olivier Schultheiss Games are different from other pieces of art as despite whatever you do with the medium, it's purpose is ultimately to entertain, many games tell fantastic stories while crafting the entertainment, but you can't forget the entertainment. There are artsy games that come off as immensely pretentious and ultimately don't belong in a video game. People need to learn how to properly utilize the medium, same for books, film, and painting.
You are incorrect.
Mediums is a valid plural form of medium. You can only not use "mediums" when talking about news media.
Damnit someone throw away the melon, it got left in the sun and started sprouting little hairs 😒
What the heck is that thing on your head Anthony?
in fact Henry Rollins yelling at you can make you very smart
I love you.
Frozen yogurt!!! REALLY?!?
@@jaketrask3931 I love you.
Henry Rollins thinks he is far more intellectual than others when really he's a self-conflicted violent guy.
MY WAR YOUR ONE OF THEM
The phrase “you wouldn’t know them” personified
I honestly don't think, by asking this question, that John actually meant that people who like pop are stupid. I think he was asking it rhetorically or theoretically and he just added the comment about the IQ to make things interesting. I think John actually sounds like a pretty smart, inquisitive guy and by asking the question he did he was just pondering on a topic rather than full on 100% in agreement. If he agreed that dumb people listen to dumb music then I don't think he's be asking Anthony. I think he brought up a really interesting topic for conversation. I also agree with everything that Anthony said in his answer/explanation. Most pop songs have a set formula... dumb Verse, verse, catchy chorus, dumber verse, emotional bridge, catchy chorus chorus chorus. (something like that) And this same formula has been used for a very long time, and it is used because, well, it works. If an intelligent person finds a song catchy and they can't get it stuck out of their head it doesn't make them dumb. This is a sure fire formula for most folks and I have yet to find someone totally immune to pop music. (everyone have their dirty little secrets )**COUGH COUGH destiny's child COUGH COUGH** Just as Anthony states, it's like if an unintelligent person finds an intelligent song good, it doesn't make them smarter. So in conclusion, no one should be dissing John here, I think he asked a great question in an unbiased matter. And I agree with Anthony
the end
ok John's girlfriend. Thanks
See, this guy right here is _actually_ intelligent, and the people saying "UUUURGH JON SO STOOOPEEED HAHAHAHA HE FUNNI HE THINK SMURT BUT HE STOOOPID HAHA", are not. It's pretty evident from the wording and the very clear question at the end, where he cites great popular bands, that he doesn't think that all popular music is mediocre by nature and that intelligence is not the defining factor for liking pop music. Of course, this escapes people so insecure about their own intelligence that they need to make fun of others to feel safer. A tad ironic considering I just did it four lines ago, but oh well.
Anyways, give this man a cookie, he deserves it.
He‘s socially unaware. That‘s why people like him end up being ridiculed on reddit, etc
You're one to talk, with that "straight outta 4chan" meme username. It's quite clear by the way he writes the letter, the fact that he poses the idea as a theory rather than his opinion, the fact that he puts counterarguments to it himself, etc, that he doesn't truly believe or support it, and he's just posing the question to see Anthony's answer to it. In other words, you're literally unaware. Of course, I fully expect you to misunderstand that last sentence.
Balthor my username is making fun of people who use these dim-witted insults to discredit liberal ideas. I consider myself a liberal and I‘ve never been on 4chan nor do I know what people there think or talk like.
I‘m not even judging john. I‘m just saying that his letter gives a certain impression that other people pick up on and make fun of. I can be pretty socially unaware, too.
Bye
Edit: little hippie-advice: don‘t always think the worst of people
"true genius is being able to take something complex and simplify it."
Ayo wtf you mean? Yummy yummy yummy was a straight banger. That beat was straight bussin bussin on God on God
But is the song good tho?
I really despise the snobby elitism and condescension that non-pop listeners (i'm looking at you metalheads) give and say. It takes a collaborative effort and genius to produce, engineer, and market a simple song to make it attractive to the masses, and the original writers and producers of the song are usually swept under the rug as pop stars are given all the credit. Sure the lyrics are shallow but if you really analyze the composition and mixing of the track, you'll see some bit of professionalism.
So really, don't equate the production with the popstars behind it or the demographic that listens to it.
THIS! Honestly couldn't have said it better.
I kinda find it a bit odd though that it's often Metal fans and Rock & Roll fans who are the most arrogant about music.
No more art in that, just business, that's what you seem to miss.
Florian Choquet Not always.
Briansimon2 Most Rock and Roll and Rockabilly fans aren't elitist, maybe you were trying to say Hard Rock but who knows, there are so many sub-genres and yet many people imply that everything originated from blues is either Metal or Rock and Roll.
Servant Never said that most Rock & Roll fans were elitists.
Although what i'm saying is that whenever I see someone say "my music is the only good music", it's usually Rock & Roll or Metal fans.
There is an element of romantic lonerism (to cite tame impala) at work here in the subtext. People who like obscure music tend to revel in the obscurity. We don't want to listen to what THEY're listening to. We're special. We need special everything. Or else how will we know we're special???
But others (such as me) feel immensely frustrated that hardly anyone they know likes the music they do. I, for example, find it incredibly annoying that almost no one I know has heard of Deafheaven. They're not even very obscure, yet every single person who I mention them to goes "Who the hell are they?"!
Without popular music there is no alternative.
I don't really agree that popular music sucks, yet I don't really like it myself. The only time I tend to like it at all is when it's in its proper context: at a party/Mardi Gras/etc. There's a time and place for any music, and I notice this in the different genres I gravitate toward in situations like weight training and driving (Training = grimy hip hop, hardcore, CONVERGE; Driving = light rock, techno).
I will surmise, however, that the music of today is really leaning toward becoming party music. It's "feel good, drink up, dance all night" music, because a lot of times people don't want to engage in introspective thinking or ponder deeper subjects. The popular music I'm thinking of is marketed toward party-goers because that's what really sells. That doesn't make it bad, but it further isolates it into a specific context to be enjoyed by everyone. It's superficial for a reason, and this superficial sound and subject matter makes for less than original tunes and messages.
(THIS IS ALL OPINION. PLEASE, feel free to enlighten a brother.)
I think that mediocre music tends to have greater potential to become more popular, but that doesn't necessarily mean that good music cannot or otherwise tends not to become popular.
I did work for a long time in a supermarket where the same radio station playing in the store would play the same pop songs night after night after night, which eventually started driving me insane. So I am kinda biased towards the "popular music is generally worse than obscure music" angle.
Then again, some obscure music is obscure for a reason...
i like this meme bald guy tqbh
EXCUUUUUUSE ME. Yummy Yummy Yummy is one of the best popular songs of the 60s. I am not going to listen to a single word against it.
Radiohead's popular. I love Radiohead, and they're very complex/not mediocre. Like Fantano said, think it's very easy to shit on current pop music. Also, what's that term that was invented for current young people that talk about how great past music was and how everything now is shit? I forgot. I'd like to see you do a video about that subculture.
There's popular in a "classic sense" but I think there's always a generation gap between the "old souls" and the new kids. Truthfully, Radiohead hasn't been relevant in mainstream music since 2002. The only record Fantano mentioned that is genuinely popular today is the Kanye West one. A lot of bands from the 90s have managed to maintain a semblance of popularity and have continuously released albums & toured, that doesn't necessarily make them genuinely popular (relevant) anymore with the general public.
I can't imagine most young people, save the handful of kids in AC/DC video comment sections saying "I'm 12 and I love this music! Thumbs Up!" caring about Bowie or Floyd or whatever else. I doubt they've even heard of them.
Fleetwood Mac sold a sh!tton of copies of their records, but are they really popular and relevant with the current crop of pop music listeners? Doubtful. These records are "popular" with aging, dying folks.
James Farr so where do you think the distinction is between being relevant to today's popular music listeners? you're saying that kanye west is the only album that is relevant today, like all the other albums' listeners have died or something. i don't really think that is true of any of the artists he cited. certainly not radiohead anyway. where is the boundary that distinguishes young listeners from older listeners? 30 years old?
Its different to have a following than to be actually popular in the sense that the letter brings up. Walk down a street and ask any number of random people what their favorite Beyonce or Rihanna track is, then ask what their favorite Radiohead track is. The only relevant difference that separates Radiohead from other classical musicians that have followings is the fact that Radiohead still makes music today (sort of).
Will C is the claim that people would have a good answer to what their favourite rihanna or beyonce track is but not their favourite radiohead song?
James Farr Who are the young people you've been hanging around with? The vast majority of people of my age I know love rock music of all eras (less for the 80s for some reason). For example out of the half dozen or so Gabriel era Genesis fans I know more than half are under the age of 30.
look, he has hair
oxymoron dropped get to it Fantano
Dude as a political public speaker in training, I'm blown away by how eloquent and well-spoken you are.
You're videos are relatively short (most between 5-15 minutes) but are dense with well argued opinion and an intelligent level of object commentary on the topic at hand.
Weather it be fan mail or an LP review, you keep it concise yet well structured with a logical flow to your analysis. May I ask what you studied?
Much love from France. Continue mec! je te recommande a mes amis qui kiffent la music et qui veulent s'améliorer en Anglais alors keep it up!
you could start by not starting a sentence with dude :D just kidding. you're right, i also like how eloquent he is yet never over the top or for the sake/purpose of itself.
he was a radioshow-host for quite some time, i think he profits from that a lot in terms of intonation, pace and overall delivery. for the rest, notice the edits and cuts, i don't think he ever fully improvises his review right on the flight on a running cam - which in contrast a political speaker has to be able to do. i think this will be any speakers biggest challenge. speaking eloquently while at the same time thinking about your next sentence, anthony doesn't need to do that here.
>Queen
>Pink Floyd
>The Beatles
>The Flaming Lips
>The Strokes
>Nas
>Kanye West
>Outkast
>The White Stripes
>Radiohead
>Black Sabbath
>David Bowie
>Miles Davis
>Bob Dylan
>The Clash
>Pixies
>Jimi Hendrix
>The Doors
>New Order
Yep, popular music is bad.
I had this thought four years ago because I was forced to explain why I hated music on the radio. I was accused of hating music on the radio just because it was popular and I had to explain how that wasn't so. So I came to this thought. And I was still just a hipster...
pearl
Now I have that terrible Yummy love song stuck in my head :( Btw, I liked how you answered his letter. I hate when people link intelligence with media and entertainement. People can listen, read, and watch whatever they want. It's all subjective. As long as it's not hateful stuff. I mean who cares?
These days, music is not seen as an art; it's simply seen as content to fill a hard drive. With the way people are today, popular music needs to be quick, catchy and accessible in order for "musicians" and record labels to make money. This is because so many people are busy with their phones or whatever so it needs to be available through iTunes or Spotify (where it is comprimised through lack of visual artwork and audio quality). The popular music industry is becoming quite pathetic now were producers try to predict whether a song will top the charts just to make money. It isn't about art or passion anymore, it's about money and quick fame. And as a result, people don't see what music can (and maybe...should?) be.
Prog Bass I disagree. Have you heard the 1950s songs? "The Locomotion" and "Be My Baby" were everything you mentioned about pop music today
I thought you made a great point about listening to old music in a vacuum and forgetting all the terrible stuff. For example, I am currently in the process of listening to every Motown single ever released. We all kinda remember the label for its "Hitsville" moniker, but TBH like 90% of the singles range from crappy to meh. It's just that by the time you reach a full generation later, all the mediocre and bad stuff have been filtered out of the playback rotation (along with some really good stuff too)
the most pretentious letter ever written to anyone for any reason at any time. it's embarrassingly obvious he thinks he's better and smarter than people who listen to pop.
That is just you assuming things about the boy.
Well, he wouldn’t be wrong.
3:00 best moment from anthony
People like to hate whats popular in order to stand out. That's not to say that whats popular is always good, most songs aren't, but neither is it always bad.
Music in the end is a performing art. It's created for someone to enjoy. So regardless of its integrity in the eyes of a critic or connoisseur so long as it achieves its goal of entertaining people then the song in my opinion is good.
Something can be good but not appeal to you. Something can appeal so little to you that you think its bad. But to begrudge a songs success because its not appealing to you and to then believe that the reason why the songs you like aren't more popular is because not enough people are intelligent to understand it is a whole level of idiocy that comes close to contradicting your whole argument for being more intelligent.
Intelligence has nothing to do with it.
Not all people listen to music to have fun, some music is interesting and thought provoking and that's in a way entertaining. And that has a lot to do with intelligence. Lyrics especially has a lot to do with intelligence.
*****
[citation needed]
***** People tend to over-hype how intelligent or "deep" a lot of lyrics. I really doubt that there are many songs where IQ's a factor in "getting it" in anyway. If anything I'd say it's more applicable to instrumental music.
gasaparr How so? He said not all people, he didn't give a specific ratio. Even if one person, which could be himself, didn't listen JUST to have fun that would make his statement true.
Music taste is such a dumb reason to feel superior to others.
The most intelligent person I know likes AJR, I don't think the issue of popular music is because of IQ LMAO
popular music isn't necessarily mediocre its just market at impresionable teenangers that havent developed their music taste yet so they tend to like easy upbeat music. If you view One Direction and Miley Cyrus in that light then they're actually really good pop artists. Being an adult and calling these people bad artist is like a adult calling the power rangers a crap show. The music isn't for you so it shouldn't matter if you like it or not.
Nice Omni-Man.
Yes, someone that gets it!
People have been sleeping on Invincible, but it's one of the best superhero books I've read.