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Re: good music bad music

kelvin wrote:
>Why is it that those who fancy themselves as some sort of
>music critic seem to have great problems with melodic 
>music?

i must start this to say that i like this thread... good 
points by kelvin, ysoi, brian, and kevin... anyway, here's
my take...

i don't have a problem with the "melodic" music, but rather
the bubble-gum lyrics, glossy image, over-produced, 
manufactured pap...er, pop.  there's A LOT of great music 
out there.  a lot of top 40 is good, however a lot of it 
is utter crap.  IMO (not in the critic's opinion), there 
is a lot of falseness with much of the top 40 stuff out 
there.  it's not the "nice, sweet, musically well-organized,
positive, romantic" music that bugs me a lot.  it's the 
bullshit that's associated with it.

i admit- i've thought that some spice girls tunes, some 98
degrees tunes, some backstreet boys tunes, etc were catchy.
i don't mind admitting that.  but i'll be right in line to
be a critic on the marketing cloud of manufactured gloss.
that's not what MUSIC is about.

of artists that i listen to, i prefer the artists to have
a REAL aspect.  sure, some of these bands might be great 
vocalists and great performers.  i wouldn't consider them
artists (if don't write their own stuff, they're really 
just performers).  it's just a big marketing ploy.  i think
that's what a lot of critics hit upon.  it's not REAL, it's
"make believe."

>Rags such as Spin and Rolling Stone constantly pan artists
>such as Jewell for being too sweet, while championing 
>curmudgeons such as Kurt Cobain...I'm sorry, but musically
>these folks don't deserve to stand in the shadow of Roberta
>Flack or Toto!

i like jewel, but i also like nirvana.  i think kurt cobain
was a monumental figure (to say the least) for the face of 
music in the 90's.  that doesn't mean that you have to think
that.  i don't think any less of one who thinks differently 
than me.  i just know what i know.  i'd say, just don't let 
things bug you.  the music media will never fully be in sync
with the opinions of you or me.  i'm just glad that there's 
a lot of music to choose from- a lot of melodicly beautiful 
music, and a lot of angst-ridden, beautiful music.  there is 
beauty in the raw music, just as there is in the melodic, 
poppy music.  beauty is in the ear of the beholder.

plus a lot of it has to due with what mood you might be in
at the time.  hehe... sometimes i might want to listen to
waterdeep's "everyone is beautiful."  sometimes i might want
to listen to jude's "no one is really beautiful."

>Why is it that we are supposed to buy this idea that for 
>music to be ligitimately good it must be angry, edgy, 
>provocotive, or even ugly?

you don't have to BUY any philosophies like that.  nor do
you have to buy the idea that melodic music is good (some
of it isn't).  i firmly believe that music is such a grand
thing- there's so much different stuff out there for every
different taste and opinion.  don't let other peoples' 
opinions bug you... :)

>Why can't good music be nice?  Why is it that if I say 
>that I appreciate the Backstreet Boys because they are 
>like the last bastions of melody/harmony/song structure 
>in top 40 music, I all of a sudden lose my credibility 
>as a music lover?  I just don't get.  

why limit yourself to top 40 in looking for music?  why
even care what top 40 is?  i don't listen to the radio
ever, except for about 5 minutes a WEEK- just as long as 
it takes me to turn my alarm off times 5 days... what's 
in the top 40 has no bearing on what i listen to.  if 
it's good, and it makes its way past my ears, then i'll
listen.  if not, i've got other music to occupy myself 
with.

there's a lot of melodic music out there that is not top
40.  if you can't find what you like in "top 40," go to 
the "bottom 4,000"... which for the most part is far more
rewarding to listen to than what's currently "hot."

other than that... i don't know.

waltzing slowly in,
Dan

np: jude - no one is really beautiful




+- Dan Temmesfeld     Galactic Cowboys on the Web -+
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