On Feb. 12, 2012, the alternative rock band Foo Fighters was nominated for six Grammy Awards
and came home with five awards. Although it seems fitting that a band like Foo Fighters would
be winning awards for their music, it could be considered an amazing feat in today’s music
standards, since they recorded the entire album in front man Dave Grohl’s garage on tape.
This way of recording has diminished so much in the past 15 years in that many pop music
performers and musicians have resorted to an exclusively digital means of recording. Recording
music digitally not only makes it easier, but the sound is understandably crisper. With these
new innovations in technology, one can recreate, or even replace, the sound of a band with the
touch of several buttons.
Pop music has evolved into a commercial mess, a sad attempt at capturing the attention of the
masses. One could say every decade has had its fair share of bad music – the 70s had disco, the
80s had glam metal, the 90s had bubblegum pop and the 2000s had Pitbull.
Ever since the late 90s, it seems as if music has become less of an art form and more of a
product to be sold. With pop artists Rihanna, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, One Direction, Justin Bieber,
David Guetta and everyone’s favorite K-pop star Psy dominating the charts, it’s no wonder as to
why the taste in music is declining. We went from revolutionary tracks and even silly love songs
to ‘music’ with lyrics driven by sexual innuendos and inquiries on what we want, what we really
want.
The sound of recent pop music isn’t necessarily “bad.” In fact, the hooks in these songs are quite
catchy. But that personalized feel of the music is disappearing.
For example, if you listen to John Lennon’s 1970 single ‘Mother’, you can literally feel Lennon’s
pain and feelings of abandonment.
You don’t quite get that when Psy exclaims “Oppan Gangnam Style!” What happened to the art
form? What happened to learning how to play an instrument, or mastering the drums? What
happened to getting together with your friends and making music together?
Music that you make shouldn’t have to sound perfect, because that’s what makes it a personal
sound. Of course you could edit out the defects and add certain things here and there to the
recordings to make it sound flawless. But then, can it still be considered one’s own art if it’s
meddled with that much?
There is hope, however. With records still being made by people who care about the art, the
music and not just the sales, bands are slowly entering the mainstream from indie labels, and
that personal approach to the music is slowly returning.
Without this gradual shift, the personal feel of a record will be dead in the near future. A music
revolution is needed. Pick up that guitar or those drum sticks and make some music. Everyone
has a voice, and we all can make music what it once was, an art form full of personality and
integrity.
Chris Losey can be reached by email at losey.record@live.com.