Pop music is dying a tragic death, isn’t it?
I could talk about music all day, armed with my fussy ears and 90% of my musical knowledge acquired from Wikipedia. A classically-trained pianist with little love for classical music, and a reluctant pop radio surfer trying hard (and failing mostly) to like the music that’s intended for my generation/species. Bottom line is, I might not know what’s good, but I know what I like.
Since the introduction of hit-oriented songs tendered for heavy rotation (with a generous chant of "screw you!") by Astro, we have been force-fed with songs we are supposed to like, rather than being allowed the freedom to explore our own musical horizons like in our parents’ time. All genres have bleeded into one genre, pop. Although everyone dreads the word normally associated with all-singing, all-dancing, well-mannered people regurgitating the same songs with the same chord progression with the same vocals and even the same lyrics… all songs sound more or less alike now, following the tried and tested formulas of bands and egos who have blazed the path way before them. There is no such thing as genre-specific radio programming now. Now it’s just "hits", "remixed hits", or "golden oldies".
I listen to radio more for the banter of the deejays, rather than the songs they are playing inbetween. Every song they play is an opportunity to channel-surf until the least offensive song is on-air. Thank goodness we have 6 English radio stations to choose from. But there have been more than an instance where something crappy from Sean Kingston was playing concurrently in 3 radio stations. What the hell!!!
So where can we trace the rot from?
A quick wiki-search (naturally) narrowed down the blame to a handful, but the more prominent one I would propose is a Mr. Maurice Starr. He was not a hungry, creative, aspiring musician with a musical template to draw upon, no. Rather he thought in the guise of a mathematician and businessman, and incorporated a formula into music. I don’t think this has ever been done before. The formula was simple: they can sing, they can dance, they look good, therefore they can sell records.
The era of the producer has begun, in 1984. And his greatest product? The New Kids on the Block.
To paraphrase Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, eternally immortalised by the celluloid manifestation in Brad Pitt… "we are the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world." Groups (they do not deserved to be called bands) were formed to the liking of producers with newer formulas, looking for able and willing people willing to cash in their 2 minutes of fame early. Musicality suffered a stunted growth especially for people who wanted to start their own bands because all they had for influence, for an idea… were already the mass-produced ear-candy on radio. Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-chorus-chorus. They had to dig elsewhere. Their dad’s record collection, perhaps.
Thank God.
The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zep, The Smiths, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Clash, Dylan, Brian Wilson… they were remembered. In the mid-90’s came the Alternative era… Cobain, Vedder, Cornell and the like fronted their bands into a new, exciting time for music. Until Smells Like Teen Spirit became too popular for its own good (at the heavy price of Kurt Cobain’s life) and Vedder-clones came about everywhere! And let’s not forget the nu-metal travesty.
We needed new heroes.
Year 2001 saw the rock revivalist era. Young, hip (often-skinny) lads who knew a thing or two about music started jamming together short, near-perfect pieces of music. And they drew lots of attention. Spearheaded by the landmark album Is This It by the Strokes, music had a beacon of hope once more. The White Stripes, The Vines, The Hives, BRMC… music sounded good again, one band at a time. Self-made, self-produced bands were in again. And now the people demanded better music to be put out on radio. They do not want manufactured pop anymore. The garage rock era propelled another batch of new, hungry bands forward… until the realities of the music business became smack-ouch-clear again.
A business is still a business. See a pattern forming?
For every White Stripes, we have 5 or so Simple Plans (boyband). For every Arctic Monkeys, we have another 5 Sum 41s (boyband gone "punk", tongue firmly in cheek). Some bands straddle the line between art and commercialism brilliantly, making unconpromising good music that can still be enjoyed by many on the radio. Much kudos to Foo Fighters and the Chili Peppers for showing how it can be done. But the sad fact remains that for every good radio hit we have to endure 9 bad ones.
Out of the ashes… a new era is forming, again. The MySpace era. Self-bred musicians making music for the love of music putting their work out for free listens for anyone who would love to hear something new, and different. College music networks who propel the new unsigned bands to untold heights. They may have a hit or two on radio, get a good record deal, and either thrive or succumb to the constraints of fame, and good money. I have grown far too used to listening promising bands that turn out to be one-hit oneders. Think Hoobastank. Think Alien Ant Farm. The beauty of this is we can always move on to the next band once the previous one falters.
But two bands have surprised me so far this year. A surprise so great, it’s startling to the point of scary. Put your hands together for My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. First the former. Initially more well-known for their all-black uniform and eyeliners and two hits. Helena and I’m Not Okay (I Promise). Ditto to Fall Out Boy (music for the Simpsons generation?) with Dance Dance and Sugar We’re Going Down. Fantastic radio singles, but their albums were uneven. I was ready to dismiss them yet again, but guess what happened. The boys grew up. Singles-driven bands became album-driven.
The Chemical Romance’s Black Parade was a stunner. What band do you know of who had the gall to put out a concept album for its 3rd release? Even the Beatles took a full decade before Sgt Pepper. And the difference is, while most concept albums fall under their own weight of pretention, MCR made one that’s way too good for the band’s young age. Uniform in its theme of death, reflection and renewal, they take you through a journey through its macabre, unflinching and warped viewpoint of a man approaching death. Listen not to the radio singles, listen to the album in its entirety and marvel at its coherence and ambition, like a horror comicbook brought to life! Emo has new heroes… forever!
The FOB bear the unfortunate label of everyone’s new favourite college rock band. This label of course spelled disaster for any band aiming for longevity. And they answered back, hit hard with the thoroughly imaginative "Infinity On High". A band as clever with its melodic sensibilities and lyrical creativity, which band do you know of comes up with such gems of wordplay like "the carpel tunnel of love" and "I’m just a painter and I’m drawing a blank"? As with all songs, the melody pulls you in at first… but creative lyrics guarantee repeated listens ("come for the food, stay for the fun" :P). FOB are masters of both right now. And though the excesses of fame has taken a bit of a toll on its members (Patrick Stump’s weight, and Google Pete Wentz), I look forward to their future releases. As of now, Me And You has taken permanent residence in my auditory centre and is refusing to move.
We want this era to last, we want this era to be good. But eventually copycat bands will come and dilute the market, and we are yet again in search of new heroes. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy honest-to-goodness commercial music while it’s still fresh. In an era where everyone can have 5 minutes of fame (thanks YouTube), it’s not fair to expect a landmark album from every band. And I have slowly learnt to lower my guard of obnoxious pretention and *try* to enjoy radio for a change. I know, I’m an unforgiving music snob.
Very recently, a song hit me.
"Throw it away
Forget yesterday
We’ll make the great escape
We won’t hear a word they say
They don’t know us anyway"
The throwaway verse leading to the huge chorus, the A-B-C chords, the nameless faceless everyboy lead singer… all the cornerstones of a one-hit wonder… after all who is this band with the uncreative name "Boys Like Girls"? What chance do they have for long term success if every song in their album sounded like this one?
But I couldn’t resist.
The verse might be anonymous, to build to the fantastic, unforgettable chorus. The A-B-C chords are uncomplicated and easy to the hear, a love at first listen… and I do not wish to unlayer every facet of a Radiohead song everytime I listen to music, no matter how good the critics say they are. Sometimes simple songs work best. And the nameless faceless lead singer? His vocals are soaring, carefree, encapsulating the spirit of summer ‘07 in his wake… I actually miss singing and performing because I heard this. The Great Escape by Boys Like Girls turns out to be one of my favourite songs this year. And I really hope that their album is as good as this one single shows the promise of a new band.
After all, why be a music cynic forever?
It’s an exciting new era. No point sounding like a jaded old fogey yearning for former glories. And with the advent of MySpace, peer-to-peer, suggestions by amazon.com, metacritic.com, there has never been so much choice in the music you desire to listen to. Who needs radio anymore?
I look at my dad’s music collection, with much envy. He has amassed, over the years, an enviable, eclectic collection. Albums recommended by Audiophile, an impressive back catalogue of classical music (Herbert von Karajan was his all-time favourite), folk music with difficult names (Los Indios Tabajaras), aged-like-fine-wine Chinese opera and instrumentals, The Shadows, John Williams, Billy Vaughn, Merle Haggard, Frank Mills. He had been trying hard *not* to listen to radio a generation ago before I did. He had the pride and bragging rights of someone who assembled a music collection to be proud of. I am merely starting on my own.
It’s time to love your music, all over again.
Comments(1) 
I can think of only Emily… or Genevieve, which sounds better when sung. Or any standard 3-syllable Cina name lah.