"Modern" Rock Music

As I was driving home today after spending the day with my son, I was listening to Q101 (Chi-Land folks know what I'm talking about), it's the local "Alternative" Rock radio station, even though the "Alternative" label is meaningless because it's about as mainstream as it gets. I heard old and new songs by The Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Oasis, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Alice in Chains, Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, etc., and I got to thinking, all of the stuff on "Modern" Rock radio is damn near the same stuff that was flooding the airwaves in 1993. Some are new songs by the same bands and a few more recent bands that are still in a very similar vein (Fallout Boy, My Chemical Romance, The Used, etc.), but for the overwhelming majority of the time, I've found if you turn on a modern rock radio station, it's almost EXACTLY the same thing you would have heard if you turned on the radio in '93!

That's 17 pretty damn stagnant years. So I got to thinkin', "What if rock radio in 1993 was in as such a stagnant state as it is now?" What if in 1993, you turned on the radio and it was exactly the degree of similarity to 1977 as 1993 is to today? Imagine flipping on the radio in '93 and hearing the latest hits by the Bee Gees, Styx, ABBA, Boston, Foreigner, Fleetwood Mac, and Kansas? Because, in actuality, rock went through TREMENDOUS changes from '77 to '93. But, for whatever reason, rock-wise, basically nothing has changed from 1993 - 2009. What gives?

1977 - 1993: Punk, Funk, Disco, Wuss-rock, Stadium Rock, '80's New-wave,thrash-metal, Hair-metal, Alternative/Grunge, Rap-Metal/Nu Metal (I'm sure I've left some out)

1993 - 2009: Still dragging out Alternative/Grunge and Nu-Metal FOR 17 YEARS. WTF?!

Anyone else notice/have thoughts on this?

 

Like movies, too much sampling of the old stuff. No more originality and then there's Rap.

 

Yeah, I like P. Diddy's creative process:

"Hey guys, how about I just re-release "Every Breath You Take" by the Police, but without the cool atmosphere and good vocals, but I'll make it about my dead friend so when people ask 'Why'd you ruin that awesome Police song?' I can say 'Come on, man, my friend's DEAD!'"

 

There is some good stuff out there. You just never hear it on the radio. Most of the great stuff is way underground. Check out these groups.

Panda Bear - Personal Pitch Beach Boys meet early Pink Floyd
http://www.myspace.com/rippityrippity

Kylesa- Static Tensions Metal with prog/psychedelic edge. On tour with Masterdon. Interview in pitchfork this week and Keraang

(I am in love with the lady guitarist in this band)

http://pitchfork.com/features/show-no-mercy/7637-show-no-mercy/

http://www.myspace.com/kylesa

Electric Orange- German art rock at it's best funky and spacy

http://www.myspace.com/abgelaufen

 

Yea, there's not really anything that I love to listen to that's by new bands. There are "new" (depends on what you consider new) bands that I love seeing live, but don't necessarily love their music although I like their stuff.

I still listen to AIC, Soundgarden, STP, etc. That's my era of music, just as Led Zep, Pink Floyd, etc is others. I still consider the grunge era the last generation of mainstream music that was original. I also don't believe most of those bands planned on having the careers they did and still have. Too many bands now just want to make it big and producing something ground breaking is not on their to do list.

 

The local classic rock station is now playing the occasional Pearl Jam tune in their lineup. What the heck?!?!? Usually theyre pretty good with the standard fare of classic rock: Zeppelin, Clapton, Aerosmith, AC/DC, and noobs like Guns N Roses and Motley Crue... but Pearl Jam? Bah!

 

I dont listen to the radio but I would have to disagree that rock hasnt changed.

Bands like My Chem and Fallout Boy are very different than the grunge/alt movement of the 90s...I appreciate them because they are very influenced by 70s glam rock which is my favorite.

Steve also mentioned some good newer bands. The bands are out there....the problem is that rap/hip hop is still the ruler of the airwaves so the good , newer rock bands just dont get airplay.

The genre of rock that is really growing right now is progressive speed/death metal...especially w cookie monster vocals (which I dont particularly like). Within 5 years I believe THIS will become super popular.

 

I saw SkeletonWitch last week. For some reason I thought they had been around a long time but no they are a new band that sounds like the old Celtic Frost.
The place was packed and the show was lots of fun in a Spinal Tap way. You have to love a song with a title 40 lbs of Blood. They had cool shirts for sale as well.

http://www.myspace.com/skeletonwitch

 

I think it's a stretch to say MCR and Fallout Boy are "very" different from the bands I've mentioned. Gerard Way himself has said that MCR is modelled after the Smashing Pumpkins. And Fallout Boy has Green Day and Offspring pretty high up on their ingredients statement. I'm certainly not saying they don't have their own identifiable qualities, but they signify evolution of a style and definitely not a revolutionary style, which is what I'm saying has been different has been absent from rock for almost 2 decades now.

I really dig '70's glam too and my favorite semi-recent homage to that is Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals. "I Don't Like The Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" is such an awesome glammed out arena rocking masterpiece, even though the verse riff is a pretty blatant rip of "Fame" by Bowie (Glam King).

I also like '80's glam/sleaze and Vains of Jenna and Buckcherry are carrying that burning torch of rock pretty well.

As for metal, that's my poison right there. It would be great if real metal bands get more airplay and respect. Most people have no concept of the level of musicianship that is diplayed by metal bands. I am so happy to see Machine Head on the road with Metallica and getting some exposure. If anybody is going to bring full-on, non watered down metal to the forefront, they're the ones to watch. Ask any metalhead who's worth his weight in salt and he or she will tell you, Machine Head is going to be a household name in the very near future.

Don't even get me started on Clutch!

 

Ahh Machine Head...finally starting to get the recognition they have deserved for what...18 years or so ?

I really do feel metal is making a strong comeback...and in this time of economic darkness its very similar to the time Sabbath, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep came about. People are getting angry and metal will be a release. Its coming...

I would agree MCR, FOB ,etc are evolutionary not revolutionary. But really as time passes the revolutionary music is harder to come by. What was really the last revolutionary band that could be considered rock/metal ? Skinny Puppy maybe ?

I know its not cool to say, but I really like FOB and My Chem. I think Black Parade is really well done.

 

Don't even get me started on Clutch

Those guys are great. I have know them for a long time and they are still slugging away.

I agree with you guys in that Metal will make a big worldwide comeback. It cycles every 7-10 years. I could not believe how many people were at the SkeletonWitch/Kylesa show in Savannah. Lots of cute girls were there as well which surprised me and lead me to think that metal was about to make a comeback again.

 

I've seen Clutch in concert and look forward to seeing them again.

Their songs are very well written.

 

There is really only so much you can do with a guitar, amp and drums. Almost any song can be played as a folk song. You can take any heavy tune and make it an acoustic country tune or any country tune and make it heavy. It's only chords and melodies. Anything you think is original is more than likely being done somewhere else. Journeys tunes are no different than today's bands. It's c, G, D and Em chords strummed in different ways. Plugging your Les Paul into a rectifier amp and losing the drawl changes a country tune to a rock song. Music is entertainment and if makes someone happy or feel alive and raging then it worked. There is no right or wrong. Whether you like them or not Pearl Jam is more successful than most bands will ever be. Do I love them, doesn't matter. They do their thing and sell out arenas. There is only so many chords that will leave a song commercial and so many guitar tones that will bring a song to a national or international level. So originality flies out the door. Or you can starve and work at Walmart!

 

I have honestly never met anyone who doesn't enjoy Clutch. To varying degrees, of course, but I've never heard of anyone "not" liking them. Even on online music message boards which seem to serve the sole purpose of giving people an outlet to rip on bands, everyone rallies around Clutch. Maybe because they really don't sound like anything else?

Going to see them May 9th at Otto's in Dekalb (my old stomping ground, played there a couple of times meself)

True masters of the craft and veterans of the trade.

 

I think there is plenty of good newer (than the early 90's) alternative stuff out there; it's just that often by the time a group really gets a following they already have several albums out and don't seem that new. Some have been mentioned. I would add Blink182, Linkin Park, 3 Doors Down (which has some good newer stuff), Killers, Finger Eleven, 311, Theory of a Deadman, Seether, Staind, Rise Against, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Audioslave, Buckcherry, Angles and Airways, White Stripes, Thousand Foot Krutch, Hot Hot Heat ... I know some of these groups have been around for quite a while, but they are still contributing good new music.

My son likes the black metal/death metal stuff. I don't know, I always like some of the socially-disturbed stuff (try http://www.myspace.com/suicidaltendencies), but I don't get too much out of song after song of double bass and Orcs screaming non-stop. I'd rather a lounge version like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1LG_R9j2sw

 

I have to add that Avenged Sevenfold, Coheed and Cambria, Dragonforce and Slipknot are all turning out some really great stuff lately.

 

Most people I know have never heard of them. My friends (a married couple) introduced me to them. When he started reading out some of the lyrics it perplexed my mind even more. Very creative.

It was cool to find out the lead singers sister is on Ace Of Cakes.

I like Avenged Sevenfold. I like Coheed, but prefer their stuff acoustically.

Slipknot has gotten better, imo.