Rock music dying?

From what I have seen every time times get hard or we go to war Rock music gets more popular.
Do you think rock music will ever dye off? I personally think it will live on forever, but they will rename it so that it seems new. Call it prog or progressive rock. Here are a few samples of newer rock. These groups are pretty popular and made up of mainly millennials who just started out in the last 10 years. The last group I posted Porcupine Tree is already gone, but are now even more popular now than ever. Some of this stuff seems like it could have been written in the early 1970's.

The Devil's Back - YouTube


Royal Blood - Little Monster (Royal Blood Album) [HD] - YouTube


Seether - Broken ft. Amy Lee - YouTube


Anesthetize - YouTube

 

I think the final scene from Christine says it all:

 

Its as dead as it will get. No form of music ever totally goes away. There are still bands making 80s hair metal, still bands making disco, still bands making 50s doowop. Just have to search it out.

But if the question is, will rock music ever be dominant again, then the answer is no

 

Yes. Rock will become viewed more like jazz and actually I agree with you that it’s “bottomed out” in a sense.

 

When times get bad Rock always comes back. This guy is good, and his message is up to date and popular right now.

Ayron Jones - Mercy - YouTube

 

It's the last "pure" genre. I love that there were talented musicians and not computers. Music SUCKS these days!

 

Just wanted to mention I also love classical music and one of my favorite composers is Frederic Chopin. The way some progressive rock bands copy his nocturnes is compelling. Very sad moody sounding music made over a century apart, one with piano and one with an electric guitar. Not to be compared, both are pretty in their own right. Listen to the last 2 minutes of the PT song to understand.

Chopin Nocturnes - YouTube


[HQ Audio] Porcupine Tree - A Smart Kid Live Rare Video from the Anesthetize Tour - YouTube


Porcupine Tree - Fadeaway, Berlin 2005 - YouTube

 

Although I agree with you somewhat, most of the groups I posted are very talented. Listen to the PT song posted below. It was performed live almost perfectly. Than find a 1960's-1970's rock band that sounds better live. Some real talent out there in Progressive rock. Royal Blood is a two man band, and they are also almost perfect live. I had a hard time admitting it at first but a few of these young kids can rock wich is good. My favorite Rock song is Led Zep "When the Levee breaks", but "Dark Matter" by PT is also really close, and starting at 3:15 it might be the best!

dark matter - YouTube

 

Nope, I don't think old school 'Rock' is dead, but as mentioned above - it's just not mainstream.

However it's influences are all here in today's music..

One comment on the Dark Matter video illustrates the condition well:
"Porcupine Tree, perhaps the greatest rock band most people have never heard of."

PT - sure it's absolutely good music, even great - but it's OK to accept that it's not what the majority of popular music enthusiasts are listening to the most. Today's kids who listen to the most popular music will never "imprint" on the old music styles we listened to. I still love my old stuff, but no more than I love the music my teens listen to. There is a huge pool of talent, and it will never end.. including good rock sounds.

All artists are influenced by their idols, mentors or training - It sounds like you know that many modern music performers are classically trained - their sounds don't materialize from thin air. Not that you have to like it, but all of the following music has strong Rock traditions, interpreted and performed by 'modern' bands.. I wouldn't even suggest that these are one iota more popular than PT. I'm just saying they follow a Rock path to their music, no different than PT.

Think of the evolution of the Rolling Stones alone - their first hit, "It's All Over Now", 1964 .. how their early sound was completely influenced by American 50's rockabilly and blues.. Their sound wouldn't exist if they didn't have those inspirations and sounds.. They evolved that sound and by the 80's they included the sounds of punk rock with 'She's So Cold'.. yet we call all of it 'Rock".. which has simply continued to evolve...

The Record Company - 'Off The Ground' (wicked Rockabilly licks)


Divine Fits - 'Would That Not Be Nice' (Rolling Stones Brit Rock influence)


Ryan Adams - 'New York New York' (Dylan influence)


Mondo Cozmo - 'Shine'


Wilco - 'You Never Know' (late-Beatles influence)


Lykke Li - 'Get Some' (a modern Joan Jett)
https://youtu.be/-TTPGAy5H_E

Where do we place Paul Simon, or U2? They have made heavy influences of American and Irish Folk Rock into their "own" sounds, but they also pack in African tribal music traditions, Gospel, etc.. it's all one big kettle of sound soup.

I don't think this is an argument so much as an exploration of how connected all music is to its background, its current time, its culture and those listeners who define their era's music as "popular" because it is what is listened to the most.. Good or bad isn't an absolute truth - it's entirely a matter of subjective opinion.

Maybe ALL music makes a comeback when times are bad? I typically download a playlist of 30-35 new songs each year. For 2020 I am over 50 downloads, and they are all great. Just sayin'.. it might not be just 'Rock' that has had a good year.

..if talent is measured by a band's ability to reproduce their studio sound on a live stage, then please don't listen to Led Zeppelin perform your favorite rock song live. You will be terribly disappointed. My point is, talent has nothing to do with studio vs live sound.

.. maybe the designation "Rock" is too broad? - I wouldn't personally categorize your example of 'The Devil's Back' the same as 'Little Monster'.. to me that's country folk blues and heavy metal.. But are they both Rock Music? Sure. Stevie Nicks and Black Sabbath are Rock musicians too.

And in my opinion Seether is a copy of the sound created by Metallica in the 80's.. that sound was original forty years ago. Should the musicworld celebrate Seether's music as it did Metallica? I can understand why not.

Cheers,
- Art

 

PS - Thanks for letting me visit a bunch of songs on my playlists and compare how much 'Rock' influence they seem to have.

Don't take me too seriously, I'm not a music historian or anything, I just like music a lot. Our household has two teens and a tween, one of whom digs music, and he's grown up listening to the radio station of my choice WEQX.

Classical hasn't gone unnoticed either - my parents listened exclusively to it. Chopin is of course awesome. I wonder if the French had a special talent for piano... I gravitate to Saint Saens Piano Concertos No.3, 4, 5... My dad loves Bach. I imagine Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" must've been like the Rock Music of his time - crazy high energy stuff. My favorite piece for its emotion is Beethoven's 'Pastorale', 6th Symphony..
- Art

 

Very nice selection. I like most music also with several exceptions. I cant stand most RAP and country, although most "country music" is almost mainstream pop now.

Funny thing about PT, I only heard a few of their songs when they were still together. I re-discovered them a few years ago after hearing Anesthetize.

 

LOL - It's funny how this has affected my behavior - I'm now listening for Rock (or other) influences in *all* the music I'm listening to... not a bad thing.. Just listening more thoughtfully.

Here are The Arkells - pretty solid American Rock influences..


Sam Fender - I'm hearing Bruce Springsteen in his sound....


There definitely is a LOT of Country influence going around... I think some call it 'Southwestern Rock'.. the Eagles more or less set the example for that cross-over sound and lyric..

Lord Huron - some country western & rockabilly fusion..? definitely American..


The National - Johnny Cash influence.. ?


Cheers,
- Art

 

Another nice selection. I guess one could say it is harder to come up with completely new ideas with the internet always there. The biggest change in recent music cycles I guess would have to be in the 1960's with Rock really changing things and becoming it's own movement. The late 1970's and 1980's also have to be mentioned due to the very strange variety of new styles. I think we have new types and styles of music still being developed now but as your sound clips show they have all been done before. The new mixes sometimes are better than the old but they are still not as original. Things like RAP were pretty original when they first came out even if I did not like it. It's also seems to be morphing into something more mainstream and I like some of the newer stuff (atleast I won't turn it off as fast).

Tom

 

"Completely new" - yes that has been impossible since the beginning of music. Every piece of music builds on something that came before. Even Rap.. which grew out of the beats and repeat-tracks played by NYCity dance DJs and the MC's chat which morphed into lyrics..

"..all been done before.."? -- well I can argue both yes and no.

Yes - All music grows from something that came before. But - that's not what is really shown in the clips I offered above. Why? Because those clips are a very deliberately NARROW selection of music that I chose to share as examples of music that is easily traced to the various forms of what you can broadly call Classic Rock.. there is vastly more music out there... so..

No - There continues to be a steady supply of talented artists who keep finding unique sounds that make it to international fame and it's all pulled from Rock, Funk, Country, Punk, Synth, Pop, and more .. Dave Matthews, Coldplay, and Beck to name a few .. but they are distinct from Rock because they have moved way beyond it.

Outside of the confine of world fame, there is an almost endless selection of new music sounds from all corners of the world; Norway alone has recently given us Kings of Convenience, Aurora, Sigrid, Boy Pablo .. then there are bands that are more popular for their unique sound like Mumford & Sons, Foster The People, Cayucas, Barenaked Ladies, Lord Huron, OK Go, Bastille... and on and on..

I would find it hard to argue Rock found it's "own movement" in the 60's, when you think how sounds as different as The Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and The Kinks are all considered 60's Rock.. But it did explode on the music scene - I think Rock had many "movements" right from the get go. Just like all music - it is always multi-cultural.

- Art

 

Here is what I consider to be the best rock song of all time from the best rock album of all time. Released in 1971 it must have set the music world on fire!! A mix of many forms of music with a heavy American blues influence . When the Levee breaks by Led Zeppelin off Led Zeppelin IV. I love the electric harmonica sound on this song.


When the Levee Breaks (Remaster) - YouTube

 

Here is more information on the American blues influence for the song "When the Levee Breaks" released by Led Zeppelin.

When the Levee Breaks - Wikipedia

 

Here is a group that keeps going on, and also changes their style. This latest album has some easy songs mixed with almost 1980's hard rock. The cover looks like and several songs sound like Iron Maiden almost

Chevelle - So Long, Mother Earth (Official Audio) - YouTube

Chevelle - Endlessly (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube

 

Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie...

 

Love these songs.


Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing



Bob Seger - Turn the page

 

One more of the old ones everyone loved back in the 1970's Very talented group that did not stay together very long:

More Than a Feeling - YouTube

 

My late mother was a gifted pianist and singer. She performed at a gala at the White House when she was 17. She loved any kind of music even though she was trained in classical. Just before she died she was asked what was her favorite music. She said that she liked the "4 B's"....Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, and the Beattles. She always said that good music was good music no matter who or what composed it. I'm 95 and my favorites are Beethoven, Mussourzky (spl), Pink Martini, Santana, Pink Floyd, "Pictures at An Exhibition"....and many more. Like Mom said, "It's all good."

 

That's good to hear Bob. I agree with your mom, good music is good music. I thought you would be more of a classical and great bands era guy. Alot of talent especially with clarinets!! Glen Miller among others is amazing.

 

We only remember the good songs from an era. Especially 40 years later. Plus, the good songs are the only ones being replayed 40 years later.

Every era will have plenty of junk music, 99%+ probably.

40 years from now, we will look back to the 2020’s and only the good songs will have survived and we will think all music from the 2020s was good.

With that said, I’d argue Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner, etc were making far more epic and complex music than anyone now-a-days. There is science showing that sound range is being compressed due to that sounding good through speakers. Regardless, I still stand behind my statement that probably an equal volume of music from every generation is good. As population increases, more junk will be produced and more good songs too.


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Kind of funny story I read. After Epic Records heard the demo tracks of this band no one had heard of they were so impressed they wanted to hear the band perform in front of the managers before they would sign them. I think 2 other record producers passed on this band. It went to number 1, a rarity for a first album for an unknown. Boston Was a really fine group made up of mainly MIT grads. The record company chose the name based on where they came from I would guess.

 

Let's imagine what the experience might have been like the first time the crescendoes in Vivaldi's Four Seasons were played for an audience - Utter and total, mind blowing, musical energy.. in 1718-1725... 300 years later and it is still electrifying.