Where has rock gone?

[Internetmeme]

Just look at it today: We've got horrendously shallow over-hyped pop divas and crappy it-all-sounds-the-same pop music. "country" is just pop music with a fake southern accent. And...that's it. It's not even that rock isn't popular anymore: If that were so than Guitar Hero/Rock Band wouldn't have done as well as they did.
Why doesn't this generation have its Beatles, Stones, Aerosmith, or Sabbaths?
And why does all the music coming out now sound like crap?

And then this "new rock" that's coming out is all the same: Some sad song about love with a singer with a slightly british accent and half the time the guitarist is too afraid to even do a decent solo.

Why? Why can't there be actually decent rock nowadays?

And does anyone have any good newer (non-screamo/death metal) bands to recommend?

[Dream]

I am so fucking sick of this bullshit. The world is chock full to bursting point with great music. There's no mystery, no conspiracy hiding it from you, and it's not buried so far underground that you'll never hear it. Just turn off the commercial radio, and start engaging your brain when you think about what to spend your time listening to.

Make some fucking effort if you care so much, that's all it will take.

[Internetmeme]

I am so fucking sick of this bullshit. The world is chock full to bursting point with great music. There's no mystery, no conspiracy hiding it from you, and it's not buried so far underground that you'll never hear it. Just turn off the commercial radio, and start engaging your brain when you think about what to spend your time listening to.

Make some fucking effort if you care so much, that's all it will take.

Then please, be my guest and back up your opinion. If there's so much out there I would love to hear a fraction of it.
In other words: [Citation Needed]

[Dthen]

How about some Airbourne? Wolfmother? Foo Fighters?

Can't think of any others, did I help at all?

[Dream]

I absolutely refuse to even entertain citing for the existence of good music. Asking me to do it just solidifies my opinion that you're just lazy. You know where to find music, and if you put some time into doing it you'd find what you like. What I think is great doesn't come into it.

[Jesse]

Coheed and Cambria? Muse? Gogol Bordello? Rammstein?

Hell, I'm just pulling out some well known names from the top of my head. Also, why the fuck bring up the Beatles? They weren't rock, never even came close. In fact, they're responsible for the boy bandy shit we see plastered everywhere nowadays. Because of The Beatles we have to put up with JLS.

Ooh, how about The Killers? They were even on Rock Band.
Fuck it, let's go into the world of post-rock. You fucking love guitars? Check out 65daysofstatic, or Not For Want of Trying.

Also also, country music is just pop? Listen to Brad Paisley's "I'll Take You Back" and tell me that isn't some fantastic guitar playing.

[Dream]

In fact, they're responsible for the boy bandy shit we see plastered everywhere nowadays. Because of The Beatles we have to put up with JLS.

Though it's possible that their groundbreaking "bass player on lead vocals" experiments paved the way for Lemmy, so that's something...

[Jesse]

What can I say? I just like blaming The Beatles for everything.

[Dream]

Please Please Me was released in January 1963 and by November, John F. Kennedy was dead.

[Jesse]

That is the second time I have spat Diet Coke all over my computer tonight, you funny bastard.

[Dream]

Any time

[Midnight]

Why doesn't this generation have its Beatles, Stones, Aerosmith, or Sabbaths?
And why does all the music coming out now sound like crap?

Beatles: I dunno, MGMT? Even the Arcade Fire sounds like 'em sometimes. Oasis. Ben Folds? Dr. Dog sounds EXACTRY like them.
Stones: I didn't listen to the stones as much so I can't help you directly.
Aerosmith: is super cheesy. But if you like that, what about the killers? The arctic monkeys? Rock Kills Kid?
Sabbath: Srsly? Srsly. So much. Sooo much. The entire genre of metal was because of them. Even like.. dude. The Mars Volta. Tiamat. Baroness. Mastodon. Muse.

you're naming four incredibly influential bands. Trust me, you will find millinos of bands that sound like one of them. Probably hundreds that sound like all four of them.

but like, weezer is good.

[SecondTalon]

I am so fucking sick of this bullshit. The world is chock full to bursting point with great music. There's no mystery, no conspiracy hiding it from you, and it's not buried so far underground that you'll never hear it. Just turn off the commercial radio, and start engaging your brain when you think about what to spend your time listening to.

Make some fucking effort if you care so much, that's all it will take.

I think I'm going to lock this thread, split this post out with the title of "Why does all the new music suck?" and staple it to the top of this forum.

Objections?

[Jesse]

Probably be better if you threw a link to last.fm in there too.

[Dream]

Objections?

None. But I don't know if stickying alone will be enough. Can you have Christopher Walken narrate it?

[SecondTalon]

Hm. He doesn't owe me a favor. Hayden Christensen does, but.. that's not nearly the same thing.

[Dream]

No, we want people to pay attention, not angrily leave the room and curse our names.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

James Earl Jones?

[TheAmazingRando]

Beatles, Stones, Aerosmith, or Sabbaths?

One of these things is not like the others.

EDIT: But seriously?
As luck would have it, psychedelic pop has exploded in the past few years, and there's a lot of Beatles worship going on. And Sabbath worship is as big as ever, hell, they've got entire fucking genres based after them. Stones? I don't know too many off the top of my head, but if you want dirty blues-based rock there's a little band called The White Stripes, as well as Jack White's several side projects, to keep you occupied.

There's a lot of music out there, probably music that perfectly fits whatever appetite you might have. But assuming it doesn't exist won't do you any good.

[Midnight]

Probably be better if you threw a link to last.fm in there too.

pandora as well.

[Jesse]

Probably be better if you threw a link to last.fm in there too.

pandora as well.

Sure, if you like guessing.

[Zanmanoodle]

I'll explain this a simply as I can...

First, the generations of past have just as much embarrassing pop as we do now. Ever hear of the Disco Era?

Second... The White Stripes (Jack White is THE modern guitar god), The Strokes, The Vines, Wolfmother, Airbourne, JET, Pearl Jam, The Blue Van (okay, they ARE a bit too underground, but they're a fave), The Raconteurs, Stone Temple Pilots, Phoenix, MGMT (if you like psychedelic), Coheed and Cambria, etc etc etc

HERE'S YOUR DAMN CITATIONS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuK6n2Lkza0&feature=av2n
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjJ7KCBykVU&feature=av2e
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OjTspCqvk8&feature=av2e
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0H3RlaQVrM

[Mighty Jalapeno]

I'd post some of my favorite contemporary rockers, but I'd hate to sully their reputations by having you become a fan.

[LeagueOfMorons]

Great rock music is everywhere these days. In fact, I usually have the exact opposite problem - there's so much stuff coming out that I love that I can barely keep up with it, let alone afford all the CDs I want to buy. If anything, the internet being what it is has encouraged a lot of adventurous new sounds to take hold and gain popularity that they never would have achieved in the era of AM radio and 8-tracks. If you think were living in some kind of creative drought, you really aren't looking at all. (Judging by the fact that you're posting here, I'd assume that you're at least moderately internet-savvy, so you pretty much have no excuse.)

But . . .

Jack White is THE modern guitar god

Sorry, dude, but as a guitar player, I can't let this one slide. Jack White is not that great. Sure, he's nailed the rock-and-roll attitude, but there's dozens, if not hundreds, of guitarists that can play circles around him without breaking a sweat. And I know, it's not all about how fast you can play or how many exotic scales you know, but you really have to hold yourself up to some sort of standard in order to be taken seriously. Like tuning your freaking guitar before playing. He seems to have no respect for players that spend their whole lives diligently working on their technique and songwriting skills in efforts to create beautiful, resonant, emotional music that apparently has no "soul." Whatever that means. Sorry, he just pisses me off. [/rant]

[SecondTalon]

Here, a serious answer. They've done nothing new musically in this one, it's just a fun fucking song.

[Midnight]

Ever hear of the Disco Era?

I like disco, thank you.

(Jack White is THE modern guitar god),

aaaaaaaaaaaaaand I stopped reading THERE.

In other news:
Clutch is an excellent example of nothing-new-musically rock. Me, I like expannndin' the proverbial horizons to music that might sound different than Pink Floyd--who I love. But if I want to listen to something that sounds like 'em, I listen to 'em. I don't look for bands that sound like them. Now if I wanna listen to "pink floyd on mushrooms while listening to electric wizard" I get out the Tiamat.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

In other news:
Clutch is an excellent example of nothing-new-musically rock.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaand I stopped reading THERE.

[SecondTalon]

I.. yeah. I'm not even sure how to address that. Also, I mean.. don't get me wrong, Tim Sult's pretty nice, but I'm not listening to Clutch for the instrumentals when there's all that wacky shit Neil is saying.

Although, I suppose since they do adhere to the Guitar+Bass+Standard Drums+Vocals+Organist* with not a Trumpet or Cello or Sousaphone in sight...

*They didn't start with one and don't have one now, but they did for a 4 or 5 year period.

[TheAmazingRando]

Jack White is THE modern guitar god

Sorry, dude, but as a guitar player, I can't let this one slide.

And as a guitar player I'd...be inclined to agree? I wouldn't say he's the best but I prefer him to all the Joe Satrianis and Steve Vais of the world who, for all their technical mastery, can't seem to write a song that doesn't bore me to tears. I mean, it's admirable that they've spent years honing their skills, but it doesn't mean anything to me if they can't write a song that clicks with me emotionally. It's music, not athletics.

[Internetmeme]

Okay... I'll admit I fucked up on this one and made myself look like an ignorant asshole.

Thank you all for completely proving me wrong.

[meatyochre]

System of a Down is pretty good, yet modern.

[Zanmanoodle]

Jack White is THE modern guitar god

Sorry, dude, but as a guitar player, I can't let this one slide.

And as a guitar player I'd...be inclined to agree? I wouldn't say he's the best but I prefer him to all the Joe Satrianis and Steve Vais of the world who, for all their technical mastery, can't seem to write a song that doesn't bore me to tears. I mean, it's admirable that they've spent years honing their skills, but it doesn't mean anything to me if they can't write a song that clicks with me emotionally. It's music, not athletics.

Jack White actually has an original sound from his guitar, which I require from my guitar gods.

[LeagueOfMorons]

Jack White is THE modern guitar god

Sorry, dude, but as a guitar player, I can't let this one slide.

And as a guitar player I'd...be inclined to agree? I wouldn't say he's the best but I prefer him to all the Joe Satrianis and Steve Vais of the world who, for all their technical mastery, can't seem to write a song that doesn't bore me to tears. I mean, it's admirable that they've spent years honing their skills, but it doesn't mean anything to me if they can't write a song that clicks with me emotionally. It's music, not athletics.

Fair enough. Emotional connection is a pretty damn subjective thing. Satriani and Vai (and any number of other guitarists, for that matter) have all kinds of songs that inspire an emotional reaction out of me, but if it doesn't "click" with someone else, it's not like I can force them to hear it the way I do. So I concede that point.

But I'm not saying you have to be a shredder to be worth my time, either. The Edge is one of my all-time favorite guitarists. He doesn't play that fast. He just plays well. He clearly puts a lot of thought and effort into the music he creates. And yeah, he's pretty out-there in terms of the effects he uses and all that, but I wouldn't call him an athletic showoff by any means.

But Jack White, specifically, just pisses me off. Something about his attitude in interviews and his air of superiority, like he's the only one out there still making real rock & roll. His talent-to-ego ratio is terribly skewed, if you ask me.

Idk. This is getting off-topic, so I'll put a sock in it.

[Midnight]

Jack White is THE modern guitar god

Sorry, dude, but as a guitar player, I can't let this one slide.

And as a guitar player I'd...be inclined to agree? I wouldn't say he's the best but I prefer him to all the Joe Satrianis and Steve Vais of the world who, for all their technical mastery, can't seem to write a song that doesn't bore me to tears. I mean, it's admirable that they've spent years honing their skills, but it doesn't mean anything to me if they can't write a song that clicks with me emotionally. It's music, not athletics.

Jack White actually has an original sound from his guitar, which I require from my guitar gods.

That's cause if you stripped him of effects pedals he'd sound pretty bad.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

To LoM: History has proven time and again that complete and utter douchecanoes can still be great musicians.

[Dream]

That's cause if you stripped him of effects pedals he'd sound pretty bad.

That's no criticism at all. If you sound good, you sound good, and that's the end of it.

[Midnight]

That's cause if you stripped him of effects pedals he'd sound pretty bad.

That's no criticism at all. If you sound good, you sound good, and that's the end of it.

I'm not saying jack white doesn't sound good. I'm saying that he's not a guitar god. being able to afford thousands of dollars worth of pedals does not a deity make. I don't feel that godliness and good-sound-liness are mutually inclusive.

[Dream]

He doesn't sound like that because he can afford kit. He sounds like that because he can use it. I'm sure you'd sound rubbish with my kit, I know because I programmed most of it myself from scratch. That says absolutely nothing about your talents. It says nothing about mine that I'm standing behind a few grand worth of equipment when I play, because what you're hearing is me using it all properly, as opposed to just owning it. Same for Jack White. Buying a tube doesn't make his sound, using it does. I despair at people who thing buying things makes a performer sound good. It's insane.

And for the record, you said that shorn of his pedals he'd sound "bad". Not "not a god" but "bad". No wonder, I suppose, that he never, ever, ever plays acoustic instruments of any kind in case he gets found out...

[Midnight]

He doesn't sound like that because he can afford kit. He sounds like that because he can use it. I'm sure you'd sound rubbish with my kit, I know because I programmed most of it myself from scratch. That says absolutely nothing about your talents. It says nothing about mine that I'm standing behind a few grand worth of equipment when I play, because what you're hearing is me using it all properly, as opposed to just owning it. Same for Jack White. Buying a tube doesn't make his sound, using it does. I despair at people who thing buying things makes a performer sound good. It's insane.

And for the record, you said that shorn of his pedals he'd sound "bad". Not "not a god" but "bad". No wonder, I suppose, that he never, ever, ever plays acoustic instruments of any kind in case he gets found out...

I said jack white would sound bad without his pedals, and good with 'em. I guess I was unclear. Regardless, I don't think he sounds godly in either context.

If you're Tom Morello and you can make record scratch sounds on your guitar without effects, that's pretty cool. If you get your record scratch sounds with a record-scratch button (or pedal), that's significantly less cool.
If you're Stevie Ray Vaughn, your solos sound great cause you're frickin SRV. If you're jack white, your solos sound good, not because of your ability to play, but your ability to mess with knobs.*

*Now, it should be said that one's "ability to mess with knobs" is a hard-earned ability, or a talent, or whatever. It's what synth players do all the time. They mess with knobs to awesome effect. But nobody calls a synth player a guitar god. Godly guitar playing is what makes a guitarist godly.
Maybe jack white should be called an effects god.

[TheAmazingRando]

I love Jack White as a guitarist for songs like Ball and Biscuit, which doesn't sound particularly effects-laden in a way that it wouldn't still sound damn good with nothing but tube distortion. I mean, I'm sure he's using a Big Muff or something similar and probably a whammy pedal, but that's nothing unusual or excessive.