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Musings on Music
Nov. 18th, 2004 10:51 pmI have been noticing that I have been unsatisfied with a lot of the modern/pop/alternative/rock music. It took me a while to recognize what it was that I was missing. Most of the popular music, especially on the radio, seemed a bit too repetitive. And it seemed to be missing something. Then I realized that I was looking at the songs wrong. And the more I thought about it the more it made sense. So here is what I have realized.
There are two basic styles of songs being produced in the above mentioned genres. The first type of songs I recognized are modern chants. I call them chants because they use heavy beat structures, repetitive lyrics, and focus on a concept or idea without really developing it fully. Some examples of this would be “The Reason” by Hoobastank, or just about anything on the radio by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The second type are modern ballads. They are ballads because they emphasize the lyrics, and don’t usually use repetition, or use cycles on a theme rather than actual repetition. And most importantly, ballads tell a story, with a beginning, a climax and an end. Some examples of this would be “2112” by Rush, or “Hotel California” by The Eagles.
Once I recognized the two types of songs, it made me feel better about listening to the chant style songs. But I still miss the ballad style songs, which do seem to be under-represented in the market, especially recently.
Now, I have also recognized that there are liminal songs that are something between these two styles. These are often some of the best songs.
Do you have different styles of music you like? Do you see styles in modern music I am missing? What are some of your favorite songs and how do they fit into this, or not?
There are two basic styles of songs being produced in the above mentioned genres. The first type of songs I recognized are modern chants. I call them chants because they use heavy beat structures, repetitive lyrics, and focus on a concept or idea without really developing it fully. Some examples of this would be “The Reason” by Hoobastank, or just about anything on the radio by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The second type are modern ballads. They are ballads because they emphasize the lyrics, and don’t usually use repetition, or use cycles on a theme rather than actual repetition. And most importantly, ballads tell a story, with a beginning, a climax and an end. Some examples of this would be “2112” by Rush, or “Hotel California” by The Eagles.
Once I recognized the two types of songs, it made me feel better about listening to the chant style songs. But I still miss the ballad style songs, which do seem to be under-represented in the market, especially recently.
Now, I have also recognized that there are liminal songs that are something between these two styles. These are often some of the best songs.
Do you have different styles of music you like? Do you see styles in modern music I am missing? What are some of your favorite songs and how do they fit into this, or not?
