I live in a musical bubble of sorts, I know what I like and its rarely on the radio or television so I insulate myself from most mainstream music. Despite this even I am not immune to the deluge of advertising for Brittany, Nsync and their ilk, but recently I haven’t seen so much of them. From my removed perspective bands like Linkin Park seem to be the new pop music. Is the bubble-gum pop craze of the past five years finally fading away, or is that too much to hope for?
Well yes… and no. Look, the Monkees eventually disappeared, but then the Partridge Family popped up. They faded, but then Donny Osmond came along. Then he faded and Shaun Cassidy came along. Then…
Get the idea? Sure, individual bubble gum acts almost always crash and burn in a few years. But as long as there are teenage girls, there will always be SOME cute guys making vapid dance pop music fo them.
The Backstreet Boyshave already faded. 'N Sync and Ms. Spears may well join them very soon. But rest assured, some other bands you hate just as much will be around to replace them.
This wave of bubble-gum pop is probably done for. The ilk you mentioned are getting more attention for the commercials they are doing, gossip about their love lives, and their attempts to break into movies rather than for their music. The only time I really hear “new album” talk about one of the boy bands is when John Norris is on MTV (how does he keep his job?).
The mainstream does seem to be shifting toward Linkin Park, Nickelback, etc. for now. I never would have though that Nickelback would be a two-hit wonder, sheeh. I don’t consider that an improvement, but it is long past time for a change.
But make no mistake, like some dark demonic force from a Lovecraft story, bubble gum pop is lurking…waiting for some foolhardy mortal to unleash it again.
The British press is raving over Andrew W.K. and the Strokes. The Strokes made a pretty good album, but Andrew W.K. is basically a return to hair metal, albeit with a more modern sound.
You know music’s in a bad state when all it takes to get the critics to cream themselves is to not be Nickelback.
Can we really claim to be moving forward if all that’s replacing the teen queens and boy bands is “WAAAAHHH MY LIFE IS CRAAAAAAPPP!!! NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME!!! I’M A MISUNDERSTOOD MIDDLE-CLASS WHITE GUY WITH A BASEBALL CAP!!! WAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”
Horrible isn’t it? Can’t really take it seriously though.
Also, I think Linkin Park would get the award for the least sincere band in existence today. The lyrics are so vague and stereotypical of a ‘nu-metal’ band. You have to love the quiet parts of their songs that sound exactly like bubblegum pop though. :rolleyes:
I rather like Linkin Park… but their lyrics are really funny. 6 songs in I invariably start wondering what’s so great about the lead singer that everyones always trying to pull him down.
I usually do the same with Nine Inch Nails, but his lyrics are interesting and he intersperces them with instrumentals and the occasional love song.
That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in quite some time. 
Sad thing is, it’s true…
-Dirty
Are you silly?
Bubblegum is here to stay!
Somebody famous once said that if he doesn’t like a particular song or genre of music, it’s due to his own failure to see its place in the world.
Come now, since the birth of rock n’ roll, there has always been bubble gum and it definitely has its place.
Well. I can see the place of bubblegum pop. Hell, it sometimes makes me feel good when I am reasonably intoxicated.
Doesn’t mean I have to like it though.