I create a Spotify playlist of new (to me) music every month.
Keep in mind that some of the entries are older recordings that I missed the first time around, but my October playlist already has 438 songs. At approximately 10 songs per album (the room and grindcore cancel each other out) that’s around 43 artists.
So, yes.
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Yeah, I felt kind of the same way. I’ve found music I liked that was recorded in the last decade. That’s not really “new” but it’s sure different than “I only listen to stuff from 1987-1991 when I was in high school”.
I won’t bother listing everyone but shout-out to fellow Tacocat fan, GargoyleWB 
I would say most people DO like music. It’s pretty clearly universal, and crosses cultural and sociological boundaries.
Anyone here not like music? Should we have a poll?
I’m 64, and that was my life… til I put Shazam right at the bottom of my iPhone screen, where my thumb can hit it fast. And now I know what all that cool “Young Whippersnapper Music” is (for anyone my age, Shazam’s a music-identifying app that I swear is getting amazingly fast these days, and you can even buy the song/album if you want).
I think a lot of people like the familiarity more than the music itself: they turn on a classic hits station, and they know exactly what they’re going to hear, and it’s comfortable and reassuring. I get that too, sometimes I do just want to play an old Talking Heads or Pretenders or Split Enz album and blob out: no disrespect to the bands, whose music I heard and loved when my own tastes were starting to form, but I’ve heard them so many times that I almost don’t need to listen again; the music is safe, and familiar, like an old pair of shoes. It’s just there and it fits without effort, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want. But not all the time, you know, otherwise it just becomes aural wallpaper: sometimes I want something new, or different, or challenging; sometimes I need to listen to a bunch of unfamiliar stuff to decide if I like it or not. Right now I’m streaming Tortoise: by no means a new band, but one whom my 19 year old Husker Du self would have derided as indulgent, proggy jazz crap. But tastes evolve, or at least they do if you let them, and you find new stuff to love.
Just because someone says something doesn’t make it true.
I mean, how many of the top acts are actually bands rather than just figure heads? How many of those are most famous for their musicianship? How many of the acts write their own music? How many people know the name of the person who actually wrote the music? How many people follow the career of the person who actually wrote the music and try to purchase their albums on that basis?
If someone watched every film with young Kenneth Branagh, but would reject watching any Shakespeare film not starring Branagh but would accept watching young Hugh Grant in something, then it’s fair to say that that person doesn’t actually like Shakespeare, they just like handsome British actors.
Just to make sure I’m clear before I actually respond.
Are you saying most modern western people don’t enjoy modern popular rock music or are you saying that most humans don’t inherently enjoy music?
Not at all.
Age 57. Grew up w/ top 40 on the radio. “Popular” musical tastes formed in HS/college mid-70s to mid 80s - punk/new age/rock. Never found any popular music after which I liked as much, and eventually stopped listening.
My youngest - now 27, was quite into music in college. I’d let her dictate the music when we were in the car. While much of what she played was listenable, none made it to my regular playlists.
Last decade or so I’ve been pretty much into bluegrass/folk. I’ll happily listen to (or play with) any youngster who plays good acoustic music, but just as often find myself listen to contemporaries of my parents (or THEIR parents.) Not much of the music I enjoy most gets much in the way of airplay outside of a few public radio shows. Going to a show tomorrow - acoustic duo. Believe the woman is in her young 20s.
Pretty confident I couldn’t identify a single song by Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga, or a Beyoncé tune other than “All The Single Ladies.” WRT rap/hip hop - I’ve heard a few tunes which weren’t unlistenable, but not a one I would intentionally play. Am regularly amazed when I hear of supposed superstars whom I’ve never heard of…
I discovered and liked a bunch of music from “new” artists after that age, stimulated by acquiring an iPod and searching for music to fill it.
As with all eras, there was a bunch of dreck to sift through but some good stuff too.
Mid-60s here. I hardly listen to anything at all from this century. I “closed the door” on pop and rock around 1993 in favor of new country (due to my wife’s preferences).
There’s just way too much available from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s for me to even consider trying to go out and get familiar with it. I have about 26K tracks on my media server and less than 500 are from the last 16 years. I’m just not making memories like I used to, when certain songs and types of music were closely associated with landmarks in my life.
I loved 60s and 70s music. But at some point they were were considered lame, especially the 70s music.
But in the long run I think the 50s-70s were the best period for music, and so very much new music is directly influenced by that era, especially the 70s funk/R&B.
I remember Lil Wayne from around 1998. I was always a little surprised when he became the most popular rapper in the mid-2000s. “Go DJ” was a hit sometime around '03/04 and I thought that would be the extent of his comeback. I’m not easily bothered by lyrics, but his song about having sex with a female police officer and “beating it like Rodney King” was not my favorite. I also noticed around that time that rappers who went overboard sounding like caricatures of mentally retarded folks (see most mumble rap and post Malone, etc) were growing in popularity. I’m also not a fan of Drake’s act, but a quick Googling tells me I might be the only person who thinks he sounds like he’s doing some sort of Wayne impression half the time. They have a song together about banging strippers or something and I can’t tell them apart.
Other than underground hip-hop I’ve mostly listened to alternative rock in the past decade or so. But even that format has taken a strange turn and seems like a less popular cousin of “adult hits radio” or whatever it’s called, doing away with most guitar music and having an abundance of EDM collabs and formulaic pop that all sounds like an Imagine Dragons or Chaimsmokers reject or some ironic autotuned pop.
1967 ‘special’ edition
I try not to be a crusty old dude and to stay current but in the main, new musicians bore me. There are so many craftsmen who can belt out a tune (Aria Grande’s range is jaw-dropping, but I can’t stand her music style, and shows like The Voice seem like attempts to clone and stabilize the existing music industry product) or shred a geetar like nobody’s business, but few actual artists trying to do something new. Those who ARE trying to do something new tend not to get much airplay because it’s not clear how and to whom to market them. By the time I do find something “new” to listen to, they’ve often been around for 10+ years and/or have died, gone dormant while they reinvent themselves, or have effectively retired and started families. Had I known of such bands when they were current I’d have been all over them, so it’s only logical to conclude that 2028’s has-been punks are out there right now, but I just don’t know about them.
Saw these guys last night and bought their latest CD - issued last year. I guess that makes me an up to date hepcat fan of “new music”? 
Drake is better IMO because I can at least stand to look at him. I like 2 of his songs, God’s Plan and Hotline Bling.
But yeah the vocal styles are similar, both mumbly and digitally altered.
Since 2008 pretty much everyone has been doing a Lil Wayne impression. He probably influenced rap styles more than anyone since Rakim. Thats not necessarily a bad thing. Sure, on the one hand you do get BS like Lil Pump because of it. But on the flip side you also get Kendrick Lamar.
Wow. That was really annoying.
Yeah. He’s the worst.
We really need a hip-hop thread: here’s The Roots paying tribute to J Dilla - and Stereolab - with Stereolab. A few years old now, but any intersection between Stereolab, Dilla and The Roots deserves love.
Agreed.
It’s me and one or two others always talking about hip hop, but it never gets traction.
I would love to talk about the new Lupe Fiasco album. It’s weird and kind of great but also not. Lots to talk about.
How did I not know this existed?
Anyway, please enjoy Stereolab on an ultra-cheezy UK late-night show (honestly the show had people licking strangers armpits etc) from years back:
I don’t know The Roots so well but I thought this recent thing they did with Ariana Grande was pretty cool
