“A continuation of the overproduced, less musically intricate, lyrically lacking road Viva La Vida started. Under Brian Eno’s direction Coldplay has lost that raw, deep sound they had with Parachutes. If ever they were accused of trying to be U2, this is the clearest example. But Mylo X sounds more like a compilation of all U2’s b-side demo tracks that weren’t good enough to make an album cut. New Coldplay has programmed drums, auto-tune, dance songs, non-impacting lyrics, and Rihanna. The antithesis of what they once were, and what I believe good music to be. There are some “moments” on here, but never whole songs. It seems like all experimentation with no sustenance. Sure, guitars, but no solos, no comprehensible melodic soul. Just filler at parts. None of these short songs have anything to them or progress the thing as an album, or leave any impression (like the 46 second pretty “Parachute”). “Hurts Like Heaven” and “Up With the Birds” embody some of the best of what was the Viva La Vida album sound, but none of them reminiscent of P, AROBTTH, or really X&Y… (on the whole, their best stuff).
If there was ever such a thing as selling out, we witness it here. Rock/Alt icons, going techo/electric dance. Dumbing down their musical virtuoso and subtle passions (like Yellow) for a bouncy tune. The shock value of the sell-out will give it its sales, and its attention, maybe even praise. But those who know what we have lost (as with Songs About Jane, Maroon 5) feel this sting very deeply. Paradise is the gooyest thing ever (da butterflies…. every time she closed her eeeeyeees).
‘Rock this club like dynomite’ finds its way to my subconscious when I hear “Every tear drop is a waterfall” …. and my tear drops just maybe that. Some gems, at most, but nothing meriting the hype and expectations placed upon this supergroup is delivered from this album (they already did a graffiti cover with viva anyway? why the same thing?) Thanks for reading. Sorry to be a “hater”. I just don’t lower my standards. Otherwise the music industry will lower theirs right with me.”
I remembered today that Coldplay had a new album coming out soon or just did not long ago. So I got on iTunes and saw that it had been released and wanted to test drive it. As I was listening to the 90 second previews I noticed that the first comment was long and immediately started tearing the album apart. I liked it so much I decided to start my blog with it, credit going to the writer Elijah Lewis.
As I read his review I immediately connected with him, he put into words so perfectly my feelings towards the mainstream music industry. I agree entirely with all of his points. The sad thing is most of what he said can be applied to a plethora of other artists. Synths and electronic instruments/sounds are taking over the industry. I’m pretty sure the most recent Black Eyed Peas album had auto-tune in every song, it sounds nothing like their Elephunk album, let alone their pre-Fergie albums (bet some of you didn’t know BEP first existed without her and they were still awesome then). All of Hip-Hop artists are becoming less and less distinguishable, even ‘non’-Hip-Hop artists are sounding like Hip-Hop artists. Sometimes I really can’t tell if I’m listening to a song by Maroon 5 or by Rihanna. Synths are taking over the industry.
Obviously there is something to be said about that. Synths are like a musical drug, they help you live in a fantasy dream world. But people, that’s what listening to techno is for. Whereas when synths meet H-H, R&B, rock, etc., the music becomes more about the synths and ‘killer beats’ and the listener’s gut reaction of pleasure to it and less about lyrical prowess, amazing instrumental talent, or the group's foundational identity. All of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ songs on their new album sound very similar to each other and there is a lot of background music (noise) in each song that makes any appreciation for instrumental talent go right out the window.
A couple reasons that come to mind on why groups/artists change their music are money, the ‘need’ to evolve, and being in the limelight. Any band will know that a 40 year-old’s taste in music will be different from a 20 year-old’s. So, if your band has a heavy middle-aged following you might try modifying your music to make more money. It’s also not uncommon for a band to change its sound as a matter of course. The issue is when a band sees what trends in music are becoming popular and they try to change according to that, they evolve according to culture, not according to the talent and brains within the band itself. And hand-in-hand with that is being in the limelight. I have found that bands that are rarely or never played on the radio will change their sound, but never in a way that challenges the original sound of the band. On the other hand, if a band is on the radio, or further more if, as an example, a rock band is marketed along with H-H artists, musical styles begin to mesh. The rock artist wants a piece of the H-H crowd and vice-versa. Artists are driven by competitiveness rather than their hearts.
Like I said, a lot of groups are changing their sound such that they don’t really sound like what they started as. Here is a non-exhaustive list of mostly contemporary artists/groups on my iTunes whose albums that I own I really like: Angels & Airwaves, Audioslave, Black Eyed Peas, Blink-182, Coheed & Cambria, Coldplay, Craid David, Explosions in the Sky, Girl Talk, Gorillaz, Green Day, Incubus, Jamiroquai, Jurassic 5, Kid Cudi, Maroon 5, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Usher, Weezer, 311, Daft Punk, Massive Attack, Thievery Corporation. Of these artists, most of which are pretty well known, Coheed & Cambria, Explosions in the Sky, Gorillaz, Jurassic 5, Daft Punk, Massive Attack and Thievery Corporation are the only ones that I would consider buying a new album of theirs before listening to it, and not because they don’t change, but because they don’t change according to the changing culture. Most of the other groups are too far deviated from what they started as and/or just sound too similar to other, better, groups. Massive Attack is my flagship example in my second list. From their first album to their most recent there are changes all along the way, certainly noticeable, always new stuff, but they always sound like Massive Attack. By no means do they sound like they are being driven by popular trends in the mainstream music industry. Also, in the second list only two, maybe three, of the artists find their music in the mainstream, whereas nearly all of the mainstream artists in my first list didn’t make it to my second. Says something doesn’t it?
PS: This isn't my best blog, I didn't feel like thinking very hard.
