For me : Trippie Redd’s “!” Is actually a great album
When people complain about new music not living up to old, it just means they’ve quit exploring and form their prejudices on the pop genre they hear, which has always been the lowest hanging song on the tree.
As an unpopular opinion on the other end, it’s ok to stop participating in pop culture. Pop music, Blockbuster movies, and TV are all meant to sell consumerism to young people with disposable incomes. Not to people who are bogged down by kids and mortgages.
New media isn’t made for your tastes, so unless you make an effort to change your tastes to those of the current generation of young people, new media will never be seen as good enough by you
I think there’s an important difference between “there is no new good music” and “I don’t like any new music”.
The former is making a broad proclamation. The latter is keeping it limited to your personal experience, even if phrased a little sloppily.
Though I guess you could argue people saying the former really mean the latter and are just communicating kind of badly.
Doesn’t this usually refer to music on the radio? I think most people understand that there’s lots of good music if you look for it, but the problem is the “popular” music is getting more and more formulaic
The thing is, I don’t want to have to look for it. Growing up I could turn on the radio and hear amazing music on pretty much any popular channel. Depeche Mode, Billy Idol, David Bowie, REM, XTC, Goo Goo Dolls, En Vogue, Green Day, Alanis Morrissette, Boyz II Men, Sarah MacLachlan, and so many others. It was a preponderance of great music with some shitty stuff interspersed.
Growing up, everything you heard was new to you. An experience. People older than you was saying the same shit about the music you were enjoying at the time. That’s how it goes.
Taylor Swift is fine, her music is enjoyable, but ultimately kind of forgettable. Her popularity comes from the social-cohesion function of popular music.
IDK if it’s unpopular, but I’m worried that TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube Shorts have completely screwed with what kind of music gets popular nowadays. It seems like every popular song has some kind of intense drop because content creators love the “quick build up to some kind of visual punchline” video format and it has ruined what I think could otherwise influence and encourage originality
Ditto
Separating the artist from the art is fine.
You can like music by someone who doesn’t share your social, political, or religious beliefs with.Upvoted because this is the one I most strongly disagree with.
Hitlers art but ignore the holocaust?
Lost Prophets but ignore the lead singers horrifying SA of children?
Kanye West and his anti semitism insanity?
Chris Brown and beating the shit out of women?
R. Kelly and SA a child?
Rowling and her hatred of trans children?
Michael Jackson and his … weird child obsession?
Gary Glitter and his SA?
the examples you gave
Yes, that’s what separating the art from the artist means.
Well aware. I am listing examples of why I cant separate. Hence my “disagree” comment
🤨
Then apparently for a person who can separate them, there are zero examples. Or null
The Pianist is one of the best war movies I’ve ever seen… even though Polanski.
I’ll go a step further:
You have to separate the art from the artist because there is not a single artist I’ve ever encountered who wasn’t some kind of fucking trashhole of a person.
Artists spent their lives on being artists, not developing good interpersonal skills or understanding politics or philosophy.
Beleiving an artist is a “good person” is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Start out assuming they suck dogshit and you usually end up being right.
I think it’s reasonable to draw some lines that, when crossed, you’ll choose to disengage from their art.
The musician doesn’t have to be a saint. But if I find out they, I don’t know, love eating live puppies, I’m going to prefer spending my time and attention elsewhere.
I agree, but I like to start from a position of “this person probably sucks” because then I’m never disappointed.
This is a fair position to take.
I tend to avoid listening to interviews with bands I like in case they’re terrible.
Though weirdly I’ll chat with folks at merch tables.
My mind is telling me nooooo
But my body
My bodyyyyy is telling me yesss
This is actually really popular among my music students. I completely disagree on most case. X raped 300 kids but hey, he makes pretty good beats so let’s pay 200$ for a concert.
Most rap sucks and it’s effects on mainstream media have had detrimental effects on society as a whole.
It literally just glorifies the ghetto lifestyle of being a piece of shit and acting like it’s the only way you can live life.
I get this is an unpopular opinion but 99% of the time I hear this take its just barely masked racism.
its* effects.
Yup. Unpopular opinion indeed. Upvoted.
Look into underground hip hop, there’s all sorts of awesome music of much higher caliber than mainstream rap/hip hop.
Mf Doom, Busdriver, Kool Keith (and his many many aliases), Aesop Rock (not ASAP Rocky or whatever), and I’m sure lots of newer stuff I’m not even familiar with. Digable Planets are pretty big and they’re good (and old, like me)
.
I’ve dabbled into some underground stuff. I like hopsin for one. I’ve heard of Mf Doom but couldn’t pick out a song.
For me it’s less the rapper themselves it’s what they’re rapping about.
I don’t like music I can’t relate to and I can’t relate to most rap songs. I’m not out here thuggin or poppin caps, doing drugs and fuckin bitches. I don’t even really want to do those things. So that erases almost half the damn genre out the gate.
I like certain rap songs like tech9’s Dysfunctional or Am I a Psycho or Eminem or NF’s stuff but for the most part I can’t stand most of it.
And the glorification of “thugging” is what I mean by raps negative impacts.
I don’t like music I can’t relate to and I can’t relate to most rap songs. I’m not out here thuggin or poppin caps, doing drugs and fuckin removed. I don’t even really want to do those things. So that erases almost half the damn genre out the gate.
I promise I’m not trying to spam you with stuff!
With that specific criticism in mind, I listen to what I listen to because of the lyrics for the most part, and I’m not into those things either. Here are some examples I’d recommend.
Some folks don’t like Atmosphere’s style much, but I’m recommending these to you because of their lyrics, specifically. (Personally I think these are both bangers though.)
(If you have them, put on some nice headphones. Esp for Brother Ali.)
A couple from Atmosphere:
Brother Ali has a couple that really speak to me too:
I am not trying to make you “like” Rap, FYI. Folks like what they like.
I’m just trying to open a path to show you that how you described it in your prior comment does not describe most hip hop - even if it describes most hip hop you have heard. 🙂
I’ve had a hard time getting into Aesop Rock, but he comes up so often I should try again.
I have enjoyed most Busdriver that I’ve heard, but I admit I often have to look up his lyrics to understand them, and it’s probably discouraged me from exploring his catalog more than I have. My fave that I’ve heard of his is Much, partially because he slows it down a bit.
Digable Planets - I only knew them for The Rebirth of Slick for decades. Took a deeper look a couple years ago and was blown away. They are high on my list now. Love their sound. Good recommendation there!
I’ve got to also recommend Brother Ali.
I hear you on Busdriver, I tend to not listen to the words and just hear it as a sort of instrument so it doesn’t matter what he’s saying. But for those that do, I could see it being too much, same with Kool Keith.
I’ll check out Brother Ali, I’ve heard of him but not his music.
IMO you are in for a treat. His voice is something else IMO and I love his style.
Here’s one of my favorites (fairly, ah, opinionated): Uncle Sam Goddamn
Also -
Can’t Take That Away (Just nice.)
(Also pretty opinionated:) Mourning in America
Listened to some yesterday and today, I dig it, thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Yes unpopular, but your final sentence indicates a deep lack of understanding regarding the origins, purpose, and breadth of the genre.
You are welcome to your opinion, and I’m 100% sure that no one coming in like that is going to look any deeper. I’m just sharing my opinion that yours is uninformed and superficial.
Hey that’s fair. I’m not privy to a lot of the socioeconomic shit that took/takes place that led to the rise of rap and what I call ghetto culture.
I just think it’s been glorified to the point people who have no experience with ghetto culture outside of rap music start acting like they thugs n shit. Like “gangster” shit started happening everywhere with a shitload of people fully embracing not only the visual look but the “hustler” “gangster” lifestyle.
Also don’t mistake my ignorance for inability to learn. I’m willing to listen and learn about it all I just don’t think it’ll change my outlook on how it’s effected everyone everywhere negatively.
And you know maybe I’m wrong and I’m just upset things aren’t changing the way I want them to. In that case oh well I’ll live.
Well thank you for the response, which I admit I expected to not exist or to be rude. 🙂
I’m willing to listen and learn about it all I just don’t think it’ll change my outlook on how it’s effected everyone everywhere negatively.
I wasn’t going to push this on you, but this 4-part documentary literally takes the exact opposite stance and is a documentary regarding the formation and evolution of hip-hop. You don’t owe me anything, but if you are legit interested…
I believe it’s available on at least a couple different streaming services, as well as on the high seas.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21872984/
Having watched it myself, please resist the temptation to skip around if you do give it a shot. There’s a through-line that will be less apparent if you watch it all chopped up, or skip past certain sections.
I just think it’s been glorified to the point people who have no experience with ghetto culture outside of rap music start acting like they thugs n shit. Like “gangster” shit started happening everywhere with a shitload of people fully embracing not only the visual look but the “hustler” “gangster” lifestyle.
This very thing is discussed at one point, FWIW. 🙂
And you know maybe I’m wrong and I’m just upset things aren’t changing the way I want them to.
I’m about the whitest looking person you could imagine, and I’m in my mid-late 50s. I grew up with a good dose of privilege, but (fortunately?) was thrust into situations through early to mid adulthood that forced me to step outside my comfort zone quite a bit. I look like I should be walking around with a maga hat and intimidating voters with my open-carry firearms, not pseudo-anonymously trying to convince a stranger to give hip hop another chance.
A lot of things haven’t progressed the way I expected them to, either, and I am very familiar with how easy it is to misjudge things that are not within your lived experience.
Hip-Hop is a mirror of what is, not the progenitor of the nation’s problems. It sometimes looks like the progenitor to folks who haven’t previously experienced some of what it reflects in their own daily lives though, I think.
Personally, the only place I’m hearing voices raised about the issues I care about in modern music (and this could be my own narrow view) is within the subgenre of “conscious hip hop.”
I just think it’s been glorified to the point people who have no experience with ghetto culture outside of rap music start acting like they thugs n shit. Like “gangster” shit started happening everywhere with a shitload of people fully embracing not only the visual look but the “hustler” “gangster” lifestyle.
My perspective on this, is that the chicken came before the egg so to speak.
Rappers dont glorify these things anymore than metal bands singing about decipitating hundreds of people mean it; all art is fiction, we wont be calling a horror film writer a ‘glorification of violence’, we call it a fantasy, a reflection of reality; these people observe reality and reflect it in art.
Now, does some rap stray into reality? Sure, so does all art, unless we fully remove the human from art it will always involve a real person.
Voting for a liberal continues the cycle of underclass exploitation either way, id say the middle class cocaine user and the politican locking up millions of people into small prison cells for drug use has a much bigger hand in creating and perputating the cycle of violence that dominates liberal society in america.
To accent my point and show how the way you are thinking is a symptom of a moral panic, something that takes a few examples and inflates it into a wider group…
90% of drill artists banned from making music in the UK dont have a criminal record…85% of those banned without a criminal record are black.
Its the censoring of the mental production of black youths; the upper class do not want a culture based on anti-authoritianism to emerge.
the upper class do not want a culture based on anti-authoritianism to emerge.
Truth.
You should watch Hip Hop Evolution on Netflix—or the first three/four seasons. Because it will tell you a lot. Like, your opinion generalizes so much that it’s really dancing on the line just this side of problematic.
Rap was important and had a clear goal; to inspire afroamerican people, kids to learn, to live their life and fight for their rights. to get up from the ghetto, to keep on going, make them see they aren’t alone, they have their backs by the community. (In the US)
this all was rather successfull.
but then, I don’t know what rap’s function is today. if there is any… so what you are saying, I can aggree with it, but I tend not to forget what was the original goal of this genre, and this is why I can’t completely dismiss rap.
You should look into conscious hip hop. Plenty of that kind of music still being made.
Agreed wholeheartedly. And just to pile on another unpopular opinion: it all sounds like trash. Literally it’s not music. Just a repetitive beat while some douchebag talks fast at you.
Some music is made by and for lowlifes, where I live is Vallenato, Campesina, Rancheras, Bachata, and 90%of reggaeton.
Lyrics about asking for forgiveness after cheating, smoking, domestic violent (being the one that does the domestic violence), admitting to spike drinks and brag about it, simping for drug Lords, and women are nothing but a sex object.
The people who listen to that music is just as you imagine them. Uneducated, sexist, wife beaters, going around in huge SUVs blasting that music outloud with no respect for anyone around then, they are the ones who start blasting the music at 1AM on a Wednesday and doesn’t let anyone sleep in their entire neighborhood.
People give me shit for this and claim is “culture” but I think there is such a thing as music for lowlifes.
While I can see where you’re coming from, about 90% of the music I listen to is some kind of metal. Most of it is just about cool nerdy stuff but there’s definitely some truly horrible shit in there. I have yet to and don’t intend to do any of it.
I think the bias comes from how loud some of these shitty people are. They build the stereotype. For the most part, people just mind their own business, go to work, raise their kids, and bob their heads to the beeps and boops.
I see where you’re coming from, because I kinda also hate the genres you mentioned in specific, but man, it’s not ALL bad. You put on some Juan Luis Guerra and he makes better bachata than anyone else you can think of. It’s actually fucking enjoyable. It took me decades to even begin to appreciate some of the more pop music (or even tolerate it, cause fuck regueton…but everyone listens to it where I live), and he definitely stands out.
That’s it, I just wanted to mention the 440.
There are too many damn love songs. 75% of all music does not need to be about love, relationships, and breakups. I stopped listening to radio because all the damn love songs got annoying.
Can we please have more songs about literally anything else. Weed, flowers, rainy days, animal companions, construction work, types of cars, card games, anything. There’s more in life to sing about than just relationships and/or the lack of them!
Sincerely, A person whose sexuality is “No” and has no interest in that kind of relationship.
Well godd news then, you can start to enjoy music about religion, cause I feel like every other popular song is about that, and I am just as annoyed as you, be careful though there are overlap betweem the two. 😄
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For a recommendation of an album that isn’t about love, but about a wizard seeking immortality, check out Hypercube Necrodimensions
Which is why I love concept albums where the artist sings a bunch of songs that tell some story of a fisherman who catches a magic mermaid type creature who can cure cancer, but the mermaid type creature ends up becoming a trapped carnival attraction at a freak show instead. Or about the story of a mad scientist type dude who conducts experiments on his patients, creates an evil demagogue who then becomes a tyrant whose reign ends in a terrible war that causes a lot of death and destruction. Or about a bunch of AI who find themselves in disagreement with their creators and then say bye to the solar system and just fuck off into deep space.
As someone on the asexual spectrum, I feel you. I also have intense social anxiety and so those two things combined means it doesn’t make sense for me to attempt a relationship to begin with. Occasionally I get sad when listening to love songs. Because they are so ubiquitous and it makes me feel like I’m not even human sometimes because I lack these basic human feelings and experiences.
Certain genres have different themes i find.
For example i think most ‘metalcore’ songs i listen to are about emotional or addiction struggles, anger at society/moral injustices, inspirational (yes really, overcoming obstacles and living a happier life), life experiences and oddly a lot of christian bands in the genre.They Might Be Giants
Mountain Goats
Eric Clapton is wildly overrated
YES! He’s a massive idiot too.
Cocaine is his only good song.
Now this is an unpopular opinion, mostly about Cocaine being good in any capacity.
Cocaine is great! If it’s good cocaine. And as long as the person doing it is not a fiend.
I guess my unpopular opinion is that I don’t think that’s a very good song :)
Layla is also pretty good imo.
“the Beatles are overrated” is a poorly defined statement often made by people who give the impression they want to be seen as an iconoclast of some sort.
Ok. Overrated on what metrics? Historical impact? Popularity at the time? Popularity now?
“I don’t like the Beatles’ music” is probably closer to what people mean, and that’s fine. I rarely listen to them on purpose. But the whole “I don’t like them, and neither should you” thing is kind of insufferable.
When I say they’re overrated, I mean I don’t understand why they’re so popular. They’re not bad but they’re not that good, either. I don’t understand the praise lauded on them. It’s too much relative to their quality.
I can understand if someone loves them in their time. For example, Nirvana was absolutely amazing in their time. However, it’s been 30 years and that sound is a lot more mainstream, but in their day, they were breaking new ground.
But my kids age? Why do people think they’re that good?
I generally assume that “popular thing is overrated” is generally said just to troll people. At least, I like to dog on things that are popular that I’m not in to just to get a raise out of people that can’t accept any criticism of their thing.
TBH people listened to these Beatles high on acid. And somehow the radio stations where persuaded to play their songs more frequent.
Perfect recipe for verse rush
There is, in fact, good country music that isn’t just about trucks, beer, flags, and right-wing U.S. propaganda.
People have a lot of hate for the genre due to the mass appeal, common denominator examples. But like with all music, dig a little deeper beyond what gets radio play and you can find some good shit.
I have a real love hate relationship with country music, I love almost everything except it feels very low energy most of the time and like you said the classic truck songs
I’ve found bands like poor man’s poison and the dead South, hurry up and wait by ben miller band is a great example of something decent
dig a little deeper beyond what gets radio play and you can find some good shit.
Don’t leave us hanging! What are your suggestions?
Here is a random list of songs I like, in my opinion under the umbrella of country in one way or another (though some stretch that a little. Or a lot. Don’t @ me, die-hard country fans).
Some may, indeed, involve beer, trucks, and American Christian propaganda - but pleasant sounding at least. I’m also confirmed to be pretty lame, and that may be reflected in my choices here.
I also never said you needed to dig deep - some/most of this is like, a fingernail scratch. But if you find something here you dig, strongly recommend diving deeper into the artist.
Merle Haggard - Mama Tried
George Jones - White Lightning
The Highwaymen - Highwayman
Dick Curless - The Heartline Special
Eddy Arnold - Cowpoke
Conway Twitty - Hello Darlin’
Townes Van Zandt - Waiting Around to Die
Sons of the Pioneers - Empty Saddles
Marty Robbins - Running Gun
Willie Nelson - Bubbles in my Beer
Hank Thompson - A Six Pack to Go
Johnny Cash - Sunday Morning Coming Down
Sonny James - Baltimore
Del Reeves - A Dime at A Time
Dale Hawkins - Everglades
Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West - Blue Bonnet Rag
Tim Carroll - I Think Hank Woulda Done It This Way
Buddy Emmons - Orange Blossom Special
Tommy Collins - You Better Not Do That
The Louvin Brothers - Satan is Real [here’s that propaganda I told you about - still love this song]
Eddie Noack - Psycho
Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed - Jerry’s Breakdown
Tom T. Hall - That’s How I Got to Memphis
Roger Miller - Dang MeI like the list, but there’s a disturbing lack of Steve Earle.
Go listen to Ray Charles’s album covers of country songs, “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.”
And then go listen to Sturgil Simpsons “Meta Modern Sounds in Country Music”, both incredible albums
Not them, but Red Headed Stranger is probably one of my favourite concept albums ever.
Lyrics ruin most music. This is one is weird because I actually love the sound of the human voice, but it most music its just ugly. Also most of the lyrics themselves suck. Usually vague, meaningless, hoping you’ll interpret them as something deep. There’s just so many songs that most lyrics have to be bad.
Also drums ruin most music. They are harsh, dissonant, overly loud, overpower subtler instruments, and reduce complex, varying melodies to a simple beat. Even when I want simple heavy beats, I prefer electronic alternatives (no idea what they’re called) so it’s not so harsh
Modern music slaps. Just gotta find the right albums.
Care to share some of your favorites?
One of my favorites recently has been Djesse Vol. 4 by Jacob Collier
Depends on how new you want it, but Rime of Memory by Panopticon is great.
We’re in the best time to listen to music. There’s amazing stuff out there. It just doesn’t come to you automatically, you’ve got to seek it out.
Now, it’s a pretty bad time to be an artist trying to make a living. But it’s also the easiest time to DIY music.
I mean, not to be a shill, but Spotify makes playlists every Monday and Friday showcasing new but older and new new music respectively. So it kinda does just come to you
I guess my other unpopular music opinion is that I still buy music. I guess ANOTHER unpopular music opinion is that I think algorithmic suggestions aren’t great and ultimately limit the kinds of music one is exposed to if that’s their only source of new music.
I disagree with the latter. Buying music is still good though
Well hey, that’s why it’s an unpopular opinion!
To pair with this, we’re now bearing the fruits of having unlimited media available to us. You can hear rappers on SoundCloud that directly influence metal from the 2000’s, you can hear artists from small countries reference shows like Community, or US artists reference the UK show The Inbetweeners. Even at the top, Taylor Swift referenced a song called Best Of Me by The Starting Line in one of her songs, and now thousands of fans have swarmed to listen to their music, despite the band being split up and the front man now making new music under Vacationer - also getting a fan bump.
Years ago I listened to a podcast from someone that was in a band called Busted in the UK. The went deep into how they wanted their band to be like Sum 41, but how within about 6 weeks they had released a pop album, were on your, and on covers of magazines as the new face of pop. Many bands saw the rise of pop punk, and feel that the UK (and other countries in Europe) missed the boat because the recording industry was stuck in the past. Look back at pop punk and tell me how many bands of that era weren’t from North America, and look at how many were eventually churned out once the recording industry shifted towards downloads and streaming.
Influence is everywhere now, and those that seek out music are rewarded.
Being a metalhead, most of my opinions about music are unpopular I guess. Or are they?
Techdeath here. I know no one directly with shared interest…
Early Decapitated is my absolutely favorite (tech)death ever. I can easily find more technically impressive music, but it feels like good songwriting with is not very common in that genre.
The Polish school of death metal (with those early Decapitated albums) really brought a new wind to the scene. Other bands around that time worth listening to: Yattering, early Vader, Devilyn, Dies Irae, all from Poland if i remember correctly.
I love some techdeath, my friend! What are your favorite bands?
Necrophagist to be mentioned just because still relevant 20 years after. First fragment, Gorod, Inferi, Somnium, Stortregn, Solipsismo, Spawn of Possession just to name a few…
I don’t know most of these, taking notes.
I don’t know if those all count as
technodeathtechnical death, but I enjoy these bands.Augury, Carcass, Cryptopsy, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Gojira, Quo Vadis…
Was technodeath a typo? Because mixing Death metal with some kind of techo / electronic genres is available within the death metal scene. But i guess we are all referring to tech(nical) death metal here.
Additions of some bands that i really like: Wormed, Septycal Gorge, Putridity, Defeated Sanity, Archspire.
It was more or less a typo. I was looking for a shorter way to write technical death metal, and I brainfarted this term. Lol.
Haha yeah it can be hard! Like needing to memorize every (sub)genre on https://everynoise.com 😱
I dislike modern pop’s mixing of the human voice, mixed so high compared to the rest, to the point where you can’t hear instruments anymore. The music is often there just for accompanyment, elevetor music. I rather have chillwave, where everything is one big reverb trick pony, than having to hear people screaming.
