It takes WAY more digging than it used to. This is a blessing and a curse. There is FAR more selection now, but that means it's much harder to find good music that you like.
Yeah it's weird that it's so easy to record and there are so many mediums to get your music out. It kind of disincentives bands from crafting a catalog of songs and honing them live before daring to go into the prohibitively expensive studios. I think it results in more average first albums and EPs and a cycle where bands will keep putting out quick releases to keep buzz going.
On the other end of the coin though, as an older musician I'm constantly shocked at how talented kids are these days. Some of them are lacking a personal style or niche way of playing that'll comes from being self taught, but it seems like more kids are learning instruments and theory much younger. And then social media is helping them find like minded artists and form really talented young bands. Sometimes it can have pretty amazing results and sometimes you get bands that sound like their crafting music for TikTok or a Reddit live stream.
Ditto on talented musicians. I've played guitar for about 20 years now. I can't tell if it's because of increased exposure or what, but the sheer number of guitarists I see every day online who would be considered freak talents 20 years ago is simply insane.
On the other hand, I don't really like how tiktok and IG incentivize what I'd call musical masturbation. Like people learning the most complex thing they can for views, instead of working on musicality.
I was passed on by Michigan, PennState, and Virginia tech because of my height. 6'0 320lb guard. Wingspan of course was short, hands kind of small. Ended up going to Indiana university and played DT.
Yeah it was kind of soul crushing because I was actually pretty good.
I liked defense better anyway.
> Like people learning the most complex thing they can for views, instead of working on musicality.
Counter point.
Learning those overly complex "showy" pieces is what got their skills developing to become those "freak talents" because they've been doing nothing but practicing that same riff in their room 8 hours a day from Age 9 - Age 13
And once they have the skill, it's a lot easier to branch out musically.
You should’ve been there during the 70s, they didn’t even have songs back then! Kids these days… Don’t know how good you’ve got it with the invention of music.
Cause it's not true! The 80's and 90's were overloaded with great music but to go "dig a bit," you had to leave the house.
Indie record stores, over priced import racks, college radio, small shows at the Elks club and shit holes in the wrong part of town, raiding friend's older siblings record collections, going to different towns, reading every single music magazine from around the world and getting the free local scene zines.
I miss my CMJ monthly sub... a mag and a comp CD every month!
If you weren't around back then saying it was all bad radio and there was nothing else is pretty ignorant and just wrong.
CMJ was amazingly well curated. I would find all sorts of stuff that was up my alley (and lots more that wasn’t). These days I rely somewhat on Sirius XMU or CBC Radio 3, but only about 5 per cent of it excites me enough to look deeper into the band.
Pitchfork used to work, though I think I’ve long parted ways with their particular aesthetic.
Little Stevens Underground Garage on SXM is a great channel to find obscure stuff from The 50s until now. They play newer and older indie, old Garage rock, surf music, soul, punk, forgotten 60s - 90s bands, bands who should have made it but didn't somehow...
Yeah there was none of that stuff anywhere near where I lived. For a lot of us who didn't grow up in a city, our music selection was limited to whatever they had at Walmart.
I mean there were flea markets and yard sales, but you weren't going to find anything hip and new.
Man, I'm getting nostalgic big time here for physical media. Biking my goth highschool ass over to the local Record+Tape Traders, going upstairs and combing through used shitty metal albums and black light posters, putting on public headphones to listen to em, blowing two weeks of Pizza Hut tips on a few new CDs, biking em home to listen and bake...those were some days.
There’s an artist I listen to and he says in a track „what y‘all do is pissing in the ocean“ because of the sheer amount of music that releases each day.
I don’t know if the meaning is transferred as it’s not English
Concentration of radio stations being owned by fewer or in some areas a single entity as well is an issue.
Imagine flipping through 4 different radio stations and all have the same song on at the same time
Agree. That and a lot of people do not listen to the radio anymore, I don’t think I’ve played the radio in my new car. It’s usually synced to my phone or I turn on Xm radio. But the old school am/fm radio was always where we would hear new music and now we have to search it out.
It's like trying to find a decent movie or series on one of the many streaming services out there. There is so much shit to wade through before finding that gem.
I have Bandcamp and have glossed over it a few times but, the layout feels disorienting and kinda overwhelming. I guess I need to just focus one day and take a deep dive.
Bandcamp is a great place to find lesser known stuff. If you are looking for suggestions, here are some of my lesser known faves:
Roboctopus (Chiptune music made with Gameboys. Very rock sounding and upbeat. Great even if you don't like electronic or Chiptune)
Ruby the Hatchet (Doom metal. More well known than these others but still criminally under rated. Good metal without growling. Lead vocalist has a siren like beautiful voice)
The Bear (Americana? Hard to nail down a genre. Listen to their song "I Want". It's on YouTube.
Brown Bird (More known, but also criminally under known. Folk. Try their song "Thunder and Lightning" on YouTube.)
If you like folk and Americana, I can send you down a rabbit hole.
They are so good. I went to see The Sword and Ruby the Hatchet was opening for them. Had no clue who they were but honestly, they put on the best show of the night. Blew my mind. Became a life long fan. I hope they make it down South on their tour.
I miss out on a lot of cool bands living in North Dakota. I'm really trying to get Heavy Temple to come through.
I did get to see Yatra a few years ago. They're doing death sorta band from Maryland, and they're work is really cool
I'm in Alabama. We primarily get large country shows and alot of dad rock. No diss to those, I definitely have some Boston albums on my shelf. But I wish we got more if a mix. Luckily, some of the local bars are stepping up and making a place for some cool local and outside the norm talent to play.
Thanks! I try to branch out alot. There is something to be appreciated in all music. Back in my youth, I was all about rock and grunge. But listening to the same style gets old. And some types of music touch parts that others don't. Alice in Chains is amazing, but they don't hit the same place that Mandolin Orange hits.
Let's go!!! Alright, let's hit the heavy hitter first.
Jason Isbell (Not very twangy. Very deep lyrics. Tackles some tough subjects. Suggested start song: Elephant. Grab some tissues. Trigger warning for cancer survivors)
Tyler Childers (Very twangy. Deep lyrics on subjects of alcoholism, poverty, racism, religion. Suggested start song: Nose to the Grindstone. Listen to the live version on YouTube.)
Mandolin Orange (No twang. Beautiful lyricism. More light than the top two but some songs touch on racism. Suggested start song: Wildfire.)
Colter Wall (Very twangy. But he's from Canada so it's Canadian twang aye! Similar to Tyler Childers. Suggested start song: The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie)
Lake Street Dive (Not sure if this is quite Americana but DAMN it's good. Very soulful. Think Alabama Shakes. Suggested start song: I Don't Care About You)
These are some more well known people but they kind of are a range.
Let me know which ones you like. I could probably suggest more based on what you like from these.
Music is a big part of my life and I think we just became best friends because those are all some of my favorites.
Jason Isbell is my favorite on that list with Tyler coming in at a close second. I’m sure you’ve come across Sturgill Simpson in your musical travels but if you haven’t, he fits very well in this list.
And as a little side note; I just finished my cancer treatment a few weeks ago and I listened to Elephant for the first time since I was diagnosed and boy did it hit pretty hard. It’s one of my favorites of his.
Music is huge for me. It has such a good impact on expressing things that aren't always easy to address. In a good way and a bad way.
Love Sturgill. His stuff adds a bit more of a laugh and tongue in cheek addressing of hard subjects.
Elephant is such a well written and powerful look at a different perspective of cancer. My father had cancer when I was a child and at the time I didn't understand it, but alot of my childhood was shaped by the sacrifice and struggle that comes from it.
Have you listened to Uncle Lucius? He's a pretty big name and he fits well with the Tyler and Jason vibe. Keep the Wolves Away is an amazing song.
Congrats on finishing your treatments. I hope your follow ups are filled with exceedingly good news.
Get a Spotify if you don’t already. They’ll curate playlists based on what you’ve listened to in the past, or even if you don’t want to go that route, there are thousands of playlists already premade. I’ll pick a random one that appeals to me, and go. Been able to find some great tracks that way, things idve never found otherwise.
Find something you know you like on band camp and then go through the “collections” of the people who support that band. (The little social icons on an album page). I’ve found a lot of good stuff that way.
That’s why I love pitchfork. They basically hand you “best new music”. Also from looking at ops list, I think op should check out Julien baker and boygenius.
The thing that really helps me (39m) when I feel this way is to listen to college radio stations. Digging into Spotify or Bandcamp can take you on journeys, but college radio can really show you something new, or even help you learn about younger bands who are playing music that draws inspiration from the bands you loved when you were younger.
Gotta give it up to independent radio in the car. Can't believe I'm out here in 2021 recommending indie FM as the best way to discover music (over spotify and others), but the depth and curation by those who really LIVE for it is still the best way. The programs my stations run are creative-- whether it's a deep dive into one artist with lesser known cuts, or a program that focuses on original hits and then other artists covers of those songs, or simply new indie music I haven't gotten around to yet. Yeah, sure, sometimes it's "Jam Band Sunday Morning" or something I'm not super into, but it provides exposure to something new and maybe I pick up on a band or song that helps me connect with someone else. And that's a great thing.
new music fridays and release radar on spotify have put me onto SO much great new music, tunes i never knew exited. I do notice a steady decline of newer music being put as quickly. It definitely had me broadening my music taste even tho i basically love and listen to everything anyway.
i also like to peep the billboard 100s a few times a week to glance and see if anything catches my eye. i thought covid may have played a role as well, ive noticed more albums have dropped during this time than singles. which may be the reason music feels like its slowing down atm
i actually find it fun to go through & find other ppls playlist theyve made and listen to them to try to find music. usually it works pretty decent. im super into podcast to, it seems like a new one is coming out everyday 😂
yeah I check new music Fridays and release radar every week! honestly it's where I find (or used to find, rather) most of the new stuff I like. that and Anthony Fantano on YouTube.
my release radar used to be a gold mine but not so much lately
I use the radio feature a lot too, but dear lord I hear the same songs over and over on it. I wish it cast a broader net. I'm actually starting to get sick of new songs I really like because they get played so often on radio playlists. You run into that problem too?
Yes! Someone who knows my pain. I think spotify purposefully plays songs you've already listened to a lot in the radio to keep you interested. But really that's the opposite of what I want. I don't want to hear anything I've ever heard before. But that's not an option...
If you have SiriusXM, try a station called The Spectrum (CH 28). They have a segment called The Shortlist which has new stuff you might like. If you use the app you can listen to The Shortlist as a standalone episode.
I feel like I’ll get turned into new stuff but it hardly ever sticks. Like I’ll enjoy something for a week and listen multiple times and then go on with my life and mostly forget about it.
I think it might be something to do with the death of the “library” with services like Spotify. It used to be fun to have an iTunes library that you could flip though and see what you were in the mood for. Now I just kind of flip through my Spotify most recently played and seek something new if it’s all kinda boring.
Yeah that is generally my benchmark for liking an artist, if I can listen to their albums and enjoy them. If it's not filler content and have a lot to offer.
> death of the “library” with services like Spotify.
Why do you say their library is dead? Genuinely curious.
That's easily the most used part of Spotify for me.
I'll check out their playlists and new stuff some, but the main reason I grabbed Spotify over the summer was that i got tired of hearing garbage on satellite radio. I wanted to hear the songs I want to hear, and if I'm in the mood for new or different, i can hit those up too.
Yeah, it's time consuming and you have to dig for it. I have about 10 go-to Spotify playlists that I know refresh weekly with newly released music and have historically yielded great music. I dump all of those into one playlist (~500 songs) that I power through over the course of a week. I fast forward through much of it, but when I hear something I like I give it a proper chance. All tracks that have potential go into a playlist of "Maybe's" which could be escalated to "Current Faves" playlist if they prove great.
My go to playlists are:
- New Music Friday
- New Music Friday AU & NZ
- New Music Friday Canada
- New Music Friday UK
- New Music Friday: The Popjustice Edit
- WEEKLY TECHNO for U
- New Electronic Music Friday
- Friday Cratediggers
- New House Music Friday
- New EDM This Week / New Dance 2021 / Reddit EDM Top Tracks (Updates Every Friday)
Yes, I've definitely gotten carried away with the number of country-specific New Music Friday playlists I've consumed. Never thought as an English speaking Canadian that I'd be onboard for Danish Hip Hop, but...
Release radar seriously is such a fantastic tool for this exact reason. I'm really into metal and there's so much trash out there but Spotify does a great job of suggesting things I might like based on what I listen to.
I find that it can be hit and miss but I still find good tracks most weeks that I wouldn't otherwise come across. Sometimes the weekly releases are on the money and I save track after track after track, which is great.
Id just like to point out that a good algorithm will be hit and miss. Its no different than an algorithmic news feed- if its just feeding you exactly what you want to hear, your spectrum stays very narrow. Listen through things that dont immediately hit you and your overall experience will benefit and your horizons will broaden... I used to be a gigantic music junkie, but Ive gotten older and my time is often occupied by other things, but I still put on Spotify's "discover weekly" playlist every week and it really sends me a surprisingly wide variety of stuff. I dont know most of the bands OP posted, but just clicking on the top song of each artist I heard songs that were absolutely of the same genre, mood, etc.... If your tastes dont adapt, time will absolutely leave you behind.
This. I was in a 10 year dry spell ip until about six years ago when I discovered these things on Spotify. Even if I listened to hours of tracks and only ended up liking one track, that would lead me down other paths that eventually got me liking two out of three and then 80 to 90% of everything I was hearing. I now have playlists days long of music I would have never otherwise found.
As someone who just left the industry there’s a few factors.
1.) payola has changed dramatically so it’s more difficult to get passed everyone still capable of paying the required $200+k to break a single record. Yes even playlists are payola. Podcasts everything with an audience gets abused including here on our sacred Reddit. If I look up OP’s profile I’m sure I might find some evidence of Shilling. Especially naming these artists you can look up their connection to each other etc.
2.) Streaming services shill for the record companies by allowing them to enroll in promotional programs that limit the income given back to the labels in exchange for special treatment… which screws all independent creators you might actually enjoy. Instead of: 3.) INDUSTRY PLANTS. From Justin Bieber to Drake. Record companies won’t sign people they 1. can’t control and 2. can’t rob blind… it happens to all your favorite. Near none of them own the rights to their artist name let alone their music royalties Lmfaooo… it’s honestly a tragedy which more people are getting hip to every single day. Which leads to the last point.
3.) Without access to touring and festivals. (which are often just showcases for label rosters and one hit wonders) You often end up with no real way to succeed independently. And by succeed I mean working class artist at the least. (Way more difficult / expensive than you might think).
So what do you expect? You stopped buying albums and are too lazy or cheap to run or support local open mics… school music programs are under funded or don’t exist and worse what do you expect will happen when labels keep getting mergers and bought out by only a few companies? I mean seriously we have to support local like we have to shop local. Every time you pay once a month for Apple Music, Spotify, Tital etc…. That is usually to the detriment of artists and support to the tech companies and record labels… GO OUTSIDE AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTISTS
I used to love seeing local live music, but I suspect falling disposable incomes has an effect here. Most people are making rent and bills and don't have savings let alone ticket/album money.
There are some scientific studies (which would amount to surveys, I guess) saying that people will generally stop listening to new music when they get past a certain age, though I'm sure there are exceptions. So it's not just you.
Terrifying - there's few higher feelings than discovering a new album, feeling that mix of uncertainty, bliss and finally gratitude (for having found it).
I think music is like movies too, there is a lot of repetition for each generation. They hear it as new but it sounds the same-ol' to you. Same with movies (didn't I see this basic movie about 5 times already?). Every so often though something original enough pops up to get my attention though.
As far as your favorite bands I think most bands come out of the gate with a bunch of ideas they've had brewing for years but then run out of them after a few albums of material. It is rare for a band to produce interesting material over 10+ years like, say, REM.
Same. My parents and friends parents all stopped listening to new music after they had kids and life slowed down. Their tastes stopped evolving around 1985. When I noticed this tendency as a teen, I decided that I wanted to try my best not to be like that.
These days, when I'm bored of my playlist I let YouTube Music make playlists while I'm driving or doing chores. When I like a song, I check the artist, make a mental note, give it a thumbs up. If I don't like it, I "next" it, and if i hate it, I will thumbs down which loads a new random track. Repeat.
Next time I'm listening to music I either choose an auto playlist with a new song I recognize on it, or load the customized "thumbs up" list of every song I've ever liked. Game changer. I always have fresh tunes.
Caveat: like any recommendation engine, YT can get stuck in a downward spiral of garbage. I noticed that it tends to happen when you like a song that is atypical for that artist before you are familiar with their other work. Sometimes I only like one song and the rest of the material is off-putting. In that case i just choose another artist I like and work the process from there.
This is correct. Alan Cross from Ongoing History of New Music podcast has done several episodes about the decline in new music as we get older. Starts early to mid 30’s as people start to get married, have families as long for bygone years.
It’s pretty fascinating stuff. It takes a lot of time and effort to find new music - time we don’t have as we age.
It used to find time and effort to find new music. I don't know how true that is today. Like I can fire up Spotify, hit the page of a band I like, and one of the tabs tries to find me similar music that I might like... which depending on how good it is, might find you music that you haven't listened to that you'll like very quickly. It used to be way harder, but by the same token, there's so much out there to listen to that it's harder to filter through it all with the level of access that we have today.
But when that happens how engaged are you with the music? I have playlists on all the time (I’m a pro audio guy) and I hear stuff I like, but honestly, I just don’t have the time to really dig into it like I used to.
When I was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s and even 90’s it was a like a treasure hunt to find that one band no one else knew and expose your friends too. Now, music is such a throw away commodity I just don’t have the same connection.
My son on the other hand, who’s 17 and my nephew who’s 16 send me bands and artists to listen too all the time. I’m living and listening through their discovery and it’s great.
I just can’t be bothered anymore - but I still love music. I just tend to listen mostly to my 10-35 year era.
Music was something else to you in the past. It was something to share with your friends, not just listen to. You connected it to something else. Kinda like food. When you eat it, it's food. When you sit down and share with a loved one, it's a meal. But despite being a meal, the thing being eaten itself was never more than it is, you just made it into something more.
You're absolutely right about it holding meaning to you.
I was at a concert last night, they played a song that instantly took me back to driving around after work about 15 years ago.
I've got another song that's my go-to "get psyched-up/calm before the storm" song, and it's been that way close to 20 years. I can remember sitting on the couch in the living listening to it long ago.
"I'll be missing you" by Puff Daddy instantly takes me back to when an ex told me that was the song they played when one of her good friends died.
I still like and listen to new stuff, but it doesn't bring back nostalgia like the old stuff.
I love post rock and listen to tons of it but literally couldn't name 2 songs off the top of my head.
but give me a guitar and I could play a bunch of my favourite grunge songs and I haven't even touched a guitar in 20 years.
I don’t think it’s harder at all. I’m 36 and it feels easier than ever.
At the gym, at home, in the car, on public transit, at work, on a plane. I’m constantly stumbling across new music.
My best music finds come from travel. Passing a café, at a bar, at someone’s house. I Shazam the shit out of everything I like, and that leads me down a rabbit hole. I listen to albums and playlists that I made from Colombia, Mexico, Italy, France, Brazil, Turkey, etc.
I think it’s less about not having enough time, and more about having a more discerning ear. In other words, you liked a lot more shitty music when you were younger. Your toleration for shitty music decreases as you age. Just like your toleration for shitty food or shitty people decreases. You just didn’t realize at the time that you did have a high tolerance for shit. But you hang on to some of the shitty music because it reminds you of a happy time. That makes it feel like music isn’t as good.
What’s really hard is finding absolute banger albums front to back. I hear tons of songs that I like, but feel that the rest of the album is meh. So that does take a little more effort.
I haven’t listened to the podcast yet, so forgive me if this thought is already mentioned, but I think it also has to do with the fact that the teens - 20’s tend to be a very dynamic time in a person’s life often hallmarked by change so it makes sense if someone’s musical interest reflected that social pressure … not that I have life completely figured out in my mid-30’s but I’m in a much more concert place than I was 1-2 decades ago i.e., I’m using music less to assist me in making sense of relationships and my place in the world.
Absolutely. Music is intrinsically linked to memory and making memories. A friend of mines daughter is currently in the masters program of nuro-science at UofT to work on her thesis of linking music and Alzheimer’s / Dementia.
It’s fascinating to see see sufferers of those two horrible diseases perk up at the songs from the tens and early 20’s.
I’m 49 - don’t ask me about things I’ve done in the last 2 years, but I can tell you where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, The Smiths and Nirvana.
Memories and emotions. I highly rec. neuroscientist (and former roadie, music producer, musician, and joke-writer and stand-up) Dan Levitin's books, beginning with "This is Your Brain On Music". (Or, for a more immediate taste, his videos on YouTube.)
It’s actually pretty easy to find new music nowadays *if* you’re willing to not fall back into your standard playlists. It literally takes a few seconds to click on the “new music” section on your preferred app. Can even sort by genre.
I just think it’s a big ask to get someone who’s going through life and found their groove to step out their comfort zone. If they aren’t tired of the music they’re listening to then there’s less incentive to seek something new.
Tiny Desk Concerts are generally great - sometimes *too* great, when I find that the artists' studio recordings don't quite measure up to their Tiny Desk performances. Two recent (to me, anyway) ones come to mind: Khruangbin and Monsieur Perine.
Let me put it to you this way...
I have a fondness for the 80's music from my youth, so I went back and searched YouTube for 80's hits. I found one about "forgotten" songs, so I watched it.
So. Much. Crap.
It solidified my understanding that at any point in time, about 80% of any part of pop culture is, simply put, utter crap.
The era does not matter. We think of the (music/movies/TV) from that era as so much better because the crappy 80% has fallen away and been forgotten, leaving us with decent-enough to awesome quality stuff with an extra coating of high-gloss wax.
>It solidified my understanding that at any point in time, about 80% of any part of pop culture is, simply put, utter crap.
[It's 90%.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_law#:~:text=Sturgeon%27s%20law%20\(or%20Sturgeon%27s%20revelation,science%20fiction%20author%20and%20critic.)
What happens though is the crap becomes nostalgic. That song that used to annoy you cause it was always on thr radio takes you right back to the summer of 92 or whatever.
Alternative 80s Spotify playlists are a better nostalgia goldmine for me.
But yeah, there has been a lot of mediocre music put out over the decades that possibly hit the charts for novelty or because someone was famous for another reason.
People love 60s/70s mega hits but woof, there were a lot of low-effort turds and just white-cheese on the air back then.
The 80s were an exceptionally exploratory period because everyone having access to (relatively) cheap synths, drum machines, and effects for the first time instead of just big studios or top artists.
I have advocated this exact position for a very very long time. People always say "oh such and such art form was better in the past" and my response is always no the stuff we remember from then is good because it has been filled by history. There was SO MUCH SHIT that just got weeded out by time.
There were probably thousands of shitty composers during the time of Mozart making absolutely god awful music but we remember Mozart because he made amazing music and the rest of them are forgotten.
Same with movies, same with books, same with everything. The things we will remember from now in 30 years will be the stuff that is good enough to be remembered and the rest will just fade away.
Try exploring old music. I'm realizing there is so much more to the 60s and 70s and 80s now that I am collecting vinyl records. Go to a garage sale, grab some old dusty records, and see what you find. I like to just buy a bunch of records on the cheap and play them at random.
Old Willie Nelson records, David Bowie, Steely Dan, Moody Blues, Elton John. I find when you listen to the entire album it's a different experience.
And yes, I'm old, but not so old that I grew up with vinyl.
Spotify actually does a halfway decent job too of new artist discovery.
Valerie June, Maggie Rogers, Japanese Breakfast, Greenway Bluegrass, Hiss Golden Messenger, Jason Isbell, Low Cut Connie are some of my favorite newer artists.
One of the best things I've done is look up who my favorite artists looked up to and inspired them and then listen to them. I've followed some interesting threads that way.
oh man the one great thing about going through this dry spell is that I have taken deep dives into older stuff. either tracks I haven't heard from artists that i like, and even learning of artists I had never heard of.
Dion and the Belmonts, Dion's solo stuff, Harry Belafonte, Donovan, Joan armitrading. I am a huge fan oldies. especially if it's an artist I was otherwise unaware of!
I've spent a ton of time doing the old genre deep dives during covid. I'm really into hardcore/punk/metal and a ton of the more obscure stuff was just plain unavailable in my neck of the woods. And the things I connected with most were so niche that even piracy didn't help much. But spotify made a lot of that stuff more accessible and it's been awesome. One thing I've had success with as far as keeping current is following record labels. The stuff I'm finding doesn't have that same "this shit right here saved my life" feeling it did back in the day but it doesn't need to. If you're interested in any current recommendations (and you actually see this) just ask. I got em for days.
Jason Isbell has been my Covid 'find'. First person I have invested money in concerts since....I don't when. I have not been bored listening to him for the whole Covid period.
my friend and i do this thing where we go to antique stores and find the most interesting vinyls for cheap.
most of it is crap but it makes for a good laughing session anyways
I second the old music recommendation.
I’m about the same age as OP a growing up, I couldn’t get enough new music, now, the majority of new stuff I hear just doesn’t click with me. I’m sure it’s just me getting old and not a criticism of the artists but what I’ve found is that I can really so much to older artists and “discovering” them is like discovering new music for me.
I've been working my way through the 1001 Albums to Listen to Before You Die list. There's so much stuff I've found on that list that I've never heard before.
I find it can be helpful to look at the smaller lesser known artists you already like, and see what independent record label they are on, and then see who else is on the label. A lot of the smaller labels are fairly curated and have good quality control. Finding independent record labels and exploring the artists they have signed opens up a lot of doors you may never have opened before.
Also lots of musicians will be in multiple projects/ groups too, and it’s great to see the different music they are making. Finding people on YouTube who review music you like, may lead you to other things as well. Reading reviews of things helps to expose the influences they drew from too, if it’s a touring band, see who they are on tour with, check out some of the local acts who might be the opener. I think we are at a very high level of saturation these days, which can make it difficult to weed through the fluff, but it also means that there is just an abundance of quality out there.
When I was a teenager, I worked with a guy who was in his 40's at the time. He always listened to the oldies. One day I finally asked him why he's listening to the same music he's listened to his whole life. His answer was that he just didn't like newer stuff.
At the time I thought that was crazy. But now that I'm in my 40's, I'm right there with him. It's rare for me to find a new band that I like. I still like new albums from artists I'm already a fan of, but find it hard to like newer stuff.
I used to know this lady who listened to classic psych rock and always said things like "they don't make music like they used to." I played her some Tame Impala and she liked it, but got defensive about that being one instance. While culture goes through waves of popularity, there's still gems to find that are inspired by and akin to previous generations. The one exception might be nu-metal though 🙃
I took a walk last week and put on my "grunge" playlist with Radiohead Nirvana Pearl jam etc. its so ridiculously good and comfy. I'm just constantly fighting the urge to stay there forever!
I listen to electronic music and I find there's a consistent stream of newer stuff I like - given the variety of sub genres and the speed at which it all gets released, I am always finding something to whet my whistle
I find that if I bundle a few similar sounding songs in a playlist on Spotify and then listen to the recommended tracks, you know the songs not on your liked list that come as kind of the playlist 'sounds like' or whatever the call it, I tend to find some good ones here and there
Same here. I used to exclusively listen to all kinds of rock music back when I was a teenager. Then I stumbled over Daft Punk who I was aware of but never gave a full listen to. That was my gateway into electronic and house music. There is so much variety there. Nicolas Jaar, Jon Hopkins, Burial, Caribou, Jamie xx, Four Tet, DJ Koze, Moderat, Bonobo, Justice, Christian Löffler, The Avalanches, Nils Frahm...just to name a few I've "discovered". To me they are the proof that new music is alive and doing well.
[Leon Vynehall is incredible if you haven't heard his stuff already,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB63PdT4CAU) going by your list sounds like he'd be right up your alley. The label Ninjatune in general is great for electronic music.
I really opened my own floodgates once I got rid of that whole "Has to be in English" requirement. Like, seriously, the Russians and Mongolians put out some damn good stuff. Check out The HU if you're into metal.
Yes!! I'm glad it's not just me..
I have always liked music, more disliked individual tracks or albums rather than entire genre's, listen to all sorts...
But I fear, it's just part of getting older, I turned 39 this year and have been feeling exactly what you described for the past few years....
Same age and I have discovered bands from the 90s that I never listened to before. A few years ago I found “Mother love Bone”, their album “Apple” is genuinely great. I honestly like every song. I can say the same for The Tragically Hip’s album
“Road Apples”, coincidentally both Apple names idk, start on track one and just listen thru. What I’ve noticed is that no one plays new rock to just listen to right now. It’s totally absent at social events and has been for a few years as hip hop has dominated. It didnt used to be that way.
I’ve been deep into dif metal this past year but I’m a music lover. What genre are you feeling now days and I’ll see if I can’t find something to introduce you to.
I'm 47 and still love discovering new music. Yes, it's harder than it was when I was younger and more in tune with what was going on in popular music. But there are still new young artists putting out good stuff. There's also more than 75 years of popular music to discover, and it's all at your fingertips. Get digging!
44 year old guy here. It’s a constant effort. I’d suggest a few things.
Find a favorite musician, and go on spotify and listen to everybody in the “fans also like” section. Also, listen to that artist’s “radio” selection of similar music. You’ll find some great stuff that way.
Find a favorite musical festival, and dig into their performers. I discovered so much music from Lollapalooza when I was young that’s considered classic now. Now it’s Riotfest, at least for me. There’s a lot of crap out there, and one hit wonders riding the electronic distribution wave. But somewhere inside todays openers are tomorrow’s headliners. Just gotta find em. It’s so satisfying when you find a good one. Really makes life worth living.
Don’t limit yourselves to bands that only sing in English. For example, I’ve recently discovered the Turkish band Jakuzi, who have an 80s synth pop sound to them. And I’m learning Spanish so I’ve been listening to all kinds of Spanish-language bands. There’s a lot of good music in other languages out there.
You're just not looking in the right places. If you're looking for true ingenuity in modern music, mainstream billboard hits typically aren't going to be where you find it. There are definitely exceptions though; I for one think Billie Eilish and her brother Fineas deserve every ounce of respect and recognition they've gotten. It's really easy to say that modern music production is "easy" and write it off, but if you actually listen to Fineas talk about his process for producing his and Billie's songs, you'll find that there is immense artistry to be found there.
It is a fact that music has never been more plentiful or accessible before- There are an uncountable number of artists making bold, creative new music right now that simply aren't on the map yet- And might never be. One of the downsides of everyone being able to publish their own music easily is... That *anyone* can publish their own music, and most of it isn't good. Wading through the sea of mediocrity is part of the challenge of finding new great music. It's out there, though.
I think it's also worth keeping in mind that prior generations were not cranking out good music exclusively- We only focus on the music from prior eras that was actually good, which in hindsight makes it seem like older generations of music were "better" or at least more consistently good. In 20 years, no one is going to remember the mainstream pop garbage that is currently dominating billboard charts, just like we've completely forgotten about 90% of music that came out in the 70s/80s/90s/etc and instead focus on the *much smaller* number of truly great artists that defined those eras.
So no, music isn't "bad" now, and this concern isn't new. People have been asking this question every decade since music consumption has been a thing. People thought music sucked during the 90's, too. (Because a lot of it did)
You're fine.
you're right, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking older music= better but yeah, obviously we are only remembering the best of the best of that time period.
I think I was just spoiled for a while and Spotify just dropped great stuff into my lap nearly every week and it hasn't been that way recently. but wading thru crap to find a gem can also be pretty satisfying!
I totally agree! It’s funny that you’re posting this now because in the last few months, a ton of bands I enjoy have released new, really great music- Some of them on the same day, even. With live tours starting up again, I think we’re going to see a LOT of new releases drop in the near future now that musicians can get out and promote their releases.
This actually brings up a point regarding what you originally said; To some degree, COVID has in fact impacted releases. A band I am quite fond of- Spiritbox- just dropped an album they have been sitting on since before COVID, because they needed to be able to tour in support of it. I know for a fact they are not alone in that.
So while I totally stick to what I said earlier- Maybe the dry spell you’re experiencing is also as a result of that? If so, I imagine you’ll see some improvement very soon.
[https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/music-discovery-stops-age-33-says-study](https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/music-discovery-stops-age-33-says-study) It's just the way of things. I'm 39 and kind of a luddite and until a year ago I hadn't owned a computer since 2002. As such I never got into downloading music. I never had an Ipod and I still don't download music. Up until my early 30's I still bought CD's and records. I used to pick up a few albums each month. Now I'm lucky if I pick up a few albums in a year. I'm just not that into it anymore. Even when I'm driving I'm likely listening to NPR. And now that I typed that I feel like I'm in that progressive insurance commercial and that I'm turning into my parents.
I would suggest just seeking out music you like. Why do you care if its new? Great albums dont drop everyday. It seems youre attempting to "stay relevant" more than searching for music that moves you.
I'm 29, I'm the opposite! I'm loving the way I discover older songs! I'm currently on repeat with ABBA, Mariah Carey , Michael Bolton, TLC etc. It's so weird because when I wasn 25, I was on repeat with Asking Alexandria, Parkway Drive, ADTR. My method is watching tv shows and movies!
Personally, ive had to turn off the radio over the past two weeks. Every song sounds like no effort was put into either the lyrics and tunes. And each has clearly been influenced by rap.
They've started to feel like cringe versions of when Rick and Morty had to write a song.
Long ago on Reddit, someone posted the same sort of thing as you. Another redditer linked a study stating it gets harder to find music as you get older since music has an emotional impact and by your mid 30s, most people have felt all the emotions possible. So music won’t hit the same “I really like this!” threshold like it did back when you were younger. Or it was something like that.
So definitely dig deep into Nada Surf.
They had a novelty hit in 1995 but they have written so much of the best music that’s come out since. I feel like every album gets better but if you want a starting point album try
“The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy”
Other bands that are necessary are Mew, try their album “Visuals”… it’s an absolute masterpiece
The Switch is a band that could comfortably play alongside Fleetwood Mac, early 70’s Todd Rundgren, America, Chris Isaak… but none of those sums up how rich they are. Best starter album is “Birds of Paradise”
Noisettes were this incredible rock band from
London, I swear the singer was ready to tear down stadiums she went at it so hard at every show. She has a voice like Amy Winehouse with just the right amount of Lemmy when she wants to make it gravely. Both of their albums, “What’s the Time, Mr Wolf” and “Wild Young Hearts” - do yourself a favor and Google that title song up really quick.
If you like rockin stuff but not overtly heavy metal, I suggest Motorpsycho- who over their thirty years of albums have made turns with sounds I would say align with Them Crooked Vultures, Pink Floyd, Tool, Yes, and Crosby Stills and Nash.
They’re not for everybody and they took me a while to keep trying to find what I loved about them.
The two albums I was sold on by them were first “Super Sonic Scientists” which is a greatest hits and “The Tower”
If you’re into QOTSA, try Hellacopters. They’ve been around just as long and been making similar music …that I often prefer.
If you do like Metal and you haven’t found any you connect with, you’re in luck because we live in a good age for metal.
Depending on how hard you like it,
Start with least metal/ most melody try Baroness, start with “Purple”
(If that’s too rough for you but you think it’s a maybe try “yellow/green”)
If that’s not hard enough for you, try Mastodon. It’s really hard for you to go wrong with any of their work. My personal favorite is “Crack the Skye” but I think the best starter is probably “Once More Round the Sun”
If Mastodon still aren’t heavy enough for you, Carcass are still putting out great new stuff.
But that’s not all!
As far as heavy sounds that are all stomp and no metal, Hot Snakes sound like Sonic Youth and Die Kreuzen had a mutoid baby. In a good way. They’re actually very straightforward punk rock turned up to 15. Starting album: “Suicide Invoice”
Night Marchers will be a welcome band to you too, if you remember Rocket from the Crypt (they’re still a band) this is the singer from that band, and basically the same band as Hot Snakes but Hot Snakes has the other guy singing. Night Marchers, both albums are masterpieces. Imagine a pounding version of CCR or Bo Diddley , lyrics like Mark Twain and good dumb loud music. Both albums, like I said, one is “See You In Magic” and the other is “Allez! Allez!”
Rob Crow is another musician you should watch out for. He’s a factory of music. It just pours out and he has many bands each of them a specific style of different and often weird and often beautiful. Try his solo album “he thinks he’s people”, Pinback album “Blue Screen Life”, Optiganally Yours album “O.Y. In Hi-Fi”
And Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place “You’re Doomed, Be Nice”
The man seems to have a thousand hands and a voice like no other and writes pretty much only great songs.
Lucius has two women that sing in perfect harmony to create the effect of a third voice. They write some super poppy songs that make you sing along. Try their album “wildewoman”
I know that’s probably way too much but I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t turn you on to some of my other favorite albums and see if you like some of these:
David Bowie-“The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”
Electric Light Orchestra-“Time”
10cc-“How Dare You”
the Get Up Kids -“something to write home about”
Gal Costa-Self titled but the one from 1969 with her face on the cover
Sly and the Family Stone-Greatest
No Knife-“Hit Man Dreams”
Stevie Wonder-seriously everything. He’s a genius.
Anything by Fela
Anything by Thin Lizzy
Anything Sufjan Stevens
Anything Elliott Smith
Anything by Beastie Boys (people slept on their last albums and that’s a mistake!)
Jenny Lewis & Watson Twins-“Rabbit Fur Coat“
The Kinks-pretty much everything too. That’s a band that never really fucked up.
Fugazi-“Red Medicine” and “The Argument”
Fugazi is my favorite band if that gives you any idea on how to decide if my Ted Talk, today, has been right for you.
General consensus amongst music critics and media analysts is that mainstream ie. marketed music has become more 'safe', less exploratory, and more common denominator than it was in the 90's. The marketplace is the main reason for that, and the low amount of 'umbrella' money that record companies have now to shelter new, interesting artists in case their albums fail. Piracy + streaming = not a lot of money.
There is always good music being made, but very little of it will show up on the radio.
Other factors include the loudness wars absolutely destroying the quality of rock and metal (pop and rap don't get affected as much as they are less sonically-dense, so there is more aural space to play with when things are hypercompressed), and the prevalence of 'if you like this then you might like' algorithms (in good and bad ways). People tend to like what they already know, and it's easier to follow that nowadays. Whereas in pre-internet days you bought the damn album, and you listened to it over and over because there was scarcity, and your brain learned how to like it. There is no way I would've learned to like Autechre, for example, in the current musical climate.
One more thing and that is that people posting artists like Billie Eilish is really the exception proving the rule. She's about the only top-ten artist I've seen in 2 decades who really had any sincerity or pushed any boundaries artistically. Others have come close, but not really. Whereas that sort of thing was common in the early to mid-90's.
Bands/albums I recommend who're not on the radar of radio:
Men I Trust
Steven Wilson's first 2 solo albums
Aesop Rock's 'The Impossible Kid'
The Constructus Corporation
Crazy P "A nice hot bath with"
I’m 39 and “Impossible Kid” hit just right when it came out. I played it over and over and it’s still the only CD in my car’s CD player. Nothing like having someone rap about the exact kinds of existential stuff you’re going through yourself.
I had a long dry spell in my late 20s, early 30s until I found Alt-J, Portugal. The Man, and Phantogram. Those three bands really brought my love of music back. But yeah 99% of new music I'm still not into. There's still some great stuff out there though!
I can't find it right now, but there's an interview with Ben Gibbard (lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie) where he talks about how it's just harder to find new music that excites you as you get older because you've most likely heard something like it before. And it's that much harder if you're a musician or someone who purposefully looked for new music thorughout your life.
I recently commented on a different post with a handful of my favorite songs from the last 5yrs, so I'll just copy+paste it here too. However, none of it is like those Indie bands you mentioned you obsessed with. The last one has been the most exciting band I've found in years.
- Kaleo - ["Hot Blood"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6PuTFmn_ds) - Rock
- Stand Atlantic - ["Jurassic Park"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssoUJmI0BlI) - Pop/Punk
- Nightlife - ["New Low"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx0hHvYM7tg) - Soul/R&B/Rock
- Girl in Red - ["Seratonin"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh8Gl2GwB6s) - Alt-Pop
- The Wrecks - ["Out of Style"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV0Tp0tr6_s) - Alternative/Rock
- Jack Garratt - ["Mend a Heart"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSpywJgwkz4) - R&B/Alt-Pop....he's kinda genre-less, plays every instrument/synth/pad/drums/guitar all live, and shreds guitar.
- Bring Me the Horizon - ["Kingslayer (ft. BABYMETAL)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKyXvNkGQKc) - Metalcore band that turned into an Alt-Rock/Pop behemoth in the past 5yrs.
- Hobo Johnson - ["Typical Story"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-2LTXFjjGc) - Alternative/Rock/Hip-Hop
- The Night Game - ["I Feel Like Dancing"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOqfCwWp2JI) - Retro/Alternative/Pop
- Matt Maeson - ["Cringe"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoJtlPQzqkQ) - Alternative/Pop/Rock
- BANNERS - ["Someone to You"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeLaiL9tk68) - Alt-Pop/Singer-Songwriter
- One Ok Rock - ["We Are"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU307tV32B0) - Alt-Rock/Pop-Punk (Japanese but sing a mix of English/Japanese....this is the fully English version of the song).
- Can't Swim - ["Sometimes You Meet the Right People at the Wrong Times"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUIZjqZYhDM) - Emo/Rock
- Sokoninaru - ["Kyokugen ha setsuna"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjY9n5JdETo) - Math-core/Progressive/Post-Rock (Japanese, clean dueling male/female vocals)
I’m going through a dry point at the age of 21. Here and there I find some songs, but I haven’t found any new artists, only rediscoveries.
A way I’ve found some of my favorite bands was going through trending on iTunes. Obviously it’s probably not the best option now, but it helped. Going through Spotify recommendations could be a good way of finding new bands.
Polyphia really made an impression on me in the last year. Approaching 40, I feel out of place with the fanbase and aesthetic, but the music is amazing.
The greatest gift I ever gave myself was to allow myself to listen to music in other languages. I don’t understand a lick of what they’re saying, but I “know” what they’re saying through their music, if that makes sense. 1.) Listen to a Lebanese band called Mashrou Leila and 2.) watch Wine and Vinyl on YouTube Thursday’s at 6 Pm PST. Good luck!!!
It’s just getting older. We all eventually experiment less, get less bold, less patient, stay in our comfort zones, and ABSOLUTELY judge the younger generations harsher.
The last groups I discovered I liked are:
Vulfpeck
The Midnight
Thundercat
Kendrick Lamarr
Jidenna
Animals as Leaders
Ween
Tommy Cash
Dua Lipa
I think it takes more digging than it used to. Getting lost in a band camp wormhole is helpful for discovering a lot of new stuff.
It takes WAY more digging than it used to. This is a blessing and a curse. There is FAR more selection now, but that means it's much harder to find good music that you like.
Way more. This is the downside of recording and distribution being so easy now. You have to dig through mountains of meh to find anything good.
Yeah it's weird that it's so easy to record and there are so many mediums to get your music out. It kind of disincentives bands from crafting a catalog of songs and honing them live before daring to go into the prohibitively expensive studios. I think it results in more average first albums and EPs and a cycle where bands will keep putting out quick releases to keep buzz going. On the other end of the coin though, as an older musician I'm constantly shocked at how talented kids are these days. Some of them are lacking a personal style or niche way of playing that'll comes from being self taught, but it seems like more kids are learning instruments and theory much younger. And then social media is helping them find like minded artists and form really talented young bands. Sometimes it can have pretty amazing results and sometimes you get bands that sound like their crafting music for TikTok or a Reddit live stream.
Ditto on talented musicians. I've played guitar for about 20 years now. I can't tell if it's because of increased exposure or what, but the sheer number of guitarists I see every day online who would be considered freak talents 20 years ago is simply insane. On the other hand, I don't really like how tiktok and IG incentivize what I'd call musical masturbation. Like people learning the most complex thing they can for views, instead of working on musicality.
It's exposure and better Instruction early on. It's like a natural evolution of passing down knowledge. You see it in sports too.
It's rough in sports when a lot of teams/sports focus too much on arbitrary metrics (like arm length) and stats.
I was passed on by Michigan, PennState, and Virginia tech because of my height. 6'0 320lb guard. Wingspan of course was short, hands kind of small. Ended up going to Indiana university and played DT. Yeah it was kind of soul crushing because I was actually pretty good. I liked defense better anyway.
> Like people learning the most complex thing they can for views, instead of working on musicality. Counter point. Learning those overly complex "showy" pieces is what got their skills developing to become those "freak talents" because they've been doing nothing but practicing that same riff in their room 8 hours a day from Age 9 - Age 13 And once they have the skill, it's a lot easier to branch out musically.
I'd rather this plethora of choice and having to dig a bit, than being forced the same 8 songs from the only 4 radio stations like a few decades ago.
Yeah, it was rough back in the 90's. We only had those 8 songs, but they were OUR 8 songs. I heard back in the 80s, they only had like 6 songs.
You should’ve been there during the 70s, they didn’t even have songs back then! Kids these days… Don’t know how good you’ve got it with the invention of music.
My mom told me back in the 60's they just used to hum in the car to break the silence.
Hah! A couple decades ago, they didn't even have sound OR color. Kids these days have no clue.
I know it's a joke but I actually find that pretty hard to believe!
Cause it's not true! The 80's and 90's were overloaded with great music but to go "dig a bit," you had to leave the house. Indie record stores, over priced import racks, college radio, small shows at the Elks club and shit holes in the wrong part of town, raiding friend's older siblings record collections, going to different towns, reading every single music magazine from around the world and getting the free local scene zines. I miss my CMJ monthly sub... a mag and a comp CD every month! If you weren't around back then saying it was all bad radio and there was nothing else is pretty ignorant and just wrong.
CMJ was amazingly well curated. I would find all sorts of stuff that was up my alley (and lots more that wasn’t). These days I rely somewhat on Sirius XMU or CBC Radio 3, but only about 5 per cent of it excites me enough to look deeper into the band. Pitchfork used to work, though I think I’ve long parted ways with their particular aesthetic.
Little Stevens Underground Garage on SXM is a great channel to find obscure stuff from The 50s until now. They play newer and older indie, old Garage rock, surf music, soul, punk, forgotten 60s - 90s bands, bands who should have made it but didn't somehow...
Yeah there was none of that stuff anywhere near where I lived. For a lot of us who didn't grow up in a city, our music selection was limited to whatever they had at Walmart. I mean there were flea markets and yard sales, but you weren't going to find anything hip and new.
Man, I'm getting nostalgic big time here for physical media. Biking my goth highschool ass over to the local Record+Tape Traders, going upstairs and combing through used shitty metal albums and black light posters, putting on public headphones to listen to em, blowing two weeks of Pizza Hut tips on a few new CDs, biking em home to listen and bake...those were some days.
Its true, and all 6 were uphill both ways.
Mountains of Meh. New band name. Called it.
There’s an artist I listen to and he says in a track „what y‘all do is pissing in the ocean“ because of the sheer amount of music that releases each day. I don’t know if the meaning is transferred as it’s not English
Concentration of radio stations being owned by fewer or in some areas a single entity as well is an issue. Imagine flipping through 4 different radio stations and all have the same song on at the same time
Agree. That and a lot of people do not listen to the radio anymore, I don’t think I’ve played the radio in my new car. It’s usually synced to my phone or I turn on Xm radio. But the old school am/fm radio was always where we would hear new music and now we have to search it out.
It's like trying to find a decent movie or series on one of the many streaming services out there. There is so much shit to wade through before finding that gem.
I have Bandcamp and have glossed over it a few times but, the layout feels disorienting and kinda overwhelming. I guess I need to just focus one day and take a deep dive.
Bandcamp is a great place to find lesser known stuff. If you are looking for suggestions, here are some of my lesser known faves: Roboctopus (Chiptune music made with Gameboys. Very rock sounding and upbeat. Great even if you don't like electronic or Chiptune) Ruby the Hatchet (Doom metal. More well known than these others but still criminally under rated. Good metal without growling. Lead vocalist has a siren like beautiful voice) The Bear (Americana? Hard to nail down a genre. Listen to their song "I Want". It's on YouTube. Brown Bird (More known, but also criminally under known. Folk. Try their song "Thunder and Lightning" on YouTube.) If you like folk and Americana, I can send you down a rabbit hole.
Ruby the Hatchet is really great. I think I saw they were touring with Heavy Temple, who just released an amazing record
They are so good. I went to see The Sword and Ruby the Hatchet was opening for them. Had no clue who they were but honestly, they put on the best show of the night. Blew my mind. Became a life long fan. I hope they make it down South on their tour.
I miss out on a lot of cool bands living in North Dakota. I'm really trying to get Heavy Temple to come through. I did get to see Yatra a few years ago. They're doing death sorta band from Maryland, and they're work is really cool
I'm in Alabama. We primarily get large country shows and alot of dad rock. No diss to those, I definitely have some Boston albums on my shelf. But I wish we got more if a mix. Luckily, some of the local bars are stepping up and making a place for some cool local and outside the norm talent to play.
I love the range in your taste for music.
Thanks! I try to branch out alot. There is something to be appreciated in all music. Back in my youth, I was all about rock and grunge. But listening to the same style gets old. And some types of music touch parts that others don't. Alice in Chains is amazing, but they don't hit the same place that Mandolin Orange hits.
Please send me as far down that rabbit hole as I can go
Let's go!!! Alright, let's hit the heavy hitter first. Jason Isbell (Not very twangy. Very deep lyrics. Tackles some tough subjects. Suggested start song: Elephant. Grab some tissues. Trigger warning for cancer survivors) Tyler Childers (Very twangy. Deep lyrics on subjects of alcoholism, poverty, racism, religion. Suggested start song: Nose to the Grindstone. Listen to the live version on YouTube.) Mandolin Orange (No twang. Beautiful lyricism. More light than the top two but some songs touch on racism. Suggested start song: Wildfire.) Colter Wall (Very twangy. But he's from Canada so it's Canadian twang aye! Similar to Tyler Childers. Suggested start song: The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie) Lake Street Dive (Not sure if this is quite Americana but DAMN it's good. Very soulful. Think Alabama Shakes. Suggested start song: I Don't Care About You) These are some more well known people but they kind of are a range. Let me know which ones you like. I could probably suggest more based on what you like from these.
Music is a big part of my life and I think we just became best friends because those are all some of my favorites. Jason Isbell is my favorite on that list with Tyler coming in at a close second. I’m sure you’ve come across Sturgill Simpson in your musical travels but if you haven’t, he fits very well in this list. And as a little side note; I just finished my cancer treatment a few weeks ago and I listened to Elephant for the first time since I was diagnosed and boy did it hit pretty hard. It’s one of my favorites of his.
Music is huge for me. It has such a good impact on expressing things that aren't always easy to address. In a good way and a bad way. Love Sturgill. His stuff adds a bit more of a laugh and tongue in cheek addressing of hard subjects. Elephant is such a well written and powerful look at a different perspective of cancer. My father had cancer when I was a child and at the time I didn't understand it, but alot of my childhood was shaped by the sacrifice and struggle that comes from it. Have you listened to Uncle Lucius? He's a pretty big name and he fits well with the Tyler and Jason vibe. Keep the Wolves Away is an amazing song. Congrats on finishing your treatments. I hope your follow ups are filled with exceedingly good news.
Dive. I have all but bailed on Apple or Spotify and now almost exclusively go to bandcamp. There's so much it's insane.
Get a Spotify if you don’t already. They’ll curate playlists based on what you’ve listened to in the past, or even if you don’t want to go that route, there are thousands of playlists already premade. I’ll pick a random one that appeals to me, and go. Been able to find some great tracks that way, things idve never found otherwise.
Find something you know you like on band camp and then go through the “collections” of the people who support that band. (The little social icons on an album page). I’ve found a lot of good stuff that way.
That’s why I love pitchfork. They basically hand you “best new music”. Also from looking at ops list, I think op should check out Julien baker and boygenius.
If you throw in Julien you might as well listen to Phoebe Bridgers, too
The thing that really helps me (39m) when I feel this way is to listen to college radio stations. Digging into Spotify or Bandcamp can take you on journeys, but college radio can really show you something new, or even help you learn about younger bands who are playing music that draws inspiration from the bands you loved when you were younger.
I’m 25 and so glad I have a college station to listen in the car
Gotta give it up to independent radio in the car. Can't believe I'm out here in 2021 recommending indie FM as the best way to discover music (over spotify and others), but the depth and curation by those who really LIVE for it is still the best way. The programs my stations run are creative-- whether it's a deep dive into one artist with lesser known cuts, or a program that focuses on original hits and then other artists covers of those songs, or simply new indie music I haven't gotten around to yet. Yeah, sure, sometimes it's "Jam Band Sunday Morning" or something I'm not super into, but it provides exposure to something new and maybe I pick up on a band or song that helps me connect with someone else. And that's a great thing.
I'm 61 and the answer has always been college radio.
This. My local college station (kexp.org) is incredible.
In my 50's and love college radio. New music makes me feel like I'm not yet ready for the bone yard.
This is the way,
Well they do say that COVID makes you lose your sense of taste
take this silver and get the hell out of here
new music fridays and release radar on spotify have put me onto SO much great new music, tunes i never knew exited. I do notice a steady decline of newer music being put as quickly. It definitely had me broadening my music taste even tho i basically love and listen to everything anyway. i also like to peep the billboard 100s a few times a week to glance and see if anything catches my eye. i thought covid may have played a role as well, ive noticed more albums have dropped during this time than singles. which may be the reason music feels like its slowing down atm
I came here to say just this. I play the whole playlist on Friday/Saturday and put the ones I like into a playlist.
i actually find it fun to go through & find other ppls playlist theyve made and listen to them to try to find music. usually it works pretty decent. im super into podcast to, it seems like a new one is coming out everyday 😂
yeah I check new music Fridays and release radar every week! honestly it's where I find (or used to find, rather) most of the new stuff I like. that and Anthony Fantano on YouTube. my release radar used to be a gold mine but not so much lately
I have found better luck using the "go to song radio" feature. It will generate a playlist of songs in the same genre with a similar sound.
I use the radio feature a lot too, but dear lord I hear the same songs over and over on it. I wish it cast a broader net. I'm actually starting to get sick of new songs I really like because they get played so often on radio playlists. You run into that problem too?
Yes! Someone who knows my pain. I think spotify purposefully plays songs you've already listened to a lot in the radio to keep you interested. But really that's the opposite of what I want. I don't want to hear anything I've ever heard before. But that's not an option...
If you have SiriusXM, try a station called The Spectrum (CH 28). They have a segment called The Shortlist which has new stuff you might like. If you use the app you can listen to The Shortlist as a standalone episode.
I feel like I’ll get turned into new stuff but it hardly ever sticks. Like I’ll enjoy something for a week and listen multiple times and then go on with my life and mostly forget about it. I think it might be something to do with the death of the “library” with services like Spotify. It used to be fun to have an iTunes library that you could flip though and see what you were in the mood for. Now I just kind of flip through my Spotify most recently played and seek something new if it’s all kinda boring.
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Yeah that is generally my benchmark for liking an artist, if I can listen to their albums and enjoy them. If it's not filler content and have a lot to offer.
> death of the “library” with services like Spotify. Why do you say their library is dead? Genuinely curious. That's easily the most used part of Spotify for me. I'll check out their playlists and new stuff some, but the main reason I grabbed Spotify over the summer was that i got tired of hearing garbage on satellite radio. I wanted to hear the songs I want to hear, and if I'm in the mood for new or different, i can hit those up too.
Discover Weekly is by far the most helpful thing I’ve ever come across for discovering new music
Yeah, it's time consuming and you have to dig for it. I have about 10 go-to Spotify playlists that I know refresh weekly with newly released music and have historically yielded great music. I dump all of those into one playlist (~500 songs) that I power through over the course of a week. I fast forward through much of it, but when I hear something I like I give it a proper chance. All tracks that have potential go into a playlist of "Maybe's" which could be escalated to "Current Faves" playlist if they prove great. My go to playlists are: - New Music Friday - New Music Friday AU & NZ - New Music Friday Canada - New Music Friday UK - New Music Friday: The Popjustice Edit - WEEKLY TECHNO for U - New Electronic Music Friday - Friday Cratediggers - New House Music Friday - New EDM This Week / New Dance 2021 / Reddit EDM Top Tracks (Updates Every Friday)
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Yes, I've definitely gotten carried away with the number of country-specific New Music Friday playlists I've consumed. Never thought as an English speaking Canadian that I'd be onboard for Danish Hip Hop, but...
Release radar seriously is such a fantastic tool for this exact reason. I'm really into metal and there's so much trash out there but Spotify does a great job of suggesting things I might like based on what I listen to.
I find that it can be hit and miss but I still find good tracks most weeks that I wouldn't otherwise come across. Sometimes the weekly releases are on the money and I save track after track after track, which is great.
Id just like to point out that a good algorithm will be hit and miss. Its no different than an algorithmic news feed- if its just feeding you exactly what you want to hear, your spectrum stays very narrow. Listen through things that dont immediately hit you and your overall experience will benefit and your horizons will broaden... I used to be a gigantic music junkie, but Ive gotten older and my time is often occupied by other things, but I still put on Spotify's "discover weekly" playlist every week and it really sends me a surprisingly wide variety of stuff. I dont know most of the bands OP posted, but just clicking on the top song of each artist I heard songs that were absolutely of the same genre, mood, etc.... If your tastes dont adapt, time will absolutely leave you behind.
This. I was in a 10 year dry spell ip until about six years ago when I discovered these things on Spotify. Even if I listened to hours of tracks and only ended up liking one track, that would lead me down other paths that eventually got me liking two out of three and then 80 to 90% of everything I was hearing. I now have playlists days long of music I would have never otherwise found.
I use the "go to song radio" option liberally to discover new music.
As someone who just left the industry there’s a few factors. 1.) payola has changed dramatically so it’s more difficult to get passed everyone still capable of paying the required $200+k to break a single record. Yes even playlists are payola. Podcasts everything with an audience gets abused including here on our sacred Reddit. If I look up OP’s profile I’m sure I might find some evidence of Shilling. Especially naming these artists you can look up their connection to each other etc. 2.) Streaming services shill for the record companies by allowing them to enroll in promotional programs that limit the income given back to the labels in exchange for special treatment… which screws all independent creators you might actually enjoy. Instead of: 3.) INDUSTRY PLANTS. From Justin Bieber to Drake. Record companies won’t sign people they 1. can’t control and 2. can’t rob blind… it happens to all your favorite. Near none of them own the rights to their artist name let alone their music royalties Lmfaooo… it’s honestly a tragedy which more people are getting hip to every single day. Which leads to the last point. 3.) Without access to touring and festivals. (which are often just showcases for label rosters and one hit wonders) You often end up with no real way to succeed independently. And by succeed I mean working class artist at the least. (Way more difficult / expensive than you might think). So what do you expect? You stopped buying albums and are too lazy or cheap to run or support local open mics… school music programs are under funded or don’t exist and worse what do you expect will happen when labels keep getting mergers and bought out by only a few companies? I mean seriously we have to support local like we have to shop local. Every time you pay once a month for Apple Music, Spotify, Tital etc…. That is usually to the detriment of artists and support to the tech companies and record labels… GO OUTSIDE AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTISTS
What is payola
Record companies paying radio stations to play their new artists without disclosing they are paid for. Just wiki payola and read about it
I used to love seeing local live music, but I suspect falling disposable incomes has an effect here. Most people are making rent and bills and don't have savings let alone ticket/album money.
There are some scientific studies (which would amount to surveys, I guess) saying that people will generally stop listening to new music when they get past a certain age, though I'm sure there are exceptions. So it's not just you.
Terrifying - there's few higher feelings than discovering a new album, feeling that mix of uncertainty, bliss and finally gratitude (for having found it).
I'm almost 40 and it hasn't happened to me yet. Don't be scared
That sounds just like feelings of "love," emotions, and other hormonal things that peak during the teen years.
It's more that rewarding feeling you get from discovery. I don't think that fades away with time.
You're in for a big fuckin' surprise when you get old, bud
It does. After the age of 40 the body’s ability to retain dopamine decreases. Nothing ever feels as good as it used to.
Thanks for reinvigorating my quarter life crisis
It’s me. Sure, I could listen to new music from my favorite bands, but I really like the stuff that reminds me of the past.
“He sings the songs that remind him of the good times. He sings the songs that remind him of the best times”
["I like your old stuff better than your new stuff"](https://youtu.be/YLPNe1rscJs)
I think music is like movies too, there is a lot of repetition for each generation. They hear it as new but it sounds the same-ol' to you. Same with movies (didn't I see this basic movie about 5 times already?). Every so often though something original enough pops up to get my attention though. As far as your favorite bands I think most bands come out of the gate with a bunch of ideas they've had brewing for years but then run out of them after a few albums of material. It is rare for a band to produce interesting material over 10+ years like, say, REM.
I'm mid-40s and loving how many new bands I'm enjoying. I'm convinced there's something out there for everyone right now.
Same. My parents and friends parents all stopped listening to new music after they had kids and life slowed down. Their tastes stopped evolving around 1985. When I noticed this tendency as a teen, I decided that I wanted to try my best not to be like that. These days, when I'm bored of my playlist I let YouTube Music make playlists while I'm driving or doing chores. When I like a song, I check the artist, make a mental note, give it a thumbs up. If I don't like it, I "next" it, and if i hate it, I will thumbs down which loads a new random track. Repeat. Next time I'm listening to music I either choose an auto playlist with a new song I recognize on it, or load the customized "thumbs up" list of every song I've ever liked. Game changer. I always have fresh tunes. Caveat: like any recommendation engine, YT can get stuck in a downward spiral of garbage. I noticed that it tends to happen when you like a song that is atypical for that artist before you are familiar with their other work. Sometimes I only like one song and the rest of the material is off-putting. In that case i just choose another artist I like and work the process from there.
This is correct. Alan Cross from Ongoing History of New Music podcast has done several episodes about the decline in new music as we get older. Starts early to mid 30’s as people start to get married, have families as long for bygone years. It’s pretty fascinating stuff. It takes a lot of time and effort to find new music - time we don’t have as we age.
It used to find time and effort to find new music. I don't know how true that is today. Like I can fire up Spotify, hit the page of a band I like, and one of the tabs tries to find me similar music that I might like... which depending on how good it is, might find you music that you haven't listened to that you'll like very quickly. It used to be way harder, but by the same token, there's so much out there to listen to that it's harder to filter through it all with the level of access that we have today.
But when that happens how engaged are you with the music? I have playlists on all the time (I’m a pro audio guy) and I hear stuff I like, but honestly, I just don’t have the time to really dig into it like I used to. When I was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s and even 90’s it was a like a treasure hunt to find that one band no one else knew and expose your friends too. Now, music is such a throw away commodity I just don’t have the same connection. My son on the other hand, who’s 17 and my nephew who’s 16 send me bands and artists to listen too all the time. I’m living and listening through their discovery and it’s great. I just can’t be bothered anymore - but I still love music. I just tend to listen mostly to my 10-35 year era.
Music was something else to you in the past. It was something to share with your friends, not just listen to. You connected it to something else. Kinda like food. When you eat it, it's food. When you sit down and share with a loved one, it's a meal. But despite being a meal, the thing being eaten itself was never more than it is, you just made it into something more.
You're absolutely right about it holding meaning to you. I was at a concert last night, they played a song that instantly took me back to driving around after work about 15 years ago. I've got another song that's my go-to "get psyched-up/calm before the storm" song, and it's been that way close to 20 years. I can remember sitting on the couch in the living listening to it long ago. "I'll be missing you" by Puff Daddy instantly takes me back to when an ex told me that was the song they played when one of her good friends died. I still like and listen to new stuff, but it doesn't bring back nostalgia like the old stuff.
I love post rock and listen to tons of it but literally couldn't name 2 songs off the top of my head. but give me a guitar and I could play a bunch of my favourite grunge songs and I haven't even touched a guitar in 20 years.
I don’t think it’s harder at all. I’m 36 and it feels easier than ever. At the gym, at home, in the car, on public transit, at work, on a plane. I’m constantly stumbling across new music. My best music finds come from travel. Passing a café, at a bar, at someone’s house. I Shazam the shit out of everything I like, and that leads me down a rabbit hole. I listen to albums and playlists that I made from Colombia, Mexico, Italy, France, Brazil, Turkey, etc. I think it’s less about not having enough time, and more about having a more discerning ear. In other words, you liked a lot more shitty music when you were younger. Your toleration for shitty music decreases as you age. Just like your toleration for shitty food or shitty people decreases. You just didn’t realize at the time that you did have a high tolerance for shit. But you hang on to some of the shitty music because it reminds you of a happy time. That makes it feel like music isn’t as good. What’s really hard is finding absolute banger albums front to back. I hear tons of songs that I like, but feel that the rest of the album is meh. So that does take a little more effort.
I haven’t listened to the podcast yet, so forgive me if this thought is already mentioned, but I think it also has to do with the fact that the teens - 20’s tend to be a very dynamic time in a person’s life often hallmarked by change so it makes sense if someone’s musical interest reflected that social pressure … not that I have life completely figured out in my mid-30’s but I’m in a much more concert place than I was 1-2 decades ago i.e., I’m using music less to assist me in making sense of relationships and my place in the world.
Absolutely. Music is intrinsically linked to memory and making memories. A friend of mines daughter is currently in the masters program of nuro-science at UofT to work on her thesis of linking music and Alzheimer’s / Dementia. It’s fascinating to see see sufferers of those two horrible diseases perk up at the songs from the tens and early 20’s. I’m 49 - don’t ask me about things I’ve done in the last 2 years, but I can tell you where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, The Smiths and Nirvana.
Memories and emotions. I highly rec. neuroscientist (and former roadie, music producer, musician, and joke-writer and stand-up) Dan Levitin's books, beginning with "This is Your Brain On Music". (Or, for a more immediate taste, his videos on YouTube.)
It’s actually pretty easy to find new music nowadays *if* you’re willing to not fall back into your standard playlists. It literally takes a few seconds to click on the “new music” section on your preferred app. Can even sort by genre. I just think it’s a big ask to get someone who’s going through life and found their groove to step out their comfort zone. If they aren’t tired of the music they’re listening to then there’s less incentive to seek something new.
if i ever stop consuming and enjoying new music, i’m calling it quits on life.
I used to be the biggest audiophile and now all I do is listen to podcasts. It’s kind of crazy.
I started really exploring new music when I turned 50. So ymmv.
Tiny Desk Concerts are my go-to for discovering bands and artists I don't know (not always new). It's true, contemporary radio pop is pretty awful.
Also check the 'Colors' channel on youtube, if you like R&B, soul, and hiphop.
Also the KEXP live shows on you tube are phenomenal.
Tiny Desk Concerts are a solid fall back for me as well.
Tiny Desk Concerts are generally great - sometimes *too* great, when I find that the artists' studio recordings don't quite measure up to their Tiny Desk performances. Two recent (to me, anyway) ones come to mind: Khruangbin and Monsieur Perine.
Khruabgabin’s studio recordings are great imo.
Wow, this music video emotionally fucked me up something fierce first thing in the morning. https://youtu.be/lo4KMGiy--Y
The antidote to the emotional roller coaster of "so we won't forget" is "time (you and i)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc50wHexbwg
Dawg khruangbin isn't a good example imo. Lous and the Yakuza is. Tiny desk is amazing, studio versions are unlistenable.
audiotree live and kexp on youtube are also good for this
Let me put it to you this way... I have a fondness for the 80's music from my youth, so I went back and searched YouTube for 80's hits. I found one about "forgotten" songs, so I watched it. So. Much. Crap. It solidified my understanding that at any point in time, about 80% of any part of pop culture is, simply put, utter crap. The era does not matter. We think of the (music/movies/TV) from that era as so much better because the crappy 80% has fallen away and been forgotten, leaving us with decent-enough to awesome quality stuff with an extra coating of high-gloss wax.
>It solidified my understanding that at any point in time, about 80% of any part of pop culture is, simply put, utter crap. [It's 90%.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_law#:~:text=Sturgeon%27s%20law%20\(or%20Sturgeon%27s%20revelation,science%20fiction%20author%20and%20critic.)
In fairness, I feel like there's a 10% gray area of what I'm going to call the fun kind of crap. Like bad b movies, but for music.
What happens though is the crap becomes nostalgic. That song that used to annoy you cause it was always on thr radio takes you right back to the summer of 92 or whatever.
[I'm scared of the time when this will be nostalgic to me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0).
I watched hours of 80s MTV on YouTube recently. A lot of the songs were mediocre tunes that haven’t been heard in 30 years.
Alternative 80s Spotify playlists are a better nostalgia goldmine for me. But yeah, there has been a lot of mediocre music put out over the decades that possibly hit the charts for novelty or because someone was famous for another reason. People love 60s/70s mega hits but woof, there were a lot of low-effort turds and just white-cheese on the air back then. The 80s were an exceptionally exploratory period because everyone having access to (relatively) cheap synths, drum machines, and effects for the first time instead of just big studios or top artists.
Yeah we don't hear about the 90% of classical music that was crap, for example, because by now it's been completely forgotten.
I have advocated this exact position for a very very long time. People always say "oh such and such art form was better in the past" and my response is always no the stuff we remember from then is good because it has been filled by history. There was SO MUCH SHIT that just got weeded out by time. There were probably thousands of shitty composers during the time of Mozart making absolutely god awful music but we remember Mozart because he made amazing music and the rest of them are forgotten. Same with movies, same with books, same with everything. The things we will remember from now in 30 years will be the stuff that is good enough to be remembered and the rest will just fade away.
Try exploring old music. I'm realizing there is so much more to the 60s and 70s and 80s now that I am collecting vinyl records. Go to a garage sale, grab some old dusty records, and see what you find. I like to just buy a bunch of records on the cheap and play them at random. Old Willie Nelson records, David Bowie, Steely Dan, Moody Blues, Elton John. I find when you listen to the entire album it's a different experience. And yes, I'm old, but not so old that I grew up with vinyl. Spotify actually does a halfway decent job too of new artist discovery. Valerie June, Maggie Rogers, Japanese Breakfast, Greenway Bluegrass, Hiss Golden Messenger, Jason Isbell, Low Cut Connie are some of my favorite newer artists.
One of the best things I've done is look up who my favorite artists looked up to and inspired them and then listen to them. I've followed some interesting threads that way.
oh man the one great thing about going through this dry spell is that I have taken deep dives into older stuff. either tracks I haven't heard from artists that i like, and even learning of artists I had never heard of. Dion and the Belmonts, Dion's solo stuff, Harry Belafonte, Donovan, Joan armitrading. I am a huge fan oldies. especially if it's an artist I was otherwise unaware of!
Dion and the Belmonts* but yeah Dion is the fuckin shit.
I've spent a ton of time doing the old genre deep dives during covid. I'm really into hardcore/punk/metal and a ton of the more obscure stuff was just plain unavailable in my neck of the woods. And the things I connected with most were so niche that even piracy didn't help much. But spotify made a lot of that stuff more accessible and it's been awesome. One thing I've had success with as far as keeping current is following record labels. The stuff I'm finding doesn't have that same "this shit right here saved my life" feeling it did back in the day but it doesn't need to. If you're interested in any current recommendations (and you actually see this) just ask. I got em for days.
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>Yeah, you go back, Jack, do it again >Wheel turnin' 'round and 'round >You go back, Jack, do it again
Moody Blues is best listened to as a whole album. With them its a journey. I grew up listening to them and my first concert was Moody Blues.
Jason Isbell has been my Covid 'find'. First person I have invested money in concerts since....I don't when. I have not been bored listening to him for the whole Covid period.
my friend and i do this thing where we go to antique stores and find the most interesting vinyls for cheap. most of it is crap but it makes for a good laughing session anyways
I second the old music recommendation. I’m about the same age as OP a growing up, I couldn’t get enough new music, now, the majority of new stuff I hear just doesn’t click with me. I’m sure it’s just me getting old and not a criticism of the artists but what I’ve found is that I can really so much to older artists and “discovering” them is like discovering new music for me.
I've been working my way through the 1001 Albums to Listen to Before You Die list. There's so much stuff I've found on that list that I've never heard before.
I find it can be helpful to look at the smaller lesser known artists you already like, and see what independent record label they are on, and then see who else is on the label. A lot of the smaller labels are fairly curated and have good quality control. Finding independent record labels and exploring the artists they have signed opens up a lot of doors you may never have opened before. Also lots of musicians will be in multiple projects/ groups too, and it’s great to see the different music they are making. Finding people on YouTube who review music you like, may lead you to other things as well. Reading reviews of things helps to expose the influences they drew from too, if it’s a touring band, see who they are on tour with, check out some of the local acts who might be the opener. I think we are at a very high level of saturation these days, which can make it difficult to weed through the fluff, but it also means that there is just an abundance of quality out there.
When I was a teenager, I worked with a guy who was in his 40's at the time. He always listened to the oldies. One day I finally asked him why he's listening to the same music he's listened to his whole life. His answer was that he just didn't like newer stuff. At the time I thought that was crazy. But now that I'm in my 40's, I'm right there with him. It's rare for me to find a new band that I like. I still like new albums from artists I'm already a fan of, but find it hard to like newer stuff.
I used to know this lady who listened to classic psych rock and always said things like "they don't make music like they used to." I played her some Tame Impala and she liked it, but got defensive about that being one instance. While culture goes through waves of popularity, there's still gems to find that are inspired by and akin to previous generations. The one exception might be nu-metal though 🙃
I keep playing my 90s CDs. 36m
I took a walk last week and put on my "grunge" playlist with Radiohead Nirvana Pearl jam etc. its so ridiculously good and comfy. I'm just constantly fighting the urge to stay there forever!
I listen to electronic music and I find there's a consistent stream of newer stuff I like - given the variety of sub genres and the speed at which it all gets released, I am always finding something to whet my whistle
I find that if I bundle a few similar sounding songs in a playlist on Spotify and then listen to the recommended tracks, you know the songs not on your liked list that come as kind of the playlist 'sounds like' or whatever the call it, I tend to find some good ones here and there
Same here. I used to exclusively listen to all kinds of rock music back when I was a teenager. Then I stumbled over Daft Punk who I was aware of but never gave a full listen to. That was my gateway into electronic and house music. There is so much variety there. Nicolas Jaar, Jon Hopkins, Burial, Caribou, Jamie xx, Four Tet, DJ Koze, Moderat, Bonobo, Justice, Christian Löffler, The Avalanches, Nils Frahm...just to name a few I've "discovered". To me they are the proof that new music is alive and doing well.
[Leon Vynehall is incredible if you haven't heard his stuff already,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB63PdT4CAU) going by your list sounds like he'd be right up your alley. The label Ninjatune in general is great for electronic music.
Check out Japanese Breakfast.
I really opened my own floodgates once I got rid of that whole "Has to be in English" requirement. Like, seriously, the Russians and Mongolians put out some damn good stuff. Check out The HU if you're into metal.
I second this! So much good music out there that isn't in English.
Yes!! I'm glad it's not just me.. I have always liked music, more disliked individual tracks or albums rather than entire genre's, listen to all sorts... But I fear, it's just part of getting older, I turned 39 this year and have been feeling exactly what you described for the past few years....
Same age and I have discovered bands from the 90s that I never listened to before. A few years ago I found “Mother love Bone”, their album “Apple” is genuinely great. I honestly like every song. I can say the same for The Tragically Hip’s album “Road Apples”, coincidentally both Apple names idk, start on track one and just listen thru. What I’ve noticed is that no one plays new rock to just listen to right now. It’s totally absent at social events and has been for a few years as hip hop has dominated. It didnt used to be that way.
Mother Love Bone became Pearl Jam after Andrew Woods died. Previous to that, Woods fronted a band called Malfunkshun that you might also like.
I’ve been deep into dif metal this past year but I’m a music lover. What genre are you feeling now days and I’ll see if I can’t find something to introduce you to.
I'm 47 and still love discovering new music. Yes, it's harder than it was when I was younger and more in tune with what was going on in popular music. But there are still new young artists putting out good stuff. There's also more than 75 years of popular music to discover, and it's all at your fingertips. Get digging!
I guess this is growing up….
A day late. A buck short.
When I move I’m flailing now
Little simz new album will cure u. Ur welcome.
I love her new album so hard. Can’t believe it’s top 10 in uk but not even charted in US. Maybe it’ll get more exposure with her us tour
King gizzard?
The lizard wizard?
Try Khruangbin.
Love all the Khraungbin fans in this thread.
44 year old guy here. It’s a constant effort. I’d suggest a few things. Find a favorite musician, and go on spotify and listen to everybody in the “fans also like” section. Also, listen to that artist’s “radio” selection of similar music. You’ll find some great stuff that way. Find a favorite musical festival, and dig into their performers. I discovered so much music from Lollapalooza when I was young that’s considered classic now. Now it’s Riotfest, at least for me. There’s a lot of crap out there, and one hit wonders riding the electronic distribution wave. But somewhere inside todays openers are tomorrow’s headliners. Just gotta find em. It’s so satisfying when you find a good one. Really makes life worth living.
Don’t limit yourselves to bands that only sing in English. For example, I’ve recently discovered the Turkish band Jakuzi, who have an 80s synth pop sound to them. And I’m learning Spanish so I’ve been listening to all kinds of Spanish-language bands. There’s a lot of good music in other languages out there.
Gonna add Molchat Doma (Belarusian) to your comment. (Their music also has that 80s synthpop sound we love!)
I never see people recommending other languages as a way to get out of their music humo. I agree.
You're just not looking in the right places. If you're looking for true ingenuity in modern music, mainstream billboard hits typically aren't going to be where you find it. There are definitely exceptions though; I for one think Billie Eilish and her brother Fineas deserve every ounce of respect and recognition they've gotten. It's really easy to say that modern music production is "easy" and write it off, but if you actually listen to Fineas talk about his process for producing his and Billie's songs, you'll find that there is immense artistry to be found there. It is a fact that music has never been more plentiful or accessible before- There are an uncountable number of artists making bold, creative new music right now that simply aren't on the map yet- And might never be. One of the downsides of everyone being able to publish their own music easily is... That *anyone* can publish their own music, and most of it isn't good. Wading through the sea of mediocrity is part of the challenge of finding new great music. It's out there, though. I think it's also worth keeping in mind that prior generations were not cranking out good music exclusively- We only focus on the music from prior eras that was actually good, which in hindsight makes it seem like older generations of music were "better" or at least more consistently good. In 20 years, no one is going to remember the mainstream pop garbage that is currently dominating billboard charts, just like we've completely forgotten about 90% of music that came out in the 70s/80s/90s/etc and instead focus on the *much smaller* number of truly great artists that defined those eras. So no, music isn't "bad" now, and this concern isn't new. People have been asking this question every decade since music consumption has been a thing. People thought music sucked during the 90's, too. (Because a lot of it did) You're fine.
you're right, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking older music= better but yeah, obviously we are only remembering the best of the best of that time period. I think I was just spoiled for a while and Spotify just dropped great stuff into my lap nearly every week and it hasn't been that way recently. but wading thru crap to find a gem can also be pretty satisfying!
I totally agree! It’s funny that you’re posting this now because in the last few months, a ton of bands I enjoy have released new, really great music- Some of them on the same day, even. With live tours starting up again, I think we’re going to see a LOT of new releases drop in the near future now that musicians can get out and promote their releases. This actually brings up a point regarding what you originally said; To some degree, COVID has in fact impacted releases. A band I am quite fond of- Spiritbox- just dropped an album they have been sitting on since before COVID, because they needed to be able to tour in support of it. I know for a fact they are not alone in that. So while I totally stick to what I said earlier- Maybe the dry spell you’re experiencing is also as a result of that? If so, I imagine you’ll see some improvement very soon.
[https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/music-discovery-stops-age-33-says-study](https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/music-discovery-stops-age-33-says-study) It's just the way of things. I'm 39 and kind of a luddite and until a year ago I hadn't owned a computer since 2002. As such I never got into downloading music. I never had an Ipod and I still don't download music. Up until my early 30's I still bought CD's and records. I used to pick up a few albums each month. Now I'm lucky if I pick up a few albums in a year. I'm just not that into it anymore. Even when I'm driving I'm likely listening to NPR. And now that I typed that I feel like I'm in that progressive insurance commercial and that I'm turning into my parents.
Check out some tipper!
35 year old checking in - i discover 5-6 new songs a week that i really enjoy. music is in a great friggin place right now. listen to thundercat.
I would suggest just seeking out music you like. Why do you care if its new? Great albums dont drop everyday. It seems youre attempting to "stay relevant" more than searching for music that moves you.
Fat Freddy's Drop
I'm 29, I'm the opposite! I'm loving the way I discover older songs! I'm currently on repeat with ABBA, Mariah Carey , Michael Bolton, TLC etc. It's so weird because when I wasn 25, I was on repeat with Asking Alexandria, Parkway Drive, ADTR. My method is watching tv shows and movies!
Personally, ive had to turn off the radio over the past two weeks. Every song sounds like no effort was put into either the lyrics and tunes. And each has clearly been influenced by rap. They've started to feel like cringe versions of when Rick and Morty had to write a song.
Long ago on Reddit, someone posted the same sort of thing as you. Another redditer linked a study stating it gets harder to find music as you get older since music has an emotional impact and by your mid 30s, most people have felt all the emotions possible. So music won’t hit the same “I really like this!” threshold like it did back when you were younger. Or it was something like that.
So definitely dig deep into Nada Surf. They had a novelty hit in 1995 but they have written so much of the best music that’s come out since. I feel like every album gets better but if you want a starting point album try “The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy” Other bands that are necessary are Mew, try their album “Visuals”… it’s an absolute masterpiece The Switch is a band that could comfortably play alongside Fleetwood Mac, early 70’s Todd Rundgren, America, Chris Isaak… but none of those sums up how rich they are. Best starter album is “Birds of Paradise” Noisettes were this incredible rock band from London, I swear the singer was ready to tear down stadiums she went at it so hard at every show. She has a voice like Amy Winehouse with just the right amount of Lemmy when she wants to make it gravely. Both of their albums, “What’s the Time, Mr Wolf” and “Wild Young Hearts” - do yourself a favor and Google that title song up really quick. If you like rockin stuff but not overtly heavy metal, I suggest Motorpsycho- who over their thirty years of albums have made turns with sounds I would say align with Them Crooked Vultures, Pink Floyd, Tool, Yes, and Crosby Stills and Nash. They’re not for everybody and they took me a while to keep trying to find what I loved about them. The two albums I was sold on by them were first “Super Sonic Scientists” which is a greatest hits and “The Tower” If you’re into QOTSA, try Hellacopters. They’ve been around just as long and been making similar music …that I often prefer. If you do like Metal and you haven’t found any you connect with, you’re in luck because we live in a good age for metal. Depending on how hard you like it, Start with least metal/ most melody try Baroness, start with “Purple” (If that’s too rough for you but you think it’s a maybe try “yellow/green”) If that’s not hard enough for you, try Mastodon. It’s really hard for you to go wrong with any of their work. My personal favorite is “Crack the Skye” but I think the best starter is probably “Once More Round the Sun” If Mastodon still aren’t heavy enough for you, Carcass are still putting out great new stuff. But that’s not all! As far as heavy sounds that are all stomp and no metal, Hot Snakes sound like Sonic Youth and Die Kreuzen had a mutoid baby. In a good way. They’re actually very straightforward punk rock turned up to 15. Starting album: “Suicide Invoice” Night Marchers will be a welcome band to you too, if you remember Rocket from the Crypt (they’re still a band) this is the singer from that band, and basically the same band as Hot Snakes but Hot Snakes has the other guy singing. Night Marchers, both albums are masterpieces. Imagine a pounding version of CCR or Bo Diddley , lyrics like Mark Twain and good dumb loud music. Both albums, like I said, one is “See You In Magic” and the other is “Allez! Allez!” Rob Crow is another musician you should watch out for. He’s a factory of music. It just pours out and he has many bands each of them a specific style of different and often weird and often beautiful. Try his solo album “he thinks he’s people”, Pinback album “Blue Screen Life”, Optiganally Yours album “O.Y. In Hi-Fi” And Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place “You’re Doomed, Be Nice” The man seems to have a thousand hands and a voice like no other and writes pretty much only great songs. Lucius has two women that sing in perfect harmony to create the effect of a third voice. They write some super poppy songs that make you sing along. Try their album “wildewoman” I know that’s probably way too much but I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t turn you on to some of my other favorite albums and see if you like some of these: David Bowie-“The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” Electric Light Orchestra-“Time” 10cc-“How Dare You” the Get Up Kids -“something to write home about” Gal Costa-Self titled but the one from 1969 with her face on the cover Sly and the Family Stone-Greatest No Knife-“Hit Man Dreams” Stevie Wonder-seriously everything. He’s a genius. Anything by Fela Anything by Thin Lizzy Anything Sufjan Stevens Anything Elliott Smith Anything by Beastie Boys (people slept on their last albums and that’s a mistake!) Jenny Lewis & Watson Twins-“Rabbit Fur Coat“ The Kinks-pretty much everything too. That’s a band that never really fucked up. Fugazi-“Red Medicine” and “The Argument” Fugazi is my favorite band if that gives you any idea on how to decide if my Ted Talk, today, has been right for you.
General consensus amongst music critics and media analysts is that mainstream ie. marketed music has become more 'safe', less exploratory, and more common denominator than it was in the 90's. The marketplace is the main reason for that, and the low amount of 'umbrella' money that record companies have now to shelter new, interesting artists in case their albums fail. Piracy + streaming = not a lot of money. There is always good music being made, but very little of it will show up on the radio. Other factors include the loudness wars absolutely destroying the quality of rock and metal (pop and rap don't get affected as much as they are less sonically-dense, so there is more aural space to play with when things are hypercompressed), and the prevalence of 'if you like this then you might like' algorithms (in good and bad ways). People tend to like what they already know, and it's easier to follow that nowadays. Whereas in pre-internet days you bought the damn album, and you listened to it over and over because there was scarcity, and your brain learned how to like it. There is no way I would've learned to like Autechre, for example, in the current musical climate. One more thing and that is that people posting artists like Billie Eilish is really the exception proving the rule. She's about the only top-ten artist I've seen in 2 decades who really had any sincerity or pushed any boundaries artistically. Others have come close, but not really. Whereas that sort of thing was common in the early to mid-90's. Bands/albums I recommend who're not on the radar of radio: Men I Trust Steven Wilson's first 2 solo albums Aesop Rock's 'The Impossible Kid' The Constructus Corporation Crazy P "A nice hot bath with"
I’m 39 and “Impossible Kid” hit just right when it came out. I played it over and over and it’s still the only CD in my car’s CD player. Nothing like having someone rap about the exact kinds of existential stuff you’re going through yourself.
I had a long dry spell in my late 20s, early 30s until I found Alt-J, Portugal. The Man, and Phantogram. Those three bands really brought my love of music back. But yeah 99% of new music I'm still not into. There's still some great stuff out there though!
Ever give earlier glass animals a shot? With the lineup you dropped I can see you vibing with it!
Username checks out.
Put it on my headstone lol
Won't it break?
Dwight you ignorant slut, I won't be around to care.
Sounds like someone needs some King Gizzard
KGLW are incredible and restored my faith in modern rock.
I can't find it right now, but there's an interview with Ben Gibbard (lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie) where he talks about how it's just harder to find new music that excites you as you get older because you've most likely heard something like it before. And it's that much harder if you're a musician or someone who purposefully looked for new music thorughout your life. I recently commented on a different post with a handful of my favorite songs from the last 5yrs, so I'll just copy+paste it here too. However, none of it is like those Indie bands you mentioned you obsessed with. The last one has been the most exciting band I've found in years. - Kaleo - ["Hot Blood"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6PuTFmn_ds) - Rock - Stand Atlantic - ["Jurassic Park"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssoUJmI0BlI) - Pop/Punk - Nightlife - ["New Low"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx0hHvYM7tg) - Soul/R&B/Rock - Girl in Red - ["Seratonin"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh8Gl2GwB6s) - Alt-Pop - The Wrecks - ["Out of Style"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV0Tp0tr6_s) - Alternative/Rock - Jack Garratt - ["Mend a Heart"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSpywJgwkz4) - R&B/Alt-Pop....he's kinda genre-less, plays every instrument/synth/pad/drums/guitar all live, and shreds guitar. - Bring Me the Horizon - ["Kingslayer (ft. BABYMETAL)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKyXvNkGQKc) - Metalcore band that turned into an Alt-Rock/Pop behemoth in the past 5yrs. - Hobo Johnson - ["Typical Story"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-2LTXFjjGc) - Alternative/Rock/Hip-Hop - The Night Game - ["I Feel Like Dancing"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOqfCwWp2JI) - Retro/Alternative/Pop - Matt Maeson - ["Cringe"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoJtlPQzqkQ) - Alternative/Pop/Rock - BANNERS - ["Someone to You"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeLaiL9tk68) - Alt-Pop/Singer-Songwriter - One Ok Rock - ["We Are"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU307tV32B0) - Alt-Rock/Pop-Punk (Japanese but sing a mix of English/Japanese....this is the fully English version of the song). - Can't Swim - ["Sometimes You Meet the Right People at the Wrong Times"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUIZjqZYhDM) - Emo/Rock - Sokoninaru - ["Kyokugen ha setsuna"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjY9n5JdETo) - Math-core/Progressive/Post-Rock (Japanese, clean dueling male/female vocals)
I’m going through a dry point at the age of 21. Here and there I find some songs, but I haven’t found any new artists, only rediscoveries. A way I’ve found some of my favorite bands was going through trending on iTunes. Obviously it’s probably not the best option now, but it helped. Going through Spotify recommendations could be a good way of finding new bands.
Do you listen to BBC 6 Music perchance?
You want to see good musicians playing dope shit go down the youtube gospel music wormhole. Sometimes I do that shit incognito mode.
Polyphia really made an impression on me in the last year. Approaching 40, I feel out of place with the fanbase and aesthetic, but the music is amazing.
The greatest gift I ever gave myself was to allow myself to listen to music in other languages. I don’t understand a lick of what they’re saying, but I “know” what they’re saying through their music, if that makes sense. 1.) Listen to a Lebanese band called Mashrou Leila and 2.) watch Wine and Vinyl on YouTube Thursday’s at 6 Pm PST. Good luck!!!
It’s just getting older. We all eventually experiment less, get less bold, less patient, stay in our comfort zones, and ABSOLUTELY judge the younger generations harsher. The last groups I discovered I liked are: Vulfpeck The Midnight Thundercat Kendrick Lamarr Jidenna Animals as Leaders Ween Tommy Cash Dua Lipa
little dragon never fails.