night_dude

night_dude t1_je8pol4 wrote

Reply to comment by ToxicAdamm in Albums significantly improved by the removal of one or two songs. by AfroYoda

Haha, I love that song! But only as a pallet cleanser, I would never listen to it outside of the album. I have a soft spot for weird interlude songs ever since I heard MR HAAAAAAAAHN on Hybrid Theory.

Either way, it's good to see some love for After Laughter. Such a great album. I never thought Paramore would be better genre chameleons than Fall Out Boy (whose newer stuff I find unlistenable) but they really nailed it.

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night_dude t1_jd6nd08 wrote

Reply to comment by rabidelfman in Lollapalooza 2023 line-up: Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, and more confirmed by ninjazop

We truly live in the golden age of synth pop and disco revival. I'm a ginormous Lorde and Carly Rae Jepsen fan. Doja and SZA are awesome too, even though they're further toward hip-hop than synth pop.

Maneskin are a great example of the problem, IMO - I mostly like this review because it's OTT but it points to a broader point about modern rock, that basically since Jet came on the scene in the 2000s, most mainstream rock bands have been tributes to older, better music.

The alternative rock genres (like post-hardcore and emo in the 90s-2000s) and indie rock scenes (King Gizzard, Lucy Dacus, Courtney Barnett etc) have been making fantastic music in that time, but everything from the Darkness (who I love, don't get me wrong) to Greta Van Fleet is basically one giant Zeppelin, Queen and AC/DC tribute act, with a couple of bad Pearl Jam cover bands (looking at you, Nickelback) thrown in there for good measure

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night_dude t1_jd64cop wrote

Reply to comment by muzukashidesuyo in Lollapalooza 2023 line-up: Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, and more confirmed by ninjazop

Yeah, actually, you're right. I should have specified that I meant "in terms of radio programming" not in strict genre terms. I was trying to highlight how old most "real" rock music is, even the stuff I (early 90s baby) might still consider contemporary. Also a sneaky little reference to this, well, classic.

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night_dude t1_jd630rn wrote

Reply to comment by salomey5 in Lollapalooza 2023 line-up: Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, and more confirmed by ninjazop

There are ever-fewer good rock bands in the world though. Genre is kind of breaking down.

Like, who are the biggest rock bands in the world right now? Everything I hear on rock radio is either classic hits (yes, 90s is now "classic hits" according to radio programming conventions) or some unimaginative commercial garbage like Royal Blood that sounds like Wish QOTSA with the guts ripped out.

(small edit: i know I'm an old man yelling at musical clouds here - the first sentence is a sincere question!)

There are some phenomenal indie rock groups out there, but even modern vets like Courtney Barnett and Mac DeMarco feel like they are past their best already, and you can't fill an entire bill with Parquet Courts and Boygenius members.

The Strokes, actually, are a great example you gave of a rock band still making awesome music, but I feel like they're the exception. The fact that Red Hot Chili Peppers are headlining - a band formed in the 80s that haven't had a hit album since Stadium Arcadium - should tell you all you need to know about the dearth of big-ticket modern rock acts that are actually worth listening to.

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