I am losing my faith in music what can I do to restore it?

Question

I've loved music all my life, it is my life and career, but I've recently found that there's no new music out there that I've heard that seems to really excite me anymore -and I listen to quite a lot of it!

Am I just getting old or has new music become diluted to the point where nothing sounds particularly new and original and/or inventive any more?

Any suggestions for getting inspired again or any great new bands or artists that you can reccommend much appreciated -help!

Answer 1

I hear you! It seems like everything coming out now is completely boring - very little actually sounds new and fresh. Not sure what you're into, or what you've sampled, but here are some of my recommendations:

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away (just released), Chutes Too Narrow
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Butch Walker & the Let's Go Out Tonights - self titled
The Narnia Soundtrack
Kt Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope
Central Funktion - Nightlife of the Gods (I know these guys personally)

Another great source to find new music is myspace - there are tons of great, unknown bands on there.

Answer 2

Have you found Planet Rock, on digital radio? They play a wide variety of excellent stuff, old and new, which can loosely be described as Rock. I've rediscovered stuff I'd forgotten - they played Shine on you Crazy Diamond the other day, it was awesome - and generally enjoy most waht they play.

I would also go along with the suggestion about World music. My husband listens to the flamenco on YouTube, the proper stuff rather than Gypsy Kings, and it can be very moving. If you are a musician you might enjoy the complexity of the beat. I also love Egyptian stuff like Hossam Ramzy's Source of Fire.

Finally, check out some classical - Holst's Planets for example, or the Russian composers like Borodin & Kachachurian(?); stuff you maybe dismissed when you were younger.

Answer 3

Step away from the hiphop.

Listen to the new Beatles cd, "Love". Their original producer, George Martin, and his son, have remastered songs in an amazing way. They all sound fresh, and, as a diehard Beatles' fan, I hear something new almost every time I listen to it. It is songwriting at its best. I don't think you need to be from my generation to appreciate that.

For new bands, I listen to whatever my 15-year-old is listening to, and weed out most of it as crap...but...there are some nuggets amongst the garbage. Too much of it, though, sounds like "American Idol"-type stuff. I like The Black-Eyed Peas a lot, and Panic!At The Disco. I cringe when the guys in the restaurant kitchen where I work switch the radio station to the rap station. Sorry, but, IMHO, it is overwhelmingly awful and doesn't sound like it has any redeeming musical value whatsoever.

Music is a lot like art, in that, it is subjective. What I hate, you might love. That being said, though, I still feel that there isn't much out there these days that compares to what I grew up with, and still listen to - and enjoy - to this day.

Answer 4

First, I am experiencing something similar. There's almost no such thing as pop music any more due to the proliferation of so many genres. If it isn't put out by an American Idol alumnus/a, it's shoved into a genre (country, rap, hip-hop, R&B, etc). American Idol is one source, Disney shows & movies are another, not much else happening on what used to be the pop scene. Top 40 radio has mostly disappeared, listen if you can find some, but you might need XM or Sirius to find it.

You might consider crossing genres to hear a fresh sound. It doesn't have to be brand new music for it to sound new & fresh to you. People at my New Year's Eve party were surprised to hear the selections from my I-Pod range from classic rock (ELP, Dave Edmunds) to punk (Jim Carroll Band) to grunge (Nirvana), to funk (Parliament, Yarbrough & Peoples, Mary Jane Girls), to "alternative" (Lemonheads, Lit, Jimmy Eat World, Everclear), to bubble-gum pop (Rose Falcon) to mainstream pop (Blink 182).

Find some bands you like & research their stuff on Amazon. It will tell you stuff like people who bought ELP's greatest hits also purchased The Moody Blues, Yes, Deep Purple, and Jethro Tull. Then research those bands to see other similar (but not identical) sounds.

Also, read the reviews to see what people are saying about the influence group X may have had on other groups or genres. You might be surprised to find out stuff like Paul McCartney saw no reason for a Beatles reunion when there was a group like E.L.O. (not ELP) to listen to.

Classic rock radio has re-introduced me to groups I heard when I was a kid/teenager/college student. When I dig a little deeper, I find I like their stuff more now than I did then, and I become more aware of the breadth of their work. As a teen, I merely tolerated Led Zep, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, and Jethro Tull (among others). Hearing more of their stuff made me check them out, and I discovered I now like a whole heck of a lot of it.

Finally, there are some christian-oriented/influenced groups that sound almost mainstream (Mercy Me, Jars of Clay). A different kind of inspiration, but inspiration none the less.

Answer 5

Listen to music that you can really relate to depending on your mood. I always remember how much I appreciate music when it helps me through a hard time or when it really makes me smile.

If that doesn't work then go to a gig; not just any old band...make sure it's a group that will never fail to deliver. Then you're guaranteed an excellent night and it'll probably make you remember how great and powerful music can be.

Answer 6

I completely know what you mean...music is so blah anymore that I've almost stopped buying cds. My solution? Go to Austin! The live music capitol of the world is truly an inspired place to discover music as is should be, live and spontaneous. Check out Ian Moore and Monte Montgomery; they both actually play the guitar, not just copy a few riffs. Their music is quite phenominal. Check out the link below for Austin music. You won't be sorry I promise...good luck and hope this helps

http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/index.html

Answer 7

Man i totally agree. I think the music today is tripe. Only music from the 80's and 70's and even the 60's rock! When i look at the charts today i think "music is dead" but have faith..something always comes along lmao!...Besides the killers are a great band...they will keep me going for a few years hahaha

Answer 8

you have the Internet at your finger tips ,can i suggest you try
some triphop(with really sexy female vocals)All bass is live
and so is percussion.So its not all computers or backing
tracks.
Female vocalists with an edge.

constanza francovella
Martina toply bird
Tracy Chapman
pj Harvey and bjork-leaving on a jetplane(defy you not to smile)

Ian brown-ex stoneroses frontman,has done some superb LPs

I agree that some of the music around is awful,but it is also
worth remembering that for 10 bad songs you hear,you will
miss thousands of other tracks.Do what i do and enjoy
searching out the obscure and sometimes the better.

Answer 9

Um, do you read Wire magazine? Everything they cover is new, original and inventive (though, to be fair, sometimes so inventive it's unlistenable!). They give away free cds, too. You should buy a copy of Wire, get yourself on a filesharing network, listen to every artist they mention and I'll bet you'll find at least one that you love.

The wire "adventures in modern music"
http://www.thewire.co.uk/

Answer 10

Step away from it for a while - absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I studied music at college and got so drowned in it that I lost the joy in it for a while. Give yourself a bit of peace for a while and then you'll be able to see things a bit more clearly when you come back to it. Go on holiday and leave your ipod behind!