Have you heard people constantly say, “They don’t make music like they used to?”
What the fuck does this mean exactly?
Is it about the actual music? The lyrics? The equipment? The way their music is recorded?
Can you imagine if your favorite band continually churned out the same-sounding music they’ve been making for years? Wouldn’t you get bored? I’m pretty sure the band would be bored out of their minds and eventually stop making music – it’s like holding a job for 40 years and doing the same mundane thing everyday of your life. Are you still wearing your bellbottoms from the ‘60s? Do you still have a perm?
My best is when an artist changes their sound and the fans moan like they are owed something. Like they have a say in how “their” band should make music. Like they should have a say in how a band’s career must progress.
For example, I love The Killers. Flew to London to see them. Cried when I watched them. Loved all their albums. Then they started experimenting with their staple sound I’d come to love… I didn’t dig it but I appreciated them doing something different. Bottom line: this didn’t make me love them any less.
I suppose this also goes back to my issue of being tolerant towards other genres but like with anything in life, the only thing that is constant is change. Imagine if you opened your mind to the possibilities of new music? Of discovering a newfound love for a fresh artist, rather than staying shackled to the Killer-like prison I initially made for myself.
Suck it up. Go and watch something new. Listen to something new. And if you still hate it, go back into your cave with your favourite album and play it until it dies, or you die from boredom. And on that note here’s some new music to try this week.
George Ezra (Singer, Songwriter from Bristol UK). Influences include Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie.
Royal Blood (Mike Kerr (vocals, bass) & Ben Thatcher (drums) from Brighton). Led Zeppelin & White Stripes vibes.
