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[Wayne L.]

I just read some comments from Dylan slamming modern music & he's hit the nail on the head.  Most of it is nothing but crap, without a doubt & has been for about 25 years, as he says in this interview.  I admire BD as an artist, with lots of his timeless classics, but he's an average singer & much better than Bon Jovi & Jessica Simpson combined.  Rock & roll was a force to be reckoned with in the 60's & the 70's, with important & influential artists & the soundtrack of rebellious youth, before it became homogenized in the 80's with MTV up until today sadly.  

[Joost]

People who think that all modern music is crap are just ignorant. And if they're old, they're probably bitter too. Sure 95% of everything you see on MTV sucks, but if you look a bit harder you'll find out that there's still a lot of good old fashioned pop music out there.

To name just a few great recent bands and artists: Sufjan Stevens, The Polyphonic Spree, Elliott Smith, Elliott (the band), Acid House Kings, The Wondermints, The High Llamas, Sigur Ros, Zoli Band, Keren Ann, Johan...

[somedude210]

dont forget decemberists

[tkitna]

To name just a few great recent bands and artists: Sufjan Stevens, The Polyphonic Spree, Elliott Smith, Elliott (the band), Acid House Kings, The Wondermints, The High Llamas, Sigur Ros, Zoli Band, Keren Ann, Johan...

Thanks biscuit. I'm in the mood for some new stuff and i'll look into these bands.

[Joost]

Thanks biscuit. I'm in the mood for some new stuff and i'll look into these bands.

Cool!

Some more information then:

Sufjan Stevens: American singer/songwriter, very folk-ish, is planning to make a concept album about every American state (he's only done Michigan and Illinois so far). But stay away from his "Enjoy Your Rabbit" album, which is filled with electronic experiments. Recommended songs to download: "Chicago", "Come On! Feel The Illinoise!"

Polyphonic Spree: symphonic pop like they used to make it in the late 60s. Very bombastic and almost gospel-ish. 24 Piece band that presents itself like a religious cult (but that's just an act). Recommended: "Section 12 (Hold Me Now)", "Section 2 (It's The Sun)".

Elliott Smith: Simon & Garfunkel meets Nick Drake at a Beatles concert, so to speak. Very gifted singer/songwriter, very good with melodies. His early albums are home recordings with hardly anything more than an acoustic guitar and whispered vocals. His later albums are a lot like the late 60s Beatles (and to a lesser extend Beach Boys) albums. Recommended: "Miss Misery", "Angeles", "Between The Bars", "Waltz #2 (XO)".

Elliott (the band): indie band, very dark, moody and mysterious sounding. Recommended: "Song In The Air".

Acid House Kings: carefree and sunny pop from Sweden with a male and a female lead singer. Recommended: "This Heart Is A Stone", "7 Days".

The Wondermints: Brian Wilson's back up band, but they also make music on their own. Heavily 60s influenced pop. Recommended: "Out Of Mind".

The High Llamas: VERY similar to post-Pet Sounds Beach Boys. Very mellow.

Sigur Ros: soundtrack-ish fairy tale music.

Zoli Band: acoustic ballads and power pop. Recommended: "Painful", "Vampire".

Keren Ann: French female singer/songwriter with an excellent voice. Recommended: "Now Going Anywhere".

Johan: Britpop-ish indie rock band from Holland. Very moody. Recommended: "Oceans", "Walking Away".

[Kevin]

People who think that all modern music is crap are just ignorant. And if they're old, they're probably bitter too. Sure 95% of everything you see on MTV sucks, but if you look a bit harder you'll find out that there's still a lot of good old fashioned pop music out there.

Now that's hitting the nail on the head. The band scene here in Britain is more vibrant than its been since the Brit-Pop days.
You need to get out more Wayne. And stop obsessing about Jessica Simpson. She's taken.

lol! i agree with the elliott smith bit because i just got into him, but i mean he died 3 years ago now, so you need to reassess the modern music scene again now..dirty pretty things are OK britpop, and of course the chillis are still around (although i still haven't really gotten into their staduim arcaduim album), but to be honest i can't positivley say i think theres gonna be a scene 'revival' in the future.

[adamzero]

I think Dylan is hitting primarily at the quality of mainstream music (rap and Britney-pop) now compared to the 60s (Beach Boys, Beatles, Motown, Spector).  He refers in the interview to what Brian Wilson was doing with four tracks compared to the brittle vocal-tuned overproduced cacophany or pitch perfect "static" of popular music today.  

I thinkt that's why folks on this board like the Beatles so much (and the 60s) because for once popularity and quality went hand in hand.  

I don't think Bob was slamming alt acts with substance--he's been pretty generous to them on his tours (Elana Fremerman, Junior Brown and Jimmie Vaughan on his current ballpark tour.)

If the Beatles had had 128 tracks they probably would have gone crazy.  4 or 8 forced them to be creative and to mold sound as they went to tape.   As George H said, the Beatles spent alot of time just creating/molding unique sounds, not pulling them off a sample.  

It's the difference between a handmade chair and a Walmart plastic chair.  One is unique and will last a lifetime.  The other, well, may last a summer.  

[Mairi]

If the Beatles had had 128 tracks they probably would have gone crazy.  4 or 8 forced them to be creative and to mold sound as they went to tape.   As George H said, the Beatles spent alot of time just creating/molding unique sounds, not pulling them off a sample.  

It's the difference between a handmade chair and a Walmart plastic chair.  One is unique and will last a lifetime.  The other, well, may last a summer.

That's one of the best analogies I've heard. Hats off to you.