Saw this. Reflected. Wanted to share.
"Do economic downturns inspire great music? A case can be made that hard times help produce heartfelt anthems that cut through the anesthetic musical drone of the day. This has been true of everyone from Woody Guthrie to Bruce Springsteen to the Clash and even Kurt Cobain.
Given the current state of popular music and its obsession with an affluence that is quickly disappearing, the climate would seem right for the emergence of new artists who can rekindle passion and urgency in American music."
I think it would be wonderful to hear a new influx of simplicity-driven music. With all the worrying that we're doing about the economy, the general noise and distraction in our culture have risen to a fevered pitch. It would do us some good to withdraw, reflect, and calm ourselves.
Things like biking more, seeking local or at-home activities rather than mass-marketed entertainment and food, and 'staycations' full of books, waterfights, and parks, will help us breathe, focus, and then rebuild. So might trading out all the synthetic pulp filling the airwaves, in favor of something more distilled, more focused, even more meaningful.
Your thoughts?
Maybe, finally, Ani DiFranco will get the respect she is due.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking this for a long time. It's rare that artists actually write their own songs now. The "art" in music has been compromised. It just takes a marketable person with an ok voice and lots of technical editing and there's your next hit.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the lesser known bands that are really good will have a shot.