It's getting better
By Stefan on Nov 4, 2010 | In Music | 1 feedback »
I'm guessing there are anthropological reasons why we prefer to listen to a particular kind of music, I'm obviously no expert but here's my take on it. Growing up we like what our parents like because that's what we hear at home and we identify it hopefully with happiness, security and 'our people'.
When we hit our teens, there's a rebellious period where our parents are no longer 'our people', we strive to find our own identity in the world and we're open to new influences including new music. This phase can be highly tribal, the music we like is intrinsically linked to the people with whom we chose to associate and we can become violently averse to the music associated with other groups.
In my teens I was a rocker, a somewhere between a glammy (Motley Crue, bright colours, big hair and make-up) and a goth (Sisters of Mercy, dark colours, pale skin and more make-up) and the indie, Manchester scene music of the early nineties represented for me, the enemy. A few years later, when the fights were over and the bruises were long gone, the association lost some of its vitriol and I began to appreciate indie music for its musical properties. It's not bad, it's fun to play and some of it is actually good music.
(House/dance music didn't have the same tribal significance and remains un-listenable shit.)
Lately I've had to listen again to some of the pop music that I thought was garbage in the late nineties and I have to admit that some of it is all right. Are my tastes continuing to attenuate? This brings up the worrying prospect that in another ten years I might think Lady Gaga is pretty good.
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I also found that I was influenced by ye olde 90's grunge period with thanks to my older sister, Hole, Nirvana, Cranberries (Sort of happy grunge?) And she also brought in some classic rock, such as Aerosmith and Guns n roses. I always remember her in the Doc Martins and vintage band shirts (Not the fresh bought Virgin stocks we are used to now-a-days)
When I turned teen, I took the rebel route and ended up in Death Metal, and Goth due to the first love of my life and his faithful followers. Marilyn Manson being the Anti-christ god to them all. It was the make-up the Black, the pale skin and anti-god P.o.v's. Shock Value.
As I got older my tastes did also, Thanks to a fantastic Musician I know, I got to listen to old school soul-RnB/Jazz.
With Pop music I remember hating Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, thats how young I am I guess, but I mean from around 1996 onwards, Billie Piper etc.
I think that since the explosion of these pop starlets in the 90's, the year 2000+ we have actually seen a maturing of the pop culture, as it seems that pop stars are extremely scared to be discovered as talentless record company productions, a la American Idol.
They seem to be taking more care in how they make their music, lyrically as well as with the production and the people that they work with.
If you are finding yourself more attracted to the elements of pop, I think its the people involved in the work of albums/artists are created nowadays.
You hear pop stars naming Stevie Wonder as influences in their music, Ray Charles, Elvis, Johnny Cash....
Maybe its the old school tastes being brought up-to-date and introduced as elements in pop musicians work?
I dont know though, not a musician just a 20 something who feels the change in her tastes as she gets older : )
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