Old Man Rant, What the Hell is Wrong With Music

"My X-type is too a real Jaguar" (TomSlick) 02/16/2017 at 16:44 • Filed to: None

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A Picture of my faithful steed parked across 3 parking places because BMW!

So earlier this week me and my trusty steed needed to make a 14 hour round trip, for a Job interview, now since I work from home I have turned off the satellite radio, so I had planned to rely on my trusty iPhone, however while digging through my storage closet for my wingtips, old stacks of computer manuals I had written and leather portfolio, I discovered my old car CD binder, and I said to myself, “Self, you’ve never used the CD player in this car, let’s have an old school road trip”

So prepared to go old school I load the first CD into my car and low and behold the Germans did make things to last and it fired right up despite never having run under my ownership.

Now that I’ve covered the meandering part of the old man rant, I’ll get to my point. I put in Operation:Mindcrime and ate up the miles, I put in The Wall and ate up more miles, I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t looking for my next fuel stop, I was enjoying the pleasure of the rock and roll concept album, rocketing down the interstate with time flying by.

Outside of American Idiot, I can’t think of a single concept album in the last 20 years, and that album is over 10 years old. Either the music industry has decided we have short attention spans, or have we just become impatient idiots?

Party-vi > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 16:46

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QUESTION how do you like your F10? Is good?

Future next gen S2000 owner > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 16:49

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I have no idea what a concept album is.

Textured Soy Protein > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 16:49

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Individual song downloads and streaming services killed the album.

Ash78, voting early and often > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 16:50

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You know, I was just lamenting yesterday the loss of the “cohesive album” in favor of a random collection of singles (never mind the concept album). There are good cohesive albums from the past 20 years — Radiohead has a couple that could also be considered concepts. Dave Matthew’s Big Whiskey and Coldplay’s Viva La Vida were both popular and had cohesiveness. But I don’t know if we’ll ever see another true concept album unless it’s part of a movie soundtrack or has some other binding feature beyond the music itself.

Jcarr > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 16:51

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Probably not up your alley, but Fear Factory has done many concept albums:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsolete_(album)

Honeybunchesofgoats > Textured Soy Protein 02/16/2017 at 16:51

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The funny thing is, the Wikipedia article on concept albums says they led to a resurgence of concept albums, but then it doesn’t actually cite a single example.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Party-vi 02/16/2017 at 16:51

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2 Years and 20,000 miles in I love it, I’ve got a rare one 6 speed manual. It is comfortable, fast enough with the 6 and gets 30+ on the highway.

RyanFrew > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 16:52

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Concept albums are growing in popularity in the hip hop community, which is cool. Good Kid, MAAD City is a concept, for example.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Ash78, voting early and often 02/16/2017 at 16:53

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Glad I’m not alone in my thoughts about this

Bytemite > Future next gen S2000 owner 02/16/2017 at 16:55

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It’s like a book in music form. Each song is like a chapter, there is an intro and a conclusion. Every song has a specific place in the album and there is a flow from one song to next. It tells a story and/or alludes to a common theme throughout the album. It’s great. It’s what you listen to on a nice chair, eyes closed, with your best sound system, completely engrossed in the world that the music creates.

The songs that are popular now are just preset track generated child’s play that plays a catchy tune. There is the verse, a chorus, a verse (sometimes some featured rap artist is thrown in here), a chorus, a repeat of the chorus, and that is the end. It is meant to capture the listeners attention in the first two measures of a simple 4/4 and that’s it.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Future next gen S2000 owner 02/16/2017 at 16:55

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An album that tells one story from all the songs, like the Wall or Operation Mindcrime or American Idiot, also sometimes clled a rock opera.

Honeybunchesofgoats > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 16:55

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I think it depends on whether you define concept album in the strict sense like Ziggy Stardust or The Wall, or loosely like Sgt. Pepper. I think the Rock Opera-y sort is probably dead, but the looser sort is definitely still around. Blur’s last album The Magic Whip definitely fits the bill, so does Gorillaz’s Demon Days .

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 16:58

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I made the mistake of following links from Wikipedia’s concept albums article because they had GQ as stating a rising popularity. Well, GQ mostly went “um, er, Daft Punk did one recently I guess and Beyonce” and then went on to elaborately tongue-bathe Sufjan Stevens and Muse. FFS, GQ.

Also, apparently the Stone Roses are coming out with a new album, so the article in GQ was half some kind of witless masturbation fantasy about the Stone Roses uniting England and hanging the Queen.

Why was it I used to make a point of ignoring anything GQ had to say on anything ever, I mean besides the Keith Olbermann shit? Oh yeah, now I remember.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > RyanFrew 02/16/2017 at 16:58

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That’s cool I’m not a real hip hop fan but if the story is good I’d enjoy it

Bytemite > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 16:59

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I once tried to listen to one of my favorite concept albums with friends in the car. It did not work at all. Intro song came on and several scoffs and snickers were heard. -.-

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Bytemite 02/16/2017 at 17:04

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True they are best for solo driving

for Michigan > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 17:11

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The 18 Best Concept Albums of the 21st Century (So Far)

They’re out there.

ttyymmnn > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 17:12

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Either the music industry has decided we have short attention spans, or have we just become impatient idiots?

Yes and yes. I am a classically trained musician, and work in the classical music industry. But I never listen to classical music (I play enough of it) because of the investment required. When I’m driving around town, I don’t want to think that hard, or make a long-term commitment. My musical tastes are quite eclectic, and tend more towards music from the 60s and 70s, folk, and acoustic.

On a 3.5 hour drive a few weeks ago, I cued up The Wall . I hadn’t listened to it in probably 10 years. It was fantastic. With that kind of time to invest, it’s good take a long drink of water.

The music industry, by and large, IMO, is all about making music that is meant to be heard but not listened to. As eclectic as my tastes, I was fairly certain that my 14-year-old son wouldn’t find music that I disliked. I was wrong. He likes dub step.

Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 17:18

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Concept albums within the last 20 years, and you like Pink Floyd?

Try Porcupine Tree - The Incident/In Absentia/Voyage 34. Even my old man could get on board with that :)

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] 02/16/2017 at 17:21

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I said old man rant and it was in my ancient cd binder

Ssfancyfresh > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 17:21

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You could try either of Sturgil Simpson’s last 2 albums: Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, or A Sailor’s Guide to Earth.

gmctavish needs more space > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 17:21

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Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois and Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs are probably my two favourite modern concept albums. There’s still music out there for people with attention spans, and there are still people making albums with good flow and thematic consistency, they just aren’t as easy to find I guess, and aren’t often concept albums. I still listen to albums instead of individual songs as much as I can, when I’m in the car it’s just radio if not CDs, and I don’t have many CDs, so that’s when I get annoyed at modern music. Though that’s the radio’s fault, not modern music being a problem.

MarquetteLa > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 17:32

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Modern concept albums off the top of my head:

The Sword - Warp Riders (2010)

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009) and Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010)

SVTyler > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 17:37

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Speaking of metal a lot of the most acclaimed records of the last ten years have been concept albums: Mastodon’s Crack the Skye, half of Opeth’s records, High on Fire’s latest three albums, Gorguts’ Pleiades’ Dust, a bunch man. Seems like there’s just as many, if not more, concept albums than there were in the 80s and 90s but you dont reaally hear about them because there’s more music out there in general.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 17:37

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Tool; Lateralus fits your description. That’s from 2001.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 18:04

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Weezer’s Pinkerton is a slashed version of River’s “space opera” - “Songs From a Black Hole.”

AestheticsInMotion > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 18:17

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There have actually been some good ones in hip hop fairly recently, but that’s all I can think of.

Try current country. That will make everything else sound fantastic. I was at a job sit and someone insisted on playing a modern country station. First song had a chorus that went “God is great, fear is good, people are craaaaaaazy.” at least half the songs mentioned a dude going for his first kiss. And of course they all had the overdone fake accent...

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 19:00

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My old man rant side speaking generally:

What’s big in music now is no longer actually music, and good, actual music doesn’t sell.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > gmctavish needs more space 02/16/2017 at 19:28

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+1 for The Suburbs, awesome album.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > gmctavish needs more space 02/16/2017 at 19:40

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I think that modern radio and the death of record stores is why I haven’t heard of most of the suggested albums on this post. Radio stations used to play entire albums late at night and the music geeks working at the music stores aren’t easy to find. Fortunately oppo delivers!

gmctavish needs more space > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 20:45

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I highly recommend Spotify for finding music, it’s mostly how I find stuff now. Once you pick some artists to follow, it does a good job of bringing up artists it thinks you’ll like, and making playlists. Apple Music does a similar thing I think, but I ditched it after a couple months because of constant buffering issues.

I almost never hear anything actually interesting on the radio anymore, but if there are any old school record stores around you, they’re still good for finding stuff where I live. Not plentiful, but there are still a few doing well, one even opened a second location recently here in Vancouver.

Schaef_Camaero Z/28 > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/17/2017 at 15:08

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Muse’s last two releases are both concept albums, 2nd Law & Drones. Both are very good.

LongbowMkII > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/23/2017 at 09:04

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Millennial concept album: Daft Punk- Discovery/Interstella 5555