The Top 40 is constantly changing and evolving, and contributing to the charts is a band you’ve liked since 2004. Is your favorite band’s new sound a cause for concern? Is all your music going to sound the same?
Electropop. Alternative R&B. Country rap. Synthpop. House. The evolution of alternative, genre-breaking music has hit an all-time high now in the mid-2010s. Artists are experimenting, taking inspiration from other great acts and melding elements together to pave the way for new subgenres.
Many argue that the recent mixing and melding isn’t an evolution though. It’s making it all “sound the same.”
For years, many have complained that rock has gone too bubblegum, with many rockers experimenting too far into electronica and ambient noise. Or that pop music has taken onto trap and dubstep, with every chorus starting with a bass drop and sustaining a string of repetitive beats.
Panic’s evolved sound has caused an evolving panic among Urie’s fanbase. Photo: Fueled by Ramen.
Oh and of course, true punk rock died a long time ago; now it’s just whiny, vapid post-emo bands trying to sustain in a new depressed millennial market.
Don’t even get started on country music. Mention any country crossover artist, like Sam Hunt, and high-brow journalists cringe.
Yeah, sure. There are plenty of bands and artists who might not be doing it “right,” if you want to take that stance. What I can’t seem to wrap my head around is the idea that all music is becoming the same, and will all sound the same in a few years.
And I also can’t wrap my head around the idea that a band’s sound should stay the same, and not evolve into new sound that, in turn, may propel them into the mainstream.
Let’s look at a band and era I feel pretty qualified to talk about: ’00s punk rock and Paramore. Their latest self-titled album received such disdain from their core fan base – the ones who’ve listened since All We Know if Falling. That first album, followed up with Riot!, cemented the band as a staple in the punk-pop revolution of the early 2000s.
But that’s just it: that music hit an all-time-high in the early 2000s. Music has eras. The 90s brought on the golden age of hip hop, the start of the skate punk and the beauty that is ska-rock. The early 2000s bought on emo-punk-pop, the one hit pop wonders and continued the post-grunge era of rock.
The only way an album like Riot! or Move Along or The Black Parade could thrive now would be to milk the nostalgia factor.
To be creative, successful and relevant in the music industry, you have to evolve. These artists are being constantly inspired by new sounds. They’re hearing new melodies in their heads. Change is necessary (just look at Paramore and Panic! at the Disco’s changing line-up).
Creative expression is key. Being stuck in the 2000s won’t do anything but please the kids who “miss the old Paramore.”
That’s all we want, apparently. Bring back Gilmore Girls for a couple seasons. Wait, no, wouldn’t it be cool if the X-Files came back on? Constantly hearing people harp on the past and reject the current state of music, television and entertainment really irks me a bit. Trust me, I’ll listen to “Dirty Little Secret” all day, but the All-American Rejects are more than that.
I’m not terribly fluent on past music trends. But there are so many great acts making outstanding new music, but people refuse to sit down and listen to it because “man, music isn’t what it used to be.”
Tegan and Sara take on a new electropop sound in their latest outing. Photo by Pamela Littky.
What will be the defining factor the 2010s? It’s hard to even begin to fathom what will be the defining characteristics of this decade. The Top 40 is as diverse as ever. We’re only halfway through the ’10s and artists have already seen a complete 180 in their own music.
And that’s okay. It’s awesome actually.
Of course, it’s hard to deal with a band or artist’s transition to a different beat. It’s okay to have a soft spot a band’s old music, but it’s okay to admit you like the new stuff, too.
So listen to the old stuff, revel in it, cherish it. And maybe give their new album a try, too. You’ll find a beat or two that’ll still get you going.
As for will all music start to sound the same? Doubtful. There are new, innovative artists coming about every single day – all of whom are striving to create their own unique sound.
If you think it’s all starting to sound the same, just turn off the radio and turn on something you like. Your favorite songs are still there for you, and they always will be.
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