I might be an old guy but … it seems that most popular music today is very thin. Sadly I’ve noticed that whining is too often mistaken for deep and meaningful or art.
In researching this story I read tirades from Coldplay fans commenting on other allegations of band’s musical copycatting – long before the Satriani incident.
In one comment a Coldplay fan said: "you suck and you shouldn't compare your garbage music with Coldplay, they're true artists." - paraphrasing.
This is my problem:
Just because music is soft, sensitive and sad in tone doesn't make it artistic, deep or introspective.
Often they scratch the surface musically and lyrically about the causes of sadness but fail to explore it any deeper. Fill it with a few bewildering lines like ... everybody wants to rule the world and call it a day.
It’s hardly the kinds of observations of the human condition we’ve seen in songs by Pink Floyd or countless others from a different era.
The worst is country music and its Hallmark sentimentality. Yes I’ve heard it mistaken for deep too. I admit to liking older country but my perception of newer stuff is that it’s too often manipulative of the hearstrings. I would call it emotional porn.
What else would you call songs about cancer diagnosis or a tragic death in a family. I know country has a folksy, literal storytelling tradition. But c'mon,
Eric Clapton wrote one of the most memorable sad songs ever about a personal tragedy in his life. It was truly deep and actually therapeutic for him. Nowhere does he use a "money line" to make the listener cringe. It's far more deeply personal to him, either the listener relates or does not. Challenging. That's how good music (good art in general) should be.
