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I am doing some work around the house today and I have Pandora running through the (so happy I bought a) internet ready TV. I set my base channel to Lady Antebellum. Thus far, based off that channel, I have heard
Miranda Lambert
Carrie Underwood
Colbie Colait
Sara Evans
Taylor Swift
The male side has been
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Brad Paisley
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown
Normally I don't listen to radio for extended periods like this, but today I took time to rearrange my TV and audio setup in the living room, finally organize 550 CDs and 150 DVDs, many of which have been laying around for 8 years since I moved here, move the couches and vacuum the carpet under them.... lots of time intensive stuff. Point is that I have had Pandora running for like 4 hours.
Point of the post is to ask you guys who are experienced and more involved with the country side of music this question. Do you find this music very formulaic and kind of "flat"? On a couple of the Underwood songs, which I can say with 100% certainty I have never heard, I was able to hum along with the chord changes like 4-5 measures ahead of when they changed. It's kind of all sounding the same to me. It could be Carrie Evans, Taylor Callait, Colbie Lambert, Sara Underwood.... same thing for the guys. It's like the songs are so generic and homogenized that the singers are interchangeable parts. I mean, I know chords have progressions as far as what will work and what won't but, to be able to know a song I have never heard... Maybe I've just been at this too long.
Anybody else get that same feeling about this topic?
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Yikes four hours of country to clean house.... Not me, I'm housecleaning I'm putting on some oldies to get moving.
All genres sound alike if you listen long and close enough. Similarities come and go and every genre has fads. Listen to pop or what they call top forty radio today and 99% all sing using the same style of vocal inflection now. Listen for four hours straight and you're going to hear similarities in the songs as well.
The problem started with radio becoming so segmented and playing tighter playlists than what we heard growing up. It's not exclusive to country - it's across the board.
But I must say also that even with the oldies, if you segment it to Philly Soul or Motown or Country Rock or whatever and listen for four hours the similarities among songs always becomes more evident.
If country bores you change the channel. LOL!
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>>>...On a couple of the Underwood songs, which I can say with 100% certainty I have never heard, I was able to hum along with the chord changes like 4-5 measures ahead of when they changed. It's kind of all sounding the same to me. It could be...>>>
Those songs are not meant to be subjected to the kind of analysis you are giving them. They are meant for listeners who expect their music to be somewhat predictable and formulaic. I think of Country as a branch of fold music, and I mean that with respect. It is popular because it appeals to the experiences and emotions of regular folks. The meaning depends on the words as much as the music, and if the music gets to be complex and unpredictable, it can draw attention away from the overall message.
This is true in other genres as well. There are lot of symphonies where I can 'predict' the harmonic movement much of the time. Pop and jazz songs keep returning to familiar II-V-I patterns. The blues continues as a vital and meaningful art form, and probably always will. Long stretches of rap songs do away with melody and harmony altogether, and there is no denying that it is meaningful for millions of people.
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Quote:
I am doing some work around the house today and I have Pandora running through the (so happy I bought a) internet ready TV. I set my base channel to Lady Antebellum. Thus far, based off that channel, I have heard
Miranda Lambert
Carrie Underwood
Colbie Colait
Sara Evans
Taylor Swift
The male side has been
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Brad Paisley
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown
Normally I don't listen to radio for extended periods like this, but today I took time to rearrange my TV and audio setup in the living room, finally organize 550 CDs and 150 DVDs, many of which have been laying around for 8 years since I moved here, move the couches and vacuum the carpet under them.... lots of time intensive stuff. Point is that I have had Pandora running for like 4 hours.
Point of the post is to ask you guys who are experienced and more involved with the country side of music this question. Do you find this music very formulaic and kind of "flat"? On a couple of the Underwood songs, which I can say with 100% certainty I have never heard, I was able to hum along with the chord changes like 4-5 measures ahead of when they changed. It's kind of all sounding the same to me. It could be Carrie Evans, Taylor Callait, Colbie Lambert, Sara Underwood.... same thing for the guys. It's like the songs are so generic and homogenized that the singers are interchangeable parts. I mean, I know chords have progressions as far as what will work and what won't but, to be able to know a song I have never heard... Maybe I've just been at this too long.
Anybody else get that same feeling about this topic?
Not Zac Brown Band though, his stuff is his own. He does alot of Bluegrass-Rock type stuff as well, at least his first album had it on it. Maybe his latest has conformed to sound more "radio" then ZBB?
Commercial is the word. Sing what will sell. That is their mantra. Most of the "Country" artists have gone the way of Garth Brooks and Shania Twain - Country "Pop." It's all about those dollars these days.
Trax
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It's all about those dollars these days.
These days? It's always been about the money. If music is their living, nobody does anything without getting paid, would you? Can't eat air, ya know.
I don't know Trax, why do people make a comment like this? It sounds like making money is a bad thing. Dude, it's the only thing at least until you've become so rich it doesn't matter any more.
Over at the Keyboard Corner forum there's a discussion about Chick Corea taking a gig doing the music for the remake of Grease or Let's Get Physical, can't remember which now. Whatever, most feel he's doing it because he needs the money. Corea is an icon to a lot of us keyboard players but with all he's done, he's never been at the rock star level selling 50 million albums or anything close to that. He probably needs the gig and now there's these comments about how he's selling out, what about his art, blah, blah.
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Quote:
...All genres sound alike if you listen long and close enough. Similarities come and go and every genre has fads. Listen to pop or what they call top forty radio today and 99% all sing using the same style of vocal inflection now. Listen for four hours straight and you're going to hear similarities in the songs as well. ...
Well, classical , jazz music, too -- A lot of insight here in this post. I have no reason to defend commercial music -- it is what it is. But there are still great songs being written in every genre (Marinda Lambert's House that Built Me is a good example -- I wish I had I had written that one!!).
If "House that Built Me" is formulaic -- I want that recipe!
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Quote:
If "House that Built Me" is formulaic -- I want that recipe!
+1 to that. Top shelf song - love it.
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Quote:
Quote:
It's all about those dollars these days.
These days? It's always been about the money. If music is their living, nobody does anything without getting paid, would you? Can't eat air, ya know.
I don't know Trax, why do people make a comment like this? It sounds like making money is a bad thing. Dude, it's the only thing at least until you've become so rich it doesn't matter any more.
Over at the Keyboard Corner forum there's a discussion about Chick Corea taking a gig doing the music for the remake of Grease or Let's Get Physical, can't remember which now. Whatever, most feel he's doing it because he needs the money. Corea is an icon to a lot of us keyboard players but with all he's done, he's never been at the rock star level selling 50 million albums or anything close to that. He probably needs the gig and now there's these comments about how he's selling out, what about his art, blah, blah.
Bob
Bob, you are exactly right! I'm always amazed when someone talks about how Fleetwood Mac sold out or Eric Clapton sold out. But that's silly! They were always doing it for the money (and maybe for the love of music too) and that's as it should be!
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The making money part is rhetorical. Of course people need to make a living. The question as asked comes down to whether an artist wants to follow the formula and sell CDs full of music that all sounds the same or go his/her own way.
"Selling out" is just a term people assign based on their own value system. I mean, if it takes writing "formula" songs to get on the radio, and writing like that is selling out, so be it.
I just wonder if anybody else is of the same opinion I am that these singers anymore are interchangeable because they all sound the same and the songs are fairly generic.
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I agree with Josie that after a bit almost any genre will start to sound the same or at least similar. And it is pretty easy to find this in the past as well. Think of all the songs in the 50's that used I/vi/IV/V!
There is always a lot of awesome talent out there who never get fame or fortune and occasionally one of them breaks through. And if the public likes a particular style, one of these artists can certain deliver it! I'm convinced that ALL well-known acts/artists are pretty much interchangeable!
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<< It's kind of all sounding the same to me.>>
Me too, but it is the system. Radio is not meant to be listened to any more, it is the morning lullaby on the way to work, the accompaniment while working. It is not supposed to grab your attention, it justs occupies a small part of the brain to cuddle you and make you feel warm and safe. It is as inspiring as turning the heating on.
Chris
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That's what musical "genres" are all about,classifying sound patterns by similarities.
Chords are the arguably the foundation of a song which like a house can be built in many different ways, with lots of variations and colors added by the musicians, performers and song writers.
Some "house" designs sell better than others so that's what the builders try to emulate.
When it comes to the great ones, the devil is in the details.
That's why out of so many renditions of the same song, one will usually become "the standard" (Sinatra's "My Way" comes to mind)
Here's where the internet and Indi publishing really shines as it offers us music built outside the box, and good or bad, gives us a choice over standard radio playlists.
We definitely have to thank PG Music for helping in this regard.
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it may be worth noting that the words GENre and GENeric come from the same root
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To a large extent the listening public wants what the listening public is used to getting. If radio stations exposed the public to a wider range of options it might be different but it's not going to happen.
It seems to me that people have been conditioned by a combination of circumstances; the media, their difficult working lives, the complexity of modern life, local traditions etc. to use music primarily as a stress reliever and they will want what's familiar, reassuring and undemanding in hard times. So you get this tendency of radio programmers to present a consistent mood in their playlists be it 'nostalgic', 'chill out' or 'feel good' to fit in with that.
From the musicians side of things if you're locked into a successful formula that's garnered a large audience you're not going to do much to change your approach unless you want to risk losing your fan base even if you might gain another.
From the record industry perspective its about commodification; homogenizing things to the point where any new talent has to fit the preconceived mould.
Only the audience can change it really by voting with their feet and their wallets. Admitting that you're bored by the repetition is a start. But then if you don't get to hear anything outside the norm you might just put up with what you have.
Regards
Alan
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Quote:
To a large extent the listening public wants what the listening public is used to getting. If radio stations exposed the public to a wider range of options it might be different but it's not going to happen.
But Alan that is the way it used to be around here in the late 60’s early 70’s. FM was relatively new, had very few commercials and played every genre you could ask for such as country, jazz, rock, blues, classical, light classical, new age etc. Most of today’s radio stations around here are all the same with the same tapes being played in Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse NY. The only differences are the local ads. You have your choice of contemporary country, the same oldies over and over again or rap. There are some independent local and college stations that are playing some alternatives but your best choice for something different is Internet radio.
I think the reason everyone sounds the same is two fold. One is the money issue already talked about. The other is that musicianship today is at such a high level that most bands and studio musicians can sound like anyone they want too.
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Quick comment on Mario's post about radio (not country, sorry Eddie, but perhaps relevant):
I was just in LA listening to the jazz station from Long Beach (they play my CD) and their fund-raising drive said "We are one of only four jazz stations left in the country, so please give...". Sad.
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FWIW, (Theodore) Sturgeon's Law states that 90% of everything is crap. People like us listen for the 10%.
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Some of my highest quality listening anymore comes from Shoutcast. For those not familiar, people like you and me can create "stations" and broadcast them on the internet. When you find one (and it takes a LOT of experimenting) that is broadcasting a mix you like, make it a favorite and you can always go back. Several years back I used to have about a dozen "programs" that were all on CD, including some generic DJ banter, all saved as MP3s, intertwined so it sounded like I was really there. I had 2 jazz shows, a couple of Beatles shows, a couple of Todd Rundgren, a couple of Police.... Each was a playlist, and I could queue the playlists so about 6 one hour shows could be queued up at a time. Pretty cool stuff, actually.
But to respond to Mario, those late 60s days when FM was just becoming the norm were awesome. We had a show here in Cleveland called Doc Nemo's Underground that came on at 11. He opened with Bob Seger's "Heavy Music" every night and it was 60 minutes of stuff you couldn't hear on the AM stations. Hendrix, Blues Project, BS&T.... Loved it.
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Eddie, it does sound the same. That said, so has nearly any popular genre that has received radio airplay for the past 60+ years.
The problem I have to modern 'country' is that it's just warmed over, watered down party rock.
My question to you would be why you would ever put Pandora on that, when there is so much other GOOD stuff on Pandora?
-Scott
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Scott,
I need to study music that I don't know well. Up until recently if my choice was country or nothing, silence would win out every time. I couldn't name a country artist outside of the old guard like Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, etc.... And a few that are more country rock. When I first heard the name Lady Antebellum, I thought it was a joke. I mean, what is Bellum and why are they against it?
All these guys that look like a thumb with a cowboy hat, all these girls with all the blond hair.... they all look and sound the same to me.
BUT....
It's the hottest genre out there right now, and if I am truly going to continue my pursuit of the bucket list item of having a song played on the radio and performed by someone real, it will likely be a country song.
So, call it research.
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