FEATURE:
Back in My Day…
PHOTO CREDIT: @melodyjacob1/Unsplash
Is Modern Music More About Sound Collages and Mood Rather Than Hooks and Melodies?
_________
MAYBE this is a generational thing…
PHOTO CREDIT: @v_well/Unsplash
but I have just posted online an article that concerns Inner City’s hit, Good Life. It is an interesting piece in The Guardian that speaks with those involved in the song’s creation. A couple of months ago, the same site did a similar feature of Sub Sub’s Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use) featuring Melanie Williams. Both of those songs are from a period (the late-1980s/early-mid-1990s) when there was a big emphasis on hooks, big choruses and something quite exciting. For those who did not live through the Dance and Trance explosion; the beauty of House and the fantastic Pop that was around in the 1980s and 1990s, it was a heady time for music. It was not just the catchiness and quality of the hooks but there were great melodies and timeless sentiments that we are still spinning today. One can say we still have tracks like that today and, indeed, there have been bangers and addictive songs for decades – listen back to the best of the 1960s and you have ample examples of tracks that get into the head and stay there forever. I am not suggesting artists today are devoid of fun and excitement – as I have alluded to several times – but I think there are fewer modern examples of big songs with big hearts. I am not necessarily referring to House tracks but look back at the girl groups of the 1990s and early part of the last decade; some of the big club tunes that were around at the end of the 1990s and a few of the finest cuts from this year – the likes of Lizzo, Hot Chip and Sigrid have brought bags of hooks and bright moments.
Look at the best albums of the past couple of years and it seems, at least, there is greater attention paid to urgency in a more personal and political form. Maybe, too, artists are thinking more about using sound as a collage or tapestry; a mores sophisticated and less commercial sound. I do admit that a lot of the Pop mainstream and newcomers rely on the same sound: the plastic vocals and robotic lyrics; a template that is utterly lacking in charm, interest and originality. I love albums from Cate Le Bon (Reward), Weyes Blood (Titanic Rising) and Billie Eilish (When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?) but I do feel the strength of those records lies away from hooks and something instantly gratifying. Some might say their sounds are more mature than a lot of the music I have just described but is modern music more about building layers and mood rather than something free, unleashed and hook-laden? There is enough evidence to suggest that, over the past decade, music has sort of lacked real variety. I do think a lot of the best modern artist are trying to buck this trend by writing really interesting, rich and detailed songs but, in order to avoid being seen as meaningless or samey, are artists avoiding songs with hooks, bright choruses and sumptuous melodies? I do feel like artists such as Lizzo are a rarity in the modern scene.
I have a lot of time for most music but I do sort of miss the fun times; songs that got us moving because of their common codas, pure messages and the way they made us feel. A lot of modern music interests me and engages my imagination but very little sticks around and compels me to sing along or move. Maybe natural evolution and changes in scenes means music as it is now is the new explosion: as important and meaningful as the beats of the past but different in tone. At a time when we are strained and divided, does music need to reflect reality more? Is escapism something we should avoid? I want to bring in that article from The Guardian regarding Good Life and read producer Kevin Saunderson’s recollections:
“Thirty years later, Good Life still instantly gets people dancing and feeling good. It’s funny, because there’s not much to it: a TR-909 drum machine for the beat and a TR-707 for percussion, Casio and Korg keyboards and a sampler. I started with the main riff, imitated it with the bassline, put some strings on it and sent it to Paris. After she added her lyrics, I did a mix and a friend of mine played more keyboards. I wasn’t a trained musician, but I heard notes in my head and found a way of getting them out”.
We are being told music is getting louder, more receptive and over-familiar and I can appreciate how hard it is to stand out and remain relevant at a time when anyone, anywhere can release a track.
Gone are the slinky days when groups like TLC, Destiny’s Child and En Vogue could get you popping with an audacious chorus; the halcyon times when songs had quality and depth but they also boasted hooks and an explosive energy. I do think there is a desire for fun, boisterous and captivating songs that, whilst fairly simple, do make you feel better. As I say, I think modern music is great and one cannot say the quality has declined lately – in fact, I think the sheer variety and standard is staggering. In order to create structure, original expression and something personal, the universality of music has declined. By that, I mean a lot of the great tracks of the past were about coming together and feeling good. Even if they talked about love, artists were able to speak from the heart but speak to the masses and ensure there was a smile on the face. This interesting article explains how larger Pop writing teams takes away uniqueness; perhaps artists are taking fewer risks. I don’t know but I do think we have crossed from a time when there were a lot of artists penning these emphatic and instantly memorable tracks that one could relate to, but there was this need to capture the mood and move the soul. As I say, I love modern music and think it is a lot more varied and progressive than it has been for many years. Whilst genres are being fused and artists are creating these interesting tracks, I do miss harmonies and melodies; classic tracks with indelible choruses and the sense of release truly great music can provide. At this difficult and divisive time, I think the industry needs these kind of tracks…
PHOTO CREDIT: @joewthompson/Unsplash
MORE than ever.