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> Modern music is a mirror image of the internet culture as well. Blasted with as many synth hooks and processed vocal melodies as possible. This seems a little bit like a fist-shaking "back in my day!" kind of judgemental statement. Music is a matter of taste and what you're approaching here doesn't relate to the topic.
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Modern music is a mirror image of the internet culture as well. Blasted with as many synth hooks and processed vocal melodies as possible. I was recently turned onto this band called Wand. If you want to feel some delicious space in a song, check out Scarecrow by Wand. The video is amazingly simple too. The constant bombardment of shit is so real though. I want to spend time with my wife and kid. Sometimes it's hard…
"Modern music is a mirror image of the internet culture as well. Blasted with as many synth hooks and processed vocal melodies as possible" I don't know if that's entirely fair- orchestras have always been quite overwhelming to the senses, as have choirs and organs, IMO. Swing dance music is also quite fast and filled. Similarly, in my music spheres, minimalism is quite familiar- popular music "unplugged" has made a…
But those were rare, special events which people went to a lot of trouble to attend. Between those orchestral performances, people had to make their own music. Contrast that with today, when orchestral music can be background noise somewhere, accorded no special value.
> Modern music is a mirror image of the internet culture as well. Blasted with as many synth hooks and processed vocal melodies as possible. This seems a little bit like a fist-shaking "back in my day!" kind of judgemental statement. Music is a matter of taste and what you're approaching here doesn't relate to the topic.
The thing that makes it sound so much like a fist-shaking "back in my day" is that it reduces modern music to popular, heavily-promoted, commercially-successful popular music. There is money to be made out of superficial music, fit for consumption as a background to parties and dance, tailored for the least common denominator in terms of intellect. But that has always been the case; nostalgia aside, the "current" mus…
I can't help but roll my eyes when people say that 80s music was bad. Sure, popular music was an abomination (when hasn't it?); but even if you searched a bit you would have found great music lurking in the shadows.
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I highly recommend this episode of the art of manliness podcast if you like that kind of things: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/fire-watcher-philip-...
Adding in: read Dharma Bums, which partially involves fire watching.
> Modern music is a mirror image of the internet culture as well. Blasted with as many synth hooks and processed vocal melodies as possible. This seems a little bit like a fist-shaking "back in my day!" kind of judgemental statement. Music is a matter of taste and what you're approaching here doesn't relate to the topic.
> Music is a matter of taste I'm mostly with you with one exception. If there's one thing that may be objectively evolved, it is the power of the raw human singing voice. With all its expressivity, dynamics, range, colours, individualism, and overtones. I claim that anyone who studies carefully the pure sound of the voice and what it is capable of will always hear synth vocals as superficial. (I don't care genre, whe…
Techniques like additive, FM, and physical modeling synthesis have opened up whole new worlds of musical possibilities to explore. The combination of synths with vocals only widens the expressivity, range, color, and ultimately individualism that voice alone can accomplish. For every autotuned vocal track in bad taste there are just as many creative uses of vocoders, talk boxes, filters and samplers that enhance creative expression.
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Humans were built like this. We must spend time going back to our ape surroundings. Give yourself at least an hour to walk through wilderness with no music, no celphone, just walk and take nature in. God is in nature.
I would absolutely love to take a few hours to relax stroll through a remote peaceful strip of nature or land, but the problem is it all either: - a public park with too many people / other distractions - and individuals private property - a corporations private / leased property
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Counterpoints to "being bored made me awesome" that spring to mind immediately: You would be in a different place, and whether it's better or worse is unknowable. For every person inspired to greatness (or okayness) by boredom, there is someone driven to drug addiction by boredom.
You'll note that I did not say it made me awesome, nor did I suggest anyone else should do it. In fact, I even added the "(mis)fortune)" to point out the obvious negative aspect to my statement. I literally just said those factors got me to where I am today. I did not imply where I am now is better than an alternative.
From: http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html > 3. Boredom and drudgery are evil. > Hackers (and creative people in general) should never be bored or have to drudge at stupid repetitive work, because when this happens it means they aren't doing what only they can do — solve new problems. This wastefulness hurts everybody. Therefore boredom and drudgery are not just unpleasant but actually evil. > To behave lik…
IMHO, this is just different defininiton of boring, as in "doing this repetitive shit is boring and I would be better off automating it and doing something challenging" vs "being alone with my thoughts rather than consuming delicious Internet information is so boring, let me just mindlessly scroll HN instead".
If it weren't for the crushing boredom of the suburbs when I was a child, I might not have learned how to program computers. I would never have thought so much about spaceships. The original Star Wars trilogy wouldn't have been nearly as cool to discover. I also play traditional music, though boredom wasn't part of my discovering that. However, silence was a big part of traditional music, in the past. You need empty…
I urge you to listen to Aggaloch Falling Snow and Limbs. Listen with an open mind. It's very atmospheric. In another genre is Field Divisions Modest Mountains.
Absolutely lovely music, but some of their music is more black metal. Not as accessible, but the albums the recommended songs listen to are easy to get into.
Also, for anyone wondering what the hell is going on in the intro to limbs, it's actually an e-bow, this weird magnetic gadget that slowly swells guitars strings. Makes it sound rather orchestral :) I believe either Muse or Radiohead make heavy use of it too.
EDIT: forgot to mention, check out Mogwai! Not that similar, but it's instrumental and great for getting in the zone!