Two questions I've found myself asking recently. After trudging through the thick canopy of genre misplacement and elusive lyrical connotations, I feel we are at a point of no return in the music industry. Much of what I have seen in the past ten years has either been repeated till it becomes stale, or boldly claims a territory as its own without realising it was already claimed by someone's Dad decades ago. I call it the moldy bread blues - the merging into our predecessors fading image.
Don't get me wrong though, this doesn't mean I have personally, lost hope. There are always going to be artists that truly understand the importance of balancing originality and humility. I find inspiration every day from artists with way more experience and influence than I'll ever have. The way I see it is to just create what you want to create without adhering to the standards of the industry or the consumer. Get your feelings out there and ask questions later. Not producing music for personal gain, to get the most people to like you. Making music for yourself and to inspire others in a genuine, true to yourself kind of way. Reality is stranger than fiction and the world needs honesty to survive. Some would probably shoo that statement. "It's about how it makes you think and feel, not about changing the world." This, I understand but also understanding the role of music in influencing culture and innovation is imperative. This is true, no matter what you hope to achieve. You want to build a legacy, influence and inspire great minds, restore some facet of what you perceive the rose tinted past to have been like, or perhaps just have fun without treading on anothers coat so to speak - learn music history and set goals. It's very important.
I haven't personally seen a community more connected and insightful than that of music enthusiasts. Except maybe tribal communities but if you've seen a documentary or five, you know they gots musics too... There really is a lot of potential for positive change in the coming together of people for a purpose, elevating consciousness. Genres, though divisive in some aspects, are an example of this because they bring people together under a common banner. Think the punk scene. All spiked hair and metal studs and angst. Their motives for anarchistic rule drove to some real changes in the world. The 60's movement reciprocated the needs of an ever-changing society. It changed the world forever. Even when the lyrics of songs were not overtly aimed towards the objection of social conditions and a call to improve them, music was, and always has been, molded by the conditions of the socio-cultural moment.
It could be that we are just on the cusp of many new and exciting auditory escapades and these experimental times are simply growing pains. It could be that we are all looking out into a foggy horizon and when the veil is lifted, beneath lies a clearer path. All the advice I would give to aspiring songwriters searching for their sound would be - the branches of the tree may be thick but never forget the depth of its roots. The arts have always been of fluctuating influence and with the rate of change in technology and the changes in the way we appreciate and relate to artistic creations, it's no wonder exciting new music may be difficult to come across for some people. Truth is, everything is evolving. At least in my eyes. You are what you eat I guess...
Artists might try a little harder not to release an amalgamation of pretentious drivel, masquerading their sonic media to the beat of its own drum. Just as writers like myself should always strive to find meaning in the madness and stay in service to others instead of feeding our own egos.
Keep going.
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