Think back to classic bands of the 60s and 70s. Almost as soon as a song begins, it can be identified as belonging to Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Jethro Tull, The Beach Boys, Queen, Santana hell, even ABBA. Whoever it is, theres a particular guitar tone, vocal giveaway, or some other cue that reveals the artist, even if youve never heard the song. Its called having an identity, and its something sorely lacking in modern pop music. Just try telling the difference between Nickelback and Three Doors Down. Production values have become so homogenised that just about everybodys distorted electric guitar sounds exactly the same. Theres a flatness to the sound, where every instrument is either being pushed through with pathetic overdrive or, in the case of so many indie bands, suffering from a kind of quiet lethargy either way, hardly anything really distinguishes itself. The identity crisis is so bad that numerous artists simply take to sampling older songs, adding their own obnoxious dubstep beat underneath it and hoping they don't get sued. Lyrically, things dont get any better. Its hard not to become nostalgic for 60s rock when you consider the political potency of that decade. From the Beatles to CCR, songs reflected the times and frequently served as a call to action. Now, even as the worlds many problems have become more transparent and unavoidable, very few artists seem interested in making a statement on it at all.
Kyle Schmidlin is a writer and musician living in Austin, TX. He manages the news blog at thirdrailnews.wordpress.com. Follow him at facebook.com/kyleschmidlin or twitter.com/kyleschmidlin1.
