[SynthethicalY]

Originally Posted by sonicl

Just to go off-topic a little: Is ANYONE actually being all that innovative in music these days? Most "new" music these days is rehashing or modernising music from the late 1960s (folk), mid 1970s (noise/industrial), or early 1980s (post-punk/no wave). There doesn't seem to be anything going on that is totally without precedent.

That is a good question, but isn't also rehashing an old idea, and making it better or adding a twist, innovative?

[sonicl]

But I'm not sure that I do see any adding of twists. Using new technology, maybe, but no twisting.

[SynthethicalY]

I see, in your opinion which artist is the closest?

[fugazifan]

Originally Posted by sonicl

Just to go off-topic a little: Is ANYONE actually being all that innovative in music these days? Most "new" music these days is rehashing or modernising music from the late 1960s (folk), mid 1970s (noise/industrial), or early 1980s (post-punk/no wave). There doesn't seem to be anything going on that is totally without precedent.

here is a better question, has anybody ever been really innovative then? is there one band that totally reinvented music by making a sound that has no predecessors?
cause even in the 60's, and 70's and 80's, the music that was brilliants, came from somewhere else.
as stravinsky said (paraphrasing)
in order to innovate one must take the old, and make it new....
i cannot think of one band who's sound came from completely out of the blue...

[fugazifan]

Originally Posted by Cantankerous

do david lee roth and art garfunkel spit fire or blood? i think not.
not to mention that kiss wins by a landslide just because paul stanley is possibly the ugliest man on the planet.

thats true (although gene simmons is worse)

[sonicl]

Originally Posted by SynthethicalY

I see, in your opinion which artist is the closest?

You want a current artist that stops me in my tracks and makes me think, "Wow, I've never heard anything like that before"? I'm going to have to take some time to think about that. I'll tell you later - probably much later.

[Cantankerous]

Originally Posted by fugazifan

thats true (although gene simmons is worse)

he has a cute son though
and i still think paul stanley is way uglier than gene simmons by virtue of the fact that he is just not normal looking.

Originally Posted by Norma J

I like music from all over the world. I could care less which country with similar population produces the most hits or whatever.

My thoughts, exactly.

[Cantankerous]

if this is gonna turn into a serious discussion i'm going to have to agree with norma j and porky. there is good music everywhere.

[davenotdead]

hell na, let's not get all peaceful now...this is straight up GB vs. USA.

[Norma J]

and you live in Australia.

[Cantankerous]

paix!
who wants to touch my silky blonde hair?

[sonicl]

I'd rather touch a British girl's silky blonde hair. British haircare products are so much better than American.

[Cantankerous]

Originally Posted by sonicl

I'd rather touch a British girl's silky blonde hair. British haircare products are so much better than American.

bitch! VO5 is the greatest product mankind has ever seen.

 

[sonicl]

It's not very innovative though, is it?

[Cantankerous]

no. it's been wearing the same damn outfit for 30 years.
and it can't play guitar for shit.

[sonicl]

Here, have some rep, and we'll call it quits, okay? I need to try to concentrate on my work for a bit.

[pbradley]

Naturally I am slightly biased to American music since I was born on the continent but I don't know if it is any better than British tunes. Sure I know many of the big name British bands that make it over the sea but I assume there are many amazing lesser known Brit groups that I don't have the means of learning about. Strangely enough, the internet helps me learn more about American bands than British (shitty American bands are more likely to exploit myspace to broadcast their ear poison?). I guess what I'm saying is the buffer between myself and good British music is a relatively thick one which makes me want to answer "I don't know." I'm very aware of how buffers on music can both emphasize great bands as well as overlook great bands. It's the nature of all mainstream/underground dynamics and the British dynamic is made even more suspicious because of the Atlantic Ocean and all things associated.

So the answer is "I don't know" followed quickly with "I don't really care."

[Glice]

Originally Posted by pbradley

So the answer is "I don't know" followed quickly with "I don't really care."

Yes, this answer is the right one I'm sure.

With regards sonicl's question: Innovation is where you find it, methinks. I'm still reeling from Kaija Sariaaho personally, and Xenakis still blows a lot of things out of the water. Spectralism isn't the only 'new' movement of the last 30 years or so, but it's a good 'un. Haco's bugscape is a pretty brilliant record, and I'm not sure anyone else is doing things like that, but then someone else might listen to it and not hear what I hear. Unfortunately, much as it pains me, the early lower-case improvisers were pretty radical (Sugimoto/ Malfatti), but from that side of things it's only really Nmpereign that interest me. Also, Vault by Wastell/ Mattin threw me off quite a bit, there's not many records doing that sort of thing. And Xasthur/ Nortt blew me away last year. Again though, one man's 'radical music' is another man's tepid bollocks, as we saw with NNCK at ATP.

[atsonicpark]

Well, I live in America, too, but I can't be biased when it comes to pleasuring my ears... I don't think there's anything here that isn't PROBABLY being done better in Japan. I mean, there's no band here who sounds like Boredoms or Blam Honey or Plus-Tech Squeezebox or Aki Tsuyoko or Space Streakings or any of those other crazy bands. And even stuff like Zazen Boys is better than any of the so-called "math rock" stuff we have here... But since I dont' live there, so I don't know if it has better jazz, rap, and other genres other folks might be more knowledgable of..

And whoever said that "great music is everywhere", yeah that's true, but that's kind of a crappy and easy answer... It always sucks when someone answers like that in a thread; to me, the facts are pretty clear: Japan has a MUCH larger population, so it kinda wins by default.. but, really, it is just filled to the brim with SO MANY amazing and innovative musicians!

Yes, there still is innovation out there; I'm not sure if any genre has been completely sapped of innovative ideas, though certainly I haven't heard any bands recently where I've just been blown away to the point of going, 'Wow, I've never heard ANYTHING like this.' For the record, music that HAS just blown me away when I first heard it because of how innovative it was, I think of stuff like White Noise, The Residents, Harry Partch, Captain Beefheart, Boredoms, Omoide Hatoba, Melt Banana (I heard them when I was 14 so it was pretty nuts back then), Thinking Fellers Union Local # 282, and Silver Apples... I'm sure other musicians, when I first heard them, amazed me, but the artists I just listed made my jaw drop..

So yeah, I dunno. Most of my favorite artists are American, but that's only because I'm more knowledable of America (so, I guess in a way, I do have an unintended bias). But from what I can tell, Japanese artists seem a bit more focused on innovating. And that's very important to me. So yeah.

Actually, forget what I just replied with, I think pbradley's response is better. Ahem..

So the answer is "I don't know" followed quickly with "I don't really care."