samedi 20 Mai 2006, 12h10m

It's one of the things that strikes me as I listen through my collection, be it mp3s, CDs, or vinyl…music, and rock in particular, has always been innovative. There's always been someone doing something different, pushing the envelope, making us notice them by the tracks they put on a record. Or so the story goes….

I notice a disturbing lessening of this as time goes on. I hate to be one of 'those people', but it's an unavoidable observation, and it's hard to ignore: With each passing decade, the innovation and uniqueness has disappeared little by little, and it seems we're being left with a cookie cutter formula for musical success, one that few artists are willing (able?) to stray from. It's saddening, really. And maybe wrong. Perhaps my daughter will take a look back 20 years from now and miss the wild variety in music from the 2000-2010 era.

I just know, when I listen to Animals, A Wizard, A True Star, or Dark Side of the Moon, I really miss the days when musicians and groups were more known for what they did on stage and in the studio than they were for who they just divorced, or for which politician they despise. Maybe it's just nostalgia. Maybe my age skews my vision. But the albums I mentioned (not exclusively, but they're prime examples) have something in them that seems to have been lost over time.

Am I alone in thinking this way?