State of Music

The other day, while driving around, I was listening to some old heavy metal when I decided that I needed a change. I went through my collection and found Harry Chapin’s Greatest Hits Live disc. Putting it in and listening, I found myself doing something that I rarely do these days – listening to the lyrics intently. For the most part, music has been for me a simple backdrop during the Long Drive Home (until the end of last year), something to listen to while on the PATCO line, or something at work to drown out the background noise. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy music intently but when I’m working I quite often end up going through half an album without realizing it (ADD, take me away!). In this case, as the disc played though once, then twice (I said it was a long drive) I found it amazing how good a songwriter he was. Intelligent lyrics woven into a tapestry of music, interwined delicately and (mostly) perfectly.

The disc title was incredibly apt, as Chapin was a masterful storyteller, a weaver of tales akin to the Navajo or the Australian Aborigines. Many band create great music, but so few these days can create a masterpiece of melody and lyrical excellence the way he did.

Which made me think – what’s happened? Have corporate interests turned the musical landscape into a hodge-podge of interchangeable acts that stress homogeneity and simplicity that songwriters struggle under the onus of creating that radio hit – their souls being the collateral of success?

I listen to WXPN, a station well-known for its music choices – an eclectic mixture of old classics, up-and-comers, and fringe musicians ignored by the RIAA power brokers. But even they’re choices seem to fall short of the expert prose penned by Chapin. There are some great acts out there – John Mayer, Jack Johnson and even Nellie McKay from the Gen-X crowd, along with holdovers like Bob Dylan, the late Warren Zevon and John Gorka. But the greater piece of the modern musical landscape is almost Orwellian in its homogeneity, swapping slang and junk rhymes for the story, for catchy riff that will sell.

I find it interesting to look back at what we had – Chapin, Dylan, the Guthries, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell and Donald Fagen/Walter Becker – masters at matching intelligent, thoughtful words to beautiful music. Not all of it was classic even then, but the true masters no longer seem to be around – maybe a song or two here or there, but not a consistently strong product.

I’m a fan of the singer-songwriter genre, probably because I hold lyrical talent as a major quality in my favorite music. I still find some completely inane lyrical tunes great because of their pure musical quality – there’s always a place for a good riff during a strong chorus. And there are some that come close, although they are usually not found on the macro labels (Ani DiFranco comes to mind) – but I miss the masters from the past.

With the music scene becoming so cluttered with XYZ Band singing such intelligent wonders as “I M, R U 2” and “Yeah, Yeah Baby”, there are bound to be up-and-coming artists that fit what I’m looking for. But where are they?
For now, here are my favorite songwriter-singers – that is, those who added great music to lyrics that weren’t generated by a Matrix or the blues song generator but instead chosen to weave a story, a tale that would endure. Here you go (not in any particular order):

  • Harry Chapin
  • Joan Baez
  • Ani DiFranco
  • Simon and Garfunkle
  • Indigo Girls
  • Bob Dylan
  • Jack Johnson
  • Billy Joel / Elton John
  • Walter Becker/Donald Fagen
  • Van Morrison
  • Jimmy Buffett (honorable mention)

And here are some lesser-known ones that I’ve found have put out some great songs that I’ve enjoyed. They may not stack up to the names above, but are worth a listen nonetheless:

  • Brandi Carlilie
  • Dar Williams
  • Alexei Murdock
  • Gabe Dixon
  • Keri Noble
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2 Responses to “State of Music

  • I have seen Ani DiFranco in concert! She was great! But, great choice in music! Thanks for the link to the Ecological Niches article!

  • I think that to a certain extent, you’re right and music has become pretty generic, at least on the level of the major labels. But that’s really nothing new, and I’ve never been one to rely on the radio to find new music.

    Another thing you have to remember is that for every classic artist, there are probably 1000 other artists who were active at the same time, and who haven’t been remembered because their music was … well, unmemorable. We only remember the good artists.

    That being said, it can be pretty hard to find good musicians. I think my taste runs a little on the weird side, but some currently active singer/songwriters I like:

    – Richard Buckner (can be depressing)
    – T Bone Burnett (weird)
    – Nick Cave (more rock/alternative-oriented but brilliant songwriting)
    – Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Ballad Of The Broken Seas (I’ve heard some of Campbell’s other stuff and not been impressed; Lanegan’s other material is great, too)
    – Paul Simon’s latest album, “Surprise,” with Brian Eno, is good stuff

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