FEATURE:
Melody Maker
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Modern Music and a Deficit of Memorable Hooks and Big Choruses
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SOME may argue against my assertion…
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that modern music is missing something in the way of memorable hooks and catchy choruses. I do not feel that Pop music alone is to blame. Whilst I feel that modern music is hugely impressive and vastly varied, I can struggle to name too many songs that have grabbed me with a great melody or a beefy chorus! Maybe this is to do with the flood of new music and how it is harder to process everything. When I was young, I was buying more music than I do now, debatably. I was experiencing artists purely through the radio and music T.V., so it was easier to narrow down and focus; it was harder for artists to get a stoplight and listenership compared to today. I think that music now is as interesting as any time in history. Streaming and social media means that pretty much anyone can post any music. This means, for the music love, that there is so much choice! One need not exclusively listen to radio to find their new favourite artists. I guess there is an argument to suggest that quantity has sacrificed some form of quality. I am not arguing against the quality of modern music. I think that is a subjective thing. One can debate modern music is stronger than any other year; someone else can have an opposite viewpoint. I do think that Pop music especially has strengthened over the past couple of years in some ways. Whilst there is not a return to the more joyful sound we experienced years ago – maybe going back to the mid-‘00s for the end of that period -, there is slightly more positivity and less introspection (though there is still not enough upbeat).
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Perhaps artists have to feel they have to be more personal or immediate in order to get attention in a hugely competitive market. I have no end of appreciation for the inventiveness of modern music and how artists continue to push boundaries. I am not sure about other people, but most of the music I remember from my childhood and teenager years possessed a U.S.P. Whether that was a joyful chorus that made you sing along or a melodic sensibility that instantly lodged in the memory, I feel there is less of that now. I cannot recall many songs from the past few years that have provided me a joyful rush or I keep spinning because there is this addictive hook. There are articles that suggest modern Pop is dreadful; others point to research that says Pop is sadder and slower. I do think that, since these articles were published, there has been a minor recovery and rehabilitation in Pop music. Look wider afield to other genres and tastes and one is not short of fast and fresh music that aims to get the listener engaged and moving. I feel one of the big issues is that there is so much music around today, one can miss a genuinely captivating track in a sea of alternative options. In a wider sense, there has been a turn away from more joyful and positive music. This article of 2018 talks about music becoming wordier and more homogenous.
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To me, Pop music is still suffering from a lack of diversity, whereas the rest of the sound spectrum is pretty broad and eclectic. My big downer on modern music is the disappearance and decline of genres that were synonymous with hooks and insatiably melodies. There are great modern artists injecting Disco into their work but, as a scene, that sort of died out in the 1980s. The same is true of Funk and Soul. Comparing Pop trends, and the 1980s and 1990s were more uplifting and hook-rich than, say, most of the Pop music from the past twenty years (I would argue Pop was still golden until about 2005; there was a distinct drop after that). You could argue that modern politics and the state of the world is hardly the best inspiration for music that is bright and optimistic! The world has always been in a bad state and, through every decade, we have had to face challenges and enormous upheaval! Also, I am not strictly talking about Pop music and upbeat sounds. Time was when Rock music was at the forefront and one could find plenty of catchy licks and riffs. My main reason for writing this feature was to see whether, twenty years from now, a lot of what we are listening to now will be passed down to the next generation. I think the best albums of the past couple of decades will endure and inspire. I think albums such as To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar (released in 2015) is one of the greatest records ever.
I think songs like Only for Tonight by Pearl Charles are examples of shining lights. I would love to hear more tracks like this - as this lodges in the head and has plenty of energy and delight! I know there are other similar songs around, but I would say that this track is one of the more memorable, melodically-pleasing and hook-fantastic of recent times. I shall wrap things up soon. Many might disagree with what I have said regarding modern music. Maybe an evolution and shift is a good thing. I like how artists have put sounds of 1980s Pop and classic Disco into their songs but, with this being fairly uncommon, I do think there is a bit of a void. There is nothing to suggest that a post-pandemic music scene will continue as it is now. We might see a new sort of Britpop wave or an interesting new movement that catches us all by surprise. I wanted to discuss melody, hooks and choruses, as I have not seen many current articles that investigate it. If anyone has examples of songs that might give me pause for thought then let me know. As I say, it can be hard keeping abreast of everything and discovering new gems. Perhaps we will see new styles, genres and sounds pop up in the next few years that place greater emphasis on classic melodies and choruses that you recall years from now. One can never rule this out so, if that were to happen, it would be…
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VERY interesting to see.