"Music"

It's sad for someone my age to look back and know how incredibly amazing music was, and live through how incredibly insufferable music is becoming. Forty or so years ago you had the Beatles, the Police, Faces, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Jeff Beck, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan and other artists who put blood, sweat, and tears into their music. They pushed boundaries. They didn't settle for average; they wanted to be the best and most unique at their craft. It's the reason they are still selling records today. Maybe bands these days are trying their hardest. Maybe they were just born less talented. Either way, it's pretty terrifying. Now we're left with Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, The Pussycat Dolls, and... Sean Kingston? Who will even remember them or care in five years, let alone forty? Hearing a portion of "Beautiful Girls" back to back with Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" just drives home the point once again: Music has turned into "music." Selling an image has far surpassed selling a melody, harmony, or lyrical ingenious. No one cares to be talented or respected anymore... they just want to be beautiful, rich, and famous.

This Thanksgiving I thought about how I am thankful for the handful of contemporary artists that do care about music, who include but are not limited to the Goo Goo Dolls, Collective Soul, Matchbox Twenty, Fiona Apple, John Mayer, and Butch Walker:

"Stand By Me" VS. "Beautiful Girls"

I could get so much more in depth on this subject, but I don't have 24 hours to sit and write about it. So I'll leave it at that.