Banality

“Today’s music is all just noise.” Haven’t we all heard someone say this at one point or the other? And do we disagree? Music is critical to the existence of humanity. I would go far enough to say that it is the most consumed form of art; from parties to elevators, quietness has been wiped from the face of earth. As people have gotten and continue to get access to platforms that have the entire world watching, music continues to become a livelihood for more and more people. But dare I say it shouldn’t have? I could write “I am feeling sad today”, slap on a 4-by-4 beat with the same 3 chords playing over it and as long as enough people are feeling as sad as me, I can guarantee that it will go viral.   I have seen memes about dogs that say their ancestors could tear apart animals with their bare teeth, and puppies these days would throw up water. But that’s what is happening to us too, isn’t it? We cannot tolerate something unless we know exactly what is in it, and that it agrees with us. Cancel culture, relatability, inspired music that's simply the same tune remade with paraphrased lyrics. Are the artists really telling their own story in a different way, or are we just a generation of consumers that has gone limp?

“There is no poetry in songs these days.” The institutions of art have become places of simply selling what the audience craves, and of course, AI is gonna put those artists out of jobs as well. Because nothing about any music being thrust down our throats through every avenue of consumption is unique. May I say on some level, its creating a hive mind? Do we really not have “a single unique experience”, or is it just something mainstream media institutions are flooding our feeds with under the tag of “relatability”? We have lost the ability to perceive, interpret, explore, and find what we resonate with. To me, the beauty about art is not just consuming it, it's the search, the roaming, the browsing, and finally finding the one work that truly resonates with what we feel. As we eradicate that entire journey of finding something ourselves, just ours, we get spoiled, weak, and the value that is held for that piece that we so painstakingly found also disappears.