[euge]

Music is just as good and inventive as it ever was. Don't listen to country much at all so that genre is unclear to me but it seems like it's all the same songs thematically as it ever was but more influenced by rock and modern culture. Now the radio tunes in rotation are all metal, hard rock, and funky pop that I listen to while driving and trippy electronic mind f*ck stuff streaming off the web at home. Haven't bought a CD in over ten years.

So I say it's never been better. Currently the main themes of pop are sex and masturbation, drugs, alcohol and dancing. What can out-do that? And the tracks are reaching way back to the hot stuff from the mid-90's, when we were all munching ecstasy and dancing until the sun rose.

[punatic]

I buy CDs as much as possible because they are not protected (you don't need to keep track of the licenses, like with downloads).  Some of the newer stuff I like is not on CDs.  

For you euge:

"What kind of music do you usually have here?"
"Oh we got both kinds - we got country and western!"

[majorvices]

I happen to love mariachi. but apparently I can't spell pinnacle.

that's ok you can tell me about polka and I'll tell you when you've misspelled pinnacle

I have a plate of tortilla chips and guacamole, and a chilled glass of reposado in front of me as I type, so at this point, I'd be rather down with that.  Sad that it is sort of "food music", much like German oompah band music.  In the right context its spot on.

I never hated polka or mariachi, but I wouldn't say that I actively pursued listening to it until a year ago or so.  Now I have a mariachi channel on pandora that I listen to with it in shuffle mode.  I seriously like brass and always have, so polka was a little bit easier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKQixllq1Xc&feature=fvst ah yes...fits both mariachi and polka mood

Interestingly enough (for me, anyway) Mariachi music was influenced by German Oom-pah (aka Volkstümliche Musik also commonly referred to as polka) in the same way that Mexican Beer was influenced by German beer due to a large contingency of German immigrants to Mexico in the 1800's.

[thirsty]

I spent a lot of my childhood listening to polka. My dad must have had a thousand polka tapes. He spent a lot of time cruising in the motor home blasting the polka. He was also in a polka band for a while. After he died, my three brothers and I all inherited an accordion.

[punatic]

Didn't I see him in the movie Home Alone?   

[maxieboy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ5TajZYW6Y

Ya Rickrolled us? 

[beersk]

Music is just as good and inventive as it ever was. Don't listen to country much at all so that genre is unclear to me but it seems like it's all the same songs thematically as it ever was but more influenced by rock and modern culture. Now the radio tunes in rotation are all metal, hard rock, and funky pop that I listen to while driving and trippy electronic mind f*ck stuff streaming off the web at home. Haven't bought a CD in over ten years.

Black metal (the sh!t I listen to) is like this.  There's nothing really cutting edge these days.  And I guess it's like most genres of music: 95% of it is run of the mill sh!t.  But that other 5% is f*cking head bangin'!

Sad that you don't buy music anymore though.  I like to support the bands I'm into, they deserve it.  It's exciting, too, to go to a music store and buy a CD that looks cool, you know the impulse buy thing.  Paying for music, listening to it non-stop for a month, impulse buying, the smell of the CD booklet, reading the lyrics as you're listening to it for the first time; it's all a part of being a music lover.  I hate the digital age, it's spawned a whole generation of careless and spiritless music listeners.  And I guess the same could be said for the iPod, but I actually think that's a good idea.  It's better than carrying 100 of your favorite CD's and a clunky CD player around everywhere.

[boulderbrewer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ5TajZYW6Y

Ya Rickrolled us? 

Just saw the Family Guy where we were Rickrolled!

[dimik]

#12 is just horrifying indeed.

Devaluation of talent in music is exactly why I'm simultaneously delving into symphonic metal, folk metal, traditional celtic, and ancient-medieval church chants. At least those are original, carry a lot of meaning and are melodically very much related.

[denny]

no mariachi fans here i guess

I love mariachi, klezmer, and polka!

This is fantastic....

http://youtu.be/GCu2XMTU76s

[thirsty]

And the modern version!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBKdOiGjqcY&feature=related

[jaybeerman]

I love mariachi, klezmer, and polka!

This is fantastic....

http://youtu.be/GCu2XMTU76s

And the modern version!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBKdOiGjqcY&feature=related

now we're talking denny!  love it.  you too thirsty, I like the lost shoe (late in the song)

[rabid_dingo]

no mariachi fans here i guess

I have to throw this one in. Especially since the last wedding reception I attended in Mexico went well past 4:00 am when I tired out...Damn they know how to party!



http://youtu.be/7G-U82PriO0
Description says this was performed in Japan...

[morticaixavier]

And I guess the same could be said for the iPod, but I actually think that's a good idea.  It's better than carrying 100 of your favorite CD's and a clunky CD player around everywhere.

I read an article a coupel of years ago regarding iPods, downloads, etc. Apparently a study was performed that showed 'young' people (younger than me that is so 20's and down) actually prefer the low-fi digital sound of an MP3 to the rich full analog sound you get from an old fashioned record or even a high sample rate CD. Perhaps this has something to do with the lack of interest in highly complex musical styles.

[beersk]

And I guess the same could be said for the iPod, but I actually think that's a good idea.  It's better than carrying 100 of your favorite CD's and a clunky CD player around everywhere.

I read an article a coupel of years ago regarding iPods, downloads, etc. Apparently a study was performed that showed 'young' people (younger than me that is so 20's and down) actually prefer the low-fi digital sound of an MP3 to the rich full analog sound you get from an old fashioned record or even a high sample rate CD. Perhaps this has something to do with the lack of interest in highly complex musical styles.

Don't doubt that one bit.  I guess either way, as long as you can connect and identify with the music, than sound quality can be compromised.  I guess people can connect and identify with gangster rap, which I don't understand why, but whatever floats your boat.  I connect more with some of the ideologies of black metal, and metal in general.  Although some of it is just plain stupid.