So, the other day, my sister described a song she heard on the radio as being "very '80s" due to the prevalent use of synthesizers. And it got me thinking.
In the '80s, the use of synthesizers was at its peak, and it has since then, slowly declined in popularity. Sort of.
And, if history is as cyclical as I think it is, and if I'm as good a predictor of trends as I think I am, the same thing will happen with that worst of music devices, Auto-Tune.
See, right now we have all of these artists experimenting with Auto-Tuning, some of whom shamelessly display it (I'm looking at you, T-Pain). And we all bemoan the current state of affairs, wondering why, oh why, do we have to be aurally assaulted by these pseudo-robotic voices? Do we want our "Aughts" culture to be remembered by posterity for, of all things, this musical abortion? Well, I submit to you, that in a few years, this whole thing will die down. Auto-Tuning will still be around, I have no doubt, but it will be nowhere near as ubiquitous as it currently is. In thirty years, we will look back, and hear a song from this era on the radio, and decry it as sounding "so aughts" (or whatever we will refer to the decade as... early 2000s, perhaps? or the "o"s?). I dread this day, the day when my current generation's music is played on the "Oldies" station. But I digress.
Auto-Tuning will inevitably fade to the background, perhaps to be used as mere touching-up, or to achieve a specific effect (i.e. creepy, soulless-sounding singers(which, admittedly, could artistically work, depending on the song)). But, again, great predictor of trends that I am, a great deal of this generation's music will fall by the wayside. We pine for generations past, when there was nothing but good music, while we forget that there was plenty of bad music back then, it's simply that the good stuff survived, while the bad stuff faded into obscurity. One can only hope that the likes of Fergie will become that "faded into obscurity" music.
I have great hope for the future of music. Sort of.
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Down with robot singers!! I hope your predictions are right--they sound promising. And "so 80s"...*sigh* :)
ReplyDeleteYours in Auto-Tune hating,
Tara xo
I agree 100%. And not only will the 2000s be known for the shitty way Auto-Tune was used, but that there was a complete lack of artistry in music. Popular music is cranked out for the money. No one "plays" an instrument anymore. Drum machines are ubiquitous. Oh, so-and-so plays the guitar on her albums because she is photographed holding one? Then why on the song credits are there 5 more guitarists in the background? People don't seem to respect talent; they respect image.
ReplyDeleteReturn to classics! Return to baroque! Their music is 3-400 years old and still has a huge following. Let's start cranking out music that has a history *that* long.
Alex