I, for the longest time, never understood the electronic side of music. Speaking now, I still firmly know that I comprehend next to nothing about it, and trying to sound smart in the slightest will be writing a check my ass can't cash. That's why I'm not going to sit here and tell you who you should try, but rather, why it would seem as though you're not going to have a choice in the matter in the future.
As most of you have noticed (if not, how does the bottom of that rock look?), pop music has taken a dramatic swing into electronica lately. And much to my chargrin, has ruined any chance of allowing a fresh start into what I would consider the "good stuff". At least I won't have to explain instrumental styles and the bare bones of it all, so I won't complain too much. It's truly a marvel at how much it has engrained itself in a such a short period of time, where use of a vocodor is almost second nature. It's the fresh thing to do.
It's not just pop music either. Bands like Linkin Park, who already had the electronic tinge in the past, have started to fully embrace it and create something new. Which from a music fan's perspective, I absolutely love. As another example, Korn has decided since they already claimed to have "started dubstep" (oh really?), have made an almost entirely electronic album with their latest LP (all signs point to it as being awful). Still, as with all of the mainstream, their is a lack of comprehension of what should be done to make the music better.
From the top down, these ventures into electronic music can seem new and different. The rock bands are doing things they've never attempt before, and the pop stars have a equally as catchy backdrop to sing their sugary sweet chorus hooks over. Yet when you strip it down and listen close, you're left with nothing. It sounds cold and lonely, with nothing bringing any warmth whatsoever into the fray. Honestly, this is where the ball is being dropped the most. The atmospheric potential of this genre of music is basically limitless, and the mainstream yet again decides to dumb it down and ruin perfectly good potential. But hey, let's not complain about things we can't change, but rather enjoy the ones who have already done things right.
It's here that I bring myself back to my statement from earlier, about the unavoidableness of it all. The singer/songwriters of today aren't just sitting with their guitars anymore, but rather are crafting things through electronics (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens). Metalcore bands such as Underoath and hardcore acts like Refused use the electronics between songs and as introductions to add a seemlessness that was never really found before. Oh, and Radiohead does it good too (but they do everything good, so take that as you will). Every year it creeps more and more into the foundation of our music. So we better start getting used to it.
As I don't know too much about the actual specifics of the genres, I'll just leave you with some cool music that shows what can be done with electronic music if done right. As always, follow me on twitter at @calebuseswords and feedback is wholly appreciated. Thanks!
-Caleb, who was going to originally name this post "The Electronic Penetration" but thought better of it.
