The State of Music Today...

I know what you're thinking. Oh, how original, it's someone complaining about how terrible most of the modern day "mainstream" music of today is. Well, I'm not here to complain or chastise anyone in particular (besides Nickelback... but they deserve it). And I know it's easy to have the tendency to skim over quotes, but these ones, along with the song lyrics, are definitely worth truly reading and pondering. These boys know what they're talking about. 

"It's the music. People are blown away that Adele is selling so many records. I’m not. That record is great! She’s got a beautiful voice, and people are shocked when they hear actual talent. Music should be more than ad placement, more than synthesised looping of a voice that’s been Auto-Tuned and an image made to look like a superhero or supermodel. We walk on stage with five instruments and no computers. It might not sound perfect, but we’ll rip your face off, and we don’t need someone to hit ‘go’ on the computer. The band’s better than we’ve ever been. We don’t have bad shows. We kill it every night." 
-Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters

Rock & roll is dying because people became OK with Nickelback being the biggest band in the world. So they became OK with the idea that the biggest rock band in the world is always going to be shit – therefore you should never try to be the biggest rock band in the world. Fuck that! Rock & roll is the music I feel the most passionately about, and I don’t like to see it fucking ruined and spoon-fed down our throats in this watered-down, post-grunge crap, horrendous shit. When people start lumping us into that kind of shit, it’s like, ‘Fuck you,’ honestly.
-Patrick Carney of The Black Keys

311 "Come Original"

You got to come original you got to come original

all entertainers come original

you got to come original you got to come original

all entertainers

hear why

A warning to the crews out there who think they're hot

if you're not original rockers you will get shot

down by the kids neglectin' your art, the stuff you did

eventually it get so bad puts you to bed

cause when the lightning flashes sweet electricity

all the world then stands revealed with the clarity

of raw voltage, briefly we see and the hope is

you'll be able to tell just what dope is

(Come on, come on)

This is not a test there's no time to mope

how you gonna cope with radioactive isotope

and boss DJ illness upon you now quickly

infecting you fast upon the airwaves

this message brought to you by the so large system

activate and attune yourself with meditation

and green plants they've got mad life they're sentient

they're beautiful as you and they like to dance

Come original you got to come original

all entertainers come original

311 "Plain"

Nod your head to this.

Messin' around, I'm not having it.

You bite the hand I put your head out.

I come to know a travesty and so sad to see.

The scene dictated frustrated former musicians.

Switching' the emphasis from art to money.

But I demand autonomy what else my friend.

I tell you what 's wrong to me the industry's ability to manufacture stars.

They churn them out like Iwojema makes cars.

But the blame lies not with those suits for trying.

It's the sheep that keep on buying that soulless crap.

Whatever they put in front of ya.

The hysteria of America.

Nod your head to this.

Well, stress is the enemy and not a friend to me.

One thing I see is to be easy goin' throwin' down sit back.

And watch my life flowin' and knowing life is but a dream.

You can ask my home team.

Let me tell you how I seem.

My economy seems to be in words not action actually ya see yes.

I'm a tempest and I rarely rest but that's what you go to do.

If you want to be the best so I'm on a threshold so don't tell me no.

I just flow and know I can count on my bros.

Don't you know that the devil he's in me and God she is too.

My Yin hates my Yang, but what the fuck ya gonna do.

I choose a rocky ass path but that's how I like it.

Life's a bowl of punch go ahead and spike it.

Check out this interview of The Black Keys on selling out: