Why does most new music suck?

Goose, you can't be blamed for turning into your parents, it happens as a consequence, for many, of adapting to habits and ideology over time.

Well I can't say if new music sucks or not because I don't listen to enough of it to make an informed opinion and my mind isn't as much of a "sponge" as it was when I was younger and more receptive, only speaking for myself. I DO believe I am receptive to new music but am generally too lazy to seek it out unless I hear something that captures my attention. What is ALWAYS "way cool" is when I get together with younger folks, namely my neices who are hip to new and my sister who is more in tune because of them. Bottom line is you gotta keep an open mind, you can't generalize a genre that you, on the whole, don't like and you have to seek out lest you won't discover.

Mapman when reading through this thread you made a comment that made me LOL, something about "old men" isolated from the world listening by themselves "in their room" paraphrasing a Brian Wilson tune, listening to their favorite tunes and getting either into the music or the sound, who knows! That is EXACTLY my picture of most audiophiles from my experience and encounters. It's a funny picture when you think of it.

BTW Mapman, Steve Wilson has been around a while, he might be older than you:) I saw them in Orlando a few years back, superb musicians, not enough hooks or pretty boy looks the reason they could never attain mainstream popular status but I REALLY enjoyed them. I went to see because of a friend's recommendation, glad I did.

Rja, mediocrity is the norm for everything, not just music. Interesting enough we always generalize on the 5% exception and compare to the norm of the here and now as we perceive it. A normal tendency I suppose. And when you add in the context of the discussion, mostly middle age gentleman speaking of the current state of the music art that they don't, for the most part explore, the opinions are generally predictable. I'm no critic of the here and now music and my bet is that many of the critics on this thread don't explore it in enough quantity or detail to really offer anything more than an anecdotal opinion based on their general taste than serious listining and critique, lets be honest here. Where are "All the Young Dudes"? come on Dudes, stand up and be counted!

I did check out Ben Howard, now there you go as an example of something that I would deem above mediocrity. Seems like there are plenty of others that listen to this guy as well.