Is this a reoccuring theme?

[Shu]

For new or even older artists have you noticed the same trend as me lately? The trend being, they put out a good cd, amazing in fact and then all of the sudden completely change their stuff up and go a new direction with it.

Artist numero uno:

Audioslave (broke up though) - They put out their first CD in which was self titled. It was... amazing, and I know some of you Sound Garden or Rage against the Machines fan boys might have hated their stuff, but if you give music a chance.. to me it was like a colab of bands.

Artist number two:

Linkin Park - Yes I said it, they had a good first cd. After that they died, they went the emo route. Their techno mixed with Mike Shenoda (sp?) rapping and Chester as a screamer was impeccably good.

The rest:

Greenday - What the hell happened here?! They go from Grunge to Emo?! Did they switch drugs? They throw eye liner on and sing like little pansies, and yes it gets the younger population involved but they were founded on the Grunge Basket Case/Dookie.

Bush/Gavin Rosdale - ........................ WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM GWEN! He cut his hair, and sings about lovey dovey crap. I believe you need to give your man his balls back. Maybe he got off the drugs or whatever, but still why.. why why why.. go to pop. You were "swwwwwaaaaloowwwed"

Mudvayne - From Hard metal to almost borderline emo now. I really hope this turns around, it reminds me of Corey Taylor and Slipknot/Stone Sour transition. (bother)


I could name more.. but you get the idea. Why don't artists just stay the course and keep recording stuff similar to what made them good in the first place?

 

[Donald Trump]

It's because it's very hard to make a career playing the same sort of material over and over again, unless you're ACDC. Even Led Zeppelin have albums that aren't all that good, and the beatles have some absolutely terrible songs. Musicians are creative people as well, they like to try new things create new sounds etc etc. I'm sure Green day are probably winning a whole new generation of fans, American Idiot and now their latest album.

 

[Shu]

Well yea, creativity I get that, and trying your hand in a deck for a bit to see if its for you.. I get that, but when bands completely change their mold full on.. their following goes from one extreme to another.

Like I said, I guess I'm not now noticing this with all the newer artists. They put out one album, get famous then write the music they always wanted to, in which could be a different genre altogether. It's like Darius from Hootie and the Blowfish, he's writing country and singing it now. That's fine.. I don't see anything wrong with that. Bon Jovi and Jewel did it, why not him?

It confuses me the listener to an extent. I am digging their stuff, but then they change up the stuff and I just go.. wait.. what?

I guess I just like my molds. Traditionalist and I guess stubborn as far as music comes.

And the hate for green day comes from this.. They have always whined which is fine and dandy but the way the come across is different now a days. Instead of punk/grunge it is more... emotional.

I guess the whole radio friendly bit. It is more slow paced "singing" and chimes and twinkles.. and less electric guitar or percussion or fast paced.

 

[charliepanayi]

Some music acts want to try something different at one point, I think there's certainly a place for those who prefer to stick to a winning formula, but if everyone did that things would get pretty boring fast. To take an example Radiohead could have easily just done another couple of The Bends and OK Computer clones post-1997 but instead they went and did Kid A, which took people by surprise but is now acclaimed by many. And I think it's great that they did that. Also The Beatles, whose first half of their career sounds very different to the latter half, but both are equally excellent. Some musicians will always want to experiment.

 

[blakstang98]

I think the main trend I notice with music is that a new, up and coming band will play something that's mainstream for it's time to attract a fanfare. Then after they've established a solid fanfare, they sort of stray away to play the kind of music they want to play. It's all business really. If they start off with what they wanted to originally play, there's a good chance it won't make it. But once a fanfare is established, fans will buy it anyways because they're familiar with the band and figure they won't disappoint.

I think with the examples given, Green Day and Linkin Park are the exceptions to this rule. Green Day during the Dookie time period played punk music. The Green Day music before Dookie, even back when they were Sweet Children actually played a brand of music that I can't really label, but it was really awesome, it was real, but had no support from a major label, so it never made it big and most don't even know Green Day had 2 CD's before Dookie. It would seem Green Day transitioned from a punk band to more of an alternative band. I'll admit that I too liked the Dookie days better than their last 3 CD's, but I do actually like their newer stuff as well. Linkin Park was sort of a pioneer to the rock/rap music when they first came out. This actually caught on in a big way and many bands followed their type of music. Then when they came out with Minutes to Midnight, it was more of a mellow alternative music, which ironically enough was more mainstream than what they first came out with.

I know that if I like a band, so long as they don't make a total about face on the music they play (like going from rock to country or rock to rap), I'm willing to give the music a shot. So it really is a sale pitch more than the band randomly having different inspirations. Not to mention record companies have a very strong influence on what music gets played, and it's almost to the point where the record companies make all the music of the band. Music is a business as well as entertainment, and it seems to me that the business end of it has overtaken the entertainment side.

All in all, for the most part, it's tough to find new music that's worth listening to. Most CD's I buy these days are from bands I already know. But I'm a bad example, I tend to be a collector of music. If I really like a band, I'll own all of their CD's. I don't have many stray CD's, mostly from all the new 1-hit wonder stuff from the mid-90's, everything else is basically complete discographies.

 

[Shu]

I think the main trend I notice with music is that a new, up and coming band will play something that's mainstream for it's time to attract a fanfare. Then after they've established a solid fanfare, they sort of stray away to play the kind of music they want to play. It's all business really. If they start off with what they wanted to originally play, there's a good chance it won't make it. But once a fanfare is established, fans will buy it anyways because they're familiar with the band and figure they won't disappoint.

This is what I was trying to get at, despite my retarded attempts of trying to get it out there.

It wasn't older bands, although Green Day is and will always be a sell out from here on out. It's my opinion and it will stay unwaivered.

Now I believe these newer bands are walking this line because their Label makes them. As soon as they get one or two songs into mainstream its like... well now let's sing about.. "blah".

You get my drift.