I think one of the many things I find infuriating about people my age is how often we are behaving like our parents and grandparents in not understanding youth musical culture. I would have thought we would be better because the 1955 Rock and Roll Line, as I call it, made it difficult for my parents and grandparents to understand progressive rock, let alone regular rock and roll. But after the 1970s, we as parents should have been much better at learning of new music. Alas.
The Son has recently begun a radio show at North Carolina State University he calls "The Eclection," which is prog and other electronica from 1980 through the present. The Wife and I have been listening to his show and find the music far more compelling that either of us anticipated. Then, The Daughter appeared in New Mexico this week, and has been providing Dad with music I had heard once before from The Son or never heard before.
I thought I would list some of the music and bands I have heard this week that may interest my few readers.
Riverside is a Polish progressive rock band that has Moody Blues type vocals but top notch musicianship and composition. Here is one of their songs from about a decade ago, "Dance with the Shadows." Another prog band, no longer active, is Black Bonzo, out of Sweden. I have posted this before, but I adore it. It is "Sound of the Apocalypse."
Sufjan Stevens is a progressive folk guy who is well known among the college set and other eclectics in the Millennial and early Gen Z crowds. Here is "Chicago," one of his most popular songs.
The Oh Hellos are a brother-sister duo from Texas. And they have great stuff. Here is the first song The Daughter played for me. It is called "Poet, Soldier, King."
The Fleet Foxes are a Millennials and early Gen Z hipster's favorite. Here is "White Winter Hymnal."
Zero Seven is the ultimate eclectic band because this song, Likufanale, is not representative, and most songs won't be. But I love it.
What is so wonderful about these examples is the freshness of the melodies and the passion they bring to the music they are playing. I admit I still have a problem listening to most hip-hop with any enjoyment and there is a familiarity with the songs I have chosen as examples. I also saw a middle school English teacher do an extraordinary analysis of the music and lyrics in a Katy Perry song, showing how she consciously used a particular poetic style in constructing her lyric to the song, and how the music accented and played off those lyrics. While I still would not classify myself as a Katy Perry fan, I was impressed because she was intriguing her middle school (7th or 8th grade, I forget which) students, and giving them credit to look deeper into their popular culture and beyond themselves. It is why I am so passionate about defending Marvel-DC superhero films in general (not all, certainly, and recently, the disappointments have outnumbered by far anything I have loved).
My wish for parents as we head into a presidential election year, is to listen more and engage with our children, as to the television shows and films they are watching and music they are listening to, and see if there are ways to find each other. I also want to do a shout out to the new song from The Who, "Break the News," which is almost unique among old artists releasing a new song that is compelling. I was stunned when I heard it and adore it. I think The Son, at least, will like this, too. What I have said to our children since they were young is most generations or eras contain mostly garbage in music, film, novels, etc. However, the key is engaging with the culture and finding those that either illuminate the time in a profound way or transcend the time, or else are thoughtful and different.
