Will the 00s have decade defining music?

By Amberleigh Jack

Unlike some women, my maternal instincts aren’t exactly what you’d call strong. If the day does come, however, where I find myself raising a sprog or two, I have definite ideas on how they’ll be brought up.

While moral judgement is commendable, no kid of mine will grow up without a strong sense of musical appreciation instilled in them.

Some of my best memories growing up are of sitting with dad as we systematically searched through his vinyl collection, getting lost in the music he grew up with. Songs from the likes of The Who, Zeppelin and Neil Young that can only be described as rock n’ roll perfection.

Having worked at various radio stations and music magazines throughout the years, I have experienced firsthand the names at the forefront of popular music of the past decade.

I find myself wondering: What will I pull out to illustrate to my kids the defining music of our generation? Is there a single band that emerged post-2000 that will prove to be timeless?

The sad reality is that musicians have perfected the art of a song that sticks in your head within an hour, but disappears from your mind in a month.

For decades music has been fuelled by excess. Drugs, alcohol and sex reigned supreme. Rock stars lived fast and died young.

Their music depicted this lifestyle with an integrity and passion that simply isn’t around today. And we loved them for it.

As Thatcher ruled the UK with an iron fist, the Clash were there calling for a revolution. Jim Morrison’s catalogue illustrated a lifestyle of pure indulgence. And it’s difficult to argue against his honesty – shortly after his rise to fame he was found dead in his bathtub, having overdosed on his favourite substances.

In the 90s Kurt Cobain became the voice of a desperate and melancholic generation, before immortalising himself with a bullet to his head.

Don McLean had the right idea, but was a little early for his time. The music didn’t die the day three legends plunged to their early death, but when it became possible for anyone with a computer and a catchy beat to create a number one hit.

If you don’t believe me, take a look at the charts. Currently Lady Ga Ga is so drunk she doesn’t know which bar she’s in and Miley Cyrus wants the world to believe she knows something about being in love at the ripe old age of 15.

If those good old boys were around today they’d be drinking a lot more than whiskey and rye to drown their sorrows.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of amazing music out there. But it’s hard to imagine even the best of today stacking up with the greats of yesterday.

Maybe there’s just nothing left to create. Riffs are constantly being stolen – we’ve all seen the recent headlines about Red Hot Chili Peppers and Coldplay facing plagiarism accusations, and Kid Rock has even resorted to simply adding lyrics to ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ to create his latest hit.

We can’t lay all the blame on the artists either. As music fans we hold our fair share of responsibility.

When I was at school there were two main styles of music – rap and rock. Nowadays complexity is the key. You can be a fan of emo, screamo, metal-core, hip hop, gangsta rap, R&B, alt-rock … the list goes on.

Each sub-culture is different to the next. And each an exclusive club with its own rules and in-jokes. It’s no surprise that after battling the confusion of where one’s band would fit in, there’d be little energy left to actually create a decent song.

One thing’s for sure – when it comes time to sit my young one down and teach her the important things in life, I’ll be hard pressed to prove how the music of my youth changed the world.

I hope I’m wrong. Perhaps in 10 years’ time we’ll realise how timeless our music is. I guess there’s a chance Panic at the Disco will stand true as the backbone of our generation and soul-less tunes about pseudo-lesbianism could make their mark in history’s musical timeline.

The fact is though, as I sit here, listening to the Pussycat Dolls proclaim their desire to have boobies when they grow up, in the latest chart-topping hit, I have a sinking feeling the 00s will forever be known as the decade of musical mediocrity.