Good popular music

[Cargést]

The thread title is a contradiction in terms.

Because "popular" is always bad, irrespective of actual merit.

No, but in the terms we are referring to (ie - music popular amongst the masses), it is true 99.9% of the time. I stand by my statement.

You've just refuted your statement in that post there by saying "99.9% of the time", though.  If there's 0.01% that's worth looking into, then, firstly, the thread title is evidently not a contradiction in terms, and, secondly, we ought look into that 0.01%, hence this thread.  I agree entirely that the inescapably vast majority of popular music is absolute trash, but I'm looking for candidates to receive the accolade of "objectively good music which happens to be accessible and 'popular' as a result".

[Humanicide]

I know I refuted myself. Its immature but I won't listen to popular music at all, period. I try to ignore it when its on.

But still, I can't deny the probability of good music in a genre I don't enjoy. I'll just never listen to it.

[Nimbostratus]

I know I refuted myself. Its immature but I won't listen to popular music at all, period. I try to ignore it when its on.

But still, I can't deny the probability of good music in a genre I don't enjoy. I'll just never listen to it.

Good music inside a generally bad genre > Bad music inside a generally good genre

Give me names of albums for I believe in Beauty :kiss:

[loam]

Good music inside a generally bad genre > Bad music inside a generally good genre

Give me names of albums for I believe in Beauty

I'll second this. I listened to (and explored the origins of) Daft Punk's "Discovery" on Cargést's recommendation, but found nothing of lasting value there. However, I am an avid metal listener and revere the great electronic music I can find.

[aquarius]

Elecronic dance/rave music is almost the antithesis of metal in that while metal seeks to become immortalised, rave is all about the flavour of the week, while it embraces modern culture and acknoledges the irony of how disposable it is. In saying that, it produced trinkets of worthwhile music predominately in the trance genre which as opposed to house/techno is actually based around melody and is naturally predisposed to ambience (essentially Trance Europe Express era Kraftwerk > EBM > fused with techno became trance.)

I read that Fenriz also loved this stuff.

Recommended:

Cosmosis - Cosmology
Dimension 5 - Transdimentional
Hallucinogen - Twisted
MFG - the prophesy
Indoor - Progressive trance
any other old stuff by Etnica, Total Eclipse or Transwave

[metal on metal]

Elecronic dance/rave music is almost the antithesis of metal in that while metal seeks to become immortalised, rave is all about the flavour of the week, while it embraces modern culture and acknoledges the irony of how disposable it is.

Both of these approaches leave plenty of space for abuse.

it produced trinkets of worthwhile music predominately in the trance genre which as opposed to house/techno is actually based around melody

That is the worst characteristic of trance. More than in any of the electronic genres (with the exception of their ultra-dumb incarnations) trance generally displays an affinity for cheesy simpletonal melodies and retarded quasi-psychedelic effects entertaining only the most undemanding of brains. One can immediately know the degenerate face expression of the author reflecting in the overall pulse, as opposed to the dis-grimacing effect of Kraftwerk. I'm not saying the other genres are much better though, but especially psy-trance is to be dismissed completely.

(essentially Trance Europe Express era Kraftwerk > EBM > fused with techno became trance.)

A better guess would be: simple adding of an unnecessary bass dumb at the shamelessly proletarian bpm to a track by Schulze's degenerate nephew.

[aquarius]

Elecronic dance/rave music is almost the antithesis of metal in that while metal seeks to become immortalised, rave is all about the flavour of the week, while it embraces modern culture and acknoledges the irony of how disposable it is.

Both of these approaches leave plenty of space for abuse.

I don't see that, if something actually succeeds in transcending it's own time period then it is better/healthy than something which cannot, the mentality behind rave music actually prevents it from even trying.

it produced trinkets of worthwhile music predominately in the trance genre which as opposed to house/techno is actually based around melody

That is the worst characteristic of trance. More than in any of the electronic genres (with the exception of their ultra-dumb incarnations) trance generally displays an affinity for cheesy simpletonal melodies and retarded quasi-psychedelic effects entertaining only the most undemanding of brains. One can immediately know the degenerate face expression of the author reflecting in the overall pulse, as opposed to the dis-grimacing effect of Kraftwerk. I'm not saying the other genres are much better though, but especially psy-trance is to be dismissed completely.

I was more thinking of early prototypical psy i.e. acid or goa-trance which tries to build momentum and release over the span of a song, and likewise in songs over the span of the album. This is the main strength of trance compared to the other genres: it's knowledge of ambience, then it goes for the full emotional release. It's still basically simpleton music as is all rave music, but it's more enjoyable if you don't expect too much 'meaning'.

(essentially Trance Europe Express era Kraftwerk > EBM > fused with techno became trance.)

A better guess would be: simple adding of an unnecessary bass dumb at the shamelessly proletarian bpm to a track by Schulze's degenerate nephew.

Kraftwerk I'd take anyday over trance that goes without saying, they created pop music that was more serious and longstanding than 80% of metal. EBM is a striped down version of their technique adapted to a dystopian worldview, but it's still pretty cool.

[August]

Tangerine Dream.

[Sepulchral Voice]

Tangerine Dream.

They actually did make decent pop music in the 80's. Their greatest albums are far removed from pop music though, obviously.

[August]

Tangerine Dream.

They actually did make decent pop music in the 80's. Their greatest albums are far removed from pop music though, obviously.

I thought of 'popular music' more as something that is generally well-known in the public sphere. Perhaps this is not the case everywhere, but they achieved some level of popularity at least here in commie Sweden back in the day. I have a romantic view of the radio-climate of the 60s and 70s, I somehow imagine that even pop music needed to contain some sort of 'substance' to get airtime.

[Emperor_of_Algol]

I know I refuted myself. Its immature but I won't listen to popular music at all, period. I try to ignore it when its on.

But still, I can't deny the probability of good music in a genre I don't enjoy. I'll just never listen to it.

Wow, that's quite a negative approach to music. I know you've singled out pop music, but imagine if an avid black metal fan said "I can't deny the probability of good music in death metal , I'll just never listen to it." Would they, or would they not, be missing out on some of the best music ever made, purely due to stubbornness? Of course, the difference between death metal and black metal is not the same as that between "unpopular" music (or whatever you consider to not be popular music) and pop, but still: would you actually refuse to listen to a piece of music, purely because it's popular?

[Humanicide]

The term pop music does not mean just one particular genre.  Typical pop music; everything from rehashed 4 chord rock to bubblegum pop to braindead hip hop to repetitive techno to irritable faux-soul singers. I will not listen to any of it.

You twisted my words around; I should've stated that I meant popular music in the context of what I described above. As far as the popularity of a particular album, well, "Ride The Lightning" is quality, and quite popular. That takes care of that.

[Cargést]

Well then, if you won't listen to the "typical" stuff, which everyone with a brain shuns, then surely you'll listen to the non-typical stuff (like Daft Punk, for example...)?

[Dylar]

I don't really see anything inherently wrong with "pop" music: it's just medium, and artistry is mostly about the message.  God pop music, like good metal, is about the communication of experience.  Bad pop music is a blank slate - just a vaguely suggestive emotional background onto which we are invited to impose our own experience - polished to mirror-brightness so as to simply reflect back what we think we already know.  There's no communication and nothing really to communicate.  Meanwhile, a big fat beat pounds away the desire to ask questions, and a fleshy, balding man fondles your sack and rifles through your wallet for coke money.

[metal on metal]

God pop music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEKurrs-0VA

The ancient bells of my town

They rang for the storms, rang for the weddings
They rang for our lives and for final journeys
Like some eternal music of our glory and our grief
They rang since what once was, the ancient bells of my town

They called to God and people, for the boat that sinks
They rang, they rang, for our walls and terraces
Guided our ships like birds to their nest
As if a mother's heart beats in the belfry under the stars

While the old harbors sleep and the blue skies shimmer
The belfries are like hands guarding the white ship
There's no sky in a rock, a man has to pass a hard road
But once they're needed, the old bells are here again

They tell us of our history, tenderly, as a father to his son
On this evening they poured out all their warmth
Like some eternal music of the cradles and colonnades
Listen to them, how they ring, the ancient bells of my town