Alternate Musical Genres, We Hardly Knew Thee

Caution! Upcoming rant on: Musical Popularity

Dearly Beloved,

We are gathered here today to honour the memory of genres departed, which left us before they had a chance to offer us their true potential. Although the memories are faint, and would not at all make the Top 40, they still leave impressions in our minds. At least they should.

Normally I would be an advocate for all genres of music, as "popular" music is sometimes very entertaining. However, I think there is a lot less attention put into music which does not rely on MTV or Ryan Seacrest.

A great example of a style of music that goes unnoticed is modern classical. Bond, an all-female group who play stringed instruments, have an upbeat tempo and use different techniques in their music, such as techno or salsa beats. They even do live performances, as I first saw them on Regis & Kelly. Regis even commented that this style of music is not front-line, and the group commented back that they hope people realize that there's more out there. This type of music is so innovative and fun, but does not get the recognition it deserves. Another example is Enigma, a group with a style all its own. Many know "Gravity of Love," as well as some of their other songs, but would only know them from movies. It's good that film companies realize the value of this music, and how it can express different emotions, but why does the general public not realize this?

I think it's sad that there is a lot of music out there today which is virtually unknown, but could be completely enjoyable to almost anyone. Between the Hilary Duffs and the Lindsay Lohans, who are the most obvious examples of industry supported "musicians," are taking revenues away from musicians with real talent. Although these girls both work very hard, their voices are altered, plain and simple.

Hopefully in the future, the general public will attempt to make their own decisions and decide what kind of music is right for them. Although I see this as highly unlikely, I can dream (this goes back to ignorance, but I'll stay strong and not mention it..besides this). Maybe this Christmas I'll send some coal to Lindsay Lohan, and a note saying "If you eat this, you won't sound awful." She'd probably do it.

--Jam