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[Stoney Mason]

Modern country music is complete and utter shit. It's really just twangy bad pop music at this point.

Old Country was good stuff. A mix of folk music and White Man Blues.

Times Change.

There are some good modern country artists but their music doesn't sound like the bilge you hear if you turn on any country station.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Simple, obvious, and repetitive chord progressions, shallow literal lyrics with simple rhymes and remarkably simple and/or convoluted and corny metaphors, saccharine string overdubs and auto-tuned vocals, overproduced to oblivion until it sounds like you're being bowled over by wave of mashed potatoes and white bread.

This is the most apt description of shitty pop-country I have ever read in my life. Bravo sir.

 

[Bit-Bit]

Simple, obvious, and repetitive chord progressions, shallow literal lyrics with simple rhymes and remarkably simple and/or convoluted and corny metaphors, saccharine string overdubs and auto-tuned vocals, overproduced to oblivion until it sounds like you're being bowled over by wave of mashed potatoes and white bread.

Black Eyed Peas?

J/K, I love the Black Eyed Peas.

 

[Otrebor Nightmarecoat]

Country is more of an anecdotal form of music from what ive heard. Thats the only reason i imagine the songs sound similar. I really think the have their small variations. Its hardly shit.

Now regguetton, thats a pile of shit thats been puked

 

[desertdroog]

Mainstream country is nothing more than pop.

Alt Country and Outlaw Country keep the fire lit and are worth listening to.

Bloodshot Records [http://www.bloodshotrecords.com/] is a good start to see what I am talking about (Scott Biram does great country blues and mixes it with punk, Neko Case mixes it up and crosses boundries making her a fantastic vocalist) as are the old stand outs like Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams (all three of them Sr., Jr. and III), Johnny Cash etc...

Upstarts like Wayne "The Train Hancock" does great West Texas swing which is described as Gershwin meets Hank Williams Sr. and has the voice to boot.

I think the only new country I can listen to is Dwight Yoakam and even then it is only a few of his songs.

 

[ZealousD]

Old Country sucks because it's hicksville simple music.

New Country sucks because it's watered down rock with cowboy hats and Texas accents.

Artists like Johnny Cash are a rarity in the genre.

 

[Ourobolus]

While I can't stand listening to country, I have no problems with putting CMT on mute and watching the gorgeous girls.

 

[Mr.Squirrel]

because it's the only genre white people didnt steal from black people

 

[Tobor]

Old Country sucks because it's hicksville simple music.

New Country sucks because it's watered down rock with cowboy hats and Texas accents.

Artists like Johnny Cash are a rarity in the genre.

SMH.

 

[theBishop]

The "country" that's popular now is just as manufactured and ridiculous as every other genre of popular music. It blows my mind that so-called "rednecks" allow themselves to be subjected to such blatantly patronising garbage. I guess that's what makes them rednecks.

On the other hand, older country singers like Hank Williams (Srb, not the moron Jr), Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson still pack a punch. And newer artists derived from country like Wilco (Summerteeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) and Bright Eyes (I'm Wide Awake It's Morning) are sometimes able to muster similar honesty in their songwriting.

Also, there's good bluegrass being made, but it's a bit of an acquired taste.

 

[desertdroog]

Ignorance abounds.

Without Black people we never would have had the Banjo and Guitar.

Rockabilly is a direct mix of Country and Rhythm and Blues, one black hand and one white hand to make the music. I won't spend time trying to educate the obvious idiots about music as a whole much less the genres in Americana, but I won't stand idly by when people forget to use their minds.

 

[Always-honest]

because it tells the truth?

 

[Stoney Mason]

Ignorance abounds.

Without Black people we never would have had the Banjo and Guitar.

Rockabilly is a direct mix of Country and Rhythm and Blues, one black hand and one white hand to make the music. I won't spend time trying to educate the obvious idiots about music as a whole much less the genres in Americana, but I won't stand idly by when people forget to use their minds.

I was going to post this anyway. A bit off topic but worth watching for people to understand true artists and how music is universal (or at least it use to be) and has many roots and sprouts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFwezLSuT4I&fmt=22

 

[lil smoke]

What a dumb question. Because you don't like it it's awful. Idiot.

 

[desertdroog]

One of the best Bluegrass bands in modern times is Busted Hearts. It is a supergroup of local Phoenix musicians and includes the drummer from The Hunns (Duane Peters street-punk band).

For those interested: http://www.myspace.com/bustedhearts

They used to give their mp3s away for free on their old website which can still be found here:
http://www.archive.org/details/bustedhearts

 

[Always-honest]

Ignorance abounds.

Without Black people we never would have had the Banjo and Guitar.

Rockabilly is a direct mix of Country and Rhythm and Blues, one black hand and one white hand to make the music. I won't spend time trying to educate the obvious idiots about music as a whole much less the genres in Americana, but I won't stand idly by when people forget to use their minds.

black people invented the guitar?

 

[theBishop]

Hank Williams - Mansion on the Hill

Bruce Springsteen - Mansion on the Hill

 

[DOBERMAN INC]

why did this turn racial?

 

[StuBurns]

black people invented the guitar?

The guitar came out of Asia, though the Spanish refined it to basically what it is now.
So no.

 

[desertdroog]

http://bluegrassbanjo.org/black_banjo.html

The Guitar is an amalgamation of various instruments, but the instrument we know it today was directly influenced from the melding of cultures on our shores, which would have been impossible without the African slaves.

 

[rpmurphy]

I listen to country music all of the time.

I'm asian.

Yeah, I was the same way for a couple years until recently. And not any of the "real" country stuff either. I think I like it because it's just easy pop. I liked the 90's boy bands as well. And 70's/80's Chinese pop.

 

[Stoney Mason]

What a dumb question. Because you don't like it it's awful. Idiot.

To be a contrarion if he was simply basing it on a lot of the modern country stations around then i would kinda agree with him. But like nearly all music today pop music is in the toilet and you have to go beyond just what is popular. Same goes for a lot of genres.

 

[Always-honest]

The guitar came out of Asia, though the Spanish refined it to basically what it is now.
So no.

kinda what i was thinking.. not that it makes a difference, excepts when people start claiming crazy stuff...

 

[Stoney Mason]

why did this turn racial?

Welcome to NEOGAF dude.

 

[theBishop]

Let's be real though: METAL is awful. Even the metal you like.

 

[rexor0717]

New country is bad, but not any worse than the whiny indie rock B.S. that everyone is buying up these days.

You speak the truth.

 

[eXistor]

New country is pretty terrible, it's like a parody of itself. Oldtime country music is freaking great.

 

[theBishop]

You speak the truth.

rofl.

 

[Peru]

New country that's pure country is often pretty bad.
New country that's a little bit different can be brilliant and groundbreaking (Miranda Lambert).
New country that's not country at all but pop with Nashville roots is good. Ok, mostly it's not, but sometimes it's brilliant (Taylor Swift).

 

[Always-honest]

New country is pretty terrible, it's like a parody of itself. Oldtime country music is freaking great.

new country sounds like christian pop-music.

 

[desertdroog]

Correction on the guitar, overstepped my explanation and simplified the musical history of Country with that as the credit goes to the banjo.

 

[AlexMogil]

Because Jerry Reed is dead, that's why.

 

[snacknuts]

New country that's not country at all but pop with Nashville roots is good. Ok, mostly it's not, but sometimes it's brilliant (Taylor Swift).

:lol

My ex-gf was a huge fan of that Nashville Star show. I came home from class one night to find her watching it. I settled in on the couch with her and this very pretty girl was singing and I said I hoped she got voted off because she sounded terrible. My gf said, "She is not on the show, she's already a country singer." It was Taylor Swift.

 

[ethic]

I live in New England and currently work at my college bookstore. The manager is nice but she seems to love country music, and puts it on whenever she can. I'm getting so tired of it. I crave the 80's station, alternative, etc etc... But all I get much of the time now is this country bullshit. It's all corny, anecdotal, small-minded music and each song sounds more like the next one. They all run together to create 6 hours of country hell.

If she starts playing it anymore than it's currently played I would actually have to consider quitting. Does anyone else feel the same way?

Maybe you should listen to real country / blue grass instead of the Top
40 manufactured, pop-country badness. Try Old Crow Medicine Show,
or Gillian Welch, or Nickel Creek, or Allison Krauss or Abigail Washburn..
or... man, tonnes more. There's a lot of amazing Country-Blue Grass
out there. And it's sincere music done for the love of it.

 

[Chichikov]

Music on commercial radio is pretty much uniformly awful.
And what you’ve been subjected to is probably as representative of country music as your 80s station is to music from that decade (i.e. lowest common denominator).

 

[Phobophile]

Let's be real though: METAL is awful. Even the metal you like.

This man speaks the truth.

 

[lil smoke]

To be a contrarion if he was simply basing it on a lot of the modern country stations around then i would kinda agree with him. But like nearly all music today pop music is in the toilet and you have to go beyond just what is popular. Same goes for a lot of genres.

Apparently someone out there is listening to it. I hate a lot of genres including country, but that's because I don't 'get' it. People don't 'get' the music I listen to either, but it certainly aint awful for us that listen.

 

[PhoenixDark]

I'd imagine mainstream country is crappy, like mainstream "anything" usually is. Great way to show your ignorance OP

I really like Neko Case. Haven't branched farther into alternative country yet but Middle Cyclone is my aoty so far

 

[lastendconductor]

because it's the only genre white people didnt steal from black people

Holy shit, Vivaldi, Mozart, etc.. stole from black people? *mind blown*

 

[Prince Aren]

New country that's pure country is often pretty bad.
New country that's a little bit different can be brilliant and groundbreaking (Miranda Lambert).
New country that's not country at all but pop with Nashville roots is good. Ok, mostly it's not, but sometimes it's brilliant (Taylor Swift).

Really?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf_yk4Tys10

Really?

I'll admit that the lyrics to her songs are better than average, but her singing is just horrible. (Yes, I chose her worst song, but it was to illustrate my point.)

The problem with country today is how easy it is to break in to and make money. Nelly, Kid Rock, and others have all dabbled in country, be it by conversion or a collaboration. All country is anymore is a pop artist or a rocker who put on a cowboy hat, if they even bother to do that. It's just a way for them to appeal to more people to buy their records.

Good country is nearly dead, and if it weren't for artists like George Straight and Randy Travis (even though most may dislike one or both, you can't argue that they aren't country), it would have been extinct long ago.

 

[Stoney Mason]

:lol

My ex-gf was a huge fan of that Nashville Star show. I came home from class one night to find her watching it. I settled in on the couch with her and this very pretty girl was singing and I said I hoped she got voted off because she sounded terrible. My gf said, "She is not on the show, she's already a country singer." It was Taylor Swift.

Modern country music learned the same lesson that modern pop music taught it. Bad music is much more tolerable if you at least have a hot piece of tail to look at while they are performing it live or in the video.

 

[ConsumerSquare]

I don't really know what's going on with country music anymore besides cowboy pop. People like to say "dig deeper," but then they name the same three country classic country artists. I guess there may be some modern classicists but I don't know if anyone really cares, or if they could even pull it off without coming across as kitschy. It may be that country just needs to die for a generation and be rediscovered later on. I think all the talent that would cultivate a country underground has migrated to folk and Americana.

 

[Onemic]

Let's be real though: METAL is awful. Even the metal you like.

You clearly haven't listened to metal then.

 

[captive]

Old Country sucks because it's hicksville simple music.

New Country sucks because it's watered down rock with cowboy hats and Texas accents.

Artists like Johnny Cash are a rarity in the genre.

SMH.

Double SMH.

I've lived in Texas my entire life, I've been to backwoods east Texas, Austin Tx, Dallas Tx, Nacanowhere Tx, Trinity, Willis, Huntsville, midland and driven to Wichita Falls. Would someone care to explain to me what a "texas accent" is.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Holy shit, Vivaldi, Mozart, etc.. stole from black people? *mind blown*

Beethoven was black!

 

[Flynn]

Nashville.

 

[Tobor]

I don't really know what's going on with country music anymore besides cowboy pop. People like to say "dig deeper," but then they name the same three country classic country artists. I guess there may be some modern classicists but I don't know if anyone really cares, or if they could even pull it off without coming across as kitschy. It may be that country just needs to die for a generation and be rediscovered later on. I think all the talent that would cultivate a country underground has migrated to folk and Americana.

There's been a lot more than three listed in this thread alone. There is decent music being made now, but it's a small niche. More importantly, there is a trove of good music in the past to go through.

 

[HallucinatingElvis]

I defy anyone to listen to Patsy Cline and say country as a whole sucks. It's not possible.

I think I love you

 

[djtiesto]

I, too, really dislike 80s music and fashion.

80's music is such a general term, which could mean anything from synth-pop, hair metal, early house/techno, breakbeat/electro, Italo disco, adult contemporary rock, punk, early rap, etc... I find it hard to believe there isn't something developed in the 80's that won't resonate with you at all.

Being from NY and more interested in electronically-based music, country does absolutely nothing for me, either, OP. I don't get why, on Sirius XM, there's something like 7 different country stations, either.

 

[theBishop]

You clearly haven't listened to metal then.

Heh, I like some stuff that some people call metal (Sunn0, Lightning Bolt, Boredoms), but I don't consider that metal. I've listened to everything from Metallica, to Opeth, to Harvey Milk, to DragonForce, to The Sword, to Cave In, to Mastodon, and I pretty much hate all of it.

I hate to write a genre off, but it almost seems like metal is by definition either too ridiculous to take seriously, or too serious to enjoy. Virtuosity for its own sake is incredibly boring to my ears. I've literally fallen asleep at metal shows.