The sound of now

Muse, Cee Lo, Kayne West, Mumford and sons, Taylor Swift and Arcade Fire…..

How will the music our generation creates be remembered? Twenty years from now which artist will stand the test of time, which ones will be remembered? Music and culture are so fluid that it takes years to develop a legitimate perspective.

Generally speaking, every generation’s most influential artists have made unique contributions to pop music and stamped their legacy into culture and time. Those select few artists from every generation become the icons that last forever.

Here’s a quick pop music history overview by decade.
Fifties music was the birth of real consumable pop music (think Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis). In the Sixties music became the soundtrack to a cultural upheaval (think the Beatles, James Brown, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Who). The seventies were all over the place. Even though this decade brought us disco, there still were some great artists. (think Led Zeplin, the Eagles, Stevie Wonder, Queen, Elton John). Eighties music fed and reflected the excess of a decadent culture (think Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Van Halen, Run DMC, Def Leppard, the police)…

You get the point; every generation has a beat, every generation has a sound. Looking back, it’s easy to pinpoint who was truly great and who was significantly influential from each time period. We can look back to see what was really important from each generation of music, but it’s taken twenty, thirty, or even sixty years to gain the perspective.

Only time can prove, but I do think we can start to identify the sound of this generation, and who could potentially become our legends. I mean when Elvis took the stage I think people knew something really special was going on. When Jimi picked up a guitar people had to know something ground-breaking was occurring, and when Bono sang his heart right into the microphone the world stopped to listen.

What song is being written, who’s playing an instrument, or singing something right now that will last forever? What music is being created right now that’s really special, who’s doing something truly ground-breaking, who’s voice is causing the world to stop and listen? Please tell me that a woman who shows up to the Grammys in a giant egg isn’t our Elvis!

What sound/artist do you think will characterize this generation?