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Cliches of the new millenium


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In the '70s, it was the wah wah pedal.

 

In the '80s, it was the gated snare drum sound.

 

What are the musical or production cliches of the '90s and early '00s?

 

What's the stuff which *might* seem cool now but we're going to look back with embarrassment in 15 years and go, "Geeeez... Did I really think *that* sounded good?!?!?"

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Over-produced, over-polished mixes with too many tracks.

"Meat is the only thing you need beside beer! Big hunks of meat and BEER!!...Lots of freakin' BEER."

"Hey, I'm not Jesus Christ, I can't turn water into wine. The best I can do is turn beer into urine." Zakk Wylde

 

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1) For the last 40 years: fadeout endings.

2) For the last 15 years: a) digital reverb b) male tenors attempting to sing in the soprano range (Bolton, etc.)

3) Nowadays: distorted electric guitar.

4) Now, then and forever: verse two only half the length of verse one, the better to get to the hook/chorus again. Every pop song does this...

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Originally posted by alphajerk:

i dont remember a good bit of the 90's, i liked the first part of it... then it just seemed to go all downhill.

 

autotune already has become cliche in the new millenium.

 

 

The day AlphaJerk passes on an opportunity to bash the Dancing Heads! I'd-a never thunk it possible! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif

 

 

 

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Neil

 

Reality: A few moments of lucidity surrounded by insanity.

It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman

 

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Originally posted by fet:

1) For the last 40 years: fadeout endings.

2) For the last 15 years: a) digital reverb b) male tenors attempting to sing in the soprano range (Bolton, etc.)

3) Nowadays: distorted electric guitar.

4) Now, then and forever: verse two only half the length of verse one, the better to get to the hook/chorus again. Every pop song does this...

 

Well, yeah, those are cliches I guess... Some cliches go on to become part of our music vocabulary, while others tend to peg a recording to a particular era (unless it's used in an unusual way or if it's used in very small doses). I'm interested in the cliches which most likely *won't* have lasting value 15 years from now.

 

I mean, in the '70s, if a rock band was recording a distorted guitar with heavy, heavy flanging, there was probably a good chance no one in the studio thought, "Man, what a gimmicky sound!" http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

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Musically, it's been going on for a few years, probably since the late 80s...but there was/is a certain synth sound that began every pop record...stuff you hear on stations with names like "Magic FM" that drove me bananas.

 

I'd vote for autotune, I guess.

 

But, while we're on it, the thing that bugs the living shit out of me is a video production cliche...surfaced a couple of years ago and shows no sign of going away. It's in EVERY #$@*& COMMERCIAL on TV, almost...and car commercials are the worst.

 

It's that stupid normal motion to sudden slo-mo and back again. It's in every car commercial. Drives me nucking futs!!!

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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Originally posted by dino321:

Note: Wa Wa's are still cool!

 

Don't get me wrong, I *love* wah wah pedals! I've got a Crybaby and I love it... But I also own an accordion and a mandolin, so perhaps I just like collecting weird stuff... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

 

But snares with gated reverb... *That's* a different story!!! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gifhttp://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gifhttp://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

 

 

This message has been edited by popmusic on 06-08-2001 at 11:27 AM

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That mannered way of enunciating that so many male singers have these days... I can't describe it well in words, but a well-know example is the way Rob Thomas sings on the recent Santana hit "Smooth." Similarly, the mannered way so many female singers try to sound "hot," ala Britney Spears when she growls "bay-bay."

 

This message has been edited by AlChuck on 06-08-2001 at 12:15 PM

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CDs that sound more and more digital. Not just to overall sound of the CD, but particular instruments (cymbals, guitar amps) just sound "digital" harsh and unnatural.

 

For what ever reason...

 

Of course the average listeners ears now accept this as "the norm" (mine dont, yours probably dont either I hope)

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Machine gun snare crescendos. Kind of cool, but not in EVERY song on a dance album.

 

Techno/Dance/Eurobeat style of composition. The way they build up tension and then release is a little too routinized.

 

Endless, pointless melismatic passages a la Mariah Carey and clones. Just because you've got the voice doesn't mean you should fill every available space. If they were guitarists I believe we'd call them "wankers".

 

Taking a classic riff from the 70's/80's/90's, sampling it, and then pounding it into the ground as part of the rhythm track. Please, folks, a little variation please. Or, heaven forbid, you learned to be influenced by that music and then come up with your own.

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C'mon Craig! Then Godsmack would no longer have a career!

 

Speaking of Godsmack and the like: that "Whu!!!" yell that almost all "heavy" or "aggro" bands seem to have.

 

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KJ

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"50 million Elvis Presley fans can't be all wrong" - John Prine

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melismas and drum tracks sums it up. david grey meets whitney houston. then there's the pop singer contest i watched on tv last week. did any one see that? talk about where the cliches live and breathe. add to that the stupid ass phony dance moves.
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fatboy slim has become cliche. so has the 1/32nd and 1/64th note kick patterns.

 

 

dancing heads are just too easy of a target anymore, it isnt even music, its barely entertainment [depending on the outfit worn and how much titty they are showing]

alphajerk

FATcompilation

"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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Gotta agree with the drum loops. With all due respect, I do disagree with the poor musicianship part. Poor production, perhaps...

 

For Western pop/rock music, I'd say:

Loops.

Too much editing.

Cheap/bad digital sound.

Lack of a sense of "people playing in the room".

Downtuning.

 

Out of all these, I really do not favor cheap/bad digital sound and lack of a sense of "people playing in the room". I can hang with really cool sounding loops and downtuning. Too much editing goes hand in hand with lack of a sense of "people playing in the room", unfortunately...

 

 

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FADEOUT ENDINGS?!? Never did one in my LIFE! Originaly reason when I was using two tape decks in my parents bedroom was... I COULDNT REACH THE VOLUME KNOB! And it sticks. Everything I do ALWAYS ends... in a bang http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

AUTOTUNE! Yeah. Fun tool. Hear me Abuse it on " Robo Dance " in a good way (octave down on yours truly)

 

32nd and 64the kicks? Well I take the entire TRACK to 64:th, 128:th and 256:th in " Cheeze Slicer " (plus more autotune abuse, 2 octaves down on butchered rap sample, HAR HAR HAR http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gifhttp://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/cool.gif )

 

GATED SNARE: Guys, THANK YOU for reminding me of that baybee. I hereby announce my next track will have a gated snare in it.

 

 

Lemme see.... wahwah guitar, gated snares, autotune, machine gun fills... hmm... I feel a cool track in the making. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

/Z

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Originally posted by alphajerk:

...dancing heads are just too easy of a target anymore, it isnt even music, its barely entertainment [depending on the outfit worn and how much titty they are showing]

 

Please... don't... let.. N'Sync show ANY MORE TITTY!!! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/eek.gif

 

Neil

 

(Any comment, Lee Flier? http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif )

 

 

 

------------------

Neil

 

Reality: A few moments of lucidity surrounded by insanity.

It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman

 

Soundclick

fntstcsnd

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