The Decomposition of Music

         The degeneration of music is a farce.  Coincidentally, decomposition is precisely the correct metaphor for the ever-evolving state of music.  Because the act of decomposition is the act of a corpse morphing into the much needed nourishment for a new being as it strives towards the canopy above…and the sky beyond.  Music is not going through its death throes.  Music will never die.  Governments die, civilizations and languages and even entire races of people die.  Music will never die.  This is because as one style wears out and becomes stagnant and vapid and pointless, it decomposes.  It burns out.  And from its pregnant ashes spring all manner of cutting edge, out of the blue, yee haw get down racket.  And that friends, is why music will never give up the ghost.

         Examples abound. The late 1990’s.  Grunge, alternative rock, and the Biggie and Tupac golden age of rap had all gone the way of the buffalo.  Backstreet Boys and a barely legal Britney Spears ruled the charts.  But the turn of the century was the heyday of underground backpack rap, still regarded to this day as a landmark period in the history of hip hop.  The Roots, Mos Def, Blackalicious, Jurassic 5, and a whole damn satchelful of others, all released classic albums in the half decade surrounding the turn of the century.  All while the Billboards were ruled by teen pop and sensible folk the world over were drafting up music’s obituary.

Late 50’s / Early 60’s.  Rock and Roll had died.  Brill Building girl groups had pushed the godfathers of everything we know and love into obscurity.  But during this dire time a couple unknown youngsters – the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan – cut their teeth in the clubs and coffee shops.  And in a couple of years, music history was changed forever.  Early 70’s malaise over the death of the hippie dream brought reggae and funk to the mainstream.  The late 70’s disco morass propelled Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty out of one side of the bog, and the entire Punk movement out on the other.  And ten years later, insipid tasteless hair bands gave birth to Nirvana and Pearl Jam and all the other bands we grew to mourn in the Britney era.

Point is, no matter how low you may believe music has sunk, you just gotta look through the rank, decomposing carpet of expired foliage on the forest floor.  Look through all the rotting cadavers, and on to the ravenous young saplings, just clawing their way to inspiration.  Look through it; and rejuvenate your will to rock.