Stonedranger over at We Shot JR nicely summed up how I’ve been feeling recently about music.

“I’ve lately developed a bad habit: I tend to discount many of the things I see on MP3 blogs simply because they are, um, on MP3 blogs. At first I thought that it was just because rock music has been sucking lately, but then I realized that it is logical to feel a bit skeptical when you’re dealing with a thousand mini NMEs telling you about the next band to ‘save rock,’ only to find out that, um, they aren’t going to.”

I think my problem with music lately is that I’m tired of visiting Web sites and opening up magazines and reading about the same bands over and over again. I’m sick and tired of hearing how so-and-so band is great and everyone should listen to them. I’m frustrated with listening to new bands and discovering that they’re really nothing new. It’s gotten to the point where I almost long for the days of pre-Internet, when radio executives chose what was good for the masses to hear–some kind of filter to separate the good from the bad.

Truthfully, though, I don’t want some suit telling me what to listen to; still, I feel our society–when it comes to music–relies more on emotional criticism than intellectual criticism, that there is no longer any filter. If you look at the state of music criticism today, especially when it comes to Internet magazines and blogs, you’ll notice that most every band is good (if not great) and that you should really be listening to them.

For true aesthetic appreciation there should be a balance. The best art affects your intellect and your emotions. However, bring that up to music lovers and you get pie thrown back in your face, because they claim music should be all about how it makes one feel. While the way someone feels about music is valid, it can only go so far in a true test of its lasting impression on generations of music buffs.

Okay, I’m stepping into territory that could take more hours and words than I have available right now, so I’ll just end with this personal observation.

All this frustration with hype and over saturation of some bands has even leaked into my creative life. Lately, I don’t feel like writing music, playing music or even going to concerts. The proliferation of music available online and around me has taken all the fun out of it.

I realize this is a phase I’m going through, but I’m having a hard time shaking it off. I’m having trouble finding the excitement of music again, and that scares me.

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