Is Mediocrity the New Norm?

With each generation there tends to be a distinctive rise in quantity over quality. In the 1950s, it was Elvis and his crooning voice that established the popularity of singles over albums. Throughout the 1980s, the same repetitive drum loop that seemed to be in every song shaped an entire decade. Now we’re seeing this rise again in the digital age, where streaming is the main source of music consumption.

There’s been a reverse back to how music used to be. Releasing multiple singles and haphazardly throwing together an album of those hit songs has become our norm rather than treating the album as an art form. It takes talent and hard work to put together a cohesive piece of music. It’s heartbreaking to see album's not being appreciated as they used to. During the 1950s and early 1960s, singles were the biggest selling point before the Beatles came around and changed that. They wanted to grow into artists rather than just performers. The Beatles began the decade following the trend and ended it by leading a generation of musicians towards something more. The legacy they built up now seems to be dying with the growth of digital media.

What’s guaranteed is there is always someone — either a band, or an artist — that form a style of their own to counteract what’s “popular.” From glam rock to punk, grunge to hip hop, in 2017 the outlier was rock music. Mediocrity is what we can come to expect from most artists today — those who release single after single built off of the same bland lyrics and good beat. And then we have Harry Styles.

Yes, Harry is one of my favourite artists and I do tend to hype him up when I can, but he’s doing something artists are afraid to do. He’s risking his mainstream popularity to reinvent a genre in his own way as a “new” solo artist. Harry released a modern-day masterpiece as his very first solo single in “Sign of the Times.” Who voluntarily chooses a five and a half minute, sweeping rock ballad to introduce themselves as a solo artist when songs like “Closer” and “Shape of You” are on the radio?

Although he’s found success in other ways, most aren’t appreciating his true value as an artist. The Grammy’s and now the BRIT’s have used him for views, but then disregard his accomplishments when it comes to nominations. 

It’s no surprise that the art of creating a solid, cohesive album is dying. Most musicians get more adulation for releasing singles every few months than they do for a complete body of work that takes years to make. 

But, it’s Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band that top best-sellers list every year. It’s Rumours and The Dark Side of the Moon that continue to sell thousands of records despite 40 years since their debuts. It’s Nevermind and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? that have birthed songs we all knew grow up. These albums remain highly regarded 30-50 years after their release.

Maybe, we’ll see a repeating cycle and somewhere in the future albums will be appreciated again for the elegance they bring. Until then we have uninspiring, second-rate “noise” blasting on the radio.