Music is often regarded as the universal language (or at least one of the universal languages-don't want to upset those math fans out there!). We find it everywhere we turn: in our homes, in the car, in stores and businesses, the movies, on television. In fact I would go so far as to say that music has now permeated just about every aspect of our lives. It is obvious that it is important to our lives, otherwise it would not be so prominent. So this begs a question:

Why does the popular music suck so bad?

I mean that seriously. If we place such an emphasis on music, if we insist that it have a central role in our lives, why do we glorify such simplistic, mindless music?

Don't get me wrong, there are some fun tunes out there on top 40 radio. Some great music to dance to, to bob your head to, to hum and/or sing along with. But in the end it is empty and unfulfilling. Were that not so there wouldn't be such a high turnover when it comes to the popular songs and the popular artists. After all, how many times do you have to listen to a "pop" song before you pretty much have it memorized? I pretty much knew every note of the song "Bring Me to Life" before I even knew who Evanescence was. And after half a listen to "Hey Ya" by Outkast I could have played out the rhythm and bass line without any problems. Of course this phenomenon is not restricted to "pop" music per say (though I think of pop music as a pretty all encompassing title). We see the same thing happening in country, rap/hip-hop, rock, and even metal.

It seems that, in order to become popular, music these days has to appeal to the lowest common denominator. And while it makes sense that music that is the most simple and accessible will appeal to the largest number of people, I can't help but be saddened at that fact. It seems to me that it is an open acknowledgment that we are stupid, that we like to take the easy road, that a challenge scares us. Certainly the corporate aspect of music is largely to blame in this demise in the quality of music. Labels and the big publishers want to make money. They want to sign artists that will rise to the top of the charts the fastest, that will get the most time on MTV, that will move the most records off the shelf. And so they turn to the artists who have the most catchy hook, the instantly recognizable chorus, and the most marketable image.

Yet, ultimately, the burden of this problem rests squarely on our shoulders as the consumers. We hear these simple songs on the radio, have them memorized by the time we get to the record store, and we still spend our money on this disposable music. Walking out to the car we peel the plastic off our newest purchase, ecstatic to listen to a song on the CD that is probably playing on the radio right now. Oh, but there are other songs on the album you say, right?

Wrong.

We end up with 11 tracks, totaling 35 minutes, that sound the same. Lyrics are mundane, either talking about how much someone wants to "get it on" or how mad they are because their rich, pampered life is such a trial. But the lyrics talk to us, the listeners. We identify with them, right? I hope not. Because if people identify with the lyrics I hear on the radio we have pretty shallow and unimaginative minds. So, in essence, we just forked over $15 for one song that we already know and will be bored with in 8 weeks, once it moves off the top 40.

Now would be an appropriate time for a caveat. I am an admitted "prog snob". My music of choice is progressive rock/metal. So I get a kick out of long songs (20 minutes? Sure! 40? Even better!), crazy time signatures that change multiple times throughout the song, and technical playing/writing. This certainly influences my likes and dislikes. But I still look for good music wherever I can find it. And frankly, I just don't find it on the radio anymore.

So I am left asking music store clerks to look for an album in the computer, because I sure can't find it in the racks. And they never have it. So I turn to the internet to make my purchases and to connect with other like minded musicians/music fans and find small, but thriving communities. And then I champion bands that I find, listening to them with others, telling folks about them, posting random drivel on the internet extolling the virtues of my latest purchase in the hopes that at least one person will shake off the shackles of "pop" music and dig a little deeper.

Does it make a difference?

Probably not. But I do it anyway because they deserve it. They deserve more attention, more recognition, and more album sales. Yep, money makes the world go around, and I wish we would spend more of it on music that lasts. Sure, I bought Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory". And I listened for a while, and enjoyed it. But it hasn't made it's way back into one of my CD players for probably a year. And yet four years since its release, and after hundreds of spins in the player, Fates Warning's "Disconnected" still amazes, moves, entertains, and impresses me. But which one sold the most? I don't think I even need to answer that.

So let's open our minds. Let's open our ears. Let's do more than scratch the surface. Instead, let us seek the music that challenges us, that makes us think, that is multidimensional. Let's tell the labels that we are sick and tired of being spoon fed this mindless sonic milk. We can tell them we want more. We can tell them we want, even demand, substance that has long been lacking from the airwaves. We can turn to the real artists, those who push not only themselves, but us as their fans, to reach farther. And we can come away fulfilled and satisfied.