This is a post for anyone who loves music, but feels a little out of touch with what’s popular on the charts these days.
Remember that the top-selling artists of today were all influenced by the great bands and chart-toppers of the past, so you may recognize some of your favorite artists from the past still lingering in today’s popular music.
You may find that if you give them a try, the bands your kids are listening to may soon become your favorites, too! And in the process of making these comparisons to your old favorites, maybe you can introduce a new generation to some of the great music of the past.
If back in the day, you loved Rush, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra or Radiohead, give Muse a listen.
Muse blends soaring orchestral arrangements with rock guitar riffs, distinctive vocals and meaningful lyrics. Like Yes and Rush, Muse is not afraid to go a little bombastic at times, yet somehow the band has a sense of when it works and when it’s better to hold back.
Like ELO, Muse can go for that ‘wall of sound’ effect, and employ classical orchestra instruments in surprising ways.
Like Radiohead, Muse creates some of the most heart-wrenching and poignant music out there, with lyrics that can inspire nostalgia, hope or action.
This video of Muse’s Starlight should give you a better idea of what I’m talking about.
Were you a die-hard fan of Kate Bush, Annie Lennox or Siouxsie and the Banshees in the eighties? Loved the ‘fem-rock’ vibe and experimentation of Tori Amos in the nineties? Then Florence + The Machine is for you.
Florence + The Machine is a project of the very gifted vocalist Florence Welch. She’s got the range and unique style to match any of those great chanteuses of the past, coupled with experimental yet catchy musical arrangements.
Like Tori Amos, Florence + The Machine‘s love songs are anything but sappy or traditional. These are songs of life, hardship and heartbreak, as much as songs of love.
Like all those great female artists you love from the past, Florence Welch employs heavy symbolism and heart-baring pathos in her songs, as well.
And like Siouxsie, Florence plays with international folk instruments and styles, mixing guitars with sitars, drum kit cymbals with the fingertip variety, violins and cellos with conga drums.
Click here to watch a live performance of Florence + The Machine performing Dog Days Are Over on Saturday Night Live.
If The Clash was your thing in the late seventies and into the eighties, Green Day is a pretty good, current-day analog.
Green Day shares the punk sensibilities of The Clash, and sticks largely to hard-charging rock.
But like The Clash, Green Day writes music that’s not only out to make a statement about politics and society, it’s darned catchy, too!
Green Day‘s American Idiot is a great place to start in getting acquainted with this band. Here’s a video of the band performing the title track in Wembley Stadium.
Bruno Mars is a hot new artist who’s like an amalgamation of Michael Jackson, Prince and Ricky Martin.
Mars has Jackson’s golden pipes and some dance moves that may not match the caliber of The Gloved One, but are just as energetic and entertaining.
Like Prince, Mars dabbles across many different genres, and he keeps a Prince-like sexy edge in his lyrics.
Mars also mixes in the Latin rhythms and flavors of Ricky Martin, along with infectious hooks and beats that make you want to move.
But don’t take my word for it: check out this live performance of Mars’ new single, Locked Out of Heaven.