Old vs. New

We are society that is always trying to compare things to one another. We compare the movie to its original book, we compare brand name products to generics, we even compare people (think "looks like his father, but he has his mother's eyes").

What I've been noticing is a lot of resurfacing of musical styles. I can't speak for previous generations, but it seems like we're not coming up with anything new right now. Instead of Lady Gaga, fun., and One Direction, sometimes I think I'm listening to Madonna, Queen, and N*Sync. But then I have to wonder: is that something I'm happy for, or sad for? Or should I just roll with it? Well, since the last one wouldn't made much of a post, let's go through pros and cons:


Recycling Music: PROS
1) Using what we know works
2) Improving on what we know works
3) Introducing old music to a new generation
4)  I can always listen to older music as well as new: variety!
5) Sounding like a hipster when talking about who the latest artist "stole from."


Recycling Music: CONS
1) If it ain't broke, don't fix it
2) Taking concepts from previous songs and making it suck
3) Songs are getting progressively shorter, along with attention spans of the new generation
4) Sure older music is available, but they're not playing on the radio
5) Sounding like an old lady when talking about how "music isn't like how it used to be."


And now, for the video that got me thinking about this topic

Epic Rap Battles of History: Justin Bieber vs. Beethoven (and Beethoven wins)

What I love about this one: I don't know if they actually studied up on Beethoven for the video (I'm sure they did), but they did an awesome job of recreating Beethoven's personality. I can totally hear him saying, "I'm Beethoven Mother f*cker, maybe you've heard of me!"