I don't believe new music sucks at all. As a music journalist, I'm consistently excited and energized about the spate of excellent new tunes that are still coming out year in and year out.

It depends on what you're listening to, frankly. If you're setting your dial to the local top 40 radio station, then yes, you will probably be very disappointed with the homogeny that you are presented with. Those stations only play songs from companies who pay them to give them heavy rotation. Clear Channel radio stations are from the Devil, pure and simple. Sadly, Clear Channel owns about half the fricking world right now, so chances are, if you're turning on the radio, you're hearing something owned by them. (They're also known to support Republicans and the religious right. Gee. Go figure. A major corporation investing money in a political party that kisses their ass. Never heard of such a thing.)

But contrary to what you say, music is better than ever. There are some AWESOME and HOT new bands that I love.

Seriously, anyone who says that today's music sucks just is not listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Rock Kills Kid, Every Move a Picture, the Strokes, the Parson Redheads, Shawn Colvin, the Pernice Brothers, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Sleater-Kinney, Razorlight, The Real Tuesday Weld, the Dresden Dolls, RingSide, Ron Sexsmith, Rufus Wainwright, Sam Phillips, the Scissor Sisters, the Silversun Pickups, Sonic Youth, Stewart Lewis, Eric Himan, Tanya Donelly, Toni Braxton, Universal Honey, Wilco, Nada Surf, The Gossip, Sondra Lerche, Goldfrapp, the Futureheads, French Kicks, Neil Finn, Everything but the Girl, Damien Rice, Mellowdrone, Bettie Serveert, the Dandy Warhols, Cracker, Corinne Bailey Rae, Chris Pureka, Cat Power, REM, Indigo Girls, the ever-brilliant Fiona Apple, or the amazing, phenomenal Regina Spektor.

And that's only scratching the surface!

Every generation wants to talk shit about the music that the younger generations are listening to. It's par for the course when you're getting older. But to say that music is no longer good just because you're getting old, crabby and too set in your ways is a big, fat, rotten, filthy, stinking lie. So there. <wink wink>

With the advent of do-it-yourself (DIY) and indie labels, music is, frankly, better than ever. People are becoming more liberated to say the things they want to say and really make music that matters.

The only thing you have to be is open to hearing it.