Can we hear “today” in today’s music, today?

I typically shy away from anything theoretical when it comes to music, but I’ve been listening to a fair amount of stuff that invokes a similar feeling and was made during the first half of the 80s in England. This is a place and a period that was really formative for me musically and I guess I’m picking up on the precise mood that so much of this music evokes and it’s the first time that I’ve ever immersed myself in it while also having a decent understanding of the history of the society at the time. This has ignited some curiosity in me. I wonder if anyone can pick up on this and grasp it when it’s happening and if so, what we would apprehend about today?

Would it be the sound of bankers, paedos, Anglo-American imperialism and old media juggernaut deaths? Or is it just that innovative music has always taken place in enclaves of shared understanding, and this “picture” is more a view of how those people saw it than of how everyone felt it? Probably some nuance in between. I dunno, but I’m interested to know what y’all think about it.

Reply