Noise Pollution

I was watching VH1 at 4am-ish, because well, lets face it at 4 am there is only music videos, and infomercials. I am noticing more and more nowadays how incredibly polluted music has become. It seems to be mainly from hip hop and rap music. Now I am not speaking about a difference in tastes, just the sheer volume of vocals and instruments. To the point where you can no longer hear what any one of them is saying, or what it sounds like.

Am I just old fashioned in thinking that music should be listened too? That vocals should be comprehensible? I mean, music as I see it is an art form, no different then painting, or writing a story. But when you overload your song with 15 tracks of vocals, and overpowering instrumentals, what's the point? You are just making noise. Music, ideally, should come from the heart, should express ideas and life, so that the listener can see a little piece of the world the writer inhabits. But if what you produce has as much meaning as a bunch of cats meowing in the alley, who cares?

And am I also old fashioned in thinking that a song should be more then 15-30 seconds of material repeated incessantly? If you sit down to write a song, and all you have is a chorus, please, PLEASE for the love of all that is Holy, don't release the song! If all you are going to sing is variants on "Oh Baby" go the heck away! I believe that 4 minutes of song should contain, shockingly, 4 minutes of song! Am I alone?

Why is music degrading so? Why is there a million songs about sex and love, that all say so many words, but say nothing? Music is becoming more and more about image and reputation rather then substance. Look at the big names in music, in whatever genre you prefer. They are fine specimens of human perfection visually and aurally. But the "artists" of that genre, the ones that make the music because it's their passion, not their paycheck, the ones that write because their heart can not keep silent. Where are they? They are out there to be sure, but generally speaking, they are nobodies. Which is a tragedy, after all, it is those types that should be ruling the music world, for they offer us the most. They give us a new point of view, they give us something to think about, they give us a happy heart, or a sad one. They can change the world with their lyrics, or change just one life.

Ok, rant over, I'm feeling better now.