The hymns that hold us.

The early 90s were a very weird and exciting time for music... there was certainly a lot of quality music being released in a long range of genres, but, prior to a certain movement started in the northwest of America, there was nothing you could hang on to and make it intimately yours.

Then came grunge.

All us college kids were deeply enthralled with it right away. It spoke to us. It spoke about us. It said nothing important and everything that mattered at once.

For a very short moment in time, and very much like the hippie revolution of the 60s, us 90s kids felt connected via music.

I remember fondly how college mates would smoke weed and discuss for hours the lyrics of our favorite songs. I remember how we would spend night after night with our guitars and try to learn to play any song that was famous at the moment. I remember not caring, at all, about what I was going to wear at school, and fully know that neither did my schoolmates. I especially remember driving around LSD (Lake Shore Drive, for you non-Chicago readers) with my dear friend Chris Niemitz, while "Smells like teen spirit" played loudly in the car stereo and us singing at the top of our longs, allowing all our desperation, anger, frustration, and uncertainty loudly come out of us with those lyrics.

And then... puff! 

Grunge left as quickly as it arrived.... leaving behind a post-grunge scene that seemed efficient at first but degraded rapidly as corporations took a hold of the genre and completely obliterated it, making way for new angry genres that did not have the deep emotional roots grunge had.

Is it fair to say that music has been deteriorating since then? well, I will admit that it would be presumptuous to say so, but I need to ask... 

Has there been any music movement since grunge that speaks so deeply to a group of kids that connects them and makes them see their reality? Is there any kind of music that does more than numb its listener out there now?

If there is, I can't find it. It almost seems like today's music is arranged specifically to NOT be uncomfortable. Today's music makes sure you're just fine and happy... or if it's angry music, it's music that angers you to the point of being frozen and inactive.

I'm sure today's kid realize what kink of shitehole past generations have left for them, but they seem to be happy with just wallowing in their sorrows... still, I truly hope the time will come that, once they're really cornered by what it's expected of them and what they really want to do, they will pick up their loud guitars and, at unison, sing to the world "FUCK YOU! THIS IS MY LIFE YOU'RE MESSING WITH!"

Oh, it will be a glorious day when today's kids find their voice.

Thanks for reading,

Josep