Originally Posted by Jason Tate

Maybe for you ... I'm continually blown away by truly great albums. This scene just isn't where they are currently being produced at a high clip. The biggest bands in this scene today are nowhere near the level they were 8 years ago.

Here's a solid list of 'scene' albums in '05:

The Academy Is... - Almost Here
Acceptance - Phantoms
Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal
Armor For Sleep - What To Do When You Are Dead
As Cities Burn - Son I Loved You...
Augustana - All The Stars & Boulevards
The Bled - Found in the Flood
Boys Night Out - Trainwreck
Bright Eyes - Wide Awake...
Cartel - Chroma
Circa Survive - Juturna
City & Colour - Sometimes
Copeland - In Motion
Days Away - Mapping An Invisible World
Death Cab - Plans
Emanuel - Soundtrack To A Headrush
Fall of Troy - Doppelganger
Funeral For A Friend - Hours
Gatsby's American Dream - Volcano
Hidden in Plain View - Life In Dreaming
The Higher - Histrionics
Houston Calls - A Collection of Short Stories
Jack's Mannequin - Everything In Transit
JamisonParker - Sleepwalker
John Ralston - Needle Bed
Junior Varsity - Wide Eyed
Limbeck - Let Me Come Home
Lux Courageous - Reason That Keep The Ground Near
Lydia - This December...
Mars Volta - Frances The Mute
Minus The Bear - Menos El Oso
Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory
Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift
The National - Alligator
Nightmare of You - Nightmare of You
Number One Gun - Promises For The Imperfect
Pale Pacific - Urgency
Panic Division - Versus
Panic at the Disco - A Fever...
Paramore - All We Know Is Falling
The Receiving End of Sirens - Between The Hear And Synapse
Scary Kids Scaring Kids - The City Sleeps In Flames
Sherwood - Sing, But Keep Going
Small Towns Burn A Little Slower - Morality as Home Entertainment
Socratic - Lunch For The Sky
The Spill Canvas - One Feel Swoop
Spitalfield - Stop Doing Bad Things
Steel Train - Twilight Tales...
Terminal - How The Lonely Keep
Thrice - Vheissu
Valencia - This Could Be A Possibility
Waking Ashland - Composure

Originally Posted by Jason Tate

Maybe for you ... I'm continually blown away by truly great albums. This scene just isn't where they are currently being produced at a high clip. The biggest bands in this scene today are nowhere near the level they were 8 years ago.

I think back then we were seeing so many bands emerge from an evolving scene and a definite stride was hit where what was popular went hand in hand with what was actually good. To me, too many of the "new" bands now went the more poppy/radio friendly route because it was easier to do, which completely broke that original stride.

There are plenty of bands out there right now putting out awesome creative records, but he's right in that they aren't in the "mainstream" anymore. For every great band/record that comes out, there are 50 shitty bands coming out that get more attention because it's what kids flock to, and in turn the bands that are actually good don't last very long because they can't support themselves anymore. It's a shame.

Fang Island is certainly not part of this "scene"

The music scene in this day and age saddens me, at times. He's got a point.

I will argue that the actual 'quality' hasn't decreased by too much, just the reception.

this whole thing makes me laugh from the headline, to the interview, to the comments. it's all as if this is the first time this ever happened. surf rock, disco, thrash and hair metal anyone?

what is this notion of a scene anyway? is there a workers union for pop punk bands that I don't know about?

cynicism doesn't make good music, being open minded does. looking outside of just the 2-3 genres that are all really the same thing anyway is also a vital key.

if anything is stagnant it's because musicians are afraid of backlash because of idiot fans, so theyre forced to be totally uninspired. if you guys really wanna save your precious "scene", you should stop being such twats when your favorite band tries something new.

3 things.

1. The fans grew up. As you age, your musical tastes change.
2. The internet. Because of the industry, no bands can make a living. As the bands get older and have to start living the life of an adult, the realization that music does not equal a steady paycheck becomes a reality.
3. Over-saturation. Too many bands trying to do the same thing.

It is simple.

I just think we are in a different era of music. It happens.

Originally Posted by TomAce

this whole thing makes me laugh from the headline, to the interview, to the comments. it's all as if this is the first time this ever happened. surf rock, disco, thrash and hair metal anyone?

what is this notion of a scene anyway? is there a workers union for pop punk bands that I don't know about?

cynicism doesn't make good music, being open minded does. looking outside of just the 2-3 genres that are all really the same thing anyway is also a vital key.

if anything is stagnant it's because musicians are afraid of backlash because of idiot fans, so theyre forced to be totally uninspired. if you guys really wanna save your precious "scene", you should stop being such twats when your favorite band tries something new.

But what if they actually suck?

Originally Posted by Jason Tate

Maybe for you ... I'm continually blown away by truly great albums. This scene just isn't where they are currently being produced at a high clip. The biggest bands in this scene today are nowhere near the level they were 8 years ago.

Oh no, I'm blown away often as well. There is a ton of great music out right now. Maybe it just me but I feel that due to how much quality music is out there it jut isn't sticking as much with me.

Originally Posted by NateFoundGlory

The music scene in this day and age saddens me, at times. He's got a point.

I will argue that the actual 'quality' hasn't decreased by too much, just the reception.

Ding ding ding at that last part, what I've been trying to say.

Originally Posted by mattjritter

Here's a solid list of 'scene' albums in '05 that were very solid:

The Academy Is... - Almost Here
Acceptance - Phantoms
Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal
Armor For Sleep - What To Do When You Are Dead
As Cities Burn - Son I Loved You...
Augustana - All The Stars & Boulevards
The Bled - Found in the Flood
Boys Night Out - Trainwreck
Bright Eyes - Wide Awake...
Cartel - Chroma
Circa Survive - Juturna
City & Colour - Sometimes
Copeland - In Motion
Days Away - Mapping An Invisible World
Death Cab - Plans
Emanuel - Soundtrack To A Headrush
Fall of Troy - Doppelganger
Funeral For A Friend - Hours
Gatsby's American Dream - Volcano
Hidden in Plain View - Life In Dreaming
The Higher - Histrionics
Houston Calls - A Collection of Short Stories
Jack's Mannequin - Everything In Transit
JamisonParker - Sleepwalker
John Ralston - Needle Bed
Junior Varsity - Wide Eyed
Limbeck - Let Me Come Home
Lux Courageous - Reason That Keep The Ground Near
Lydia - This December...
Mars Volta - Frances The Mute
Minus The Bear - Menos El Oso
Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory
Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift
The National - Alligator
Nightmare of You - Nightmare of You
Number One Gun - Promises For The Imperfect
Pale Pacific - Urgency
Panic Division - Versus
Panic at the Disco - A Fever...
The Receiving End of Sirens - Between The Hear And Synapse
Scary Kids Scaring Kids - The City Sleeps In Flames
Sherwood - Sing, But Keep Going
Small Towns Burn A Little Slower - Morality as Home Entertainment
Socratic - Lunch For The Sky
The Spill Canvas - One Feel Swoop
Spitalfield - Stop Doing Bad Things
Steel Train - Twilight Tales...
Terminal - How The Lonely Keep
Thrice - Vheissu
Valencia - This Could Be A Possibility
Waking Ashland - Composure

Point proven. Just looking at that list brings back my best musical memories of my life. Superb list.

Originally Posted by Kieren Smith

3 things.

1. The fans grew up. As you age, your musical tastes change.
2. The internet. Because of the industry, no bands can make a living. As the bands get older and have to start living the life of an adult, the realization that music does not equal a steady paycheck becomes a reality.
3. Over-saturation. Too many bands trying to do the same thing.

It is simple.

You nailed it. To add to "the fans grew up"...its almost impossible for me to go to a show on a weeknight anymore dye to career demands. Alot of kids have grown up and now have 8 to 5s, wives husbands kids. These things force you to prioritize. Every now and then ill take a day off to go see a band ...i took tuesday off to drive back from seeing gaslight in toronto...but i cant do that very often. So unless a show is on a friday or saturday i just cant go and support the bands by buying a ticket, merch etc. I think thats the story for alot of people.

Originally Posted by Kieren Smith

3 things.

1. The fans grew up. As you age, your musical tastes change.
2. The internet. Because of the industry, no bands can make a living. As the bands get older and have to start living the life of an adult, the realization that music does not equal a steady paycheck becomes a reality.
3. Over-saturation. Too many bands trying to do the same thing.

It is simple.

it is indeed that simple. I agree.

Originally Posted by Holly HoX!

But what if they actually suck?

well i mean, look at history. every musician has released at least one bad album at some point in time, a lot of them were given the chance to rebound and come back with the next release. with some of today's music fans a bad album is a death sentence due to treason.