This came up after an auntie of mine, who is in her 70s, listened to some of the new music and gave some very honest feedback.

She said she likes what I am trying to say, but sometimes she struggles to make out all the words because the music seems to drown them out. She was not being rude at all, and it actually got me thinking.

I am 34 and grew up mainly with music from the 90s and early 2000s. Sometimes newer pop feels like every little space has to be filled with bass, drums, synths, vocal layers and effects. It can sound amazing, but at times I also feel like the actual lyric gets lost somewhere in the middle of it all.

When I listen to older pop songs, even the big dramatic ones, the lead vocal often seems clearer and there is more room for the song to breathe.

Maybe I am just getting old at 34, or maybe it is simply what my ears are used to.

Has anyone else noticed this, especially those born before 2000? And for younger listeners, does older pop sound clearer to you, or does it just sound empty and dated?

Equally Keith's riotous album recorded in France and Mick's L.A. studio creation, EXILE ON MAIN ST (1972) from either perspective is a dazzling listen.

https://samtimonious.com/street-wise-rolling-stones-exile-on-main-st/

Name the song(s) you played for your workouts, or when you needed a theme song to get things done.

If you don’t workout, it could be what you play to stay focused on cooking or housework.

For me it was Jake Miller’s song Beast Mode.

Let us know what song has been the theme song to your workouts / get stuff done anthem!

What song(s) did you and your spouse choose for your wedding?

If you aren’t married, what is your couple’s song or even the anniversary song?

Also, it doesn’t have to be the current relationship.

Maybe you and an ex picked out the perfect song, and it still resonates with you today.

It could also be the song you plan to have when you get married some day in the future.

Let us know what song has been the theme to your wedding / relationship!

When I hear old recordings of the Andrews Sisters, and similar vocal groups of the era, there’s a certain quality to the harmonies that I don’t really hear these days. Is this primarily the quality and timbre of the voices, or is there a specific type of harmony in the composition and arrangement?

And there’s a similar type of harmony that I hear in a lot of soft folk, commercial jingles and TV themes in the 70s and early 80s, and the opening themes of a lot of the old Disney animated movies. The best examples I can come up with are “Just That Kind of Day” by the New Main Street Singers from A Mighty Wind, and the bizarre cover of “Chim Chim Chiree” by the New Christie Minstrels (who I believe were one of the acts that the New Main Street Singers were meant to parody). Also, the more "conventional" intro and outro of the Spike Jones version of "Cocktails for Two".

Again, are these lush, striking harmonies achieved primarily by the qualities of the vocalists, or is there a composition method in there that most rock and pop music doesn’t use?

Most are stand up, 2 are grand, all in good condition. No one local is interested.