This is a larger trend I’ve seen about art, but I feel like especially on Reddit, people who are fans of more experimental or unconventional music are wary about voicing opinions. Honestly, criticism of music online is almost always met with anger or indignation unless it’s directed toward an artist who the Internet has decided we all hate.

I think it’s fair to think that challenging music tends to have more depth than pop music, because many times connecting with art that is adventurous is uniquely eye-opening and-mind blowing. That’s not to say that pop music can’t have depth, or that experimental music always has depth, but just that something like Bitches Brew has this whole jungle of noise and color and personality that is totally singular to its avant-garde vision.

I don’t like the type of person who is snobby and gatekeeper either, but the fact that I feel I should have to say that is sort of what I mean. I’m not saying anyone is genuinely getting censored - of course I am not going to get canceled for disliking types of music necessarily, but it’s just a general trend I’ve notice.

People on here also seem so incredibly offended and defensive at the smallest hint that someone is looking down on modern pop music, immediately hurling accusations of “le wrong generation.” I think poptimism has its place, but it’s drowned out a lot of dissenting opinions.

Like, personally, I am not particularly excited by the direction FKA Twigs is going in. I think her shift toward more trendy/dancey sounds is disappointing. But when I see people sharing this opinion, they are often told to stop being pretentious and start shaking their ass, or that no one wants to hear their negativity, or that the artist is evolving. It starts to feel like anti-intellectualism at times. L

Sometimes, artists devolve, and sometimes that looks like transitioning from more progressive music to more commercial music, and that’s ok for me to feel that way.