Since rock music died out in the early 1990s, the only tolerable period has been the New New Wave between roughly 2003 and 2006 when a bunch of young kids wised up:
"Fuck it -- we might as well copy something great from the past rather than try to be original. I mean, how well has that been going for the past 10 years?"
That suggests that pop music might as well go the route that high music has gone and just have energetic and ambitious young people interpret the classics. Unlike classical music, though, interpreters don't require as long of an apprenticeship, and most of the punch of pop music comes from the raw energy anyway.
Here's a 16 year-old guy on YouTube doing very good INXS covers -- much better than the ones by successful professional pop musicians of the past 15 years. YouTube also has INXS covers by hit-makers Matchbox 20 and The Bravery, and they both suck compared to this high school kid.
"Listen Like Thieves"
"Kiss the Dirt"
There are more on his channel. He's hardly gotten any views or ratings, probably because he looks too nerdy -- and in a Devo, true nerd way, not in the fashionable meta-ironic Weezer style. Also, not being a cute girl will always harm your YouTube popularity. Hopefully the next wave of wild times will pick up before he turns 25 or so, and he'll get to make some good and original music.
Good scouting agnostic. Subscribed to his page.
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