Here is a country song generated by Artificial Intelligence. It does a great job of including every known country cliche.
https://laughingsquid.com/country-so...pFWowYEA3eXZXA
Now, let's see them generate an early 70's Yes song!
Here is a country song generated by Artificial Intelligence. It does a great job of including every known country cliche.
https://laughingsquid.com/country-so...pFWowYEA3eXZXA
Now, let's see them generate an early 70's Yes song!
That pretty much nails it!. I had to spend an hour or so in a garage this week where the radio was set on "country hits". The most insipid and pandering lyrics I've ever heard, all sung over either a generic acoustic background or stolen Keith Richards licks with all the piss and vinegar drained out of 'em. It would make Hank Sr weep and then pop some pills.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
As a country song that's pretty poor, but as a parody it's spot on. Showcases the poop that passes for country music these days. Even a machine can do it.
Lou
Looking forward to my day in court.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
I wish Bob Newhart was here, I'm pretty sure he could make some connection between Country Music and Artificial Intelligence...
I wonder what an AI version of prog would sound like?
Dave Sr.
I prefer Nature to Human Nature
It's something like a song-poem. Actually, all the Botnik tunes are.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_poem
http://www.songpoemmusic.com/what_is.htm
Look at yourself
And a hand
And a shelf
In the Wind.
Such poignant lyrics. It's like they looked inside my head. Back in 1974. On acid. When a stanza like that would make sense.
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
I agree in its pure AI form it is parody. The frightening thing is though, a decent lyricist could turn this into a contender with just a few tweaks. The chorus could be changed to "Go ahead and walk out my door" for example. So, no, 100% AI won't generate a hit, but 95% AI and a few songwriting tweaks and you really could have a hit.
Yesterday we were on a road trip and my wife put in the CD Will the Circle be Unbroken II by the NGDB and an enormous cast of guests from country, rock, bluegrass, and folk. Wow, what a difference versus what passes for the genre these days. There was actual proficiency in the playing, intelligent lyrics, and just a warmth in the entire recording. Everything recorded in one take, no overdubs. There's a little bit of talking between tracks and Emmylou remarks that it feels like they're just in a living room, playing music. They even got a great vocal out of John Denver!
https://www.allmusic.com/album/will-...2-mw0001971864
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I love all those 'Will The Circle Be Unbroken' albums. Thanks for reminding me to go put one in the car. All I have out there right now is "Grayfolded," which may or may not improve my driving. Did you happen to catch the PBS special filmed at the Ryman Auditorium a few years ago?: "Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: 50 Years and Circlin' Back." It featured present and former members of the band along with guests: Vince Gill, John Prine, Jackson Browne, Alison Krauss, Rodney Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Ibbotson, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Byron House. Worth watching, if you can track it down.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
I missed that. I'll track it down.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I love "new grass" and "alt grass" but could never get into straight ahead country music (if that's the proper term).
Here's an example of what I see as an intelligent take on the country genre. Maybe some people would call this alt country.
Probably because it's so far away from the mainstream now. There's a lot of messing around with the pigeonholes now. A lot of this music also gets claimed under the Americana tent as well. I think of alt-country as Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Olds 97, etc but everyone's mileage varies. Jason Isbell, depending on what mood he's in, says he's more of a folk artist than anything else. But none of them are in or of the mainstream and take pains to point it out. There's a stigma there they want to avoid, with good reason.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
My favorite flavor of country is old Honky Tonk. Steel guitar, fiddle, Telecasters. I like the Bakersfield sound too.
After watching the song in the o.p. I wonder what the AI machine would do if it was fed all of Captain Beefheart's lyrics. Would it come up with something that sounded 'normal'.
NGDB is one amazing group, and its three WtCBU releases are stunning.
However, I just have to pass comment on the state of country music today. Like any other genre, there's plenty of shite...but there are still some who practice the real deal while, at the same time, bringing in other elements (musical cross-pollination ain't exactly a bad thing if done right). There are still guys like Dwight Yoakam who are carrying on the Bakersfield tradition, monster guitarists like Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs and Steve Wariner, hardcore folk-country singer/songwriters like Steve Earle (whose latest, a tribute to the great Guy Clark, is terrific), Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell...and Willie Nelson continues to release one great album after another (not a fan of his jazz standards stuff, but when in folk or country mode), like on Last Man Standing.
So, sure, the mass market stuff is often just as weak as the mass market pop stuff (but you don't have to look very hard to find great pop songsmiths still releasing terrific stuff too)...but that doesn't mean there isn't some terrific, real country (and pop) being made. You've just gotta either follow the good ones or, to find the new ones, sift through the muck to find the gold which invariably exists.
As for AI-generated music of any genre? Sweet Jesus, it really is coming to this. But for fans of the real deal, whether pop, Prog, country, folk, blues or what have you? AI will never replace 'em because, while algorithms can be clever and programmatically expansive...they simply ain't human. And irrespective of your musical tastes, you just can't replace the humanity in the best music.
At least, not IMO. If this is where things are going, then I'm very happy to be in my 60s and, while not planning to leave anytime soon, am realistically now in the final chapters of my life and will hopefully be gone before real music is replaced by programmatically created facsimiles.
John Kelman
Senior Contributor, All About Jazz since 2004
Freelance writer/photographer
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