FWIW, I think hip-hop is one of the narrower, more strictly bound genres out there. All the rapid advancements in making beats, etc. really just boil down to pretty minor stylistic details. The overall form remains fairly traditionalized, from lyrical content to song structures.

arctic monkeys just invented an original style of music
it sounds like franz pinkyblasting a camel

i'm biased because i've tried both and found it really hard to make beats that i thought were interesting where as i find it easy to write songs on guitar (that at least me and my mom like)

As an outside observer, I agree. But history has taught me that I don't see a lot of the subtleties, so I usually refrain from saying so, because the more I get to know about it, the more I realize I might've been wrong.

Looking at it from a little bit of a distance, it doesn't sound much different than 10 years ago. A little, but not much. But I fault myself I guess.

i think it has constraints, but no more or less than rock or folk or country.

Hyperbole for sure, but I can't tell if it's negative or positive.

But "rock" and "pop" as genres are so broad as be almost meaningless. Country and folk are definitely narrower.

edit: But like Squirrgle said, I'm an outside observer in that I don't really pay very close attention. I do try to hear most new hip-hop, especially stuff that gets lauded as "groundbreaking" such as Kanye. It generally leaves me scratching my head and wondering what the big deal is.

I actually agree with you. I'm just comfortable with what I like. If its GOOD, and challenging, I'll give it a shot.

BUT, "challenging" for challenging's sake will always raise my hackles.

aka the Animal Collective Principle.

And this is always a point of contention because you can't prove intent.

well...
i probably meant it to be negative
but now i re-read it
and maybe i fuct up

i just haven't filled my arctic monkeys hate quota this week
screw em for their eskimo-racial-slur-named band too

Nah, cos I think they're just weirdos. Genuine weirdos whose music I don't love, but weirdoes nonetheless.

I put bands like Radiohead and Wilco in the category of which I speak.

And frankly, I lump a lot of shit together, but I doubt I could tell you what a single band from Drinky's shmoo list actually sounds like..except Songs:Ohia

Yep yep yep. Makes for some good friday threads, usually.

I don't really think that there is anything truly original in today's current bands. They're all variations of others. I don't mean that in a derogatory way, but it's true and I'm okay with that. I mean if one imagines what it must have been like to hear Hendrix play for the first time and go "Whoa! That sounds like nothing I've EVER heard before!" Or the first time that folks heard bands like the the Doors. I know everybody hates the Doors, but Morrison really behaved like nobody else onstage at the time (and I know that's not necessarily a good thing either). Other bands like The Stooges (sorry, Loogs) and VU were pretty unique sounding as well. Like it or not, I imagine that shit sounded pretty original relative to other bands at the time. And the Dolls, Bowie and even Kiss certainly had some very different ways of presenting themselves in the early 70s.

I like the Doors and I'm not afraid to admit it. Great psychedelic stuff.

Roadhouse Blues is in my top 5 favorite songs ever.

Some of the stuff I can take or leave, but I don't hate The Lizard King

Originality can be overrated, especially being original just to be original.