I'll be blunt. There's fantastic music being produced nowadays. It's just much of the method of distribution and avenues for finding it have shifted in major ways. Not everyone has adjusted to this (I haven't fully, even with record stores making a comeback) Every now and again I find something that shakes my critical sense. The latest is the 357 String Band, who have made me rethink bluegrass, which, to quote Bob Christagau, had unfortunately morphed into "the anal spawn of Bill Monroe ". There's a lot more, I'm just uncertain where it all is. But I find it enough to have my faith in things musical restored. Anyone who thinks great music is not being produced today has simply shut off their ears. Or hasn't figured out how to look for it.

It pains me to see my generation repeating the sins of the Baby Boom, who seemed to think no one after 1976 produced anything of worth (leaving aside the need for nuclear retaliation on the Eagles and Glenn Frey) . The Clash and U2 are great. They're not superior or worse to what is going on now. Nor were they superior or worse to the Dead or the Stones. Just filtered differently.