I'd argue that the research claiming that music is blander may have missed a nuance along the evolution of pop music: It is quite possible that the dissappearance of melodic and harmonic interplay is being replaced by rhythmic interplay. What used to be countermelody and harmony, defining features of European music, has been increasingly replaced by percussion. I'd also assume this is not just chance as the variety of electronic instruments has increased significantly in the same time period.
In other words: perhaps pop music has evolved by taking away tunes that aren't in the melody, and instead adding drums, cymbals, cowbells, and other percussive rhythms – symbolic of the heartbeat in many percussive cultures – to make up for the complexity and connect with the crowds.
/via +Wayne Radinsky
Pop music is becoming louder and blander, say scientists
Spanish scientists publish a study claiming that pop music is becoming less varied
+Ninja On Rye very spontaneously – try carribean music? (I don't pick the music at home, but my husband has a huge collection of that, and it is extremely percussive underneath the melody line)
Makes me want to listen to some of the percussion-focused bands out there …
Alas, I know so few.
+Phil Long not necessarily – percussion can get quite complex. Ask any number of the men who've tried to learn to dance and still can't figure out when the '1' beat is.
(and despite being a link to Urban dictionary, it's work safe – well the top definitions are, anyhow – I haven't scrolled all the way down)
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Put%20a%20Donk%20on%20it
+Phil Long what's a donk?
So, you're basically saying that musicians are deciding to "put a donk on it" instead?