Really anything written prior to 1964 doesn't deserve the title of modern-day music. Anything before the mid-late 1980s just sounds dull. I know a lot of passion went into stuff in the 70s, but it just doesn't interest me. A lot of the musicians of these "dull" bands come over as very talented, but the melodies they come up with are just meh. That said, I like Joy Division, who released their first album in 1979. Post-punk (not new wave) is the exception.

I find that music got better in the late 1980s with the rise in popularity of bands such as Pixies, Husker Du, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, REM and Dinosaur Jr. This trend continued through the 90s with groups such as Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, the early Radiohead (Pablo Honey) and Green Day. I also like a lot of early 2000s music such as Interpol, Kaiser Chiefs, Idlewild, Ash, and the first three Coldplay albums. I feel things started to go downhill in 2006. The existing bands either became poppier (Coldplay), less melodic (Kaiser Cheifs and Idlewild) or thrashier/emo-like. Ditto for new bands. The definition of rock and alternative has changed, much to my disliking. Culturally I define myself as being stuck in the year I was born, not my teenage years.

Oh good. He praised Smashing Pumpkins. I was worried he might have a point.

A lot of 60s/70s music sounds as if the artists are showing off without any soul behind it. Only thing is that there's a lot of soul that went into the music - it just sounds boring.

For some reason I've found that flaws in the instrument playing/timing, such as a slightly uneven drumbeat or guitar note a split second late are less common in the bands I dislike than the bands I like. Is this saying that the less talented musicians are perhaps also less talented at songwriting, and the best written music is the stuff that I find boring?

I just don't get why everybody says that music between 1960-85 and 2009 - present was the best. I find quite the counter true - music between 1985 and 2009

By the way Elphenor, when you said "mediocre bands knob" were you referring to me? Someone who likes middle-of-the-road music?

Garage rock is pretty raw, but doesn't interest me. I don't get why the eras that I consider the dark ages (pre 1979; post 2009) are the eras that most people consider to be the golden ages. Is it a generational thing?

I heard 834 was kind of a weak year for music.

834 had the best Viking metal though.

People thought rock and roll was the worst thing that ever happened when it first appeared.Take a look at the Time-Life collection dvd collection A History of Rock and Roll and listen to some of the comments people made when Elvis Presley came on the scene.
Its all a matter of personal taste,of what one likes or dislikes. There is music I like, music I dislike, and music and artists I have not listened to enough to form an opinion.
Being an old flower child, I naturally lean toward the folk and rock music of the 60s and thereabouts. But not exclusively at all. My music collection ranges from the Beatles to Bill Monroe to Britney Spears. Yes, it does lean more toward past artists, but if I like the genre a particular artist or group performs it doesn't matter when they first came on the scene.
It's important to be open to whats new. Yes, some of the stuff today sucks- but so did some of the stuff back in the day!

Yeah those kids sure do like Britney Spears.

The Viking metal scene back then was really hampered by the lack of amplifiers.

They're doing fine in my state. I guess it also depends where the indie scene is booming.