i'll listen to music even if its popular, i honastly don't care, but i won't listen to music BECAUSE its popular.
Popularity or non-popularity do not determine if it's good. I know people who listen to many super underground stuff and consider themselves supperior in music taste to you, however, many of these unknown bands are just as bad as what you listen too, even if they accomplish there bad-ness in a different way.
So nothing has changed.
The radio and television have lied to you
Actually none of the bands I listed are on the television or Radio, I found them trhough the internet.
Yes, because every random forum-runner is sure to be a real expert on music! LOL!
In before someone has the SUPERSMART idea to turn that statement around on me! LOL!
In all seriousness, if you want to become better at recognizing good music from bad, I recommened you learn some music theory, bone up on the classical masters, and injest some continental philosophy. Then really examine what you listen to. See it not as a collection of instruments or melodys or words, but as an organism who's parts must opperate cohessively to form a functioning whole and move towards a discernable goal. Does the music, regardless of it's lyrics, carry it's idealogy encrypted within itself? All music carrys some idea with it. Are you hearing a thoughtfull, contemplated message that has examined the world and found an ideal, or some recombinent slogan that expresses nothing "love is nice" "heartbreak hurts" or lockstep propaganda "Bush sucks, nazis suck" "homos are gay"? Again, lyrics to not truely tell you what a song is about, though they can add or detract from what it says, and instrument (usually guitar) wankery, though flashy and exciting to many, usually only exists to show off how AWESOMEDUDE the player is (and of course for the people who enjoy that kind of thing to think well of themselves for being fans of that guy who is "the best") but pretty much never has anything of any value to convey. This is also why there is no good Jazz music.