New music that doesn’t suck: Music industry veteran Hersrud on how artificial intelligence could affect the music scene
I love watching the introduction of new technology. It reminds me of the period prior to every major league sport’s annual draft. The rampant speculation is overwhelming and of course you have the “experts” each vying to place their stamp on the outcome.
So I have been watching as AI (artificial intelligence) becomes more and more of a factor in our lives. On one hand you have those (usually with a financial stake) proclaiming the “new world” possibilities of AI while Luddites fret and worry about a science fiction future that is like something out of “The Matrix.”
I haven’t seen a lot of speculation about how AI will affect art though there are concerns that AI could infringe on artistic copyrights and creativity. And much has been made lately about The Velvet Sundown, an AI-generated band complete with promotional images, a backstory and over 2 million streams on Spotify.
So what to make of this musical hulabaloo? Well if this is all that AI creators can produce then art is safe at least for the time being. The Velvet Sundown music might (and I use the word “might”) qualify as “filler,” music that an artist/band produces hurriedly because their album needs one last song. And that’s being generous.
And as a final thought, if AI has the potential to produce quality music they better have someone in charge who has experience creating it or at the very least knows what it is.
“The Revenge of Alice Cooper” is the first album by the original band (lead guitar player Glen Buxton died in 1997) since the 1973/4 release of “Muscle Of Love. The album was produced by long time producer Bob Ezrin. The group did play together during their induction into The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Here’s a piece about the rise, fall and resurrection of the original Alice Cooper band.
“Flying With Angels’ is the 10th album by the Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter probably best known for her 80s/90s hits “Tom’s Diner” and “Luka”. She hasn’t had a “hit” in a few years so people might assume she stopped making music. She has been making good, maybe not great music for years and this is one of her best.
This from the band’s 4th album “Never Enough. I hate using the label that is usually applied to the band’s music, namely hard core punk. The band has managed to honor its hardcore heritage while embracing what one reviewer called “fearless experimentation”. The new album landed in the top ten of just about every album chart you can think of when it came out and for good reason.
Bon Iver: “Everything Is Peaceful Love”
The song is from the Grammy Award winning band’s 5th album “Sable, Fable”, which is a continuation of the band’s 2024 “Sable” EP. If you aren’t familiar with Bon Iver this is a great place to start with an album they describe as a “love story set to lush, radiant pop music”. Since it’s release the album has topped the folk, independent and rock album charts and is already on my list of the best albums of 2025.
Charlie Musselwhite: “Highway 61”
This from the blues harmonica player’s latest “Look Out Highway”. Charlie’s history dates to the 60s when he and other musicians like Paul Butterfield, Elvin Bishop and Michael Bloomfield were learning from Chicago blues legends like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Howlin’ Wolf. This is by my count his 42nd album including live projects and compilations. It’s also one of his best.
“Diving For A Prize” is the debut from Sea Lemon (Natalie Lew) and what she calls Costco Cocteau Twins music. Not sure what that means but I like her music.
Russ Ballard: “I Know There’s Something Going On”
Ballard was the lead singer and lead guitarist for the band formed by Zombie keyboardist Rod Argent (“Hold Your Head Up”). After leaving Argent in 1974 Ballard became a successful songwriter with hit songs for Three Dog Night, America, Santana, KISS and many others. He has released music sporadically over the years and just put out a double album with one disc called “The Hits Revisited” with songs written for others like this for Abba’s Frida. “Songs From The Warehouse” is new music.
Bryan Ferry & Amelia Barrett: “Loose Talk”
I will admit it: I am a huge Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music fan. “Virginia Plain” is one of my favorite songs and “Avalon” is a “desert island” disc. Lately in between anniversary tours and box sets Ferry has put out jazz versions of his catalog and now “Loose Talk” which takes Ferry’s unreleased demo recordings and adds text and narration by visual artist and writer Amelia Barrett. It takes a bit of getting used to but definitely worth the effort
This from the Swedish punk rock band’s 4th studio album “Viagr Aboys”. Musically they are hard to define at times but their lyrical bent is obvious: as Wikipedia so aptly put it “(a) focus on ridiculing hyper masculinity, far-right politics and conspiracy theories”. “Uno II” is described as “a strange tale of conspiratorial anxiety seen through the eyes of an Italian greyhound with chronic dental problems”.
It has taken me some time to fully appreciate the superstar rapper/singer Bad Bunny. You hear so much and read so much that you can reach a point where you think that no one is that good. But his latest album “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos” really is that good and you have to appreciate his focus on issues that affect his native Puerto Rico and using many elements of the island’s music.
Till next time when we will provide some guidelines for determining if the music you are hearing is AI generated…good listening
David Hersrud is a third-generation South Dakota native. After college and graduate school, he spent more than six years in the music industry working with bands and artists like George Harrison, Eagles, The Beach Boys, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Frank Sinatra and Fleetwood Mac. He stayed active after returning to South Dakota and the family business as a writer, consultant and then the host of CDTV for 12 years. David and his wife Kathy live in Sturgis.
Photo: courtesy David Hersrud
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