I'm not starting this thread to bitch about whats being played on the radio or any of that; we can all agree its not worth talking about. But I am wondering what people think is the next big thing and where music is going.

I've noticed a couple trends and being in college and in between new york and boston I think its a good time to look out for those.

Jam bands are semi popular. I went to bonnaroo last month and bands like umphreys mcgee and the disco biscuits drew a pretty big crowd and I kind of wonder why they don't get much discussion on this forum.

At the garage band level most of it seems to be shit rock, excuse me pop punk. Although its still pretty big I think its on the decline much like boy bands were.

The use of electronics. I've already mentioned the disco biscuits and they are heavily into incorporating techno into their songs. But I could see that going further and further.

Well these are just some of the things I've noticed and I know theres been many a thread like this already, and since the search isn't working properly I can't really find them, but what do you think is building up? There has got to be something!

post rock is starting to pick up steam
I don't see a way for that to become mainstream without it completely giving up all ilt's defining qualities but it's still becoming more popular underground

A lot of this has been happening for years, now, my friend.

I've always figured that a Rock revolution comes around every 20 years, and everything in between is just an exaggeration off the basic idea. Happened around 70, happened around 90, and if my theory is correct, it will happen in the next few years, or by 2010.

That would most certainly be nice. However, I question (around) 70 as a time of 'revolution'. What else was there other than Zep and Sabbath - Foghat? Mountain? The Beatles were breaking up, for Christ's sake! I'd say closer to 64/65 as a time of music revolution - ie, The British Invasion. That revolution extended into the US, I'd agree, via Jimi, but was pretty much in decline by 70, and dead not long after (I refuse to recognize Zep's latter albums as groundbreaking).
The next revolution was, say, sometime between 75 and 77 in the form of Punk, the rebellion against all the crap that was being produced after Zeppelin began to falter.
Then I'd agree with the short lived - though perhaps long remembered - revolution in the early 90s.
Seems to me that the revolutions are getting further apart.
Sucks for us.

Maybe grime will be the next big genre?

I agree with TheZola the revolutions are getting further apart. There are lots more people making music now then ever but nothing is ever a formal movement that rises up to the mainstream.

Will there ever be a movement away from rock? As far as my eye can see rock and rap seem to be pretty comfortable and won't be moving for a while. I really can't see how it is going to shift from this punk-pop garbage.

Sean Mcgeezer, what do you mean by post rock?

Below,what are you talking about?

bands like godspeed you black emperor, a silver mt zion, explosions in the sky, sigur ros, mogwai...stuff like that

I don't think that kind of music will ever catch on enough to create a revolution. I do enjoy some Mogwai though, limited listening time.

Maybe the tide is turning away from complete revolution and is drifting towards more constant evolution.