Today my friend Colleen and I were enjoying some heavy indie beats in the car, occasionally adding our own sounds to the chaos when it dawned on us: we've entered a musical era, which in some ways, parallels Modern Art movements.

The goal of Modern Art movements such as Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, etc. was to create an emotional experience for the viewer. The art wasn't as concerned about the subject matter, but the spiritual effects it had upon the viewer while contemplating art. That profound experience became the goal of the artists, and they experimented with any style available to them in order to accomplish this.

Whenever my mom and I get in the car, whether to drive across the state or hop in the car for a quick cup of coffee, I bring with me a stack of CDs along for the ride. Every time, without fail, my mom pokes fun at the empty lyrics. "Now what in the world does (insert empty lyric) mean?" "...I don't know? But isn't it a great song?" I reply.

But what makes them great? I realize as she repeats the words I never thought to really listen to them before, but why? The musicians accomplished creating such unique and powerful instrumental sounds, words became unnecessary in evoking the emotions they were trying to convey to their listeners. Fast and upbeat instrumentals energize, while more slow tunes cause the listener to become reflective, or relaxed.

However, I have a strong aversion to music with a catchy tune, but paired with pathetically weak lyrics whose lines repeat an intoxicating number of times (think "Stanky Leg"). I have a difficult time enjoying the song despite how entertaining the beats may be, as the irritating loop of words seems copy-and-pasted onto my subconscious for the next few hours.

Of course there are mainstream exceptions. I've contemplated the deep words of artists like Benjamin Gibbard, Conor Oberst and Sufjan Stevens (and there are no doubt hundreds more musicians who can actually write), but a disturbingly larger fan base has established for musicians known for catchy tunes, while the annoying words paired with the beats are ignored.

Will the music world ever be revamped to its former glory of the turbulent '60s and 70s, when young and adult alike found refuge in the revolutionary words of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, or Paul Simon? Will songs really fighting for something flood the worlds speakers again, or are we cursed to hear ones like "Soulja Boy," or "Hot N Cold," on eternal repeat?