I'll have to disagree with Raskolnikov a little, there are great eras in music, granted it's nowhere near a decade but you some times get 6 months where 3 or 4 truely definitive albums are released very close to each other, from some great bands, and then there'll be a lag, where these bands go on tour/take a brake, where you get anything from 6 month to 1 year lull, where none of the major bands are producing anything.

i do disagree about the seventies simplisty in guitar, cos you'll end up with stuff that sounds similar when the most popular chord progression get used up.

The only thing in music now which wasn't there in the 70's which has really made a large impact, is fx/production. You feel the music is a lot more emotive when you hear the crystal clear strings part, and guitar solos than you would listening to a scratch hissy old 12 inch (nothing wrong with old 12 inches).

Oh yeah i recomend "sigor ros", for those intrested in something a litte more intresting..