The problem with music today is that the publishing companies have figured out what makes music popular. Figured it out to the point of a Bisquick recipe. This has killed the experimentation in the music business, few are the artists that get to stretch out and try anything new anymore, because the publishing companies want their money back, and they know exactly how to do it. This makes everything that’s popular sound the same, because it is the same.
The good news is that the big music companies don’t have a monopoly, and in the internet age “off brand” music (which is still allowed to experiment) is easy to find. When in doubt Pandora, I’ve never thrown a band at it that was so obscure they couldn’t make a channel out of them (and I’ve got some pretty obscure stuff in my catalog), and once they get a handle on what you like they’ll introduce you to more you like, and a surprising amount will be current.