Tbh I think we look at older music with rose colored cglasses cause only the best of the best pop music survives. Pop music has always and will always be simple and shitty by and large.

However, in modern times, the barrier to entry of record an album is virtually 0. You can make a masterpiece in your bedroom if you want to. There is SO much interesting music happening right now I really resent this idea that music has somehow lost its way.

Examples : king gizzard and the lizard wizard, the dillinger escape plan, bjork, death grips, tim hecker, danny brown, etc etc the list is damn near infinite. Lots of incredible, boundary pushing music has happened in the last 15 or so years, and continues on a daily basis