Hey MusikTyme,
I guess you are indeed getting old. Like you I have lived a life in music, but my active involvement came to an end about 10 years ago, and I'm just not keeping up with it all like I used to. But I would never for a moment suggest that current music is essentially lacking. It's obviously different, and it's also obviously the same as it ever was.
As BatMan said, if it really is original, then it's also likely to be difficult and confronting... at first. If it's not original, then we old folks will complain that Led Zeppelin did it better 40 years ago.
I find that I'm settling back into classicist rock, because I'm really not craving originality... instead I want comfort food, stuff that's instantly familiar, while still being new-ish.
But I also try to keep spreading my wings to find stuff that is new to me, even if it's not new to everyone else. So bring on Battles and Animal Collective and Deus and Andrew Bird and Sufjan Stevens. The SF Top Ten nominations are proving quite a revelation to me.
btw, if you crave melody, Bird and Stevens surely won't let you down.
Anyways, there's no disgrace in growing old. THe trick is to do it gracefully.
See ya,
Lee.