There is not enough of it.
In today’s popular music it seems the vocals never stop. There’s never a moment where we don’t hear a voice singing, talking, rapping, screaming, yelling, etc… I don’t know who started this or why but it needs to stop. The vocals need to stop if just for a second. Take a break, breathe, rest. This is a general and exaggerated statement. I’m sure you could list a slew of songs to counter what I’m saying; but I have a point.
Expanding on that idea: not every instrument in a band needs to always play something. Just because they are available does not mean they need to be used. Sometimes it’s best to limit your voices (instruments/parts) for effect if anything else. It adds great dynamics to songs.
Silence is a part of music. In fact, it’s a big part of music. Without it a large majority of the most creative, innovative and best music simply would not exist and/or be as great as it is. This is in no way saying that you can have a whole four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence as a piece of music (unless you are John Cage).
Uses of Silence
Silence breeds tension. At the right moment silence bring power to an otherwise impenitent climax. When a song is building up tension a second of silence and do wonders to expound the feeling held within that moment. Also having a moment of silence after a dissonant chord (minor, diminished, etc) can have a similar effect. In both cases the reason is because we (people) want that chord to be resolved. We want… We need to hear the resolution. Without it we won’t feel complete.
Silence can ease the soul. At the same time silence can also emphasis the feeling of happiness. After a climax or even a simple cadence/resolution, silence will deeply expand the feeling of satisfaction.
Use Silence Wisely
In short: Silence exponentially increases whatever feeling of what happened the moment before. If practically nothing happened before the silence then even more nothing will happen during the silence. Don’t over do it and don’t over use it. Just know that silence is there and it will help you and your music.