> the song begins with a theme, and then the theme is slowly transformed and added to do or sculpted down until it is completely different

This is basically the only way I know how to write a song, which is a good reason why you hear it so often. The reason for this is basically because, 5 years ago, I said to myself "I'm going to master melody first, and then song structure." And then I figured out that no one has ever mastered melody. (Except maybe Sigur Ros, but I'm getting off topic!)

> I have to admit that I don't really have a technical appreciation of what counterpoint is

That's ok, neither do I.

> I have to say that I don't really appreciate the noise near the end though.

Neither do I actually! (I realized this about 2 minutes after I submitted) Conceptually though, I like the concept of blowing up a song, then pulling it all back together.

> On a slightly off topic note, I've always wondered why the fugue has fallen out of popularity in modern music.

I think all the points you gave are very valid. I like fugues, but they demand intense concentration, and they are incredibly difficult to write (I tried!). They are not really something I can put on in the background while programming or something. I think that music these days has sort of taken a backseat to other tasks, which is a big shift from how it used to be. You could probably write a paper on that topic actually... (This is how college has gotten me thinking)

> Is it that the modern audience listens to less music and is less willing to take a risk?

Maybe. I mean a few good bands these days are 'risky', but what does that really mean? That they throw a bit of distortion on the drums, or they have an awkward voice, or they use a violin? It would be cool to see a totally risky band throwing in elements of fugue, or classical music, but unfortunately rare. (Interesting to note: the band "maudlin of the well" actually has a semi fugue on the second song of their most recent album, but it stops before it actually gets full on, which is kind of a shame. Still, it's pretty cool.)

well, noise is music, but fair enough