You are looking in the wrong places, bud. What do you expect from a popular music industry structured exactly how you depicted it? Not that most recent bands have any creative qualities to speak of anyway, but the big labels drain the little they harbored.
Hit the more esoteric genres. I will use metal because that is the genre I am most familiar with. The popularity of metal, while waxing, still doesn't attain the levels where it can garner any radio play. Combined with the tight and critical community, bands must nurture and polish their albums to garner any success. Of course, many downsides to such a situation also exist and not every band is very good (in fact, most completely blow, but that is the case in most things). I discover a few no-skippers from among new releases (though the amount pales in comparison to 80s stuff), but those excepted, the good stuff still only has a couple fillers. Because let's be honest, album lengths increased with the CD format and it is hard to write consistently top quality material for 45 minutes or more.
Then again, part of this is the music audience's fault. Take a look at Darth Shoju's list. Not to offend Darth, but his list enunciates the lassitude of most people towards music. The band's album with the most popular singles translates into their best with no effort to discover the rest of the catalogue. I know for most people Rush begins and ends with Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves, this even goes for self-proclaimed Rush fans. God forbid the band's singles stop receiving airplay; then they drop right off the face of the Earth.
I don't know if this is your problem, but I suggest you stop relying on highly-processed mainstream music to supply you with new material. If you are serious, go conduct an extensive search on music that appeals to your tastes. The internet allows people with eclectic hobbies to establish connections and help each other. Something is out there for you.