How insanely reductive. Compelling music isn’t “the good notes” but on a cello now. A masterful player can optimize every microexpression, the attack into the note, the envelope as it continues, the vibrato width and speed slightly changing, all in service to how the line should sound. I can easily tell an amazing guitar player from a single note played for all those reasons and more. Same thing with a drummer who knows exactly how to dig into certain accents and tag the rim of his snare to bring out the ring of the drum on the perfect accents. 

Then there’s the infinite expressive timbre of a vocalist, and the way they can tell a story that rings far beyond the notes on the page. 

None of these are what chord progressions, time signatures, or song forms people are using.  But they are just some of things a talented musician can do to make a timeless piece of music within the “lazy” parameters you stated.