Snobbery: Music

[Blake Noble]

I know we have the "What Are You Listening To?" thread, but what I'd like to see is a thread dedicated to the music snobs here, a hopefully thousand page thread dedicated to in-depth discussions of the music we listen to (without being far beyond obsessed with that analysis; there is a reason why your standard Tool fan is the butt of every joke associated with metal).

I have no clue how to start this thread off, really. So I suppose I'll mention what I've been listening to a lot lately: The Avett Brothers. So far, this is the only band with a banjo that I love the hell out of. Great vocals, supreme musicianship, and Emotionalism was quite experimental in terms of dynamics and blending lines. "Pretty Girl From Chile" starts out sounding very Folksy, very Bluegrass and, by the end of the song, evolves into Punk.

Edited September 4, 2009 by whiteknight

[trinacriabob]

I hope you realize this will be "tiered" according to age and life experiences.

I listen almost exclusively to jazz and blues. No apologies. Many great jazz musicians are black. I don't know why that is. Joe Sample, in my mind, is off the charts. He is a genius.

Also, I like listening and driving to dance/techno. You will hear way more of it in Europe when channel surfing. They are way more into this than classic rock, it seems. Again, I don't know why. The only other place in the U.S. I associate with dance music is South Florida. There is station there that announces its call number and then says in a booming voice "Miami....Fort Lauderdale...and the Palm Beaches...where dance music lives..." It must be something have to do with the Caribbean vibe of the place.

Ok, back to those of you who understand rock way better than I do....

[mustang84]

In my 6-disc CD changer in my car, I have the following eclectic mix of CD's: Led Zeppelin: Early Years; Foreigner - Greatest Hits; Def Leppard - Hysteria; Nickelback - Dark Horse; NIN - Pretty Hate Machine; Pearl Jam - Ten

Nickleback gets a lot of $h! and for good reasons, but I really like Dark Horse. The lyrics are typical dumb Nickleback, but the quality of the music, vocals, and production is pretty decent (it was produced by Mutt Lange of Def Leppard & AC/DC fame). The whole CD is flowing with energy and big drum beats.

Recently I was posting in a thread at another website about how this decade will be remembered, and the consensus is that the 00's (aughties, buster decade, whatever they end up calling this time) has been the worst decade so far for music.

[Blake Noble]

I hope you realize this will be "tiered" according to age and life experiences.

I listen almost exclusively to jazz and blues. No apologies. Many great jazz musicians are black. I don't know why that is. Joe Sample, in my mind, is off the charts. He is a genius.

Also, I like listening and driving to dance/techno. You will hear way more of it in Europe when channel surfing. They are way more into this than classic rock, it seems. Again, I don't know why. The only other place in the U.S. I associate with dance music is South Florida. There is station there that announces its call number and then says in a booming voice "Miami....Fort Lauderdale...and the Palm Beaches...where dance music lives..." It must be something have to do with the Caribbean vibe of the place.

Ok, back to those of you who understand rock way better than I do....

Hey, you don't have to be a rock/metal afficionado to post in this thread.

For the record, I'm actually going to grab the complete Robert Johnson Disog' in a few minutes. It's something I've been meaning to do for a long time.

Jazz is a genre I also plan to expose myself to very soon.

I can honestly say that, as much as my tastes are rooted in rock/metal, I no longer limit myself to that particular genre. I'll listen to just about anything, proved that the artist/band has/have good musicianship, the right intentions, and brings something unique to the table (mainstream country and pop music does none of that, as well as good portion of mainstream rock/metal).

Edited September 4, 2009 by whiteknight

[Robert Hall]

My interests are all over the place, w/ strong concentrations of British invasion, classic rock, post-punk Big 80s and '90s 'alternative rock'.

I have a thing in particular about soundtracks...I love soundtracks to Michael Mann movies--lots of good stuff on his soundtracks, as well as music from Martin Scorcese movies....lately, I've listened a lot to the work of Clint Mansell (music from Darren Arronofsky films plus great instrumental work from Joe Carnahan's 'Smokin Aces'--great soundtrack...

I listen to some electronica / dance when driving--Paul Oakenfold and various Perfecto compilations, The Chemical Brothers, Moby, Paul Van Dyk, BT..

I like post-rock also---really enjoy M83, Mogwai and Sigur Ros in particular.

My favorite musical decades are still probably the '70s and '80s, followed by the '90s and today, with some late '60s. Still love to listen to a lot of vintage Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Cream, Traffic, Steve Winwood, The Who, Rush, Bad Company/Paul Rodgers, Queen, Rolling Stones, U2, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, etc. Guitar, guitar, guitar..

As far the '80s to today---I enjoy everything from Def Leppard to Tori Amos, Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure, The Cult, NIN, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, The Call, The Replacements, Audioslave, Oasis, The Verve, Coldplay..

Lately, been familiarizing myself w/ some newer bands like The Hold Steady, The Gaslight Anthem, and Kings of Leon.

Also like a lot of the blues--Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, BB King, Luther Allison, Robert Cray, to name a few.

I've dabbled in jazz, but not so much..want to explore more...have seen Charlie Hunter in concert a couple times w/ friends in Boulder, Co.

Dabbled in folkish pop music as well---Richard Thompson, Dan Fogelberg, Bruce Cockburn..

About the only country I've really liked is Johnny Cash and some Lyle Lovett.

I've dabbled in hip-hop--like some Eminem, Dr Dre, Ice Cube, NWA, Snoop Dog, Tupac, some Wu-Tang Clan. Other than an isolated song here and there (Usher's 'Yeah') there isn't much in recent hip hop that I like.

I like vintage R&B--Issac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, etc.

I also like Leonard Cohen.

Edited September 4, 2009 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Blake Noble]

In my 6-disc CD changer in my car, I have the following eclectic mix of CD's: Led Zeppelin: Early Years; Foreigner - Greatest Hits; Def Leppard - Hysteria; Nickelback - Dark Horse; NIN - Pretty Hate Machine; Pearl Jam - Ten

Ooh, Pretty Hate Machine. That's my fourth favorite NIN album. The album was very well constructed with a great flow from track to track.

My all time favorite is The Fragile, so much so that I recently started a project to incorporate all of the material that got left off of it so that I could get a taste of what the complete experience would be like had it had been released untouched. I'm a big fan of concept albums, and The Fragile is in my top five list, not because the album was so accessible (I really don't think it is anyway; maybe compared to The Downward Spiral) but because I relate so much to its content. This album reaches me on so many emotional levels, it's almost unbelievable.

I'd love to write an album like it someday (in my dreams).

Nickleback gets a lot of $h! and for good reasons, but I really like Dark Horse. The lyrics are typical dumb Nickleback, but the quality of the music, vocals, and production is pretty decent (it was produced by Mutt Lange of Def Leppard & AC/DC fame). The whole CD is flowing with energy and big drum beats.

Recently I was posting in a thread at another website about how this decade will be remembered, and the consensus is that the 00's (aughties, buster decade, whatever they end up calling this time) has been the worst decade so far for music.

No doubt. Post-Hardcore/Emo/Screamo/Metalcore/[Genre-here]core isn't about the music, it's about trends/fads and everything's a product. I can't find the talent in most any of those bands that fall within this current movement of music. The vocals are too brash or far too clean with imperfections seemingly eradicated out. Guitar riffs all sound the same, solos are boring. Dummers incorrectly use the double bass pedal, making it the centerpiece of their styles, rather than correctly using it as an accent. Breakdowns are everywhere and showcase no talent whatsoever, it just serves as a place for people act like jackasses during the setlist.

I found two bands that have emerged from this current movement in rock/metal that have managed to abstain from a lot of those trends, and those bands are Post-Metal acts Isis and Intronaut. I also have to give a lot of credit to Mastodon for not sounding like, say, Five Finger $h! Fist and actually writing very good, straightforward metal songs with an interesting sound. In a lot of ways, Mastodon is like this generation's Metallica.

As for Nickelback, I won't bash them ... this time.

Edited September 4, 2009 by whiteknight

[pow]

I'm completely ignorant about music and, unfortunately, zone out when people talk about it. When asked what musci I like... I go, um, whatever's on the radio. Cheesy pop and mainstream rock? Help..

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I'll certainly bite on this topic when I'm not posting from my iPhone. It's too much to type the whole thing on here.

I've been listening to a lot of thrash and metalcore lately. Some Cash and bluegrass and this one techno CD that I am obsessed with.

As far as metal goes; I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think this generations MetallicA (if there is such a thing at all) is Lamb Of God. I think they've 'got the gift' to be metals next major ambassadors.

[trinacriabob]

What genre is Aerosmith "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon considered?

[Blake Noble]

I'm completely ignorant about music and, unfortunately, zone out when people talk about it. When asked what musci I like... I go, um, whatever's on the radio. Cheesy pop and mainstream rock? Help..

Fear not, for I hope this thread will show you the light.

I'll certainly bite on this topic when I'm not posting from my iPhone. It's too much to type the whole thing on here.

Get on that Mac and get in here.

I've been listening to a lot of thrash and metalcore lately. Some Cash and bluegrass and this one techno CD that I am obsessed with.

As far as metal goes; I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think this generations MetallicA (if there is such a thing at all) is Lamb Of God. I think they've 'got the gift' to be metals next major ambassadors.

I don't know. New American Gospel seemed to carry more of a Slayer-vibe to me. In fact, I'd personally liken LOG to Slayer. I'm not a big fan, though, so my exposure is limited to what I've checked out (I didn't touch whatever album had "Redneck" on it; I found that "Redneck" and the few other tracks that I listened to from it were just too mainstream).

What genre is Aerosmith "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon considered?

You could consider it Rock ...

Edited September 4, 2009 by whiteknight

[FAPTurbo]

What genre is Aerosmith "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon considered?

Hard-Rock/Blues-Rock/Heavy-Metal

Don't let the metal tag be a bother, because the problem with 'metal' is that it's an incredibly diverse genre complete with dozens, if not hundreds of subgenres.

My music is mainly 'pop-metal' in the vein of late-70's to early-90's melodic metal, often called 'hair metal' (often inaccurately ) with huge hooks, big riffs, clear 'gang' vocals and a commercial, clean production. This music is still made, but just not on the radio. Plenty of RUSH, too! I also do listen to a bit of jazz, and always have my radio on CBC Radio 2 which is chock full of classical, and opera.

Probably because of that mix, I tend to really dislike a lot of the music today, with distorted vocals, and muddy, 'grungy' guitar. On the other end of the spectrum are these 'emo' bands that are often screaming so loud that they make my ears bleed worse than the wrists their listeners claim to slit.

Edited September 4, 2009 by Captainbooyah

[mustang84]

No doubt. Post-Hardcore/Emo/Screamo/Metalcore/[Genre-here]core isn't about the music, it's about trends/fads and everything's a product. I can't find the talent in most any of those bands that fall within this current movement of music. The vocals are too brash or far too clean with imperfections seemingly eradicated out. Guitar riffs all sound the same, solos are boring. Dummers incorrectly use the double bass pedal, making it the centerpiece of their styles, rather than correctly using it as an accent. Breakdowns are everywhere and showcase no talent whatsoever, it just serves as a place for people act like jackasses during the setlist.

My theory is that it's a combination of the internet and computerization of music (ProTools, etc) that has turned most modern music into generic rubbish. Many bands use ProTools to do their own production, rather than going through a traditional recording studio. I'm sure it's a lot cheaper, but everything sounds so generic now because it's all electronically produced and mixed, rather than using skill to produce desired effects and unique sounds. Why work on refining that solo or riff when you saturate it with sound effects to hide the imperfections? Tom Scholz of Boston always used to mention in the album liner notes that Boston's music was produced 100% without synthesizers or drum machines, but he had the talent to make it sound as good as the polished stuff coming out of bands that did use these techniques.

Also, the internet has made it so that every craptastic band can have a MySpace page. The traditional music industry is dead. Bands with talent that would formerly have been promoted by a major label to a wide audience are now lost in the shuffle of thousands of independent labels that don't have the finances or resources to properly get the word out.

[Blake Noble]

My theory is that it's a combination of the internet and computerization of music (ProTools, etc) that has turned most modern music into generic rubbish. Many bands use ProTools to do their own production, rather than going through a traditional recording studio. I'm sure it's a lot cheaper, but everything sounds so generic now because it's all electronically produced and mixed, rather than using skill to produce desired effects and unique sounds. Why work on refining that solo or riff when you saturate it with sound effects to hide the imperfections? Tom Scholz of Boston always used to mention in the album liner notes that Boston's music was produced 100% without synthesizers or drum machines, but he had the talent to make it sound as good as the polished stuff coming out of bands that did use these techniques.

The computerization of music has been a curse, as well as a blessing to music. Some artists know how to use such software to their advantage, in such a way that it's not just a tool for production, but actually an instrument in itself, highlighting imperfections and turning them into something interesting. NIN/Trent Reznor is a poster child for using recording software as such and the music is very good (well perhaps he overused it on Year Zero to the extent that it wound up hurting that album to a degree).

I'd also nominate Godflesh here as well, although they are far more guitar-oriented versus NIN.

Linkin Park, though, uses ProTools and associated software on everything and I honestly can't think of any album or song by them I've honestly liked. I can't find the substance in their music. It's too clean-cut and boring.

Also, the internet has made it so that every craptastic band can have a MySpace page. The traditional music industry is dead. Bands with talent that would formerly have been promoted by a major label to a wide audience are now lost in the shuffle of thousands of independent labels that don't have the finances or resources to properly get the word out.

Personally, I'm glad the traditional music industry is dying. Major labels are all about greed and taking art (music) and making it something contrived and mediocre. It started getting to the point we are at today in the late '80s, I'd say, and got worse with the rise of file-sharing software and the Nazi-tastic RIAA. If a band or artist has a strong drive and strong and creative work ethic, it's entirely possible to have a career abstinent from any record label, even independent ones, and it's possible to not spend one cent on promotional purposes. It's entirely possible for a band to actually return a profit on record sales for themselves, provided they don't price their work at asinine prices like Universal or Columbia would if they were managing it.

Perhaps if major labels would embrace these new technologies and a radical way of thinking, it would be different.

Edited September 4, 2009 by whiteknight

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I don't know. New American Gospel seemed to carry more of a Slayer-vibe to me. In fact, I'd personally liken LOG to Slayer. I'm not a big fan, though, so my exposure is limited to what I've checked out (I didn't touch whatever album had "Redneck" on it; I found that "Redneck" and the few other tracks that I listened to from it were just too mainstream).

nah... New American Gospel is a bad representation. And Redneck was on Sacrement which was a good album but indeed very mainstream. Their best work (what hooked me) was/is As The Palaces Burn (their 2nd release) and Ashes Of The Wake (3rd release)

absolutely some of the best stuff I've ever heard. Randy Blythe is an amazing songwriter and his voice is one of the best I've heard. Keep in mind that I love very distorted and raw vocals. (Hell I even liked the vocal quality on Demo Magnetic better than Death Magnetic)

Stylistically, LOG reminds me a lot of Pantera.

Edited September 4, 2009 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[Blake Noble]

nah... New American Gospel is a bad representation. And Redneck was on Sacrement which was a good album but indeed very mainstream. Their best work (what hooked me) was/is As The Palaces Burn (their 2nd release) and Ashes Of The Wake (3rd release)

Perhaps I'll give LOG another listen sometime soon before I really form a set on opinion on them.

absolutely some of the best stuff I've ever heard. Randy Blythe is an amazing songwriter and his voice is one of the best I've heard. Keep in mind that I love very distorted and raw vocals. (Hell I even liked the vocal quality on Demo Magnetic better than Death Magnetic)

I like distorted and raw vocals as well, but I don't see anyone using them in a way that's really unique. You don't really hear someone using such vocals to suit the atmosphere of a certain section of a song, it's just everywhere, even in places where it doesn't seem to fit.

Stylistically, LOG reminds me a lot of Pantera.

You know, I can see that, thinking about it a little more.

[deftonesfan867]

Nobody wants to hear what I have to say

WK I will offer this to you however..

[ZL-1]

Britney Spears, of course!!!

<------------ well... not really... check the picture to your left and you'll get an idea

Edited September 4, 2009 by ZL-1

[the_yellow_dart]

Reasons why the '00s didn't totally suck:

New bands:

Arcade Fire

Death From Above 1979

The Streets

Broken Social Scene

The Strokes

Arctic Monkeys

Franz Ferdinand

Queens of the Stone Age

Wolfmother

Deftones

Bands from before that put out good albums:

Nine Inch Nails

Radiohead / Thom Yorke

Iron Maiden

Modest Mouse

Muse

System of a Down

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Beck

[capriceman]

I love furlough days!

But whats in my turn table right now can end this thread PEROID!

[/endthread]

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Nobody wants to hear what I have to say

WK I will offer this to you however..

NICE!

I adore old Linkin Park. Most of their new stuff is too soft and pop for me though.

Chester is amazing. He's one of the only people that can scream and actually sound bad ass. Most 'screamers' sound either stupid or cliche. (This is of course in opposition to the more appealing 'yellers and growlers')

Hybrid Theory FTW!

Edited September 4, 2009 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[deftonesfan867]

NICE!

I adore old Linkin Park. Most of their new stuff is too soft and pop for me though.

Chester is amazing. He's one of the only people that can scream and actually sound bad ass. Most 'screamers' sound either stupid or cliche. (This is of course in opposition to the more appealing 'yellers and growlers')

Hybrid Theory FTW!

They did this in 2006 and the new album is supposed to go back to there old roots. Hopefully they keep an emphasis on guitars/drums like they did on MTM tho.

BTW the Deftones made their major label debut in 1995 with Adrenaline, but most people know about White Pony and that's it. They're a much older band than that.

Edited September 4, 2009 by deftonesfan867

[Blake Noble]

Nobody wants to hear what I have to say

That's what this thread is for, speakin' whatcha gotta say.

WK I will offer this to you however..

I'll give credit to them for being much better in a live setting, but I still can't dig 'em. Aside from Rage Against the Machine, I've never really got into bands that blended rap and metal. It just never really seemed to work out that well to me. I will also give credit that, as FOG said, Bennington is a good vocalist and I wouldn't be against listening to any future projects from him.

[regfootball]

I love furlough days!

But whats in my turn table right now can end this thread PEROID!

[/endthread]

BEST ALBUM EVER! almost, and i am not joking!

I even love the little RSO piglet!

[Camino LS6]

Listened to Tommy in its entirety today - was very good for the soul.