Forced Listening Thread

[illisid]

Spoilered because it's not part of the music critique thing, just some general music discussion

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@superfequency about this thread sounding rockish

I try my best to break from my genre, I really do. Like whenever I go to the music thread I end up listening to one of your songs. I just... have no idea how to listen to this music. I just end up listening to it passively and it's hard to give more than a general opinion. I mean, it took me a long time to break out of that mode for jazz even when I was in the jazz band. But I like breaking from my genre, I have a hard time classifying most music into genres anyway.

That said, I'm sure I'm completely missing the point of this song. The "background" music has a really cool sounding idea but it never changes the whole song, and my main problem with raps is that the lyrics are monotone. I really liked the idea in the background, but I feel like it was never built upon. Someone feel free to point out what I'm supposed to be hearing in this cause I feel like I did a horrible job of this one :/

[ThatOtherOtherGuy]

Whoa, lot's of good music in here. Most of it ain't in my particular tastes but I am enjoying most of it.

An aside on my personal music theory of rap and hip hop. Now, I'm sure most of us here have noticed that a typical rap or hip hop song even by the better artists has music that tends towards the simple and more often than not generic. A rapper's primary instrument is his voice, and the difference between a master and a novice is in the lyrics. The music more often than not is an afterthought designed to set the beat or interact with the beat set by the rapper's lyrics and hopefully help establish a mood. Now, even if an artist is more musically minded even still he cannot create musically complex pieces because then said music will distract from the lyrics. Imagine a lone man or even a group of them rapping against an orchestra. Chances are, the orchestra will be at least equally compelling to listen to as the rappers are, and if you're a rapper trying to get his voice out there then that's a problem.

Anyways, I wouldn't really call the above music theory but that's a little insight to how I see and evaluate rap/hip hop songs, for those interested in seeing how a fan of the genre views the issues.

@illisad I love this song. It's gentle and happy and I can listen to it attentively or play it in the background and either way it's working its little magic and making me a little bit happier than I was before. I like how the song keeps changing from an "active" sound to a more "mellow" one and back again constantly building it's way up to what it becomes at the end. I'm a big fan of all forms of percussion and I especially loved the drums in this, though all the instruments were well-played. Can't comment on the lyrics too much, I didn't focus so much on what the singer was actually saying so much as the tone the was providing which I felt enhanced the song greatly, though I would also love this piece as an instrumental.

And now for something completely different: Dubstep! You'll either love this or hate it, probably. I've always found this to be a rather polarizing genre.

[Maehem]

The build up is great, and the drop is pretty damn good but I think it lacks a little bit of bass (I guess that's personal preference though). I like the sample used throughout, it works well with the song. The breakdowns are nice and but the one at around 2 minutes needs something over the top to make it better, at least in my opinion. It starts to get better though, and the drop at 2:40 is great. I like the call and response. The ending is okay, could've gone out with a bang.

Speaking of dubstep:

[Superfrequency]

@superfequency about this thread sounding rockish

I try my best to break from my genre, I really do. Like whenever I go to the music thread I end up listening to one of your songs. I just... have no idea how to listen to this music. I just end up listening to it passively and it's hard to give more than a general opinion. I mean, it took me a long time to break out of that mode for jazz even when I was in the jazz band. But I like breaking from my genre, I have a hard time classifying most music into genres anyway.

It's not just this thread, it's also the main music thread. Stij sometimes posts jazz, and Jitka sometimes posts some soul, and there is the hip hop thread, but the forum on the whole is really wanting for black music. Lately Stij has been on more of a Gentle Giant trip.

It's cool if you're not into the stuff I post, I was just making an observation on the forum's collective tastes. There's no special trick to listening to house or disco. You just gotta have the taste for it.

Not everyone understands house music.

I'm sure most of us here have noticed that a typical rap or hip hop song even by the better artists has music that tends towards the simple and more often than not generic. A rapper's primary instrument is his voice, and the difference between a master and a novice is in the lyrics. The music more often than not is an afterthought designed to set the beat or interact with the beat set by the rapper's lyrics and hopefully help establish a mood.

The sort of music you're describing isn't representative of the hip hop I like.

[vincentavatar]

All right let's listen to this song here (that was posted by Maehem).

Bass bass bass bass bass bass bass bass. Keyboard playing three chords. Now break it down! This is the sort of music I imagine gets lots of playtime at clubs and such, but I wouldn't know since I've never really been into the club scene. That said, it's got a beat you can dance to, for certain. In terms of complexity, it's not very complex at all, but as I probably said before, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Um. I'm kind of running out of things to say about this song, mostly because there is very little variation in what's going on.

And now for something completely different.

[Stij]

I've heard of these guys before, and I like the whole nerd culture thing they bring to hiphop, but I couldn't really get into this track. Doom's rapping just feels... off-beat. Doesn't really mesh with the rest of the track. I liked the lyrics, though, and the beat is nice. Overall, not something I'd listen to again, but certainly better than a lot of the hiphop I've heard.

It's not just this thread, it's also the main music thread. Stij sometimes posts jazz, and Jitka sometimes posts some soul, and there is the hip hop thread, but the forum on the whole is really wanting for black music. Lately Stij has been on more of a Gentle Giant trip.

Yeah, my taste in music kinda fluctuates. I haven't listened to a whole lot of jazz recently.

OH WAIT

[undulatingUltimatum]

I have always had an admiration for jazz. Blame Cowboy Bebop. I liked most of this song, though I admit that the whole clangy drum bit is never something I enjoy.

That's all really.

Also, my tastes are pretty out there, so I apologize to the person who has to listen to what I post. xP

[slyfan64]

I've liked what I've heard by Crystal Castles so far...I just laugh at this. I sort of like it though, the cacophony quality of bloops and yelling will definite turn off many, but I think it helps the beat and I could see myself dancing to this. The song's quite short so I don't think there's a lot to say about it, it takes its two minutes as a straight, loud and crazy shot. I really didn't know Crystal Castles did stuff like this so I'm glad you posted this.

Looking through my itunes...excluding a couple people, I really only have white artists. But I do have fly lo, and this is probably one of the few songs that holds its own out of the album:

EDIT: For those who would like to know, he's the grand nephew of Alice Coltrane

[undulatingUltimatum]

I've liked what I've heard by Crystal Castles so far...I just laugh at this. I sort of like it though, the cacophony quality of bloops and yelling will definite turn off many, but I think it helps the beat and I could see myself dancing to this. The song's quite short so I don't think there's a lot to say about it, it takes its two minutes as a straight, loud and crazy shot. I really didn't know Crystal Castles did stuff like this so I'm glad you posted this.

A lot of their work is like this. Especially their demos and a lot of stuff on the second album. They refer to themselves as a punk band with synths because they hate being called a chiptune band.

And I won't review that because it is unfair to anyone else who would want to since I just did. :P

[Stij]

I've heard of FlyLo before - Peter Kirn of Create Digital Music was pimping his new album not too long ago.

The music video is definitely trippy, but also very visually interesting. I don't really know what to make of it, but it was certainly fun to look at

The song itself is pretty good - very space-y and psychadelic, but with a hint of smooth jazz thrown in? That's what the guitar and vocal style reminded me of, at least. The constant clangy beat is a bit distracting, but doesn't ruin the song or anything. The synths are nice. Overall, this was an enjoyable track, solidly produced and written.



(this is actually a medley of tracks but hey whatevs. Completely improvised!)

[FthagnWagon]

This first song is a mournful soundscape that's just so so so smooth. It's amazing the things Corea can do with that piano. The second section is also good, and tune begins to beebop around nice and tightly. The last section is a wonderful free jazz style ballad that you want to last forever. I love all jazz, but this here fusion is definitely some of the best. Chick Corea was one rad dude.

@Superfrequency: Do you really have to say "black music?" Like, I know what you're trying to say, but that just sounds so garish and almost-racist I cringe when I read it.

Anyways, here's some fucking AWESOME slide guitar blues from none other than Kokomo Arnold.

[Maehem]

I really like this style of music. The SLIDE GUITAR is pretty upbeat and nice and the vocals fit right in with it. The lyrics are typical of the style but it works so yeah. It's repetitive but that works in its favour in this case. Overall, a nice track.

Let's get meme-y:



(I was going to post the original song but I like this one a little better)

[Varinn]

Now, I'm sure most of us here have noticed that a typical rap or hip hop song even by the better artists has music that tends towards the simple and more often than not generic. A rapper's primary instrument is his voice, and the difference between a master and a novice is in the lyrics. The music more often than not is an afterthought designed to set the beat or interact with the beat set by the rapper's lyrics and hopefully help establish a mood.

this is pretty much ridiculously wrong for almost ALL rap and hip hop, just fyi.

[FthagnWagon]

Maehem, I said right above the video that it was slide guitar, you silly person you. Also, as a funny anecdote, you may be wondering where the hell he got the name Kokomo Arnold. Well, it just so happens that his very first album was a cover version of an older blues album, which was all about Kokomo brand coffee. I guess it just stuck.

[Maehem]

Damn it, it was overshadowed by the word AWESOME. It's still a good track, banjo or not.

[slyfan64]

@ Maehem: Hmmm, a 'hardcore' version of The Gregory Brother's auto tuned Double Rainbow songs. Alright. Melodic vocals, in a couple seconds the generic "RAAAAAH" voice will come in: yep. I do not like 'hardcore' songs that switch back and forth between the 'hardcore' and 'melodic' vocals, make up your mind. Ooo, chuggy guitars! Haven't heard that since...the 70s (might even be some not well known metal people in the 60s). The guitars don't even do anything impressive, just power chords over and over and over again. Woh! He said fuck, he sure is one metal-dude. Probably has a skull of pure iron because he's so metal. Short Review: the exact same 'hardcore' shit you can hear aaaaaall over youtube in AMVs, MVs, and other just as bad 'hardcore' spoofs. Unoriginal, boring, took no effort because the melodies were already written for them and trying to ride a joke that is already getting old.

I had planned to post something else, but I think I need some Mastodon to cleanse my metal pallet. This is their most well known song, and it's good for new listeners:


EDIT: of course it's based on Moby Dick for those who don't know

[diacritical]

This thread is about listening to music that you usually don't and I really don't like metal so here I go I guess. The intro's kinda nifty. But then it starts on the generic heavy metal guitar and screaming vocals. I understand the merit of screaming in music, but I honestly just can't stand it. There's not really much of a tune. It's cool that it's based off of literature. I like the melody bit near the middle. It breaks up the monotonous guitar and it sounds great. Ok, now we're back to noisy guitar and screaming. There's really not much percussion in this song except for a fast drum bit now and then, huh? I dunno, overall, the song was pretty repetitive. It had some cool parts, but I didn't really like it.

And now, for something fabulous.

[illisid]

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@ Maehem: Hmmm, a 'hardcore' version of The Gregory Brother's auto tuned Double Rainbow songs. Alright. Melodic vocals, in a couple seconds the generic "RAAAAAH" voice will come in: yep. I do not like 'hardcore' songs that switch back and forth between the 'hardcore' and 'melodic' vocals, make up your mind. Ooo, chuggy guitars! Haven't heard that since...the 70s (might even be some not well known metal people in the 60s). The guitars don't even do anything impressive, just power chords over and over and over again. Woh! He said fuck, he sure is one metal-dude. Probably has a skull of pure iron because he's so metal. Short Review: the exact same 'hardcore' shit you can hear aaaaaall over youtube in AMVs, MVs, and other just as bad 'hardcore' spoofs. Unoriginal, boring, took no effort because the melodies were already written for them and trying to ride a joke that is already getting old.

I had planned to post something else, but I think I need some Mastodon to cleanse my metal pallet. This is their most well known song, and it's good for new listeners:


EDIT: of course it's based on Moby Dick for those who don't know

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I thought this one was their most well known song?

[Maehem]

@diacritical, Fabulous really is the word for this song. The start is pretty nice, I like the beat. I like the build up into the chorus and the chorus itself. This seems to be a nice, simple song without much noise. Lyrically, it's pretty good. It seems to remain similar throughout the track, which isn't a bad thing. Cool track.

Some piano:

[ThatOtherOtherGuy]

I was just describing my own personal taste in hip-hop/rap earlier, and I'm glad to see disagreement to that actually, but how 'bout a little more elaborate feedback, guys? Rap and hip-hop are some pretty wide genres, and I feel discussing everyone's differing tastes is another way to explore them in addition to the videos we're posting here. Just a thought, though, I'm happy just listening to all this stuff here too.

@Maeham: First off, the first line he says is kinda randomly loud to everything else he sings so I had a nice little jarring surprise there. Not a big deal though in the big picture. The lyrics seem to be a sequence of flowery language, similies/metaphors, and some non-sequiturs. I'm not a big fan of this, but to me it seems to want to set a mellow, perhaps even sad, ethereal/dream-like tone and it does do well at achieving that. To that end, the singer and his playing do a good job. Overall, the singer, his voice, and his playing all easily qualify as good at the very least. If I was feeling more melancholic I might even love this. This isn't for me but to anyone else who's feeling sad or maybe just a little slow and, again, melancholic this will probably fit in well with your mood.

[Pokolo]

Something about tone deaf...pez dispenser...Hes never going to need a dentist?

[Superfrequency]

I like ATCQ alright. I never really got what the big deal is, though.

The Low End Theory is growing on me

I have seen the light

I mean

the darkness

BAD HIP HOP JOKE

[Maehem]

Ok, well, I don't know if that was a proper review of the Tonedeff song so I'll just do both of them so everyone wins.

Tonedeff

Whatcanisayaboutthissongittalkssofast
The underlying loop is nice, works with the rap. He's a little monotone at the start but it's better after. The chorus is great, at times the the lyrics are bloody incomprehensible because of the sheer speed of them. They sound like generic rap lyrics though, which is fine but it obviously doesn't challenge the genre. Also, at times it's a tad pretentious. I'm actually enjoying it, though. The breakdown is pretty funny. Actually, scratch that "tad pretentious" because at times it degrades into a glorified self gratification. In short: good but not great.

For rap, I prefer Immortal Technique.

Paramore

I've never really been into Paramore, from the get-go in this song they sound generic. The female singer sounds whiny and as far as I can tell she's singing lyrics that have all been done before. That being said, it's enjoyable, to an extent. I can't really say much about this song, I mean, it's all been done before and they break no molds. I really enjoy the breakdown with the male vocals. The song seems to just... end.

One of the most beautiful songs I've heard:

[diacritical]

I don't want to do another review cause my last one wasn't long ago and I know this song but goddamn, the video for Hoppipolla makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

[beesmygod]

I have never heard of this band so

Okay the little tune at the start is right up my alley. Like the way it starts out so happy and light really draws me into the song and already puts me in a good mood. The breathy singing is familiar feeling for this sort of acoustic soft-ish tune and totally appropriate. And then...violins! Wonderful! Coupled with the music video, there's a sort of nostalgic happiness being expressed through this song. Very lovely. Might download that one.



People were complaining this thread was too white so !?!?!?!