For what do I look in music? Plus the 5 best songs ever. (DBO)

by Funkmon , Sunday, April 08, 2018, 23:11 (2448 days ago) @ Funkmon
edited by Funkmon, Sunday, April 08, 2018, 23:14

Something to occupy my mind. The music itself doesn't usually do this, but the lyrics do. Sometimes they can be vapid, but have a meaning to you, or just be fun.

For example, due to my artist loyalty, I'm always good for plowing through a whole new album a few times to give all the songs a fair shake.

For example, with Jennifer Rostock, a female fronted electro rap metal group from Germany, they have this power ballady song called "Insekten im Eis," which, if you buy into the premise of insects being trapped in ice, is a fantastic piece of music describing what it feels like to be in a romance that's going nowhere and isn't fulfilling. It has this line that translates to something like "and the talk became brittle like withered leaves," when describing how the relationship is going. Whoa.

But K.B.A.G by Jennifer Rostock isn't interesting or have a connection to my life. It's about being a band that can't really hit it big and touring and staying up all night and smoking and drinking...but it's fun.

So I like those.

But for me to like the lyrics to the song, the rest of the music has to fit with what I like so I can handle it. No rap junk, no pop, no disco. Give me simple guitar driven chord progression and a whiny singer to say stuff I like.

But by and large, I just stick to the bands I enjoy, listen to their album a few times, and then when the next one comes out, I listen to that.

The artist loyalty is easier to maintain if you just stick with liking the lyrics and basic structure of some songs. It allows me to be a fan of Butch Walker from his hair metal days in Southgang, to weird indie alternative with Floyd's Funk Revival, to the power pop, Glam and punkishness of Marvelous 3 and his early albums, to his country rock of Stay Gold. He has this way with the lyrics and the song structures where, even though he changes genres, I still like the music. Same with Bon Jovi. I like every single Bon Jovi record from the hair metal to their current crap. Top tier band. They just make songs that work for me, even splitting genres.

Now, because I want music to occupy my mind, unless I am in a mood to express feelings, I don't turn on music. I can't listen to it in the background: I get too involved in it and it ruins what I'm doing, and even then, it's totally boring.

In a car I can do it, and do do it, usually for drives longer than an hour, because of how little attention driving really takes.

This is why I'm constantly listening to audiobooks or baseball or Radio 4. I need something there to occupy my mind, and music by and large is too boring to do so, again, unless I want it as an outlet for my feelings.

So, I don't really like listening to music. I want it to be lame structurally so I can pay attention to the lyrics. I can't get much out of the lyrics unless I'm in a particular mood. In much the same way a person might have to be in the mood for liverwurst, I have to be in the mood for music.

Anyway, the greatest song ever written is Yesterday by The Beatles, followed by Fight The Good Fight by Triumph, followed by Breathe by Michelle Branch, Who Says You Can't Go Home by Bon Jovi, and Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding by Elton John in no particular order. Don't listen to these unless you're legit curious.

Regarding the double song Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, that's not only one of the best songs ever written, it's the first track on the album. I play it for people very occasionally. I put it on and it starts quiet. You hear the dirge, and then it goes into one of the most energetic transitions this side of Live Bullet, and then Love Lies Bleeding starts with a beast of a line. The roses in the window box / have tilted to one side / everything about this house / was born to grow and die.

Holy crap what a line. Bernie was a genius. What an album, too. Some time on XBL ask me why my girlfriend hates that record.

Anyway the rest of the top 10 are probably all on Jagged Little Pill.

Tell us about YOUR music, insanedrive.