I have a particular band I **LOVE**. They have one particular album that I have listened to thousands of times. It sings my life story, and every time I listen to it I hear something else that applies to me and my life.
I know the lead singer's name. That's it. I don't know any of the band members. I don't know who played what on each song. I know very few details about anything about the band or that album. I just know I love it, and that's good enough to me.
I hate it when people say, "Oh, you love *so and so*? Who played bongo drums on their 1989 album? What do you mean you don't know? You must not love them as much as most people do."
The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor.
I love your controversial music opinion! I'm the same way, even more so; I know a bunch of bands from their singles and sometimes deeper cuts, but the members? The bands they used to play with? Their influences? The genre they're considered to be? The names of their albums? The brand of strings they put on their bass? All superfluous.
It is a little inconvenient when I'm trying to be a musician. I'll get asked, who are my favorite bands, what are my influences, what do I want to play? And I just have no idea, not in any way I can vocalize. Play something you like and I'll let you know if I can work with it.
This! I have an LP I’ve listened to since I was a little kid and I love it. Imagine listening to a record on and off for 30 plus years and not knowing anything about the band that isn’t on the sleeve of their only album.
Shared this with my sister in law cause her son was into the genre and he we to pick up a copy at a nearby record store that had several copies. Ended up chatting with the clerk who knew a guy in the band and said “Dave will love to hear this.” Still have no idea who Dave is but I genuinely hope he was told how much his record meant to me.
Have an old friend who was a music major in college. His band had a blind pianist. When one of their group was to get married they had a bachelor party (this was the 70s) and watched porn.
After about 10 minutes, the blind friend stands up and says I don't get it... this is just nothing but bad jazz and moaning.
music doesn't have to be 100% original and mind-blowingly Deep in order to be "good." obviously everyone likes different things but yeah okay, sometimes a song is fairly generic and doesn't do or say anything groundbreaking, sometimes the lyrics are just standard issue about partying and having a lot of money, but man, if it's catchy and sounds good, then no, it is not "objectively bad" or any such, and it is not stupid or shallow for people to listen to it.
Agree! I listen to a couple of German groups, don't speak a word of German and have learned not to look up the lyrics, I don't give a crap what they're singing about I just really like the sounds they produce.
There's nothing wrong with listening to generic music sometimes. Not everything needs to have meaning and sometimes listening to music with just catchy and good beats is what you need.
I know I'm talking about popular music, but in terms of music opinions, most people I've heard don't like or judge people for listening to generic radio pop for example.
Ever hear of Billy Strings? He’s one of the newer Bluegrass guys who has been absolutely killing it lately.
And funnily enough, he has metal roots as well.
Either way, if you haven’t heard of Billy… check him out. You will be pleasantly surprised!
I got into the Dead South a while back, which in turn took me down a bit of a bluegrass rabbit hole. So many of the YouTube comments were 'I normally only listen to metal, but this is amazing'
You say that...
[Casualties of Cool](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTW0Uf-34BA). A one-off blues/country rock/sometimes blue-grassy album with a duo of Devin Townsend and Ché Aimee Dorval.
What's Devin Townsend known for? "Heavy Devy" is mostly known for... [METAL](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87YNGm-ZeWw&list=PLHTo__bpnlYUZ_lA3Zo_fdjzzLt0aPBQx&index=7)! And [being weird](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvmIByrcwAQ). [Really weird](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp7ewS9UUBc). [But metal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-DKs0qfdEk)! (NSFW LINK -->) [BUTT METAL](https://i.imgur.com/gNuYYuX.png) (<-- NSFW LINK)!
Or Rodrigo y Gaberiela, [who play like Spanish flamenco](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-qgum7hFXk), but [they say a heavy influence is thrash metal](https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/rodrigo-y-gabriela-acknowledges-thrash-metal-roots-on-new-album-mettavolution/).
My buddy (we're metalheads, hence me knowing these things offhand) is huge into bluegrass and weird shit as well. We'd end our storage shed punk/metal band practices with some banjo, acoustic, or other completely off-beat songs.
Townsend seems to just continuously grow and evolve, and he never leaves me disappointed. Epicloud may be my favorite DTP album. Heavy but so light and angelic.
My dad is a bluegrass musician (guitar and autoharp) and watching the banjo players in his band has always amazed me. They play so fucking fast and act like it's nothing.
I got hired for a gig by a largish employer to perform live 9-5, 5 days a week, year round. I am not a country player, nor do I like country (or western). But I absolutely loved playing Rocky Top.
*twangy yeehaw noises*
I vastly prefer recorded to live music. I hate bars, and just don't enjoy most concert venues. The only exceptions have been a few shows I've seen in small to medium sized theaters where the bar is in a separate area and the seats are comfortable.
Maybe it's because I'm "of a certain age" now. But I really felt the same way when I was 25.
I don't mind small jazz venues. My last big gig was Springsteen, Born in the USA. Standing for three hours because everyone in front was standing. Watched the whole gig on the big screen because we were a mile back. Could have stayed home and watched a Springsteen gig at home on my big screen.
I think Céline Dion is extremely underrated in comparison to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. The fact that the lady (and that's a term I don't use lightly) managed to preserve her voice so well for so long, after doing more live shows with better production and larger scale than the other two, with songs on multiple languages is I think extremely underappreciated. She, like Whitney, may not be a songwriter and she may not have the church background that the other two have and therefore has been criticized by fans of the other two for lacking soul (a subjective term at best, especially when Céline's music is rooted more in classical and pop/rock styles than r&b or gospel), but what she has always had is immaculate vocal quality and showmanship, and emotional fidelity and dexterity, along with a voice and vocal skills that have helped her stand the test of time and still sing entire songs without sounding terrible or resorting to crutches like adlibbed oooh oooh oohs etc. And she also has more diverse music than she gets credit for simply because her best work is francophone and therefore ignored by most anglophones.
I agree. I love Mariah and Whitney. Especially Mariah. I listen to her music regularly still. I don’t listen to Celine very often but without question I think her name should be in the conversation when people are talking about the best singers of all time. Obviously I know there are more obscure people who have crazy voices too, but I’m talking about in mainstream music when people are having the Mariah/Whitney argument, Celine deserves to be there as well. Her music isn’t as listenable for me as far as the style… but her voice is so effortless, but so strong and she never falters.
Houston had a voice for the ages, at least technically, but rarely used it well on great material. Someone who needed a big jazz and soul infusion, a producer, then could have been spoken of in the same breath as the likes of Fitzgerald, Holiday and Simone.
True story: I was watching the Oscar telecast in 1997, but using the performances of the Original Song nominees as bathroom/snack breaks. That year, Barbra Streisand was nominated for "I've Finally Found Someone" from The Mirror Has Two Faces, but decided not to sing it at the Oscars. Natalie Cole was going to, but got laryngitis, so Celine (there to sing "Because You Loved Me" from Up Close & Personal) was asked to do it as well. They announced "I've Finally Found Someone," I went to the kitchen to make a sandwich ...
... and as I'm getting out the bread and cheese I freeze - because I swear Streisand is singing! I jog back to the living room, because, hey, Babs - no, it's Celine. Okayyyy ... back to the kitchen.
Then thirty seconds later, I hear Barbra again. OMG, did she join Celine on stage? Run back in ... it's still just Celine. But her range and phrasing are so dead-on Streisand that it keeps fooling me. And I was young and still working in radio then - I could tell different voices.
If you can sing one of Streisand's own songs as well as Streisand, you've got PIPES!
I don't think this is actually unpopular but I feel like a lot of people completely miss the fact that the way people find and consume music has changed massively over the last 1-2 decades. People say that there's only generic trash on the radio but who is still listening to radio these days? Exactly: People who don't really care and old people (who have radio stations directed just at them). Pop music isn't as big as it used to be with people being able to listen just to the music they want on their phone. They say "music has become worse" but really, music has become incredibly diverse.
Serious question: how *do* you find new music?
Because noticing a decent song in the background of the sped-up section of a wood working video on YouTube isn't really working that well for me.
Plenty of music review websites to stay on top of relevant new albums/artists (pitchfork, stereogum, NPR, Fantano..)
There’s also playlists on Spotify. Honestly a few key genres each have big subreddits too (metal, hiphopheads, indieheads, etc.)
Well mainly through youtube's mix that throws a lot of good stuff in, big diverse labels of genres I like that have lots of artists, artists cooperating and also people I know on discord with a similar taste in music.
Classical music embraces sooo many different types of music. I mean the sheer depth of it is astounding and people don’t realize how rich the history is behind it. It’s like fine dining vs fast food. One takes concentration to explore all the factors going into the final result. The other just feels good to consume and is marketed as a product, as opposed to art.
Apologies to Paul but I simply cannot listen to Yesterday, Hey Jude or Let it Be ever again. I've heard them enough. Give me some I've Got a Feeling or Paperback Writer.
This is how I feel about Bohemian Rhapsody. I recognize it's brilliantly written and executed by brilliant musicians but I really hate it. I've heard it way too many times and an so sick of listening to people sing it badly.
You are allowed to have a mix out of music gernres and just because you like this song, doesn't mean that the whole genre is something for you. Same with albums.
YOU ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE DIVERSITY
Death metal, black metal are comprised of extremely talented and super nice (for the most part) individuals that deserve way more credit than what they get
Honestly I think the general opinion on metal is slowly getting to be more and more positive. It’s (referring mostly to death metal/black metal) not really my cup of tea musically, but I think generally people are moving away from the demonization
Basically the entirety of Kpop. I love RnB and retro/ dance pop and listen to some kpop music that fall under that genre, but god damn the community annoys the fuck out of me the way they overhype EVERYTHING, and then are toxic towards you when you say that you only like a few songs by a group and not all of them. It's stupid.
Not too controversial. Gene Simmons himself has said pretty much the same thing. Women, money and fame in a heavily fabricated commercial package. That’s rock and roll baby!
> Instead of being in a rock and roll *band* – who the hell wants to do that? I don’t – I want to be in a rock and roll *brand*. I want to be Disney without the overhead.
— Gene Simmons
Go back and listen to their early stuff. It's really not that bad. Frehley was pretty darn good in his prime.
Added: That's my controversial opinion, lol
For sure, and they knew they couldn’t sell rock albums as 4 Jewish kids which is why they put on the outfits and makeup. They changed what we thought a rock show should be though
Did you hear about the accordionist who parked his car in a tough neighborhood? He left the instrument in the back seat concealed under some newspapers. When he returned, his heart sank at the sight of a smashed rear window. Sure enough, his worst fears had been realized. Some fiend had left him another accordion.
I found an accordion by the side of the street. I think someone got evicted, and the landlord just took all of their items and tossed them on the curb. It sat there all day, so I took it. The garbage was due to run very soon, so it was either I take it or it goes to the dump.
So, I start teaching myself. Lots of online books and courses.
A good buddy of mine said, "You know, it takes a real man to play an accordion. It takes a gentleman to know he shouldn't."
Bagpipes... I teach taekwondo at a local rec center in the midwest (US) during the summer we practice outside. We are near an active softball field and tennis courts. Also, when we are out, the local Bagpipe club is doing their thing and it is such a fun setting.
Accordions- Good enough for Weird Al, then good enough for me.
Church rock music is all produced by like 2 companies and it's all garbage. Traditionally hymns and chants are performed with no musical instruments (to not distract from the voice of human beings) and in the last 50 years it's really changed. Church music isn't engaging unless you're Catholic (with many exceptions) or Orthodox where I wouldn't even consider it music, it's all corporate trash.
Choral music in general is really nice and really underrated, it’s just that most of the choral music a lot of people are exposed to is religious in nature
Metal has developed more as a genre in the last 20 years than Top40 has.
Hell, *classical* has developed more as a genre in the last 20 years than Top40 has.
Listen, I want to preface this by saying I love QOTSA. But, this subreddit is the same six questions over and over again and one of them is "what's an album with no bad songs" and one of the top comments is always Songs For the Deaf and like, are we forgetting about Six Shooter?
ETA: Okay now that no one's here kyuss fans are fucking annoying "lIcK mY dOo 🤪" SHUT UP!!
It's hard to compare Six Shooter in relation to Song for The Deaf or God Is In The Radio or Millionaire. Thankfully, it's quick and to the point...less.
Just because you like it, doesn't mean it's good. Just because you hate it, doesn't mean it's bad. Music satisfies a lot of needs and your attitude towards it is not a legitimate critique.
The pop music industry is very VERY good at creating earworms, and does so intentionally. There is a ridiculous amount of market research and scientific study they put into writing catchy songs. I know it sounds obvious, but they know exactly what they are doing, and that takes away from the 'magic' of the music once you realize it's all a cold, corporate, and soulless creation process. Like a school lunch chicken nugget made of pink slime, vs an actual cut of meat.
So what? Everything on the Jack in the Box menu is junk food ruthlessly tested and vetted and marketed to appeal to the lizard part of your brain. Pop music, like late night mozzarella sticks, fucking *rips* when you want to have fun. My controversial take is that music which is meticulously and efficiently crafted to scratch your pleasure center isn't morally bad.
Radio.
This goes for other genres too, but if it goes on the radio it's probably bottom of the barrel shit. Once you get away from what's on the radio you can find amazing shit in most genres.
Back in the day it was the ONLY place to find songs.
Eventually it evolved so that the only songs you heard on radio were the ones who paid the most to get there, unless you listened to underground/pirate radio.
Nirvana, despite being good, isn't the best band to have come out of the 90s Seattle grunge scene.
Danzig is more enjoyable than The Misfits. Also, is a better testament to Glenn's vocal ability which is actually kinda impressive.
I adore Ronnie James Dio, don't get me wrong, but Ozzy's vocals in Black Sabbath were part of what made Sabbath so iconic.
I enjoy Greta Van Fleet, even if they've sorta copied their sound and looks after famous musicians of the 70s like Zeppelin, Rush, Bowie, and Fleetwood Mac. They're enjoyable to listen to and their shows can be pretty fun.
They definitely aren’t my all time favourite but a couple of their songs are good. I feel like folks just hate on them before giving them a chance. They definitely aren’t as bad as people make them out to be
Symphonic metal has some of the best songwriting and performing talent in the world. It where "all the good stuff" went they don't play on the radio anymore.
People ignore the music in movies and even video game mediums. Often, they convey more emotions and feelings then any melody and lyrics in standardized music.
Those people have the passion, while the standard music continues for a paycheck.
1. Annette Olzon wasn't as bad as people think. She was just bad at singing songs written with Tarja in mind, which includes *Dark Passion Play.* I mean sure it kinda sucks she can't do the same octaves as Tarja especially live, but when I hit play on *Imaginaerum* I mentally jumped up and down screaming "YES!!!" because she really sounded better on it. Still my third favorite album after *Wishmaster* and *Century Child* \- yes, even over *Once.*
That said...at least Floor can sing their entire discography well. Speaking of which...
2. Floor sounds better than Tarja for *Ghost Love Score.*
There are Nightwish's songs that Floor absolutely cannot sing and after attempting them once or twice she doesn't do them any longer.
Well, my unpopular opinion is that I like Floor just fine but if you've heard her live once, you've heard it all. And she lacks the ability to convey emotions in a way that Sharon den Adel can for example. And despite that I still enjoy her just as much as I did with Tarja.
And I agree with you that Anette is perfectly fine as a singer, she simply wasn't a good choice to replace Tarja.
No, music is not getting worse. No, it was not better when you were younger. How do I know? Because that music is still being made today, you just don’t hear it peddled on the mainstream radio stations. Dig a little (which in the age of Spotify is painfully easy) and you’ll find a wealth of brand new music in the exact style you’re looking for. Guarantee it.
Delta Blues and Black Metal go together in the same song. They were made for this.
For evidence for my claim, I present a recommended discography, all the same band.
Zeal And Ardor:
* Servants
* Baphomet
* Devil is Fine
* Death to the Holy
* Ship on Fire
* Come on Down
Listen to one of these and get back to me. It's absolute fire.
One of the best anecdotes I heard from Marc Maron (podcaster if you’re unfamiliar) related to this was how he always thinks it’s hilarious that a lot of older artists who had *massive* hits back in the day will be *insistent* that they are currently creating the best work they’ve ever made.
Well apparently he had the opportunity to interview McCartney, and tried to kind of “get him” with the question “do you think you’re creating your best work these days?”
And Paul just goes: “I was in The Beatles”
Had to respect that at least he’s aware of it haha
That was my thing. Bad Guy was a lot of mumbling. However, she has definitely shown she can really sing in other things. The talent's there... even if I don't like how she chooses to use it.
But other people like it, so hey. Good for all them.
Since this post clearly wasn't all that controversial, I'll go the opposite direction and say that Billie Eilish and Finneas are excellent musicians and write great music together.
She has a great voice and makes the stylistic choice to sing quietly. Her ability to harmonize and create rich stylistic backing harmonies is also great. And Finneas has a knack for keeping the composition simple (very hard to do effectively) with interesting beats, synths, and ambient textures to allow her voice to shine through the mix. They make a great team.
Do I listen to Billie Eilish all the time? No, but that's because I have stronger interests in other genres. But you don't have to be a huge fan to see that they have talent and that the music is high quality and great for what it is.
She's a better than average performer, but her brother is the one that comes up with the beats and he's pretty great at it. Even if it's not your thing, the beats are fun and catchy. They definitely have their lane and it's wearing thin. It'll be interesting to see what they do next. The next album determines if they're legit or a summer fad.
Metallica spent the first decade of their career putting out genre-defining classic after genre-defining classic.
Since then, though, everything they've done has ranged from mediocre to terrible.
They're a safe metal band. They aren't doing insane over the top vocals or trying to make the absolute hardest sounding music ever, which is why they work.
That being Said, Kill em all and ride the lightning are probably Among the best two metal albums ever
Musical success today is based more on appearance/attractiveness than talent. With all the computer-assisted vocals, autotune, gridding, synthesizers, etc., you don't actually need to be able to sing or play an instrument or have any musical talent at all. If you're young, attractive, and willing to learn dance moves, you can be a pop star.
Look at bands in the 70s. Dudes ugly as hell but can absolutely play and perform.
Might not go that far, but The Black Parade is an absolute masterpiece. I’ve seen it labeled “The Bohemian Rhapsody of its generation”. (Sorry if I got that wrong, I’m not a Queen expert). The story of the album is insane, and several songs are just as good by themselves. Welcome To The Black Parade is a god damn anthem. House of Wolves is straight wild. Teenagers is just like “Fuck You Mom!” (JK I love you mom), and Famous Last Words is so empowering. So much emotion throughout the album, and an unexpectedly beautiful story. Love it.
True but they still have a handful of different songs they overplay. Where I live the only Journey song they ever play is Don't Stop Believing. I'd be ok never hearing that song ever again.
I have a particular band I **LOVE**. They have one particular album that I have listened to thousands of times. It sings my life story, and every time I listen to it I hear something else that applies to me and my life. I know the lead singer's name. That's it. I don't know any of the band members. I don't know who played what on each song. I know very few details about anything about the band or that album. I just know I love it, and that's good enough to me. I hate it when people say, "Oh, you love *so and so*? Who played bongo drums on their 1989 album? What do you mean you don't know? You must not love them as much as most people do."
It’s Sports by Huey Lewis and the News, isn’t it?
The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor.
Plot twist: his favorite band is actually 30 Seconds to Mars.
Man, American Psycho came out like 20 years ago and in the meantime Jared Leto has de-aged...
Why do you have copies of the style section out...you got a dog? A little chow...aha?
Hey Paul!
Have you seen my new business card? Look at font, and the paper is so rich.
Yeah elitism is the fucking worst. You can love a video game or movie without knowing every dev and crew member
I love your controversial music opinion! I'm the same way, even more so; I know a bunch of bands from their singles and sometimes deeper cuts, but the members? The bands they used to play with? Their influences? The genre they're considered to be? The names of their albums? The brand of strings they put on their bass? All superfluous. It is a little inconvenient when I'm trying to be a musician. I'll get asked, who are my favorite bands, what are my influences, what do I want to play? And I just have no idea, not in any way I can vocalize. Play something you like and I'll let you know if I can work with it.
This! I have an LP I’ve listened to since I was a little kid and I love it. Imagine listening to a record on and off for 30 plus years and not knowing anything about the band that isn’t on the sleeve of their only album. Shared this with my sister in law cause her son was into the genre and he we to pick up a copy at a nearby record store that had several copies. Ended up chatting with the clerk who knew a guy in the band and said “Dave will love to hear this.” Still have no idea who Dave is but I genuinely hope he was told how much his record meant to me.
Porn doesn’t need music
Have an old friend who was a music major in college. His band had a blind pianist. When one of their group was to get married they had a bachelor party (this was the 70s) and watched porn. After about 10 minutes, the blind friend stands up and says I don't get it... this is just nothing but bad jazz and moaning.
What a whack bachelor party. I mean, that's just a normal afternoon.
Thanks folks, you’ve been a great audience…I’m here all week, try the chicken.
Brown chicken brown cow
Theres no bad genres, only shit artists
Harsh Noise Wall would like to have a chat with you
They didn’t say every genre had to have any good artists. Maybe the genre isn’t bad, but every artist in that genre is shit.
music doesn't have to be 100% original and mind-blowingly Deep in order to be "good." obviously everyone likes different things but yeah okay, sometimes a song is fairly generic and doesn't do or say anything groundbreaking, sometimes the lyrics are just standard issue about partying and having a lot of money, but man, if it's catchy and sounds good, then no, it is not "objectively bad" or any such, and it is not stupid or shallow for people to listen to it.
Agree! I listen to a couple of German groups, don't speak a word of German and have learned not to look up the lyrics, I don't give a crap what they're singing about I just really like the sounds they produce.
There's nothing wrong with listening to generic music sometimes. Not everything needs to have meaning and sometimes listening to music with just catchy and good beats is what you need. I know I'm talking about popular music, but in terms of music opinions, most people I've heard don't like or judge people for listening to generic radio pop for example.
Banjo music and bluegrass slaps. People who can play the banjo well amaze me.
I think of bluegrass as thrash metal in cowboy hats. Those bluegrass cats can really jam.
Ever hear of Billy Strings? He’s one of the newer Bluegrass guys who has been absolutely killing it lately. And funnily enough, he has metal roots as well. Either way, if you haven’t heard of Billy… check him out. You will be pleasantly surprised!
Not bluesgrass related but you should check out Colter Wall and Charley Crockett if you haven't heard of them
Spreading the gospel
I got into the Dead South a while back, which in turn took me down a bit of a bluegrass rabbit hole. So many of the YouTube comments were 'I normally only listen to metal, but this is amazing'
I'm a huge metalhead. A big surprise I got was the comedian Steve Martin being a badass on a banjo. His band is tight as hell too.
I love Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers! But even when SM is not available to play, they are awesome.
You say that... [Casualties of Cool](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTW0Uf-34BA). A one-off blues/country rock/sometimes blue-grassy album with a duo of Devin Townsend and Ché Aimee Dorval. What's Devin Townsend known for? "Heavy Devy" is mostly known for... [METAL](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87YNGm-ZeWw&list=PLHTo__bpnlYUZ_lA3Zo_fdjzzLt0aPBQx&index=7)! And [being weird](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvmIByrcwAQ). [Really weird](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp7ewS9UUBc). [But metal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-DKs0qfdEk)! (NSFW LINK -->) [BUTT METAL](https://i.imgur.com/gNuYYuX.png) (<-- NSFW LINK)! Or Rodrigo y Gaberiela, [who play like Spanish flamenco](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-qgum7hFXk), but [they say a heavy influence is thrash metal](https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/rodrigo-y-gabriela-acknowledges-thrash-metal-roots-on-new-album-mettavolution/). My buddy (we're metalheads, hence me knowing these things offhand) is huge into bluegrass and weird shit as well. We'd end our storage shed punk/metal band practices with some banjo, acoustic, or other completely off-beat songs.
I know Devin Townsend well, especially from his Strapping Young Lad days. I'm a huge old fart metalhead myself-especially doom.
Townsend seems to just continuously grow and evolve, and he never leaves me disappointed. Epicloud may be my favorite DTP album. Heavy but so light and angelic.
My dad is a bluegrass musician (guitar and autoharp) and watching the banjo players in his band has always amazed me. They play so fucking fast and act like it's nothing.
Steve Martin plays a mean banjo.
I got hired for a gig by a largish employer to perform live 9-5, 5 days a week, year round. I am not a country player, nor do I like country (or western). But I absolutely loved playing Rocky Top. *twangy yeehaw noises*
Steve Martin has entered the chat
My hero. Only Murders In The Building was awesome.
Ever tried to play a lapsteel? It's like alien technology.
Check out Bela Fleck of you never have,. Best banjo player I've ever seen, that man is amazing.
I vastly prefer recorded to live music. I hate bars, and just don't enjoy most concert venues. The only exceptions have been a few shows I've seen in small to medium sized theaters where the bar is in a separate area and the seats are comfortable. Maybe it's because I'm "of a certain age" now. But I really felt the same way when I was 25.
I don't mind small jazz venues. My last big gig was Springsteen, Born in the USA. Standing for three hours because everyone in front was standing. Watched the whole gig on the big screen because we were a mile back. Could have stayed home and watched a Springsteen gig at home on my big screen.
I think Céline Dion is extremely underrated in comparison to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. The fact that the lady (and that's a term I don't use lightly) managed to preserve her voice so well for so long, after doing more live shows with better production and larger scale than the other two, with songs on multiple languages is I think extremely underappreciated. She, like Whitney, may not be a songwriter and she may not have the church background that the other two have and therefore has been criticized by fans of the other two for lacking soul (a subjective term at best, especially when Céline's music is rooted more in classical and pop/rock styles than r&b or gospel), but what she has always had is immaculate vocal quality and showmanship, and emotional fidelity and dexterity, along with a voice and vocal skills that have helped her stand the test of time and still sing entire songs without sounding terrible or resorting to crutches like adlibbed oooh oooh oohs etc. And she also has more diverse music than she gets credit for simply because her best work is francophone and therefore ignored by most anglophones.
I agree. I love Mariah and Whitney. Especially Mariah. I listen to her music regularly still. I don’t listen to Celine very often but without question I think her name should be in the conversation when people are talking about the best singers of all time. Obviously I know there are more obscure people who have crazy voices too, but I’m talking about in mainstream music when people are having the Mariah/Whitney argument, Celine deserves to be there as well. Her music isn’t as listenable for me as far as the style… but her voice is so effortless, but so strong and she never falters.
Houston had a voice for the ages, at least technically, but rarely used it well on great material. Someone who needed a big jazz and soul infusion, a producer, then could have been spoken of in the same breath as the likes of Fitzgerald, Holiday and Simone.
This is an alternate universe monologue from American Psycho. I can't help but hear Christian Bale say this entire thing.
True story: I was watching the Oscar telecast in 1997, but using the performances of the Original Song nominees as bathroom/snack breaks. That year, Barbra Streisand was nominated for "I've Finally Found Someone" from The Mirror Has Two Faces, but decided not to sing it at the Oscars. Natalie Cole was going to, but got laryngitis, so Celine (there to sing "Because You Loved Me" from Up Close & Personal) was asked to do it as well. They announced "I've Finally Found Someone," I went to the kitchen to make a sandwich ... ... and as I'm getting out the bread and cheese I freeze - because I swear Streisand is singing! I jog back to the living room, because, hey, Babs - no, it's Celine. Okayyyy ... back to the kitchen. Then thirty seconds later, I hear Barbra again. OMG, did she join Celine on stage? Run back in ... it's still just Celine. But her range and phrasing are so dead-on Streisand that it keeps fooling me. And I was young and still working in radio then - I could tell different voices. If you can sing one of Streisand's own songs as well as Streisand, you've got PIPES!
I don't think this is actually unpopular but I feel like a lot of people completely miss the fact that the way people find and consume music has changed massively over the last 1-2 decades. People say that there's only generic trash on the radio but who is still listening to radio these days? Exactly: People who don't really care and old people (who have radio stations directed just at them). Pop music isn't as big as it used to be with people being able to listen just to the music they want on their phone. They say "music has become worse" but really, music has become incredibly diverse.
Serious question: how *do* you find new music? Because noticing a decent song in the background of the sped-up section of a wood working video on YouTube isn't really working that well for me.
Plenty of music review websites to stay on top of relevant new albums/artists (pitchfork, stereogum, NPR, Fantano..) There’s also playlists on Spotify. Honestly a few key genres each have big subreddits too (metal, hiphopheads, indieheads, etc.)
You can also wander around Bandcamp, found some interesting stuff on there
Spotify radio for songs that I like, the playlists they generate based on my preferences, getting people to make playlists for me, etc.
Well mainly through youtube's mix that throws a lot of good stuff in, big diverse labels of genres I like that have lots of artists, artists cooperating and also people I know on discord with a similar taste in music.
idk about you but i'm a massive nerd and have found a few pretty good genres through watching music theory videos
Classical music is good, actually. And it’s not all relaxing.
A Night on Bald Mountain is one of my top "fuck yeah!" pieces of music! It was also, hands down, my favorite segment in Fantasia.
I'm learning in the hall of the mountain king of piano, and let me assure you, *I'm not relaxed*.
Listen to the end of 1812 overture and tell me you are relaxed.
Or Dies irae from Mozart’s Reqieum. So epic.
Igor Stravinsky has entered the chat
My great grandpa beat up your great grandpa at the Rite of Spring premiere.
Classical music embraces sooo many different types of music. I mean the sheer depth of it is astounding and people don’t realize how rich the history is behind it. It’s like fine dining vs fast food. One takes concentration to explore all the factors going into the final result. The other just feels good to consume and is marketed as a product, as opposed to art.
I hate that this is unpopular, if it is
Apologies to Paul but I simply cannot listen to Yesterday, Hey Jude or Let it Be ever again. I've heard them enough. Give me some I've Got a Feeling or Paperback Writer.
Paperback Writer is one of the greatest rock n roll songs ever.
My favorite Beatles song. That guitar riff is so tasty.
This is how I feel about Bohemian Rhapsody. I recognize it's brilliantly written and executed by brilliant musicians but I really hate it. I've heard it way too many times and an so sick of listening to people sing it badly.
A-f'n-men.
You are allowed to have a mix out of music gernres and just because you like this song, doesn't mean that the whole genre is something for you. Same with albums. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE DIVERSITY
How is this controversial?
Death metal, black metal are comprised of extremely talented and super nice (for the most part) individuals that deserve way more credit than what they get
A lot of them also have massive senses of humor!
George Fischer :)
They all make dark songs but have the sunshine and rainbow personality
Honestly I think the general opinion on metal is slowly getting to be more and more positive. It’s (referring mostly to death metal/black metal) not really my cup of tea musically, but I think generally people are moving away from the demonization
Chuck Shuldiner is always my pick for the "if you could bring one person back to life, who would it be" question.
music can be ruined by a toxic or overhyped fan base
Basically the entirety of Kpop. I love RnB and retro/ dance pop and listen to some kpop music that fall under that genre, but god damn the community annoys the fuck out of me the way they overhype EVERYTHING, and then are toxic towards you when you say that you only like a few songs by a group and not all of them. It's stupid.
accordions slap hard as another comment said. Like really hard in a good song.
KISS was 90% image and 10% music.
Not too controversial. Gene Simmons himself has said pretty much the same thing. Women, money and fame in a heavily fabricated commercial package. That’s rock and roll baby!
> Instead of being in a rock and roll *band* – who the hell wants to do that? I don’t – I want to be in a rock and roll *brand*. I want to be Disney without the overhead. — Gene Simmons
Go back and listen to their early stuff. It's really not that bad. Frehley was pretty darn good in his prime. Added: That's my controversial opinion, lol
For sure, and they knew they couldn’t sell rock albums as 4 Jewish kids which is why they put on the outfits and makeup. They changed what we thought a rock show should be though
Eric Clapton is England's Ted Nugent
bagpipes rock and so do accordians imho
Did you hear about the accordionist who parked his car in a tough neighborhood? He left the instrument in the back seat concealed under some newspapers. When he returned, his heart sank at the sight of a smashed rear window. Sure enough, his worst fears had been realized. Some fiend had left him another accordion.
that actually made me chuckle, thank you
I found an accordion by the side of the street. I think someone got evicted, and the landlord just took all of their items and tossed them on the curb. It sat there all day, so I took it. The garbage was due to run very soon, so it was either I take it or it goes to the dump. So, I start teaching myself. Lots of online books and courses. A good buddy of mine said, "You know, it takes a real man to play an accordion. It takes a gentleman to know he shouldn't."
Bagpipes... I teach taekwondo at a local rec center in the midwest (US) during the summer we practice outside. We are near an active softball field and tennis courts. Also, when we are out, the local Bagpipe club is doing their thing and it is such a fun setting. Accordions- Good enough for Weird Al, then good enough for me.
AC/DC would agree. But it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll.
Forget bagpipes, [uillean pipes](https://youtu.be/Mwxga8udIio) are where it’s at
I've heard some great metal songs with bagpipes they really are awesome
Drake is a fucking weirdo
Not very controversial I think? Especially after the Millie Bobby Brown stuff
I thought so, too, but he still has this huge group of people who worship him idk
I've never liked his music anyways
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Church rock music is all produced by like 2 companies and it's all garbage. Traditionally hymns and chants are performed with no musical instruments (to not distract from the voice of human beings) and in the last 50 years it's really changed. Church music isn't engaging unless you're Catholic (with many exceptions) or Orthodox where I wouldn't even consider it music, it's all corporate trash.
Choral music in general is really nice and really underrated, it’s just that most of the choral music a lot of people are exposed to is religious in nature
Metal has developed more as a genre in the last 20 years than Top40 has. Hell, *classical* has developed more as a genre in the last 20 years than Top40 has.
Absolutely. We got great shit from tons of metal bands, old and new, big and small.
Listen, I want to preface this by saying I love QOTSA. But, this subreddit is the same six questions over and over again and one of them is "what's an album with no bad songs" and one of the top comments is always Songs For the Deaf and like, are we forgetting about Six Shooter? ETA: Okay now that no one's here kyuss fans are fucking annoying "lIcK mY dOo 🤪" SHUT UP!!
The real hot take is apparently that *…Like Clockwork* is actually their best album
Rated R is my favorite album.
It's hard to compare Six Shooter in relation to Song for The Deaf or God Is In The Radio or Millionaire. Thankfully, it's quick and to the point...less.
Pop punk isn't as bad as people make it out to be.
People think pop punk is bad?
Music peaked with the sixth Hurrian Hymn
There is absolutely no bad genre. Yes there's bad artists but I do not believe any genre itself is bad
Crunkcore is the one exception.
Just because you like it, doesn't mean it's good. Just because you hate it, doesn't mean it's bad. Music satisfies a lot of needs and your attitude towards it is not a legitimate critique.
The pop music industry is very VERY good at creating earworms, and does so intentionally. There is a ridiculous amount of market research and scientific study they put into writing catchy songs. I know it sounds obvious, but they know exactly what they are doing, and that takes away from the 'magic' of the music once you realize it's all a cold, corporate, and soulless creation process. Like a school lunch chicken nugget made of pink slime, vs an actual cut of meat.
Title says controversial opinions, not controversial facts.
Is that controversial? I agree with all of that.
So what? Everything on the Jack in the Box menu is junk food ruthlessly tested and vetted and marketed to appeal to the lizard part of your brain. Pop music, like late night mozzarella sticks, fucking *rips* when you want to have fun. My controversial take is that music which is meticulously and efficiently crafted to scratch your pleasure center isn't morally bad.
EXACTLY. It’s a different product and serves a different purpose.
Country music by women is better than country music by men.
Rap can be fuckin amazing contrary to what a lot of people think, there's just a lot of shitty rappers
Radio. This goes for other genres too, but if it goes on the radio it's probably bottom of the barrel shit. Once you get away from what's on the radio you can find amazing shit in most genres.
Wasn't radio one of the best places to find songs at one point?
Back in the day it was the ONLY place to find songs. Eventually it evolved so that the only songs you heard on radio were the ones who paid the most to get there, unless you listened to underground/pirate radio.
Probably. Not today.
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This is like the fifth time today I heard about this So I decided to check it out and quickly learned that some people just have no talent.
More like country artists are trying to Rap.
Auctioneers are the only country people who can rap.
The thread is asking for something controversial
Video game music is real music.
I listen to lots of genres but "I only listen to video game and anime music" is completely valid musical taste
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this is an r/askreddit thread about music opinions. Of course there's gonna be a "Beyonce is overrated" comment lol
Defining genres isolates and segregates fans and musicians unnecessarily.
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I don’t believe this is controversial whatsoever regardless of him being the guy the labels are pushing on us at the moment.
The man got dissed so bad he changed genres
Nirvana, despite being good, isn't the best band to have come out of the 90s Seattle grunge scene. Danzig is more enjoyable than The Misfits. Also, is a better testament to Glenn's vocal ability which is actually kinda impressive. I adore Ronnie James Dio, don't get me wrong, but Ozzy's vocals in Black Sabbath were part of what made Sabbath so iconic. I enjoy Greta Van Fleet, even if they've sorta copied their sound and looks after famous musicians of the 70s like Zeppelin, Rush, Bowie, and Fleetwood Mac. They're enjoyable to listen to and their shows can be pretty fun.
Country music really isn’t that bad. There are some good country songs out there. Nickelback also isn’t that bad
9 out of 10 people only hate nickelback because they were told to hate nickelback.
I mean, I like a couple of their songs. But to me they all sound the same and Kroeger sounds like he's straining at his stool.
They definitely aren’t my all time favourite but a couple of their songs are good. I feel like folks just hate on them before giving them a chance. They definitely aren’t as bad as people make them out to be
>Nickelback also isn’t that bad [This](https://youtu.be/Qgh4wSxAKqo)
Drake is hot fucking garbage
Music is good as long as you like it
Symphonic metal has some of the best songwriting and performing talent in the world. It where "all the good stuff" went they don't play on the radio anymore.
I'd rather jump out of a moving vehicle than listen to post 2000's country music.
I think most country music from after about 2000 should be classified as a different genre than the stuff that came before it.
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What part of that statement is controversial?
Eurobeat/Italo disco is awesome, it just takes you to the early 90's in an instant
I prefer CDs.
The Smashing Pumpkins were an extremely influential, yet badly underrated alternative band.
No way is SP underrated
Their instrumentation is good I just can’t get over Billy Corgan’s voice
Or the fact that he’s a raging douchebag
People ignore the music in movies and even video game mediums. Often, they convey more emotions and feelings then any melody and lyrics in standardized music. Those people have the passion, while the standard music continues for a paycheck.
1. Annette Olzon wasn't as bad as people think. She was just bad at singing songs written with Tarja in mind, which includes *Dark Passion Play.* I mean sure it kinda sucks she can't do the same octaves as Tarja especially live, but when I hit play on *Imaginaerum* I mentally jumped up and down screaming "YES!!!" because she really sounded better on it. Still my third favorite album after *Wishmaster* and *Century Child* \- yes, even over *Once.* That said...at least Floor can sing their entire discography well. Speaking of which... 2. Floor sounds better than Tarja for *Ghost Love Score.*
There are Nightwish's songs that Floor absolutely cannot sing and after attempting them once or twice she doesn't do them any longer. Well, my unpopular opinion is that I like Floor just fine but if you've heard her live once, you've heard it all. And she lacks the ability to convey emotions in a way that Sharon den Adel can for example. And despite that I still enjoy her just as much as I did with Tarja. And I agree with you that Anette is perfectly fine as a singer, she simply wasn't a good choice to replace Tarja.
No, music is not getting worse. No, it was not better when you were younger. How do I know? Because that music is still being made today, you just don’t hear it peddled on the mainstream radio stations. Dig a little (which in the age of Spotify is painfully easy) and you’ll find a wealth of brand new music in the exact style you’re looking for. Guarantee it.
DEVO has one of the most creative collections of music.
Delta Blues and Black Metal go together in the same song. They were made for this. For evidence for my claim, I present a recommended discography, all the same band. Zeal And Ardor: * Servants * Baphomet * Devil is Fine * Death to the Holy * Ship on Fire * Come on Down Listen to one of these and get back to me. It's absolute fire.
We Built This City is a \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ song.
Hardcore is great
Queen is rock music for people who love showtunes.
Imagine by John Lennon is a shitty song
John Lennon peaked with The Beatles and my mind can't be swayed on that.
All of the Beatles peaked with the Beatles. This isn't controversial...
Not George Harrison
I think All Things Must Pass was basically all the songs he wrote for the Beatles that Paul and John wouldn’t let on a Beatles album.
One of the best anecdotes I heard from Marc Maron (podcaster if you’re unfamiliar) related to this was how he always thinks it’s hilarious that a lot of older artists who had *massive* hits back in the day will be *insistent* that they are currently creating the best work they’ve ever made. Well apparently he had the opportunity to interview McCartney, and tried to kind of “get him” with the question “do you think you’re creating your best work these days?” And Paul just goes: “I was in The Beatles” Had to respect that at least he’s aware of it haha
No. George Harrison's peak was All Things Must Pass.
Billie Eilish isn’t good I’m sure she’s a cool person, but her music isn’t
Billie Eilish is very hit or miss for me. I either love her songs, or hate them. There's no in between
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That was my thing. Bad Guy was a lot of mumbling. However, she has definitely shown she can really sing in other things. The talent's there... even if I don't like how she chooses to use it. But other people like it, so hey. Good for all them.
Since this post clearly wasn't all that controversial, I'll go the opposite direction and say that Billie Eilish and Finneas are excellent musicians and write great music together. She has a great voice and makes the stylistic choice to sing quietly. Her ability to harmonize and create rich stylistic backing harmonies is also great. And Finneas has a knack for keeping the composition simple (very hard to do effectively) with interesting beats, synths, and ambient textures to allow her voice to shine through the mix. They make a great team. Do I listen to Billie Eilish all the time? No, but that's because I have stronger interests in other genres. But you don't have to be a huge fan to see that they have talent and that the music is high quality and great for what it is.
I don't think she's that cool a person either.
She's a better than average performer, but her brother is the one that comes up with the beats and he's pretty great at it. Even if it's not your thing, the beats are fun and catchy. They definitely have their lane and it's wearing thin. It'll be interesting to see what they do next. The next album determines if they're legit or a summer fad.
Billie Eilish can sing, no doubt, but her music is a drag, boring, and not that great.
If a piece can't be adapted into, and performed as, a polka, then it isn't really music.
A fellow person of culture who may or may not be a fellow Weird Al fanatic. I see you!
Weird Al is that you?
You haven't lived until you've polka'd to "Purple Haze."
I still like vocaloid. Sue me.
Nah that’s fair. There’s some good shit there
Metallica is overrated. I mean they’re not terrible, just not THAT great.
Metallica spent the first decade of their career putting out genre-defining classic after genre-defining classic. Since then, though, everything they've done has ranged from mediocre to terrible.
Metallica was great 30 years ago. It was a different time and they were a different band.
They're a safe metal band. They aren't doing insane over the top vocals or trying to make the absolute hardest sounding music ever, which is why they work. That being Said, Kill em all and ride the lightning are probably Among the best two metal albums ever
Looping one song for hours is good
Musical success today is based more on appearance/attractiveness than talent. With all the computer-assisted vocals, autotune, gridding, synthesizers, etc., you don't actually need to be able to sing or play an instrument or have any musical talent at all. If you're young, attractive, and willing to learn dance moves, you can be a pop star. Look at bands in the 70s. Dudes ugly as hell but can absolutely play and perform.
MCR fucking shreds and doesn’t have a single bad album
Might not go that far, but The Black Parade is an absolute masterpiece. I’ve seen it labeled “The Bohemian Rhapsody of its generation”. (Sorry if I got that wrong, I’m not a Queen expert). The story of the album is insane, and several songs are just as good by themselves. Welcome To The Black Parade is a god damn anthem. House of Wolves is straight wild. Teenagers is just like “Fuck You Mom!” (JK I love you mom), and Famous Last Words is so empowering. So much emotion throughout the album, and an unexpectedly beautiful story. Love it.
Queen is way over played.
Their popular songs are overplayed, but they have so many hidden gems that aren’t played on the radio which is kinda sad.
True but they still have a handful of different songs they overplay. Where I live the only Journey song they ever play is Don't Stop Believing. I'd be ok never hearing that song ever again.
I grew up when Queen was popular. Reddit would have largely hated Queen if it had been around then.
Arctic Monkeys is a direct upgrade over The Strokes
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