Things That You Love To Hear

[The_Solipsist]

Basically, what are some things that you love to hear in a song or artist.


For me, I've always enjoyed female vocalists, namely Bjork and Lacey from Flyleaf, but also Nana Mouskouri and June Tabor.

Going on this same note, I can't stand vocals that are extremely stylized, lacking a genuine feel or tone. This is why I've always enjoyed people like Nick Drake and Thom Yorke, because few sing like that and few have vocal styles that truly complement the music they write.

Another thing that I absolutely adore is really nice key changes. My love of Jazz and the Avante-Garde is basically built around this principle.

The last thing that I really enjoy is syncopation. Django Reinhardt and ragtime. So lovely.

[Pencil]

Feeling in the voice. They have to mean it. That's why I love the Tom Waits' music.
Also, a great guitar solo is awesome.

[Hats of!]

I quite like noisy music, the more instruments, ideas and stuff you can fit into a song the better. I don't think trying to restrict yourself musically is ever a good idea. Put some violins there, what about a stroh violin? And then, why not have thirty-five different kinds of keyboards? And then some strange effects, a symphonic orchestra, a choir and a spoken-word part. It's all dandy and fine. Sure, the song goes way over the normal three minutes, but I hate short songs anyway.

I also like ugly sounds and chords. The sort of avant-garde cliché of a band sitting in a circle and jamming a cat against a wall. Sometimes you can get really beautiful songs from ugly sounds, if not you can at least call it a dadaist composition and score with the artsy crowd.

[Quadros]

I love it when bands play at pace and perfectly. Speed's generally a big deal in the music I like, it sometimes sounds like a runaway minecart, like the ideas are spilling out in the most genuine way possible, but they'll still throw in things to show how tight they are even at breakneck speed. It's things like that, like the perfectly in time backing vocals in Streetlight Manifesto's 'Everything Went Numb', that does it for me.

[Allen]

I like it anytime I hear classical instruments implemented in new ways. Like a brass section playing fast, fun music. Or a piano being played at a breakneck speed. Or some ragtime piano thrown into an acoustic jam. Or a violin thrown into any just about any sad rock tune.

I'm also a huge fan of the sound emitted from a bass guitar being slapped.

[Quadros]

I'm also a huge fan of the sound emitted from a bass guitar being slapped.

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll never burn dinner again!'

[iglidante]

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll never burn dinner again!'

I love feedback, pick chucking (you know, mute the strings and strum), and have a real soft spot for the moment when everything in a song drops away, save the vocals, before crashing back in after a measure or two.

Also, I like a good intro. Something distinctive that really leads into a song.

[Ikin]

Time signature/key changes. And long, complex, rambling songs. And songs that use instruments outside of the ones normally used in their genre, like a rock band with a string section or rap with live instruments.

[RaygunShaun]

I've also been really into odd time signatures.

I'm really into elaborate and interesting production techniques like Robert Schneider's thick, Spector-inspired, ultra-psychedelic production (listen to Her Wallpaper Reverie by the Apples in Stereo) and Tchad Blake's ethereal, strange textured production, often using binaural recording techniques (check out Binaural by Pearl Jam or Ruby Vroom by Soul Coughing).

I also like good, old-fashioned distortion (on more than just guitars) and heavy, strange percussion, which is another reason why I've always been finding myself listening to Tom Waits lately.

[Ziggy St. Valentine]

I like to hear good, mid-range production. Not so raw that I can't hear anything, but not so polished it sounds like crappy pop bullshit.
I'm quite a big fan of heavy riffs that make me want to bang my head and let out all my aggression, it's very theraphedic (sp?). It also doesn't matter if the riff is slow or fast, as long as it is heavy and powerful.
I like good, strong and powerful vocals, it doesn't matter much how their delivered (growled, shrieked, sang, crooned ,whatever) as long as they are powerful.
Distortion is great as long as it doesn't overpower the whole song and take away from the riffs etc.
And most of all, I have to be able to feel what the musician(s) is/are trying to convey through a song. If it's an angry song, I want to feel their anger, if it's sad, I want to feel sad etc etc.

[Metalhead636]

A good story. I have a soft spot in my heart for concept albums, or songs that at least chronicle some journey in them. I get bored with songs about love and shit, unless they bring originality to the lyrics. My favorite though are lyrics that chronicle an epic struggle. See Kamelot's Epica and Black Halo


A also love soft introductions. Not sure why, but a good introduction can make me love most songs. See Metallica's Battery and To Live is To Die.

[Ocellatus]

Since I can't really describe everything I like, I'll write out a few things.

Like everyone, I like hearing tempo and time sig changes, as well as a good few modulation in a piece. Another thing I like is the syncopated percussion found in a lot of jazz. The drumming on Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue is a good example of what I'm trying to say. It sounds great behind some chunky guitars and a slap bass playing some proggy riffs. Combine that with some polyphony, and intensify it and it gets absolutely eargasmic.

That fits in with my love of thing out of place. Sax in hard rock, a latin jazz influence in thrash metal, a bit of grindcore in jazz fusion, fingerpicked acoustic guitars juxtaposed with chugging distortion, an audible bass in any hard rock or metal. If there's a good passage in a piece, I like to hear it (or a variation upon it) again somewhere in the song. Repetition can be tasteful when used properly, as can be seen from everything from Bach to Opeth and King Crimson

I also like it a lot when you can hear emotion through the instruments, as well as the vocals. Makes the music seem more 'genuine' and 'artistically valid' to me, if that makes any sense. If it gives me a sense of empathy, then I'm much more likely to enjoy it. A tiny dash of dissonance or some more obvious chromaticism ads a lot of interest to the music, although it can make some stuff 'harder' to listen to for some people. I can put up with a serialist influence in most anything, but to a lot of people it's completely inaccessible. I suppose I like the somewhat exclusive nature of 'odd' music, too.

[Darkminds]

You cannot beat a good dose of BASS

[IronWire]

I like to hear good, mid-range production. Not so raw that I can't hear anything, but not so polished it sounds like crappy pop bullshit.
I'm quite a big fan of heavy riffs that make me want to bang my head and let out all my aggression, it's very theraphedic (sp?). It also doesn't matter if the riff is slow or fast, as long as it is heavy and powerful.
I like good, strong and powerful vocals, it doesn't matter much how their delivered (growled, shrieked, sang, crooned ,whatever) as long as they are powerful.
Distortion is great as long as it doesn't overpower the whole song and take away from the riffs etc.
And most of all, I have to be able to feel what the musician(s) is/are trying to convey through a song. If it's an angry song, I want to feel their anger, if it's sad, I want to feel sad etc etc.

Wow this sums up really good music.
The new KsE album is pretty good with very heavy riffs while not being particularly speedy and the singer has a lot of emotion (not so much as to be declared emo), it's very well done.

[Tweek]

I like whiny punk vocals. I like it when a band plays fast, and yells or screams with real energy.

[Tweek]

I also like walls of noise punctuated with aggressive and blunt instrumentation.

[Antisaint]

I like it when all of a sudden an instrument drops out and the others just keep on going.

[Ziggy St. Valentine]

Wow this sums up really good music.
The new KsE album is pretty good with very heavy riffs while not being particularly speedy and the singer has a lot of emotion (not so much as to be declared emo), it's very well done.

I don't like Metalcore, but I still occasionally give Killswitch Engage's first 2 albums a spin occasionally (I bought them when I was getting introduced to Metal, so I may as well use them as more than just drink coasters). If you like them, I highly recommend getting their first album, the one with the old singer. It's different to their stuff with Howard, and in my opinion just better overall.

[Idioteque]

I personally love feedback of all types. Especially when it is deliberate, and involves the artist torturing their instrument to get unheard of squeals.

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1:36


I also love when artist mash the pedals and create a new sound a lot like the feedback thing.

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3:33

I'm kind of into avant garde you might say.

[pini16893]

I like hearing almost anything done with a guitar.

And I love good solos.

[Laurence]

I love a lyric that makes you stop and think, or catches you off guard and makes you smile, or hits you with emotional depth that you wouldn't expect. I think part of brilliant lyricism is keeping the depth but conveying it subtly.

I also love inclusion of brass and strings. When used well, those elements really add another dimension to a song. Vocal harmonies, too, like those of Fleet Foxes, for example. They can make just about anything sound good. A noticeably awesome bassline is killer, and frankly, underused.

[Tweek]

Yes yes yes, bass can be what makes a good song great when utilised well.

[SlothMan]

I love a lyric that makes you stop and think, or catches you off guard and makes you smile, or hits you with emotional depth that you wouldn't expect. I think part of brilliant lyricism is keeping the depth but conveying it subtly.

I also love inclusion of brass and strings. When used well, those elements really add another dimension to a song. Vocal harmonies, too, like those of Fleet Foxes, for example. They can make just about anything sound good. A noticeably awesome bassline is killer, and frankly, underused.
Me too.

I have the utmost respect for artists who make poetry more than music. Depth and subtlety is definitely the key. I hate when lyrics refer to tangible things or particular events without justifying it. I think I love instrumental music so much because so few artists do seem to put as much effort into their lyrics as I'd like, poisoning my thoughts with their silly words.

Admittedly I don't care about this as much as I used to, because if I did, I wouldn't be listening to much music.

I also love lots of bass, particularly things like really deep drums or double bass, and I love funky bass lines like early Chili Peppers. I don't think I listen to enough funk, so if anyone would like to reccomend some good funk bands or artists, please do.

The other thing that I really love in my music is a good climax. excellent progression from a simple intro to a chaotic orchestra of beautiful sounds will often stop me in my tracks, leave me in awe and send shivers down my spine.

[Arthenon]

A good utilization of bagpipes, either Great Highland or Uilleann, I always find that it can add a great depth to a song, though probably hard to work with since it's got no range at all and can't be adjusted to the other instruments. And for some reason, a break completely for a few seconds, don't know why really.

[pini16893]

The other thing that I really love in my music is a good climax. excellent progression from a simple intro to a chaotic orchestra of beautiful sounds will often stop me in my tracks, leave me in awe and send shivers down my spine.

kinda like this?

Yw74sDWPH7U

[SlothMan]

No.

[Metalhead636]

Sloth likes it when the song climaxes, not the artist.

[Chocoholic]

I also love lots of bass, particularly things like really deep drums or double bass, and I love funky bass lines like early Chili Peppers. I don't think I listen to enough funk, so if anyone would like to reccomend some good funk bands or artists, please do.


I agree with this. Awesome bass lines in songs are the shit. Some good funk-inspired 90's bands had great lines which is something I'd like to see make a comeback in music these days.

As for funk bands you can't go wrong with Parliament/Funkadelic, The Ohio Players, The Gap Band, or Earth, Wind, and Fire. Stick to the old stuff.

I also tend to prefer male vocals. They tend to be more agressive. I actually can't stand most female singers unless they fit into the alto range or have a really bluesy voice.

[Tweek]

For me it's the opposite, I usually hear male vocals just because a lot of what I listen to is male dominated but when bratty chicks front a punk/grunge band, it is awesome.

[Ikin]

I also like it a lot when you can hear emotion through the instruments, as well as the vocals. Makes the music seem more 'genuine' and 'artistically valid' to me, if that makes any sense. If it gives me a sense of empathy, then I'm much more likely to enjoy it. A tiny dash of dissonance or some more obvious chromaticism ads a lot of interest to the music, although it can make some stuff 'harder' to listen to for some people. I can put up with a serialist influence in most anything, but to a lot of people it's completely inaccessible. I suppose I like the somewhat exclusive nature of 'odd' music, too.

I forgot about this. Also, being a drummer, I love hearing polyrhythms.

[Pachycephelosaurus]

I love it when a song really showcases all of the different instrumental parts, and you get a sense for where each musician is coming from, and then all the different parts come together perfectly. An awesome example of this is "Panic Attack" by Dream Theater. It kicks off with a great bass line, then everything comes together and explodes from that one line. Throughout the song, we then get little points where the other bits drop back and we can really focus on each individual instrument's role in the song.

[Chocoholic]

For me it's the opposite, I usually hear male vocals just because a lot of what I listen to is male dominated but when bratty chicks front a punk/grunge band, it is awesome.

I can completely agree with this. I just find the majority of female singers don't really have any emotion or anything in their lyrics, they're just singing to sing. But when a girl is actually giving attitude it is completely awesome. It's just a rare thing so I generally prefer male vocals.

I also love rare acapella parts in songs, usually during the climax of it. When all the instruments drop off and the song is just singing their hearts out. It's beautiful. :hmm:

[Raxo]

I like the rare female rappers that are good. The ones that show genuine emotion and not some forced toughness. Same goes for males but there just aren't many good female rappers.

In non-rap music I absolutely like to hear trumpets and flutes. They just make me feel good.

[Ziggy St. Valentine]

For me it's the opposite, I usually hear male vocals just because a lot of what I listen to is male dominated but when bratty chicks front a punk/grunge band, it is awesome.

You should check out the German Thrash Metal band Holy Moses, Sabina is awesome. I recommend the second album, Finished With the Dogs.

[BreakTheWalls]

A good utilization of bagpipes, either Great Highland or Uilleann, I always find that it can add a great depth to a song, though probably hard to work with since it's got no range at all and can't be adjusted to the other instruments. And for some reason, a break completely for a few seconds, don't know why really.

I'm guessing AC/DC's It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll) is a favourite of yours then.

I'll also have to agree with a song progressing from a simple line or lyrics to increasingly complex riffs and beats until it crescendos majestically. I just love when they keep adding stuff to the beat. Having an orchestra in there really heightens the atmosphere. I love stuff like Therion (their Symphonic Metal stuff), Kamelot and Epica (the band, not the Kamelot album).

I'm also a big fan of technical drum beats. Stuff like Dream Theater and Gojira always have complex ones that are so good, I just focus listening to the drum parts on them and imagine me ever trying to play them.

The one thing that stops me in my tracks is a balls out, mega long, ensemble of solos. Best example is Dream Theater's Endless Sacrifice solo. Up until then, it's been slow and broody and only just started picking up from the chorus. Then it just knuckles down for some heavy riffage and keyboard playing for the next minute or three. Another good example is some Rhapsody of Fire songs.

And of course, I love evergreen riffs. Metallica's Enter Sandman never gets old, nor does Smoke on the Water's. I also can't get enough of the riff in Clawfinger's Prisoners. Nothing is better than a song going back to an awesome, simple, heavy riff that just makes you wanna bang your head in approval.

[squirtle]

I really like 'not getting it.' It doesn't have to be in a weird, experimental way. I just really like when something challenges my aesthetics. It happened with Half Japanese, Southern rap, Animal Collective, Hollertronix.

[RaygunShaun]

Accidental bump.