Damn, my thoughts on music have changed since I posted that other thing (and edited it 8 months ago).
I want to make some kind of music as a career. As long as I can focus on the music (or maybe lyrics) I don't mind "selling out" a little. See Hooker with a Penis by Tool (I bought Ænima this week
) for my stance on the issue. If people want to play my music everywhere, good for them. I can use the money to live fairly comfortably and make more music. Now if you define selling out as letting other people get at your music creatively, then I guess I do mind selling out. I also don't want to be a poser.
Assuming that we're not talking about record labels, I think Bob et al. should say indie. I know what Ferret is talking about when he mentions his disgust with the "alternative" scene right now, and I share it... There is an "alternative" rock station here that gets fans by overplaying the latest 20 singles (and random songs off The Wall, curiously enough). It's not alternative at all. Once they even admitted to a relationship with ClearChannel. (I'm considering naming a band or song FCC: f*** Clear Channel)
I hope we can help college radio hold on.
I have a very eclectic taste in music. I'll listen to almost anything, unless it bores me. There is some stuff I would not listen to unless forced (see way below).
Generally I like a lot of punk, mostly early and/or fast punk. Slow punk bores me unless the lyrics have a good message or just sound good.
Some emo is OK, as long as it isn't whiny like a bad pop song or something.
I like punk and progressive rock at the same time, even though no one is supposed to do that. Prog is pretty much all decent for me, except when people put noodling on the record to take up more time, that bores me. I really like some prog, but right now I'm into other kinds of music with prog influences. I find progressive pop, for instance, to be much more inclusive of other potentially interesting influences than actual prog.
I like almost all metal, especially 70s and early 80s metal. Late 80s pop metal or guitar driven wankfest crap from the late 80s is less than great though (although I have respect for true innovators in those areas, like malmsteen. also prog metal rocks).
Unfortunately there is one Linkin Park song I like (not "somewhere I belong"), because it's catchy. That is all.
Classic rock can be good. At its worst it is either too slick and poppish, or not slick and boring, but generally it is good. It's just as corporate as rock today though.
I have varying degrees of respect for different rappers although I don't know rap very well. Rap is ok. Its strength for me is in its rhythm, because I do not pretend to be a poor boy from the streets.
Country, actually, is good as a background, or as unusual pop music. Probably it helps that I don't hear it too much because I live north of the mason dixon line. Bluegrass and western tend to be better overall IMO.
Pop is ok for that too although the lyrics tend to get annoying sometimes. With good pop I like to deconstruct the arrangements in my mind. This includes pop based on just about anything else, although I class pop punk differently.
I have liked every single industrial track I've ever heard, which is to say, some NIN.
There was this one Ministry track also... Anyway I want to get more and I think I will start with KMFDM.
Dance music (as one of the hundreds of related styles) is pretty good. I should classify it differently, as background type music, except that's what dance music is supposed to be. Once you've listened to a lot of it you can probably appreciate tiny modulations in the mostly repetitive music, but I'm not there yet. It doesn't help that I'm underage and I can't go to raves... (even if there were 16+ raves my parents wouldn't let me...)
I like "intelligent" dance music too.
I sometimes like listening to various kinds of world music, though it is a plus when I understand enough of the words to know what the song is about. I tend to ignore a lot of it thought, because there is too much to keep track of it seems... My favorite "world" band is probably Inca Son, a Spanish/Peruvian guitar/panpipes type band who I saw with my school last year... twice.
I like pretty well lots of other kinds of "black" music, including reggae and soul, and motown, and blues, and gospel, if that is "black" music. I have a slightly disturbing affinity for overproduced late 80s-early 90s R&B. But I'll see if I can control it... You won't see any Vannessa Williams fetish shrines from me just yet...
I am enthusiastic to the idea of dub and curious to get some... Any suggestions?
My favorite "black" music is funk. Funk kicks my white ass and I like it.
Jazz is good, especially from when it was hardcore. It's good for the brain and when I study music theory next year I hope to spend lots of time on that.
I will also inevitably spend time on classical music, which I respect and will probably like -- although to say that one likes classical music is pretty stupid because there is a lot of diversity in that category. But I like just about anything with the richness of an orchestra, and I like hearing accomplished composers' music even if their tiny compositional modulations don't enthrall me. Modern orchestral music is good too.
The new age music I've heard is from bland to good. I haven't heard any Delerium or Enigma yet, I should hear that. Mostly I've heard Vangelis, stuff Jon Anderson of Yes has done, and Andreas Vollenweider, this weird German harpist guy. And of course DÛke.
I almost forgot ambient or minimalist music, like the stuff Brian Eno pioneered... that's really good too, and I might end up writing that.
"Post rock" and indie and truly alternative bands tend to be pretty good in my book. Partly this is because I like music that is different, and I like a change of pace. Also my weird sense of humor comes into play. These bands can combine a lot of elements of other music I like, sometimes prog too. Sometimes I embrace bands that are unrelated to that distinction, just because they're weird, like Oingo Boingo or Ozric Tentacles.
There are some kinds of music I hate, a few more than I first thought:
Pop-punk where the punks act and talk like pop stars (and some kinds of emo, remember emo started as punk). When that happens, the music sucks AND the lyrics annoy me. This is a very bad combination.
Rap metal has pretty much overstayed its welcome. It's the low-budget pr0n of the music world.
I don't like softer 40s-50s style jazz songs. The music is like pop, but without the hooks, and the lyrics aim for a nostalgic, comfortable, Disney-ified view of life and love and emotions that I literally could never approach. By the time WWII was over, jazz had crossed over long enough ago that "jazz" could be churned out by the pop machines for soft pop consumption. In older jazz songs, or even "smooth jazz," there is enough going on for me to enjoy listening, but poppy muzaky socially conservative jazz sucks. They have made stuff like that to this day; I know this because my dad listens to this crap while we're converting the attic this summer. It is the worst music to work to ever, because the limp vocals and crappy lyrics make you pay attention, but nothing compelling or interesting is delivered. I hold a lot of musical soundtracks in the same esteem.
I dislike "Christian music" made by people now. Older songs like hymns or carols are ok, and I don't have such a gut reaction to music of other religions.
In my experience all corporate pop made nowadays in other countries is complete and utter crap. J-rock is pop too. Sorry.
I hate patriotic songs, across any genre, because they tend to come off as fake.
And of course, sometimes a song just sucks, but you can't classify that very easily, other than to say CRAP.
Singular artists that I admire (in no order) :
Yes
Tool
Rush
Iron Maiden
King Crimson
Talking Heads
Peter Gabriel
Aphex Twin
Dead Kennedys
Nine Inch Nails
I hope there are more later in my life but those are the artists I think are really good right now. After I've had some sleep I might give a full band list, but I think you get the picture
I just enjoy music, that's all.
EDIT: Goddammit I forgot folk.
Oh well. Folk is pretty good too.