I rarely like a 'bad' song because of great lyrics, but I will frequently dislike a 'good' song because of terrible lyrics.
I rarely pay much attention to lyrics. I usually end up learning them on albums that I frequently re-listen to, but by that time, I'm usually already too hooked to care much about the words. I prefer the voice as an instrument as opposed to a deliverer of poetry.Quoting Daniel Davis (view post)
That said, there are times when I've been annoyed by lyrics when they're crystal clear and at the forefront of the music, but usually it's not music that interests me in the first place.
Lyrics are one of the last things I look for in music.
Last 10 Movies Seen
(90+ = canonical, 80-89 = brilliant, 70-79 = strongly recommended, 60-69 = good, 50-59 = mixed, 40-49 = below average with some good points, 30-39 = poor, 20-29 = bad, 10-19 = terrible, 0-9 = soul-crushingly inept in every way)
Run (2020) 64
The Whistlers (2019) 55
Pawn (2020) 62
Matilda (1996) 37
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) 61
Moby Dick (2011) 50
Soul (2020) 64
Heroic Duo (2003) 55
A Moment of Romance (1990) 61
As Tears Go By (1988) 65
Stuff at Letterboxd
Listening Habits at LastFM
Mike Patton is all kinds of awesome. I would love to have the creativity in his pinky finger.
My favorite project of his is Mr. Bungle. Their album California is just awesome. I've been listening to it for years and am still finding new tidbits popping out of the songs. Mr Spun_Lepton, Esq actually got me that album for Christmas one year.
There's a youtube clip somewhere, some concert footage of Mr. Bungle performing Goodbye Sober Day at some sorta outdoor rock festival. Judging by the WTF? looks on the crowd's faces, they didn't quite know what to make of the music - probably not what they were expecting out of the band that was likely billed as "containing the former lead singer of Faith No More!".
Still, Patton seemed to be enjoying performing, most likely because he was reveling in the confusion he was inspiring in the audience.
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
I'm generally the same way, but there have been instances (tho none come immediately to mind) where the lyrics were bad to the point that they distracted from the rest of an otherwise decent to good song.
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
A lot of the albums that will appear in my top 10 I partially like because of the lyrics.
I think, to me, my attitude towards lyrics and music is like my attitude towards video games. I am of the opinion that in a video game, graphics really do matter. They are as important as the audio and the gameplay. I am very, very demanding: I want all aspects of the stuff I enjoy to be as good as possible. So while graphics can't save a bad game, they often times will make a good game even better.
The same is true with lyrics. Maybe it's because I am a song writer, but I do listen to the lyrics as much as I do the music. And yes I also appreciate the voice as an instrument. It's the whole package that is important to me. The lyrical style needs to fit with the style of music. Hip hop with bad lyrics is utterly crap; Red House Painters and American Music Club wouldn't be half as good without the great lyrics. On the other hand, The Cocteau Twins wouldn't be nearly as interesting if they had straightforward lyrics, but the lyrics they do have are still very important, probably the most important part of the band's sound.
I don't require insightful poetry, but I do listen to what the lyrics are saying. It is through the words that the songwriter tends to convey his or her world view, and that is important to me.
Lyrics and voice, like the guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, turntable..., make up a part of the music I listen to, and I want it all to be as good as it can be.
Lyrics are definitely important to me. When I look at a list of my favourite musicians, they're all great writers. Dylan, Cohen, Waits, Berman (of the Silver Jews), GZA, Nas, MF Doom. There's tons of other stuff I like too where I can't understand a word of what is being said, but, generally, great lyrics push musicians over the top for me.
Wishful thinking, perhaps; but that is just another possible definition of the featherless biped.
This is a cool blog that lists all kinds of great ambient/electronic music from various netlabels (I think most of it is free):
http://hiddenplacemusic.blogspot.com/
So far I've listened to:
Offsets - Circular Drift
and
Little World
Both are amazing - and totally free.
Also, check out the newest album to be recommended....
13th Floor Elevators. Great band.
Wishful thinking, perhaps; but that is just another possible definition of the featherless biped.
Soft Phase, a small Nordic netlabel, recently released their newest album. It's by a guy called Chris Tenz, and it is a collection of beautiful acoustic-based ambient music.
Check it out, it's free, and really great.
So far this label has impressed the hell out of me. The Little World album (mentioned above) is one of the sweetest things I've heard in a long time. It's incredibly atmospheric and sensual.
And bonus! They're interested in possibly releasing my next album.
It's awesome to see so much quality music being released for free (legit).
Harold Budd and Clive Write released another album a couple of weeks ago called Candylion. It's very good. I don't like it as much as last year's release, Song for Lost Blossoms, but then again that album is one of the best ambient albums ever recorded. Candylion's songs are more focused, much shorter, and more structured. It's a different kind of record, but still great. Heck, anytime Budd records something new is a good time, and his recent partnership with Clive Wright is interesting.
Listen
saw david byrne last night. excellent show, almost makes me not want the talking heads to ever reform, since that stuff sounded so good already. he even played more heads' songs than songs from the eno/byrne albums
no, he wasn't there, although the tour is called the songs of david byrne and brian eno tour
i haven't heard all of everything that happens will happen today yet, but the songs i heard at the show (and subsequently downloaded) are great
It's not uncommon for me to discover a new band toward the beginning, or a little bit before, one summer, and fortunately, that band then becomes the official band of a particular summer.
Since summers are generally really appreciated here in the upper midwest where, past winter notwithstanding, the winters tend to be long, cold and start to get really tiresome come February, listening to these bands that get associated with a particular summer often recalls fond memories of warmth, greenery, comfortable weather and lazy afternoons.
Summer 2007 was The Guillemots vis a vis their album Through The Windowpane.
Summer 2008 was dibidim and their album Riders.
This year, looks like the winner is Empire of the Sun and their album Walking on a Dream.
Any of you have any artists/albums that are closely associated with a particular summer, and as a result, you can't help but smile when their music hits your ears?
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
Ween's The Mollusk was a staple for a few summers.
And I think we've discussed Too Much Joy in this regards as well.
Charles Spearin's concept album, The Happiness Project. Also, The Falcon Project's Lights Karma Action. Of the latter, I find myself listening to "Soul Divider," "Meditations #3," and the title track most often.
I'm loving pretty much everything Mike Patton has ever touched.
The Faith No More track "Evidence" is so chill.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
I think I really like Built to Spill, but I would love them if only they had a better vocalist. Any bands you feel similar about?
Last 10 Movies Seen
(90+ = canonical, 80-89 = brilliant, 70-79 = strongly recommended, 60-69 = good, 50-59 = mixed, 40-49 = below average with some good points, 30-39 = poor, 20-29 = bad, 10-19 = terrible, 0-9 = soul-crushingly inept in every way)
Run (2020) 64
The Whistlers (2019) 55
Pawn (2020) 62
Matilda (1996) 37
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) 61
Moby Dick (2011) 50
Soul (2020) 64
Heroic Duo (2003) 55
A Moment of Romance (1990) 61
As Tears Go By (1988) 65
Stuff at Letterboxd
Listening Habits at LastFM
I love Prince. Right now I'm listening to the Batman soundtrack. "Electric Chair" is just amazing.
You are the first person I've found who listens to music in just about the same way I do. I can't listen to most singer songwriter because I need the music to be awesome before I can get into the words. But still very similar, I prefer voice as an instrument and don't comprehend the lyrics until I've listened to it many times.
What about your love for Ween, though? Ween is a band that relies heavily on the lyrics. Yes, their music is often amazing, but it is the lyrics that truly give the band their distinct personality. The same can be said for They Might Be Giants.
For those of you who don't care about lyrics, what about hip hop? Is this a genre you don't listen to? Hip hop is, more than anything, a delivery method for poetry. Are you simply into the beats? A good emcee needs flow and great lyrics, right?
I guess the more I think about this topic, the more I realize just how important lyrics are to me.
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