How does music get you?

UncleJoseph · Post by **UncleJoseph** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 3:08 am

I was wondering, while listening to some of my favorite songs, why they're my favorite songs. Then I wondered what other people thought about their favorite songs or music. Is it the music itself? A certain instrument in the music? The lyrics? What emotions drive you when you hear a new song that you really like?

For me, lyrics aren't very important. Music conveys a lot of feeling to me no matter what the lyrics are. I can listen to a song a hundred times and still have no idea what the lyrics are. The blend of instruments and/or sounds are what's important to me.

For example, one of my favorite songs is "Down in a Hole" by Alice in Chains. Now, as far as the instruments go, that song is relatively simple. A bass guitar, drums, two guitars and the vocals. Yet, the way all these sources are put together, really captivate me. I can listen to that song over and over without getting tired of it. I barely hear the vocals, but they add to the overall sense of emotion I get when I listen. That particular song evokes a lot of emotion in me (not necessarily related to the lyrical message).

I also like a lot of movie soundtracks, classical music, rap, hard rock, heavy metal and others. The only kind of music that really grates on my nerves is country. Despite my wide variety of listening preferences, there are damn few songs that really captivate me. And when I mean captivate, I mean that the song basically drowns out everything else in my mind. Since I'm paranoid, and worried about blood-thirsty axe-wielding dwarven-beserker ninja around every corner, that's saying a lot.

So what do you lot have to say about your personal connection with music?

UJ

Kai · Post by **Kai** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 4:02 am

Highly depends

I love some songs because of the lyrics, but that isn't true for Jpop, i have no idea what they're saying. Sometimes I love the vocals (Evanescense, Hikaru Utada), sometimes, the unique sound of a band/group just grabs me (Three Days Grace, Yuki Kajuira) sometimes the song itself is writen in such a way that the arrangement of the parts is just beautiful (Voices from Mac+, Sora's song from the Escaflowne movie)

JetPlane · Post by **JetPlane** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 4:27 am

My favorite album right now is the new Modest Mouse album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News.

Something about the distinct contrast of the fluid solidarity of the instrumentals/electronica with the sometimes sweetly soft and sometimes harsh vocals.

It's dance-y in an intimate way. I'd dance to it by moving my hips, with one hand on my partner's shoulders, the other on his or her back, so close you can feel their breath on your face, but you aren't neccessarily hugging, you're rocking back and forth to the shifting, introspective rhythm. You'll most likely look down, notcing the lines of their clavicle bone, or into their eyes.

It reminds me of some of the most beautiful moments of my life, how if I had put music to them, songs from this album would be in it. The night I drove with my boyfriend at the time to a little town in Tennessee called Brownsville and the fog was over the road, the air so humid and warm and I realized I didn't want to be with anyone more than him at that moment.

FlameBlade · Post by **FlameBlade** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 4:41 am

music do not get to me. sorry.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 4:51 am

I very rarely love a song just for the lyrics, and when I do love a song for the lyrics it's because the subject matter appeals to me and I like the way they're done. Like, "Under the Bridge" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, or "Dream On" by Aerosmith.

(Note: I also like odd pieces. Tom Waits, Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky," Mike Curb Congregation's "Burning Bridges." Just things that don't seem to match. Like Weird Al Yankovic, Afroman's "Because I got High", or Bob Dylan's "Rolling Stone.")

Consider "Knocking On Heaven's Door." Classic song, many, many renditions, the only one I'll listen to is the Guns & Roses version. I'm not a G&R fan, that's just the only version I like. Same with Pearl Jam's cover of "Last Kiss."

Sometimes I like more than one version of a song, when the musicians doing them do them well. Like the Beatles and No Doubt each doing "Ob li di, Ob la da."

As far as electronica and experimental music goes, I like some of the early stuff (Ussachevsky), some of the slightly weird stuff (Beatles in the '60's), and well-done stuff from the past ten years or so ( like "Sandstorm" or "Castles in the Sky").

I like instrumentals. I can really get into a blues song with or jazz bit, especially with a saxaphone. Used to have a Kenny G. tape, and an old Jurassic Park soundtrack tape. I particularly enjoy concert pieces (opera without the singing, really), and small string groups. Current favorite is "Pachelbel in D Minor" by the Chakra Choir.

I'm a big fan of oldies. That is, 1960's or so to 1990's. Bubble-gum music isn't usually my style, and anything older, like ragtime, rarely appeals to me.

Rap and hip-hop I enjoy in moderation. I need something with a beat, and something without too much...I dunno, posturing, maybe. Sometimes I like softer rap (white rappers like Eminem and Beastie Boys aside), like LL Cool J's "Doin' it." Sometimes I prefer remixes with a bit of rap, like some of the Fugee's stuff ("Killing Her Softly" was a great cover, natch).

I like Reggae more than hip-hop, but I tend to shy away from the hard-core stuff.

Punk and Ska are fun. I vary between a little energetic-but-unskilled screaming into the microphone and outright pump-up-the-base-to-drown-out-the-lyrics. I couldn't name groups if I wanted to, though.

I rarely listen to Country. I like my country to be a little traditional-sounding ("Down on the Chattahoochie") or else just fun ("Low Places").

I'm a sap for a decent Irish/Scottish voice. It doesn't have to be an Irish or Socttish song, or that type of music, or in any way traditional. But the right brogue during singing just draws me, especially if the singer is female (Sinead O'Connor "Nothing Compares To You"). Yes, I listen to a bit of Enya, too.

I don't know what covers Rock anymore. I mean, I listen to a little Eve 6 and 311 and Chicago and Aerosmith and Nirvana and Prodigy("Firestarter", "Shadowdreams") and Hootie and the Blowfish ("Let Her Cry") and a bit of Incubus and whatever else...but I honestly don't know what's rock, what's pop and what's sub-sub-genre this week.

Old video game music. Especially if properly remixed into something funky, but even the old Streets of Rage theme sounds pretty damn good.

I don't know what today's stuff is, really. I haven't payed any particular attention to anything since "Hey Ya" was released by Outkast.

Crazy Elf · Post by **Crazy Elf** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 5:02 am

Annie wrote:Used to have a Kenny G. tape

You total fag.

MissTeja · Post by **MissTeja** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 5:03 am

I'm a huge lyrics fan. I like songs that speak to me, or for me. I can hear a song completely out of my typical chosen genre's, but if it tells the right story, I'm hooked.

Apart from that, though, I think my next biggest hook is Strings. I absolutely love the violin, cello, viola, bass, etc. The Schindler's List Soundtrack can bring me an otherwise-rare sense of serenity and calmness just listening to a single track.

Other than that, I'm quite open to music. I listen to a little bit of damn near every genre except R&B. For some odd reason, I really cannot stand most of R&B, and what I can stand is only usually defined by the word "tolerable."

Oh, and I also get hooked on songs I can sing pretty decently. I'm a recovering karaoke addict, so it still gets me every once in awhile.

Ikarus7 · Post by **Ikarus7** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 5:18 am

I love music with a certain emotion in it. Lyric doesn't matter really, as long as I like the voice. If I listen to a song it must not be only noise in the background, it must affect my mood.
Because of that I don't listen to radio, because its just useless noise in the background, silence has stronger emotion. Same thing for almost every mainstream artist.

I tend to prefer music without lyric (Godspeed you! Black Emperor) because I think voice tend to ruin good music.
If there has to be lyric in music, I don't know why I prefer french lyric, the english language is not a musical one to my ears. French is much more delicate and appriopriate to music.

My favorite album right nowadays is Finaly we are no one by Mum, its a kind of "lazy mood" album, but I find it great to listen too while waking up in the morning.
Its one of those band whose lyrics aren't that important to me (Like Sigur Ros) because the singers voice are just too damn good.

And finaly, I think music must be listenned to, as loud as socially possible, because music wasn't made to be background noise.

Thorn · Post by **Thorn** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 8:11 am

I'm a sucker for a good vocalist. I can have no idea what the words are, but if the vocals are good, I generally will like the song. Also, for me music has to have a fairly participatory element - my favorite artists tend to be ones whose voices are close to my range (or can be adapted to such). So, for instance, as much as I like a lot of U2's music, since Bono's vocal range is so different from my own (and in a way I can't compensate for well), I wind up not buying U2 albums and instead just catching the songs on the radio sometimes.

I also am often a sucker for bands with unusual instruments thrown in, so I really dig ska. Good thumping electric-guitar rock with a brass section thrown in? Awesome. The swing revival of a few years ago I really liked too, for the same reason - big band music with a rock edge? Very cool.

Also, I like my music "strong", for lack of a better word. I'll listen to just about any genre of music, but it better mean it. It doesn't have to be loud or angry or anything, but if your song is about how much you love somebody, you better be shouting it from the rooftops. If your song is about love lost, it's okay if it's quiet, but don't mumble or hedge about it or whatever. Like I say, the best word I can think of for it is "strong".

DV8 · Post by **DV8** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 8:38 am

I know this is a very vague answer, but it's the best one I can give; Atmosphere. I'm very picky with music, and I find good music across (almost) all genres, but all the music I find good has got one thing in common; it all has atmosphere. It's a very intangible, subjective and romantic (in the classic sense of the word) concept, but it's mandatory for it to be good music.

Example; Polynomial C by Aphex Twin. While it's a bit techno-ee, it ooze atmosphere with it's haunted, near alien tones harking back to some fantastic tale by Lovecraft in which the first human visitors set foot on the shores of R'lyeh and gaze upon the citadel and resting place of the sleeping god Cthulhu, with its impossible angles and it's cyclopean, stonework spires.

Another example; Disco Science by Mirwais. When I close my eyes and listen to the deep, dark base and the lazy melody I see them personified by two friends, exiting a plane, drunk, giggly, after departing Zurich for San Francisco 11 hours previous, their carry-on stuffed with alcoholic beverages, only to stumble into a normally unwavering immigrations officer, looking on in bewilderment.

Hell, another; On the Subway, by Brian Reitzell and Roger J. Manni, off of the Lost in Translation Soundtrack. Being alone, completely alone, left to yourself, but not in a bad and unfortunate way, but rather an independent sort of loneliness. A self-applied form of reclusion. Being surrounded by people and still being alone. Much like Eva's humour.

Because I can't seem to stop; Utopian Dream by Jimi Tenor, which, to me, has a strange, juxtaposed kinship to Samuel Barber's Agnus Dei, in which the former sounds like the anxious baptism of a deamon in Satan's blood, while the latter sounds like a slow ascension to heaven, a once-fallen angel being taken back into the brotherly folds of God's Army.

So yeah, that's how I listen to music.

Johnny the Bull · Post by **Johnny the Bull** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 9:36 am

I find I like music that ties in to society, something that highlights an element our culture. For example, I just love the rock and roll revival going on right now. Bands like Jet, The Hives, and The Strokes all just rub me the right way. The music is simple and certainly not profound, but in listening to it I brings up a feeling of fun, rebellion and youthful exuberance that characterised the 60's in a distinctly modern way. Rage Against the Machine, back in the day, really struck home. I didn't necessarily agree with the message but it did make me feel more aware of the limitations of our economic system and the like. It also made me feel pissed off, if for nothing than to make me feel like I am not a mindless sheep.

Harley667 · Post by **Harley667** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 1:12 pm

I know I like a song when I get a surge of adrenaline and/or emotion from it. A song has to affect me in a particular way in order for me to like it. I know its a winner when I start doing air drums or air guitar like an overenthusiastic twelve year old. Or singing/shouting along with it. Oh dear.

(Certain rubbish songs inspire entirely different types of emotion, such as homicidal mania. Anyway. Back to the point.)

Things in music that get me going (oooer)

1 Clever wordplay. (Rap, or just fitting the words where they shouldn't and getting away with it. Usually in conjunction with No.2.)
2 Power. (Guitars guitars guitars! Or occassionally someone panel beating.)
3 Harmony. (Believe it or not, you can have this in conjuction with No.2.)

4 Female vocalists. (Well sung, not screeching. I hate that. Also screeching male vocalists should be shot.)
5 Humour.
6 Meaningful lyrics. (I consider this to be seperate from No.1.)

Bands like:
Evanescance (sp)
Spineshank
Drowning pool (Old and new)
Disturbed
Mad Caddies (Ska/Metal/Punk/anything goes combo who are obscenely talented.)
Zebrahead
NIN
Martyr Diabolous Martyr (sp)
New Metallica Old Metallica

And so on...although in my rare quiet moments I have been known to listen to:
Faithless
Massive Attack
Vanessa Carlton

Waffling ends.

MooCow · Post by **MooCow** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 2:24 pm

The music that I like is a very electic collection. My cd case contains everything from Rammstein to Randy Travis. I find it all entertaining, it passes the time, it keeps me occupied while I drive. But the music that "gets to me"? That's almost exclusively Country.

There is something about the music in Country that, as Teja said, "Speaks to me, and for me". I'm primarily a vocals guy, but it must be noted that good vocals need to be supported by a voice capable of conveying the proper emotion and instrumentals that set the proper mood. As Deev said, it all comes together to create the right "atmosphere".

I've been thinking about this all night, and I can't think of any songs in Rock, Rap, Pop, Metal, etc that really speak to me. Country music on the other, is full of them. I don't just mean the songs you like, the ones that are fun, I'm talking about the ones that reach into your soul and play across the fiber of your being. Songs that make me cry, or make me want to stand up and say "Hell yeah!" There are songs in Country that will make me break down in tears, make me grin like an idiot, make me sigh wistfully, make me stand up and puff my chest out with pride, and make me want to go out and beat someone up. Anytime someone asks me how I feel about something, I can almost always turn to a Country song for the perfect words to express what I can't put into words myself.

Some really good examples of this are two songs written after 9/11/01 that really capture the conflicting emotions generated by that tragedy, Alan Jackson's Where were you when the world stoped turning and Toby Keith's The Angry American. Alan Jackson captured the shock, fear, pain, and sorrow of the tragedy. He helped put into words exactly what I was feeling. Toby Keith captured the anger that followed the initial shock, and every time I hear the song I want to stand up and shout "Damned Right! Don't mess with the US of A!"

Another thing that I see in Country Music that really gets me - Faith. It's not the evangelical faith you find in Contemporary Christian, which tends to be rather over the top. It's the simple, solid, everyday faith you can imagine the early pioneers carried with them. It's not over bearing, it's rarely the focus of the song, but it's there solid and steady. Even when the song /is/ evangelical, it's done in such a way that you can't help but smile at the thought (even if you don't feel it yourself). Some great examples of this are Sawyer Brown's 800 pound Jesus and T. Graham Brown's Wine into Water

Brown's Wine into Water makes me think of another thing that gets me about Country. The Singer Songwriters can tackle heavy subjects like Alcoholism, Adultery, Abuse, Suicide, etc without being preachy or sappy. Colin Raye's Little Rock is a fabulous example of that. "I haven't had a drink in 19 days; My eyes are clear and bright without that haze. I like the preacher from the Church of Christ; I'm sorry that I cried when I talked to you last night." With Colin's voice and the subtle instrumentation you can not only see, but feel this scene playing out in some hotel room somehwere.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are so many songs that make me wish I had a speedy little convertible, a powerful sound system, and a nice country road. Mountain Music and If You're Gonna Play in Texas by Alabama, as well as Blackhawk's Down in Flames and Lonestar's What about Now?, are excellent examples.

Like I said, I could go on and on. I could list song after song that gets my blood racing and my heart pounding, as well as the ones that make the tears flow despite my best efforts.

Yeah, I'm a redneck.

DV8 · Post by **DV8** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 2:39 pm

Is there anyone besides me who would sooner prefer music without vocals than with? I seem to be very alone here.

Kai · Post by **Kai** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 3:07 pm

Sometimes I do. Sometimes lyrics and vocals ruin an otherwise great song. But I'm a singer, and I naturally gravitate to people who can sing well, they fascinate me. I'll get jaded with what I have and go back to mods, instrumentals, but then I get hit with something like Hooverphonic and go 'wow, that's awesome' and go back to songs with vocals.

Hmm. I realized with more thought what really gets me about music, the ones that snag me and make me want them on repeat for hours is the stuff that blends styles, does something unexpected, or uses a minor key. My top three tracks at the moment? Three Days Grace's I Hate Everything About You, Tatsumaki's remix of Koda Kumi & BoA's Meaning of Peace, and Yuki Kajuira's string version of Obsession. My moods can shift from classical goodness, to high energy trance, but across the board its the stuff that makes you step back and go 'I didn't expect that' that I love.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 3:08 pm

DV8 wrote:Is there anyone besides me who would sooner prefer music without vocals than with? I seem to be very alone here.

You're not alone.

Instant Cash · Post by **Instant Cash** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 3:29 pm

DV8 wrote:Is there anyone besides me who would sooner prefer music without vocals than with? I seem to be very alone here.

I am fine with no lyrics.

Though as anyone cn attest, I do have a varied taste.

I am all for the music. A Vocalist just adds to the music, as long as everything jives in something pleasent to my ears, I could give a fuck what they are saying.

MissTeja · Post by **MissTeja** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 4:09 pm

Yeah, like I said, after a song with /good/ lyrics, I enjoy strings. So, my second choice preference is strings music, which almost always goes without vocals.

Ikarus7 · Post by **Ikarus7** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 4:45 pm

Is there anyone besides me who would sooner prefer music without vocals than with? I seem to be very alone here.

Like I said, lyric tend to ruin a song. I prefer music without them.

Nightsky · Post by **Nightsky** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 11:36 pm

The pace of the music has a lot to do with how I like it, but that's not the only thing.

For me to like a song I have to be able to link a story to it. Kind of like my own private music video that runs in my head when I play the song. It has gotten to where I can remember portions of my life or events by the songs I favored at the time.

For example my first years of College are marked by Eve6. Linkin Park was pretty much my theme for when I was 22 years old. Bad Religion is holding sway over me know with Epiphany and Voracious March of Godliness. The song "Rolling" takes me back to when I was working as a drug rep because that's always the song that I listened to when I headed home in the evenings.

MooCow · Post by **MooCow** » Sat May 01, 2004 9:14 pm

Is there anyone besides me who would sooner prefer music without vocals than with? I seem to be very alone here.

My initial reaction to this was no, because I rarely listen to music without lyrics. It's not that I don't like lyricless music, it's that I ussually listen to music as a diversion to what I'm currently doing (ussually driving). Lyricless music doesn't capture my attention well enough to distract me from driving, so I don't listen to it much.

However, there are some purely instumental songs I really like. House of Tom Bombadil by Nickel Creek, and Foggy Mountain Breakdown by Earl Scruggs, being two of them. Foggy Mountain Breakdown is neat because it brings together a whole bunch of famous banjo players, including Charlie Daniels and Steve Martin.

Here's a related question/argument: Can you consider music in a language you don't understand to be lyricless?

I would argue yes. Lyric implies words and the dictionary defines a word as A sound or a combination of sounds that symbolizes and communicates a meaning. Therefore, if the words have no meaning to me, they aren't really words in relation to me.

MissTeja · Post by **MissTeja** » Sat May 01, 2004 9:41 pm

MooCow wrote:Here's a related question/argument: Can you consider music in a language you don't understand to be lyricless?

That's an awesome question, Moo. Having lived in a country where, initially at least, I didn't speak a word of their language, I ran into this a lot. I think in that case, I see vocals as another instrument, more than I do in normal music. A melodic voice can add a lot to a song. A rapper can add a sort of "beat" that wasn't there before. As time went on, I memorized the words to a few of my favorite Japanese songs. At that point though, my singing along was much like if I were to hum a favorite English tune, because I didn't know what all of the words meant. As I learned more Japanese, I learned more meanings of lyrics though, and the vocals really transformed themselves into the traditional defintion of lyrics being a message, or story.

There's always that underlying knowledge that what they're saying means something, but without a translation or understanding of what their words mean, it really is unable to take on the message-like lyrical front it's meant to.

MooCow · Post by **MooCow** » Sat May 01, 2004 9:53 pm

I think in that case, I see vocals as another instrument, more than I do in normal music

Exactly what I was thinking. Your vocal cords make a sound, and this sound is altered/refined by your tongue, teeth, and lips. In language, we give those sounds meaning and use them to communicate. However, if you don't understand the language, how is the process of creating those sounds different from any other instrument?

Cash · Post by **Cash** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:02 pm

I'd have to say no, it's not lyricless. In my case, I've found that I can't concentrate with it as background music because I try to figure out what the heck they're singing. I thikn the differnce is because the sound ws made by a person vs an instrument.

I was wondering, while listening to some of my favorite songs, why they're my favorite songs. Then I wondered what other people thought about their favorite songs or music. Is it the music itself? A certain instrument in the music? The lyrics? What emotions drive you when you hear a new song that you really like?

I really don't know. For me it depends. Anything from a good guitar to a female vocalist added in to a rap/hip-hop group (a la Black Eyed Peas).

MooCow · Post by **MooCow** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:14 pm

In my case, I've found that I can't concentrate with it as background music because I try to figure out what the heck they're singing

How is that any different from listening to a full orchestra and trying to pull out the lead flute?

3278 · Post by **3278** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:31 pm

MooCow wrote:
In my case, I've found that I can't concentrate with it as background music because I try to figure out what the heck they're singing
How is that any different from listening to a full orchestra and trying to pull out the lead flute?

The human mind isn't specifically tuned to interpret the lead flute.

Cash · Post by **Cash** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:32 pm

When I'm listening to classical music (I write my reports to it...great background music), I'm not trying to pluck out the lead flute. It's easier for it to blend together.

Thorn · Post by **Thorn** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:38 pm

MooCow wrote:
In my case, I've found that I can't concentrate with it as background music because I try to figure out what the heck they're singing
How is that any different from listening to a full orchestra and trying to pull out the lead flute?

I think it's just a matter of habit. You don't spend every day listening to flute "voices". Most of us (Flame, of course, being an obvious exception) spend just about every day listening to human voices and trying to extract meaning from the sounds they make. For some of us, it's tougher to quell that impulse in order to just listen to vocals as "sound".

Cash · Post by **Cash** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:41 pm

Oooohhhhhhhh. *points to Thorn* What she said.

MooCow · Post by **MooCow** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:45 pm

So what about some music that has sounds that almost sound like speech? I've heard music where it sounds like there are lyrics, albeit lyrics in some foreign tongue, and I have to go verify that it's a purly instrumental piece.

Cash · Post by **Cash** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:47 pm

Got an example handy?

MooCow · Post by **MooCow** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:50 pm

I think it's just a matter of habit. You don't spend every day listening to flute "voices". Most of us (Flame, of course, being an obvious exception) spend just about every day listening to human voices and trying to extract meaning from the sounds they make. For some of us, it's tougher to quell that impulse in order to just listen to vocals as "sound".

I would argue that it's because you /know/ a song has lyrics. I suspect that if I put in a little effort, I could find songs that if you were unaware that there were lyrics you'd never know they were there. Specifically, in instances where the music and the speech are similar in flow.

Example: when you have slow flowing music and the lyrics are very slow and drawn out as well.

MooCow · Post by **MooCow** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:54 pm

Got an example handy?

No. I wish I did, but I'm not going invest the time neccesary to try and find the examples. I know they exist, but can't provide them, so I guess that means I lose. Ah well.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Sat May 01, 2004 10:54 pm

MooCow wrote:So what about some music that has sounds that almost sound like speech? I've heard music where it sounds like there are lyrics, albeit lyrics in some foreign tongue, and I have to go verify that it's a purly instrumental piece.

What about it? Anything wordlike, your brain will latch onto and try to make sense out of. That doesn't necessarily mean /voicelike;/ a lot of "open" vocals [pure vowel singing] doesn't make your vocal centers churn a bit. But yes, there are many cases in music, like Vai or Satriani using guitar "voice boxes," or other vox effects devices like vocoders or even speech through a digeridoo, that are distinctly speech-like, and which the brain tries to pick the meaning out of.

That doesn't necessarily mean it's distracting for everyone. Some people can filter those inputs very easily; others find the lyrics distracting, because their brains can't do both those things at once very well. I'm actually the other way around; if there's music playing, I can't understand vocals or speech, because my brain refuses to interpret the human voice if there's music to be heard. That's one reason I don't do bars.

Personally, I just don't like lyrics in my music because I'm not that interested in the sound of the human voice; I've heard that a lot. There are /definitely/ some songs with lyrics that I enjoy greatly for various and sundry reasons, but what I look for in music isn't that often found in the human voice. What do I look for in music? I can't explain it, but hopefully one of these days I'll be able to get more of my music online; a song is worth a thousand words.

laughing Monkey · Post by **laughing Monkey** » Sun May 02, 2004 12:08 am

I listen to an odd mix of music. It goes from chill, ambient, electronic, experimental, jazz, and just plain odd. Lyrics are no a biggie for me. I like it better when they use sound clips and build around it. Music for me just helps control my mood for the most part. Like when I am stressed I may listen to Banco De Gaia or Lemon Jelly or the soundtrack to Donnie Darko.