[Music] The Grand Music Discussion Thread

[Clover]

I'm starting to think that listening to music on the internet is dangerous. I actually alienated myself from an old friend by listening to highly confrontational music while talking to him online, then I closed my accounts on hundreds of sites while listening to other types of music.
Anyone else feeling this?

[Merridian]

^what kind of music was so confrontational as to warrant alienation from an old friend?

I can't say I'm feeling this, and I listen to some pretty crazy stuff.

[oOoOoOo]

I suppose certain music can invoke certain moods, but those moods are probably already there to begin with.

[Sepulcural Voice]

Huh? I've never done that and I listen to some really aggressive, out there music. *shrugs*

Anyways, Sepultura's Morbid Visions is badly underrated. It's far better than it has any right to be - the production is nothing short of an atrocity, especially the guitar tone and that loud-ass hollow snare drum - and the songwriting is pretty simplistic and straightforward, but i'll be damned if I don't love the album anyway. There's a ton of great riffs, the band perform with a huge amount of energy and vigor (especially Igor Cavalera's drumming; sure it's VERY sloppy at best, but you could already tell that he was a rather proficient drummer already), and really it sounds like no other metal album since. It's hard not to say no to this clusterfuck of black/death/thrash metal.

And yes, it's better than Roots. But then again, I think Roots is one of the biggest pieces of shit i've heard, so eh.

[Joseph the PRPD]

Anyone else here ever listened to Prozzak?

[Thanatos]

........Damn that Number Girl kicked some serious ass. Guitar Wolf seems interesting, but like Oz said Hilariously noisy.

Reminds me of early Black Flag: "I'm not a machine" "I'M NOT A MACHINE!!!!" repeat x20

Nice ones Oz!

[ran1]

Number Girl- Awesome.

Guitar Wolf- They were actually on the Black Lagoon Season 2 soundtrack if I'm not mistaken. I just never got into them.

[Oz]

Guitar Wolf is something I listen to only once in a while to refresh my mind. I tried to "promote" Number Girl earlier in this thread, but no one responded to it back then even though I wrote a rather long post about it coupled with awesome links. Oh well, here's another try now that I have the attention.

My knowledge of NG's music is sadly limited because I haven't been able to buy their albums yet (would have to order directly from Japan), but I've been listening to their singles and live performances on YouTube for months (since last fall). It is one of the most influential Japanese alternative rock acts the members of which went on to create wonderful bands after the bass player decided to leave. They have often been compared to Pixies and it is easy to see why: it's not only the music, but the driving force behind the band, the frontman Mukai Shutoku is just about as crazy as Frank Black.

The song I gave a link to earlier, Toumei Shoujo, is probably the best example of their music: they rock really hard while still being rather melodic and "harmonic". Hisako's brilliant guitar skills are probably best present in this performance. Like the top-rated comment says: "Hottest guitar rape ever." The best part comes after 3:20. Inazawa's creative and inspiring drumming is so awesome that Mukai even wrote a song for him called Inazawa Chainsaw.

These two examples were more member-specific, but their "group efforts" are my absolute favorites. Along with Toumei Shoujo, there are masterpieces like Teppu Surudoku Natte (that bass is a real killer), Num-Ami-Dabutz (Mukai's gibberish vocals + great use of instruments all around = WIN), Zegen vs Undercover (skip the 25-second intro bit) and their most popular song (nearly something I would call their masterpiece), Omoide In My Head.

[AngelNo13Bardiel]

For me, lately, that'd be...

Anthrax - Among the Living
Big Black - Atomizer
Deftones - White Pony
Fear Factory - Demanufacture
Gang of Four - Entertainment!
Garbage - Garbage
Mission of Burma - Signals Calls and Marches and Vs.
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Rammstein - Herzeleid
The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Sonic Youth - Goo

[Sachi]

I just got back from the Iron Maiden and Dream Theater concert. It was amazing. Both of those bands are doing extremely well for themselves, and have never sounded better. Ever since Bruce Dickinson became a health nut his stage singing has been spectacular, and James Lebrie is doing great as well; he managed to hit those high notes from Images & Words that he wasn't able to do for years. Overall, just an amazing show and I'll have the full story posted onto my blog in the next few days.

EDIT: this was how close I was. :)

[ZapX]

Dream Theater always puts on awesome shows. I first saw them live in 2000 and they're awesome every time. That 2000 show along with Tool's Lateralus tour remain the best large venue shows I've ever seen.

[Eva Yojimbo]

It sucks that I'm not going to get to see Tool who'll be here two days from now. I just found out about the show yesterday and by now good ticket prices are sky high. Oh well, guess I should pay more attention next time. I didn't even know they were touring.

[simon]

and he was playing Stradivarius

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myq8upzJDJc&feature=player_embedded



Normally he's paid 1000$ for a minute of his performance.

[drinian]

Not to change the mood a bit... listened to some of Thomas Dolby's new songs, including the one with Mark Knopfler on guitar. Can't say I'd recommend this new album as an entrance into his work, but it's not bad.

[backseatjesus]

Never knew Jazzcore was a genre until I ran into Midori. Great stuff.

[Bomby von Bombsville]

It sucks that I'm not going to get to see Tool who'll be here two days from now. I just found out about the show yesterday and by now good ticket prices are sky high. Oh well, guess I should pay more attention next time. I didn't even know they were touring.

Gotta hate when that happens. God knows how many times I've missed opportunities to see The Roots play.

I've always found Tool to be a kind of interesting band, and I do still pull out some of their older stuff from time to time (though I know nothing of what they have put out after Lateralus). Their songs often seem like they were painstakingly plotted, but their usage of unconventional time signatures is kind of neat.

I've heard that Tool's live show is amazing, not only for their performance but for the visuals that come along with it. This doesn't surprise me, given how awesome their music videos usually are.

[AngelNo13Bardiel]

(though I know nothing of what they have put out after Lateralus).

10,000 Days is awesome. Not quite as much as Lateralus, but still very very good (my opinion, individual results may vary).

Their songs often seem like they were painstakingly plotted

That's what I like about them, like aging a fine wine.

Besides, Schism is one of those it's-way-too-fitting-for-EoE songs (no, really...go find the lyrics).

EDIT: Recently heard Scum by Napalm Death. Holy sh*t, the tempos...

[backseatjesus]

Tool has always been one of those bands that I will constantly end up listening to when I'm hammered. Drunken Tool singalongs are always fun.

[Bomby von Bombsville]

"Schism" was the song that turned me on to them in the first place. I also remember going through it with my bass teacher, learning to play all the different parts. Really, just a fun song to play on bass.

But yes, the lyrics are very, very fitting to Evangelion in general.

---------------------------

And now for something completely different, I'm just curious:

Does anyone here besides me listen to hip hop?

I wouldn't really expect it to be the most popular genre given this is a forum dedicated to an anime series, but I'd like to think that at least a few of you might enjoy the more cerebral and creative hip hop artists. There really is a lot of great hip hop out there, but unfortunately most of the stuff that hits the mainstream is insufferable dreck.

[Eva Yojimbo]

I've always found Tool to be a kind of interesting band, and I do still pull out some of their older stuff from time to time (though I know nothing of what they have put out after Lateralus). Their songs often seem like they were painstakingly plotted, but their usage of unconventional time signatures is kind of neat.

Tool are, for me, one of the best bands to listen to with headphones on a kickass audio system in a dark, contemplative mood. They're kinda like a darker version of Pink Floyd in the respect of the aural experience they offer. You mention their songs being painstakingly plotted (and they are) but they're albums are just as much, and I tend to feel that every album from Aenima onwards is more than the sum of its parts.

They're also my favorite band ever from a rhythmic standpoint. I've heard fewer bands that would be so completely lost and different without their distinct rhythm section. Danny Carey is a genius (as if it needs to be said) and my favorite drummer ever. While Justin Chanceller isn't as virtuosic, I think he clicks with Carey perfectly and, really, he as much responsible for their core sound. It's really their lyrics that allow Keenan and Jones to go off the wall creatively. Another area they remind me of Floyd in is their patience; their ability to really build up a song and execute these cathartic climaxes that feel like climaxes because they HAVE taken their time.

Also, as has been mentioned the only thing they've done after Lateralus is 10,000 Days, which has grown on me a lot ever since I first heard it (like all of their stuff). It's worth it just for Wings for Marie/10,000 Days which is one of the most moving, transcendent pieces of art/music of the 20th Century IMO. But I do think the album has an integral flaw in its running order; those ambient soundscapes (which act kinda like "pillow shots" in an Ozu film) that they'd used to perfection on Lateralus and Aenima are pushed towards the end, and there's too few early on, so it's really lacking in balance. I'll also say this; it is by far their most musically complex and accomplished. It's obvious how much they've grown as musicians.

I've heard that Tool's live show is amazing, not only for their performance but for the visuals that come along with it. This doesn't surprise me, given how awesome their music videos usually are.

Yeah, I've heard the same, which what makes me even sicker. As if the music gods had informed against me, today I went up to get a pizza and after finding out they'd given the pizza I ordered to someone else (WTF?) I went back to wait in my car and they were having a Tool marathon on the radio... the mocking bastards.

Does anyone here besides me listen to hip hop?

I've always said I liked the idea of hip hop more than the music. The idea of putting poetry to a beat and using improvisation with the focus on rhythm is extremely appealing to me, but the actual music part of it usually annoys me. I do like what I've heard from bands like The Roots and A Tribe Called Quest, though.