I have no musical talent (or really any musical sense at all), but this of course does not make me exempt from appreciating music. With the release of two new albums from favourite bands of mine and the amount I’ve been listening to to select dailies for #Rocktober, I felt that it’d be an appropriate time to put my thoughts about music down on paper. Or, ah, pixel paper.
Let’s start with genre. As far as I’m concerned, the stuff I listen to falls loosely under the genre “metal”. There are subgenres and people who say some stuff isn’t metal it’s rock and some stuff isn’t rock it’s metal and some stuff isn’t either it’s tingtangulatia or flobbercore or what have you. I don’t care, it sounds good. And I can never discern differences in genre. Apparently it’s to do with instruments used but honestly, it doesn’t even matter.
Next we’ll talk about stereotypes. People typically assume that if you listen to a particular kind of music, then you’re a particular kind of person. If you listen to dubstep you’re probably a chav, if you listen to rap you’re probably about to damage somebody’s property. In my case, I listen to bands like Five Finger Death Punch and Bullet For My Valentine, so I’m most definitely an edgy preteen. Fans within the genre might raise their eyebrows at that, but I’m fairly sure that that’s how we’re viewed by other people, guys.
The thing people fail to notice is the ability to recognise the shortcomings of the artists they listen to. I am fully aware that Five Finger Death Punch’s lyrics are cheesier than a wotsit bathed in squeezy cheese and wrapped in a processed slice. (Sorry, FFDP fans.) I bet that a lot of people see the utter bollocks that some rappers rap about (for instance, entire songs dedicated about how good their songs are), but they can still enjoy the music. But people get so passionate about this kind of thing, too. I’m sure that some people reading this blog post are already up in arms for insulting their heroes. It’s just music, mates.
I’ve also realised that I prefer not to know the true meaning behind songs. I enjoy painting a portrait of what the album is about in terms of reflecting the artist’s life. I felt cheated, for example, when I read some behind the scenes stuff for Bring Me The Horizon’s latest album, That’s the Spirit. I’d listened to the album a few times, and through half-heard lyrics and general tone I’d decided that the album was speaking a somewhat happier tone, especially in relation to its predecessors. Now that I know the story behind every song, I can make less out of it regarding my own personal thoughts. Still, it doesn’t lessen the awesomeness of the album, which I very much enjoy despite its departure from heavier roots.
Anyway, before I end this blog post I might as well list my favourite bands / artists for those interested. They are, in no particular order, Avenged Sevenfold, As I Lay Dying, Beartooth, Architects, Bring Me The Horzion, Bullet For My Valentine, Five Finger Death Punch, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and for miscellaneous genres, Pendulum, Chipzel, Eminem, Gorillaz, and The Killers. There are plenty of others, but those would be the main ones, I suppose.
Finally, if anyone’s reading this and thinking, “this guy doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about!” then I heartily invite you to re-read the opening sentence of this blog post.
Perpetually Perturbed 