What music do you listen to?

[Grieve]

Because Vllad has piqued my interest...curious to see what type of music everyone listens to. What genres? Favorite artists/groups? I wonder if there a common theme amongst gamers...

[Slamz]

I doubt there's a common theme among gamers.

What I like in music is what I will call "layered complexity". Garage bands (1 lead guitar, 1 bass guitar, 1 drummer, maybe 1 other piece, probably another guitar) just doesn't do it for me.

So I like a lot of techno. Good techno, not the highly repetitive dance floor crap. (I call it "techno" because I'm from the 80s and 90s but it has a number of other labels depending on who you ask. Synthpop, EBM, electronica, etc.) Techno/synth music goes over well with me because the artist is free to create the music he wants with any number and type of instruments and the more you listen, the more there is to hear. Instead of 2-3 guitars there could be 15 different instruments used throughout the song, which I think keeps it mentally interesting.

I also like lyrical heavy songs. Big deduction for groups that have terrible vocals (Skinny Puppy) or utterly bland/meaningless lyrics (Collide) even if, musically, they're pretty good. There are some people I'll listen to just because the lyrics/vocals are good enough that I'll put up with the fact that the music is literally just 1 guy with a guitar. But on the other end of the spectrum, I can enjoy a good instrumental if it's interesting enough (Juno Reactor and basically all symphony music).


Ideally, I like to get everything in one group: good lyrics, good vocals, complex music. That's tough. Not sure I have an "ultimate favorite" that does it all for me.

Some groups of the past and present I have liked:

Front 242 - old school techno. Their early 90s stuff was good and edgy. They came back in the early 2000s with some "experimental" stuff that was utter shit. I mean they had a couple releases from 1993 that were pretty experimental, musically, but became favorites of mine. The stuff they released after that was just electronic spazzing with no musical value what-so-ever. Whoever told them it was worth releasing should be beaten.

VNV Nation - sort of a modern Front 242. Less experimental. Mediocre vocals, really, but the lyrics can be good and they tend to be musically interesting.

Zack Hemsey - probably the only rap artist I could ever like. He likes a really rich sound to his music. He also did this: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOJqicM6x84">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOJqicM6x84</a><!-- m -->



There are some particular instruments I'm a sucker for, too. I actually like bluegrass, particularly for the banjo. I also am a sucker for the ehru ("Chinese violin" -- basically every Asian movie ever has an ehru featured predominantly in the soundtrack). I have a deep loathing for the steel guitar, which is why I can't listen to basically any country music. County music minus the steel guitar is tolerable but I hate the sound of that instrument.

[Jakensama]

Anything except electronic music (which has very few redeeming factors, most of which became less redeeming after I quit using drugs) and Metal (which has absolutely 0 redeeming factors).

Actually I can appreciate some elctronic music, I just find it a bit repetitive to actually listen to.. I used to like DJ Shadow as background stoned pvp music in WoW just because it worked good as background noise... but Metal is just headache inducing.

I've found these two generes are pretty common with gamers.. I figure electronic because it makes good background noise and metal because both metal fans and gamers tend to fall into the oerweight and socially awkward catagories...

I've got about 30k mp3s but I am a packrat and haven't deleted anything since I started acquiring mp3s in the 90s. (which leads to interesting shit popping up, Chopin followed by Blind Willie McTell and then Tupac or something). I know Skaag used to find it strange what I would be blaring at times back when we were roomates...

These days when I load up my ipod its generally a mix of indie rock and texas/outlaw country (oh yeah, I forgot, Nashville country is another one of those genres with no redeeming qualityies).

[Grieve]

Jake, I have the same assumptions about gamers being predominantly into heavy metal/hard rock/electronica, so I was curious to see if it fits.

I'm an indie rock guy myself. Lots of obscure bands, but I also like plenty of the more well known ones (Interpol, Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, White Stripes, Decemberists, Editors, etc). Also still still listen to all my old British faves (The Smiths, Tindersticks, My Bloody Valentine, Portishead, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Pulp, Placebo, Belle and Sebastian, Radiohead), and I have a soft spot for old 60s stuff (Beatles, Dylan, Cohen, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, etc).

Not to forget Nirvana and The Sex Pistols from the other thread. And William Shatner, naturally.

[Vanraw]

I'm a classic rock guy, late 60s to early 80s. Or any thing that falls into that general sound since then.

[Jakensama]

. Also still still listen to all my old British faves (The Smiths,

I'm torn between acknowledging the influence of the Smiths in plenty of later music I like and the fact that Morrisey is perhaps the biggest douchebag in the field of entertainment, and this is a field that includes Bono so thats no small boast.

Although I respected Marr when he went over to Modest Mouse

[Grieve]

There is absolutely no doubt that Morrissey, master of all things maudlin and miserable, is a douchbag of epic proportions. But together with Johnny Marr he created some of the greatest albums ever made. I used to listen to The Queen is Dead constantly back in my student days.

My love of The Smiths diminished a bit when I married my first wife (yes, I'm on number 2 already), who was obsessed with Morrissey in a all-consuming and, frankly, terrifying way. Beyond obsessive stalker. She used to take vacations to LA and stay in a hotel near his house and just hang out outside his gate all day long. For weeks at a time. I'm pretty sure she went through his trash. I still expect to turn on the news one day and hear that a crazed female fan has murdered him...

[Fretty]

Let's start with some info on myself here. I'm 6'1 and weigh about 150lbs. I was born in 1981. Just an FYI.

Metal:
Black Sabbath
Metallica
In Flames
Fear Factory
All That Remains
Dio
and more...

Rock & Alternative:
Nirvana
Tom Petty
Pearl Jam
Smashing Pumpkins
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Billy Talent
Alice Cooper\
Neil Young
and more...

80's Hair Metal:
pretty much anything with big hair and high pitched screams (fun factor and entertainment value)

Ambient:
Eve soundtrack (seriously amazing for background music)


Of course there's a lot more bands/artists that I listen to, on top of other stand out songs, but I obviously can't list them all.

[Zouji]

I listen to everything other than christian rock/rap/other crap. Granted in my blues and jazz music there are some christian songs but I don't go out of my way to listen to them. I have a decent bit of movie soundtracks, game soundtracks, and all kinds of stuff. What I listen to if I am gaming or doing whatever else depends on what I am doing. If the game I am playing is an fps like game, then I won't have any music. I listen with my ears like a second pair of eyes.

Right now I'm going to play some Louis Armstrong old Jazz/big band music.

[Zirak]

I like a wide range of music but most of it is older stuff. I don't listen to any contemporary radio so I know absolutely nothing about any group that wasn't around at least 10 to 15 years ago. For the most part I can't stand rap and don't care for metal. I love classical music and 'classic' rock and am also a fan of blues. Probably my 3 favorite groups are Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Jethro Tull but my collection is very eclectic. When I have my music bot running in vent you can be treated to Metallica one minute and Enya the next.

[Ulfen]

Luciano Pavarotti

[Vanraw]

Luciano Pavarotti

Cool I'll tell your sister what you want for Xmas..... done.

[Zirak]

I like Pavarotti - excellent voice.