10-10-2011, 05:39 PM
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.
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.