So here's my big problem with my current music situation: I would really, really like to branch out into stuff that's outside of my usual pop/rock paradigm.
Thing is, while I find that I really like the rock attitude, I can't fucking abide the music. Oh, maybe a band will put out one or two songs I really like--and those are usually overplayed until I have to turn the damn radio off altogether--and I frequently find myself reading song lyrics I think are really provocative and interesting. But I really can't do much emo, or hard rock, or metal, or punk, or anything that sounds like the artist was so exhausted after writing amazing lyrics that all they were able to bring themselves to do was get wasted and get some trained monkeys to do a few chords on an expensive electric guitar (this, I understand, is relative; said guitarists still know more about their instruments than I would, and I respect that--I just don't happen to like the sounds they manage to produce). Grunge and 90s rock in small doses is okay--I've got some Nirvana, Garbage, and Offspring, and those are pretty good--but get much heavier, or much weirder (and I know that "weird" is relative, too), than that, and you lose me.
Example: When I was coming home for Thanksgiving Break a few weeks ago, I was radio-surfing, and I came to this one rock station that I hadn't heard before. It was right before commercial break, and they said when they came back, they were going to play Godsmack and Alice in Chains. And I thought, okay, well, I wouldn't usually listen to that, so I'll hang around and see if I surprise myself. So they came back, played "Running Blind," and I really liked it. Then they played Alice in Chains.
I made it about halfway through the song before I had to change the station.
So I got home, went to Amazon, started listening to some Godsmack samples, and realized that I'd probably heard the one song they put out I was ever going to like. I tried some more AiC, I tried Soundgarden; I tried a lot of other shit I don't remember. I tried the mellower end of the spectrum with Portishead, and I think a few other groups I followed from there. Nothing. Couldn't get on board.
This would, I'm sure, put me out of favor with a lot of people on the site. Whatever; "fuck you" takes a lot of forms, and anyone who thinks that musical taste determines the quality of one's character or awesomeness needs to pull their heads out of their asses. I think that anyone who can appreciate this site for what it is is entitled to be here, and can still benefit from the wealth of culture available. But at the same time, SG's really piqued my interest in the rock genre, and it's frustrating as hell that I would LIKE to see what the big deal is and just can't quite get there. I accept that I like what I like, and that's fine. But I still realize that what I like is pretty fucking limited.
So if anyone could recommend anything to me along more Linkin Park/Puddle of Mudd lines--intense, loud, and driving without losing the semblance of a melody--or anything interesting or dynamic or experimental that I probably wouldn't find on my own, I'd very much appreciate it.
Thing is, while I find that I really like the rock attitude, I can't fucking abide the music. Oh, maybe a band will put out one or two songs I really like--and those are usually overplayed until I have to turn the damn radio off altogether--and I frequently find myself reading song lyrics I think are really provocative and interesting. But I really can't do much emo, or hard rock, or metal, or punk, or anything that sounds like the artist was so exhausted after writing amazing lyrics that all they were able to bring themselves to do was get wasted and get some trained monkeys to do a few chords on an expensive electric guitar (this, I understand, is relative; said guitarists still know more about their instruments than I would, and I respect that--I just don't happen to like the sounds they manage to produce). Grunge and 90s rock in small doses is okay--I've got some Nirvana, Garbage, and Offspring, and those are pretty good--but get much heavier, or much weirder (and I know that "weird" is relative, too), than that, and you lose me.
Example: When I was coming home for Thanksgiving Break a few weeks ago, I was radio-surfing, and I came to this one rock station that I hadn't heard before. It was right before commercial break, and they said when they came back, they were going to play Godsmack and Alice in Chains. And I thought, okay, well, I wouldn't usually listen to that, so I'll hang around and see if I surprise myself. So they came back, played "Running Blind," and I really liked it. Then they played Alice in Chains.
I made it about halfway through the song before I had to change the station.
So I got home, went to Amazon, started listening to some Godsmack samples, and realized that I'd probably heard the one song they put out I was ever going to like. I tried some more AiC, I tried Soundgarden; I tried a lot of other shit I don't remember. I tried the mellower end of the spectrum with Portishead, and I think a few other groups I followed from there. Nothing. Couldn't get on board.
This would, I'm sure, put me out of favor with a lot of people on the site. Whatever; "fuck you" takes a lot of forms, and anyone who thinks that musical taste determines the quality of one's character or awesomeness needs to pull their heads out of their asses. I think that anyone who can appreciate this site for what it is is entitled to be here, and can still benefit from the wealth of culture available. But at the same time, SG's really piqued my interest in the rock genre, and it's frustrating as hell that I would LIKE to see what the big deal is and just can't quite get there. I accept that I like what I like, and that's fine. But I still realize that what I like is pretty fucking limited.
So if anyone could recommend anything to me along more Linkin Park/Puddle of Mudd lines--intense, loud, and driving without losing the semblance of a melody--or anything interesting or dynamic or experimental that I probably wouldn't find on my own, I'd very much appreciate it.