is it the lyrics? the music/beat? the way the singer/band looks? is it the video? is it the live performance? what the fuck is it that makes you say.."i like this shit right here."
Mostly the lyrics. Sometimes wish different singers for the song. Like today I heard "No Air" by Jordan Sparks and Chris Brown. So appropriate for how I'm feeling today. Although one can never go wrong with a Mariah song.
Definitely the beat... lyrics are secondary. Examples: edIT - Crunk De Gaulle (feat. TTC, Busdriver and D-Styles) - YouTube Rerezzed: Legacy - The Glitch Mob / Daft Punk Derezzed Remix Music Video - YouTube EDIT: I guess I do go for lyrics every once in a while... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv_yL4itgOo
I'm more about all the things related to composition (of the studio album). I also despise compression -- dynamic range ftw! I could dump some snob terms like tessitura but I'ma be nice and keep it simple
Yes! There's nothing worse than a watery song, or a song that has artifacts in the highs. FLAC please! :wink:
I've never analyzed why I like a song. I think songs that I instantly like bypass the thinking part of my brain, which is good.
For me, it's the music/melody/beat, then the singer's voice. Lyrics aren't that important, but a great lyric will make me love the song even more. I try not to be influenced by image/style/video (which is why I NEVER watch Idol, X Factor, Got Talent, etc) but nowadays, videoclip is normally my first exposure to artist/song. But I find that no matter how much I love the video, if I don't like the song, I don't like the song. Thirded! My CD collection takes up a hella lotta space but the sound quality is soooo much better than shitty MP3s! It's bad enough that iTunes has monopolized the music industry and is slowly killing off CD manufacturing/sales, but to replace it with sub-standard sound is saddening. Even the highest quality MP3 is far inferior to the FLAC (and WAV) file. P.S. - autotune stinks!
Various things. Can be the tune, beat, a catchy hook, unusual instrumentation or just the general vibe.
Like many, the beat draws me into a song. Also the power of the voice of the singer and the use of instruments. At moments the lyrics and their message do it for me. And also friends who recommand songs or share their passion for an artist in such a way that you start to think: 'damn, why haven't I listened to that artist before'. Always willing to listen to the artists that friends like, as long as I can keep my opinion about what I like or dislike. For me that is one of the best ways to discover new artists.
The composition definitely. I'm not a lyrics guy, and I'm firmly in the camp that hold that lyrics are not music. (They're supplementary to music, and the vocalist's vocalizations are musical, but the meaning of the words being said are not inherently musical.) Well-written, well-performed, well-put-together songs are what I like. I don't give a shit about an artist's look, I can't remember the last (non-Weird Al) music video I watched, and danceability can go to hell for all I care. (Perhaps my username (zeuhl being one of the odder, more obscure genres of rock) and avatar (Genesis-era Peter Gabriel) betrayed my musical preferences prior to this.:biggrin1
I love the way songs written in minor chords sound; instead of sad, I find them just very compelling to the ear. I also really like syncopated rhythms. Lyrics carry a whole different dimension to a song but are rarely the reason why a song endures in my mind. Zelda Fitzgerald once said that youth is when you believe in the promises of summer hotels and the lyrics of popular songs.
Extended, somewhat melancholy sounds. Violins, Cellos, non-english singers and the like tend to pull me into a song.
Gotta have a memorable hook. Someone singing with passion never hurt either-music evokes emotions in us and if the song can't stir something inside me, I won't give it a second listen. The music itself can't overcome an uninspired vocal.
Depends...sometimes it's the twangy guitar sound ...sometimes it's the fist in your chest tearing your heart out.. see if you can guess which this one is Soldier's Song Lucinda Williams - YouTube
