Music genres you don't 'get'

[Count Zero]

And...wow, lennier, that's a harsh assessment of German music. I was actually about to chew you out for being mean to Germans until I noticed where you were from. (But I still would say that there is no need to be so down on yourself. )

Nah, he's absolutely right about that. The genre is called "Volksmusik" which, I suppose, does translate to folk music in English but it has nothing to do with actual folk music.
Basically, it's very kitschy, cheaply made music with often mind-numbingly stupid lyrics made for old people who somehow seem to enjoy it. It's huge business. And it gets way too much screen time on TV still, though it's not half as bad as it used to be in the 90s.
I've sat through numerous of these shows and it felt like one of the worst punishments ever. After three hours I felt as if I had gone insane.
There's a fringe of the genre where it overlaps with Schlager. That's still pretty bad but there's occasionally a good song among it and it's ok if you're drunk.

However, I do get the genre, I just find it horrible and wish it didn't exist.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

The Volksmusik reminds me of another genre I can't really get: Polka.

 

[lurok]

And it gets way too much screen time on TV still, though it's not half as bad as it used to be in the 90s. I've sat through numerous of these shows and it felt like one of the worst punishments ever. After three hours I felt as if I had gone insane. There's a fringe of the genre where it overlaps with Schlager. That's still pretty bad but there's occasionally a good song among it and it's ok if you're drunk.

However, I do get the genre, I just find it horrible and wish it didn't exist.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who's suffered Booze (beer and/or schnapps) definitely adds to appeal/dulls the pain and strangely found myself enjoying after a while. As for crime against German music, Wagner goes a long way to making up for it.

I have observed that some people who take their music
(very?) seriously have a problem with kitsch...

 

[Amaris]

I enjoy various selections from all genres, and I "get" why people like each one.

 

[lennier1]

The Volksmusik reminds me of another genre I can't really get: Polka.

Two kinds of audiovisual torture which are kinda related.

 

[Count Zero]

Glad to see I'm not the only one's who suffered

I assure you you're not the only one by far. If you stay in Germany long enough you'll 'experience' it sooner or later. In the 90s it was basically inescapable on TV.
Even these days, each year on New Year's Eve public television shows the fucking Silvesterstadl (a Volksmusik show which goes on for 4 hours).
(It's probably the last evidence anyone needed that we, as a nation, are insane.

As for crime against German music, Wagner goes a long way to making up for it.

There's a ton of good music from Germany (or made by Germans). If you go further back, there's Bach and Händel, who composed some of the greatest music ever (in my opinion at least). And there's also great modern music today. I wish those bands would get showcased more on tv instead of the creatively bankrupt genre of Volksmusik.

 

[Trekker4747]

I can get most music these days, even flash-in-the-pan nonsense pop that'll only be remembered for six months. Hell, I can even "get" rap and even gansta' rap.

But I do not get Heavy Death Metal which, to me, just sound like the noise a garbage compacter would make if someone jammed Optimus Prime in there while a bunch of people with laryngitis try to cough up a tonsilith.

 

[Jetfire]

I just have to laugh when people say they don't get death metal.

It is one of my favorite genres of music.

The only thing I don't get is some electronic music...usually the stuff that sounds like a dial tone with a dance beat.

 

[Trekker4747]

I just have to laugh when people say they don't get death metal.

It is one of my favorite genres of music.

I'd like to ask why. What's the appeal? I mean where's the music? The beat, the lyrical flow? I know it's cliché to say this but isn't it just noise? Most of the stuff I've ever heard of this genre just sounds like screaming and bunch of just, well, noise made with instruments . I can't imagine there being any notes, music, or pattern they're following. They're just kids plopped down in front of a drum or a guitar and allowed to go wild.

 

[Pingfah]

^OK you try it then. Grab a guitar, lets hear it.

Those bands like Cannibal Corpse which are literally nothing but the singer yowling incoherently.

Literally?

 

[Jetfire]

I just have to laugh when people say they don't get death metal.

It is one of my favorite genres of music.

I'd like to ask why. What's the appeal? I mean where's the music? The beat, the lyrical flow? I know it's cliché to say this but isn't it just noise? Most of the stuff I've ever heard of this genre just sounds like screaming and bunch of just, well, noise made with instruments . I can't imagine there being any notes, music, or pattern they're following. They're just kids plopped down in front of a drum or a guitar and allowed to go wild.

It isn't just noise if you actually bothered listening to more bands...and not knowing what you have listened to I can't really comment...your statement is just generic. IMO. And death metal is pretty sophisticated if you actually bothered to learn more about it. I was in a death metal band...more like nu-metal to be honest it it is a freaking rush...I sang/screamed/growled. The appeal to me isn't going to satisfy you...I enjoy the energy of the music. I like alot of different artists & bands from various genres...so I am not solely a metal fan.

If you don't like it that is fine...but you don't seem to know much about what you are bashing.

[edit] This may not help; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Rv4pL0I8o&feature=related listen. or this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecA2X2yuvjc or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEQjjpA-1kA&feature=related

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Count Zero--As far as modern German music, you guys brought the world Blind Guardian. That's something to be proud of.

I mean, do I even have to explain why this is awesome?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrEm8jMC5Q8

I don't like a lot of live performances, but BG brings a LOT of energy to theirs. Hansi is like a modern version of a medieval bard. Just watch him as he sings!

 

[Count Zero]

I don't really like metal.

 

[Eyes]

Heavy metal. It just sounds like noise to me. Any other genre or mashup of genres, but just that or any other derivative like death metal, I can't see the appeal.

Now, I'm curious...would you consider this metal, or something else? I'm just curious what part you object to. Both of these bands are classified as metal, but I suspect you might have a different opinion of them, as I think there's a lot more going on than just noise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unjqBkdmdag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X8qM7KwqeQ
(Some of the vocals are a bit growly in parts of this one, but they're in character--the song is about the movie Planet of the Apes.)

Listening to that, it isn't something I'd normally listen to, but it was listenable.

Based on A Scale of Rock Hardness (warning: link to TVTropes), those are about a 7 or 8. Anything above a 9, I normally can't listen to. I just can't see the appeal.

I respect their voices (seriously, it must kill your vocal chords to sing like that), but I don't like it. The growling is so harsh, I can't make out the lyrics, and I'm not sure I'd want to.

Those two you posted, on the lighter side of heavy metal. Alright to listen to, without tearing your ears out.

Sorry, Jetfire and any other fans of death, but I've tried listening to whatever death metal you guys throw at me, and while occasionally, like in the case of Scar Symmetry (the third one that EnterpriseF posted), it can be OK, mostly it's far too dark, too uncomfortable to listen to, and too much of a pain on the ears.

As a rule, when even the band name and their song names start to look creepy, I tend to back away.

 

[Goliath]

I'd like to ask why. What's the appeal? I mean where's the music? The beat, the lyrical flow? I know it's cliché to say this but isn't it just noise?

I think the easiest way to answer this question is to consider an actual death-metal song. Here are the first two minutes of "Hammer Smashed Face" by Cannibal Corpse.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTpQOZcNASw[/yt]

If you listen closely to that clip, you'll discover there are actually five (or maybe six) short phrases or "riffs" being played.

The song starts with the band playing one riff four times in succession (AAAA). Then it introduces a new riff on the bass (B). Then the whole band joins in, playing the second riff three times, with a variation in the middle (BbB). Then there's a third very short riff, repeated eight times (CCCCCCCC), Then they start playing a fourth riff, which is slower and more distinctive, and serves the purpose of a chorus.

What's more, the first four phrases (AAAA) are each arranged slightly differently, so that they build to a climax, before the bass break. (I don't know enough about guitar-playing to tell you exactly what they're doing differently, but the differences are clearly audible) The bass break itself is designed to give the listener a momentary rest, and to build tension, before releasing it with the next barrage of riffs.

Again, if you listen closely, you can also hear the drummer utilizing a similar variety of beats: the opening 1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2-3, then a blast beat, then a slower beat combined with double kicking on the bass drums, then back to the 1-2-3.

A lot of death metal follows this musical collage approach. It seems like there's no melody, because the band is switching rapidly from one melody to another.

Song structure is more important than any particular melody. Any good song is like a good story: it has an initial incident, rising action, a climax, and a brief denouement. And a good death metal song (and I think "Hammer Smashed Face" is pretty good) follows this pattern as well.

Now, you may not like that sort of thing. But I think it's clear that it's not just noise. They've clearly put a lot of thought into what they're doing.

 

[Count Zero]

I'm ok with the instrumental work, but the 'singing' just kills me. It makes my throat feel sore from just listening. And I really don't get the appeal of this singing style. I sort of get it but I can't appreciate it.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Listening to that, it isn't something I'd normally listen to, but it was listenable.

I actually never minded "Faith of the Heart" like so many people--but I've always wished since I heard "Frontiers" that it could've been the ENT theme song.

I respect their voices (seriously, it must kill your vocal chords to sing like that), but I don't like it. The growling is so harsh, I can't make out the lyrics, and I'm not sure I'd want to.

There are exceptions to every rule. Killswitch Engage and Thrice, once you pay attention, tend to have surprisingly positive lyrics sometimes. Even when they're in darker modes, they don't curse or use graphic images to shock people. Now, neither of them will say they're a Christian band, but the influence is definitely there.

Sorry, Jetfire and any other fans of death, but I've tried listening to whatever death metal you guys throw at me, and while occasionally, like in the case of Scar Symmetry (the third one that EnterpriseF posted), it can be OK, mostly it's far too dark, too uncomfortable to listen to, and too much of a pain on the ears.

As a rule, when even the band name and their song names start to look creepy, I tend to back away.

Opeth is as far as I go...I like for there to be some melodic elements.

That said, the most extreme thing I own are a couple of Meshuggah albums.

 

[Goliath]

I'm ok with the instrumental work, but the 'singing' just kills me. It makes my throat feel sore from just listening. And I really don't get the appeal of this singing style. I sort of get it but I can't appreciate it.

Neither do I, actually. The whole "death grunt" thing doesn't do much for me.

I don't mind it as much as some people--but then, I grew up listening to hardcore punk (which really was just shouting and screaming), and then industrial music (which features electronically-distorted, metallic-sounding shouting and screaming). But it's not my favourite.

Among other things, I can't get past its associations with Sesame Street.

"Hammer....smashed...coookkieee!"

 

[Jetfire]

I really like the cookie monster vocals of a lot of bands...but I do like a mix of singing, screaming and the cookie monster vocals.

 

[Goliath]

It's good to have variety.

Napalm Death does that. They're one of my favourite bands.