Monday, March 24, 2008

The Sound of Music

NEM bought a lotta noise about which genre it belonged to, but my point is do we even care about the genre of a song??
Dont we listen to songs which belong to other genre's ??
I surely do, ''the only thing which attracts me to a song is how it sounds'' LoLzz

Different bands are classified as Metal,Pop,Rock,Heavy-Metal,Hip-hop etc, according to what kinda music they make at the starting of their careers and that tag remains with them from there on. Even if they try to do something different that tag still remains with them and this adds to the confusion of this so called genre debate of music.

So can you make out the difference between Rock and Metal, for me Rock is what Greenday makes and Metal is what Metallica makes. But again you cant't call NEM a metal-metal song but on the other hand One is all out metal.
Greenday is classified as Rock but their songs have a tinge of the Pop in them.
Talking of Pop music, BSB , Westlife and Blue have shades of hip-hop, classic,country feels to them.

So all this leaves us to one thing i.e music is intertwined be it whatever genre, music has always given us the much needed jolt and courage or whatever is does for you to make you alive again.

Music rocks :)
So lets make Peace not War on music.

One more thought ill have to add to this post, Iv seen people all around abusing pop music 'I agree the Pop culture has its moles' but I am sure at some point of time you all must have enjoyed the songs of Abba ,BoneyM, Venga boys, Celion Dion,Britney Spears,Blue,BSB..........too long a list.
I have grown up listening to them and I can proudly say 'I love Pop music' though I listen to alota metal and Rock but my first love will always remain pop which includes Indi-pop 'but I prefer the classic pop more :)'
All i'd like to say is just dont go on abusing pop-music in order to make a mark or look cool cuaz I am sure you cant dance on metal.
LoLzz

Next time you abuse Pop, you gota face me :):)

28 comments:

PJ said...

hey...i still dont understand these genres.....they all seem the same to me....and i really dont understand how to distinguish...i just listen to a song if i like it...

Anonymous said...

Waooow... This post is really what i feel . Its not uncommon to hear people abuse pop for no reason at all... everybody has thier own choice .. and every song to has its own time in place... take children of bodom.. I like the song everytime I die...but i cant hear the other songs of the band... at the same time m a die hard maiden fan...but still sum of their songs sound shitty to me... I dnt listen to much bubblegum pop ..but yeah i still enjoy istening to backstreet boys songs sumtimes...

Even avril's new song "girlfriend" sounds more pop than rock to me...

So if the artists them selves are ready to break the genres, why are u conforming urslef to one genre... u dnt knw what ur missing... and well stay a purist if u want to....but then dnt go on abusing other styles as u go...

nice post jiggy...
cheerz

Anonymous said...

lolz n yeah i even listen to alizee regularly... she sings europop... and in french ..i cant even understand a word of it.. but still i listen... i like it thats why... thts the reason i listen...not cause listening to french songs makes me look cool or sumthing.. a t the same time


rammstien..the band that does not play..but burns... as they saw has been a long favorite .... they sing in german.. i admit that now i have read translations of thier songs.. but nver knew what they meant in the first place when i listened to them still i like them n love em very much...

the only thing which attracts me to a song is who it sounds

jiggy puts it perfectly .....

skeptic saint said...

hey jiggs,

yeah i think whatever you have said abt music and genre is quite right... enjoy the music, forget the rest...

and oh, i have grown up on a heavy dose of pop too...bt yr post somehow reminded me of a spoof video. will post it in my blog...its damn funny...look out for it...

AG said...

heyaa

@ pj
yup same here i listen to the songs i like, genre in smthin i dont even consider :)

@samby
yaah thats one point i forgot to add abt some shitty song of ur favorite band do exist,so we sd look ard n explore more music that just being stuck to one genre or one particular band.
and yes i knwo why u listen to alizee lolzz
:)

@ skeptic saint
lookin forward to the video :)

cheers

Express said...

Jiggs
Its not like people talk shit about pop coz they wanna show off or nething. Its like, when people gradually progress from listening to rock from pop and then to metal, the linking for pop declines. Well, I like pop. Like you said, have grown up listening to westlife and BSB, some of their songs are my all-time favorites. show me the meaning? swear it again? I want it that way?

Well, back to the importance of genres. Understanding music becomes easy via genres. But then there are new types of music erupting now and then, it has led to confusion. But I personally feel that genres help in systematic classification of types of music. They are necessary, but not confining ur musical preferences to just one genre or band. But then I hate people who talk about genres of music they don't have any idea about.

We can never tag anything as good or bad or right or wrong with respect to music. Its personal interest, rather passion. The discussion is endless. No-one likes other to contradict with them.

Yes, enjoy the music, whichever type it is. But when you wanna talk about it, just be sure of the facts you are putting up. [outta personal controversial episodes more than anything.] I am not saying I don't agree with the post, its in just the right spirit. I just had my say. Many might not agree, music is such a debatable topic.....

P.S. NEM is metal! :-P

Express said...

BTW, I lissen to like every genre! [barring hip-hop and rap].
From Hindustani classical to indi-pop, to classic rock, alternative rock to 100 types of rock to rabindra sangeet to bangla rock to sufi to pop to several genres of metal.......

and trust me, does give a high...

yea baby,
Music rocks!
Cheers!

AG said...

heyaa

@ express
I can see the love for music flowing from ur comment.
but i wanted to point out towards the ppl who proclaim to be so called metal-heads n dont even know abt the music which they make.
some ppl keep abusing pop w/o even knwoin wt pop is all abt.
i agree pop has its moles lots of them but y treat the pop genre with disrespect due to a few artists .
cuaz it flushes out al the sweat soem of the others have done .
boney m, abba are pop great bands who have made awsm music but i agree the current pop culture does suck .
well all il say is enjoy music cz its meant to be enjoyed wh even gerne it may be:)

cheers

Express said...

true, true, very true.

Basic point both of us are makin is the same,
When you talk about music, know what you are talking rather than defending your preferences blindly.

:-)

Cheers 2 you too!

AG said...

@ express

heheheh
yup:)

cheers again

Alisha said...

exactly my sentiments fundo!lol..pop aint bad!no kind of music is bad..u got to respect whatever each person likes...i have an exception though...i got no good things to say bout ppl who listen to himesh-the singer/rockstar of india...i agree he's good as a music composer(not for me...but in general)...but the oooooooooo fans definitely don't get a thumbs up frm me...everyone else...respect...lolol

i for one cant complain abt pop even though m a die hard floyd fan....my callertunes a pop track!lolol

AG said...

heya

@alisha aka miss boxer lolzz
yaah agree with u on himesh bt hedoes produce sm good soundin songs but the effect of those songs r quite short lived.he gets kinda repetitive n after sm time his songs make me irritated n he sd not try actin any more cz he suxxx he really does lolzz

yaah i guess u know wt wt i am talkin abt after bein such a big metallica fan:)

cheers

crasiezt said...

Yupp a lot of people abuse pop...I have no qualms in accepting that I still like pop, though rock and hip hop have become faves:-)
I mean come on, look at Michael Jackson...I recently came to know that he won 8 Grammys in one night! And what did he sing? POP!!!
Hahaha for this line "...for me Rock is what Greenday makes and Metal is what Metallica makes."
Real neat post!

AG said...

heya
@ crasiezt
yup he did he won 8 Grammies in one night, he's a gr8 musician on eof my favorite barring the things abt his personal life.
i follow eminem a bit n few more but not a fan of hip-hop but love the beats of it :)
as for rock , it rocks n rules

cheers

Unknown said...

Okay, so this post invited this, but I stopped myself, because I know this will be too long, hardly anyone would bother reading it.
But after reading comments and seeing the Grammys mentioned, I have to do this.

Music. There is an endless list of factors that are considered while judging a piece of music. Many objective, many subjective. I'll write down here some objective ones:

1) The Composition: The scale, the modes, the arpeggios, the harmonies, the layers, the chord progressions, the dynamics. All these matter.

2) The Emotionality/"Flow": The idea, the feeling that a musical piece represents. The thing that makes the listener feel, the journey of emotions. The power the music holds on the brain. The peaks, the stops, the mellow sections.

3) The Rhythm: In fact, I'd like to mention, many genre specifications are based only on the percussive patterns (called time signatures). It is rhythm that makes you wanna dance, to headbang, to tap your foot along.

4) The Sound: This is one of the most important factors. Even if a song is a good composition, if it doesn't sound good, it appears worthless. And this is the factor that divides personal choices among people, I have found. People just hate genres because of how the genre sounds. Among this list is Indian Classical music, Jazz(not the pop jazz thing, the be-bop and later varieties), and yes, Metal.

5) Lyrics: Though they are another art form attached to music, a lot of time lyrics help define the musical piece. Their themes also have importance in personal choice. For example, I hate bollywood music because (this is not the only reason) 90% songs sing about chaand, taare, love, ladka, ladki, zindagi, hawaein....

6) The Situation: Okay, this is a bit obscure, but many people say that their choice of music "depends on the mood", and it is true. You like some piece of music because it fits in your situation. This is somewhat intertwined with emotionality.

7) Catchiness: Though this point officially belongs to the composition and rhythm aspects, I mention it separately because it matters a lot. When a riff or a lick or short structure (like triads) sticks in your head, it is due to the catchiness of the tune.

Unknown said...

Next, I come to subjective reasons. Again this is not exhaustive:

1) Current: Many people like music because it's something contemporary, something they can relate to during discussions with friends. Something that is popular, in fashion. Some band that everyone else likes.

2) Restrictions: Many people haven't been exposed to a lot of music forms. All they've been listening to since ages is pop or bollywood, and they hate anything new that comes up.

3) Groupism: there are cultures associated with musical forms, and many people just like some music (and hate other forms) because they think that they belong to that culture, or that the culture is "cool".

4) Media: People are forced to listen to certain pieces repeatedly (only to publicise it) and the next thing you know, you start liking it because it has stuck to your head.

5) The Music Video: Well, objectively speaking, this is another art form associated with music. And that is not necessarily subjective. What's subjective is the fact that some songs become popular only because there's a "sexy" heroine with suggestive clothing, moves etc. Similarly for hunky males being shown(read Enrique Iglesias). I guess MTV is to be blamed for this. People now like a song because it has a good video.

Unknown said...

Now, coming to the main issue:

Yes, Pop has a lot of good sounding songs, pop has good rhythmic structure. But pop lacks compositional skills (speaking in general, this isn't always the case). Pop lacks lyrical dexterity. Pop lacks experimentation. Pop has a lot of Catchiness. Pop derives a lot from other genres, it has nothing of its own. Pop has rhythm, but again, only those that are natural, nothing new.

Pop depends on subjectivity a lot, hence it's called "pop", short for popular. People listen to Paris Hilton because she's a sexy millionaire who's wasted. Pop needs videos to thrive, pop needs gossip, pop needs media.

So I guess, I have done justice to myself now. This is why I hate pop. Not the music, but what it represents. Why do Britney Spears and shit (sorry, but this is true) like her win grammies whereas Classical Indian Musicians lay waste here?

Why does Michael Jackson win awards when extremely talented, meaningful acts like Dream Theater and Opeth lay in the underground?

These are the reasons why I curse pop. It is not baseless. It has more to do with what needs to be appreciated and what not.

Having said that, as you've said, Some people just curse pop because they think that it is cool. They will curse people like James Blunt just because they produce pop music, without listening to it. I guess they aren't very different from the first variety.

All these people don't understand the real nature of music.

Unknown said...

Okay, that was long. But guess what, I enjoyed it!
That's how much I love music. How much I care for it. I don't care if anyone reads it or not, I wrote it for myself and no one else.

AG said...

@ alok
ill be posting soon, with a few more details of pop music.

cheers

metal-militant said...

Classification of music is not to deter people from it,its necessary.Just like classification of animals into reptiles,mammals,amphibians,molluscs etc is.You won't say that a crocodile is the same as a leopard just because both kill to eat.Similarly,you can't say that Dimmu Borgir sounds the same as Dream Theater just because the 2 of them have distortion in their music.

Most people find varied genres in rock and metal very stupid because they all sound the same to them.But thats just a result of how they've been unable to move beyond the distortion and the harsh vocals(only in some cases).Once they do,they realise all the factors Alok has talked about are pretty different in different bands.Infact,even bands within a sub-genre sound different(e.g:power metal:Sonata Arctica,Hammerfall,Kamelot,Iced Earth,Helloween,Firewind ALL sound different from each other).

Hence,to make it a more systematic situation,classification is NECESSARY.

metal-militant said...

Oh yea,and its not 'The One',its 'One'

Unknown said...

Ishaan,

"even bands within a sub-genre sound different"

That's what I was talking about when I mentioned the fuss in the last post. Also, there is another problem I have with genre specifications: they tend to restrain the band. Look at Metallica. They produced Black Album and were heavily criticised, just for what? changing their style of music. Though they did sell out (I believe they did looking at Load, Reload and St Anger), there might be bands that might want to explore territories that could hold treasure, but the public won't let them do it. I believe Iron Maiden does face this problem.

This is a trend I've observed since the NWOBHM movement. It's irritating. Thank goodness there are bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Opeth, Dream Theatre.... who have never shied from exploration. Look what each of them did, gave the world new kinds of music, new sounds.

And though I've restricted my talk to Metal here, I'd like to Mention Charlie Parker (who "invented" Be-Bop and revolutionised Jazz as an erudite musical form). He was heavily criticised for "destroying" jazz.

Unknown said...

P.S. I agree with you on the classification part. It is true. But sometimes, genre becomes much more than classification.

Plus, not every song fits into one specific genre. That is the case with Nothing Else Matters.

metal-militant said...

Yea well,the thing is,the band members themselves hardly give a shit as to which genre they are classified under,as long as its generally metal or rock or jazz or whatever.But then there ARE bands that want to just play to be part of THAT genre.Look at what became of Slayer.

On the other hand,there HAVE been bands that have continuously explored other genres and TOTALLY changed themselves,hence,being labelled as sellouts.E.g:Nocturnal Rites went from death metal to POWER,Dimmu Borgir focussed more on the symphony than the brutality,Amorphis turned folk/progressive from melodeath.Now,we can say all this because its the LISTENERS who want to classify.Its part of hman nature.To create order out of chaos.

The only thing a band should do is not let the classification get to them,just keep making the music they want.But classification cannot be done away with.

Also,I really hate the 'brutal' and 'technical' tags given to some bands.I hate it even more when technique becomes the criterion for forming a band.

Gunjan Aylawadi said...

lol...i like dat atleast sme1z defending pop!ill support u if sme1 creates trouble around here :P

AG said...

@ alok , metal-militant

I dont like to take the genre debate any further.

@metal-militant
thanks for pointing that out ill make the change

@gunj
yup i need support :)

cheers

sim1vaz said...

Hear Hear!!! Totally agree with u... I love all kinds of music.... no boundaries! Music is a universal language and the diff. generes r really too much!! I mean y the heck wud i want to know if a song is acid rock or punk rock or wizard rock??? Music is just music.... Cheers aditi.. keep writing... U r my role model.

AG said...

heyaa

@microwavable cat
yup
music is music
role model
i hope i live up to it :):)
thnaks ton
thAT made my day :):):)

cheers