A quest to find out what music I really enjoy

[kd24]

I love music. I can listen to almost anything and it's a great way to relieve stress, kill time, and just relax. But the thing is, I know nothing about music. I know a few artists here and there that some people won't but I really don't know how to "find" good music. A lot of my favorite stuff is stuff I see posted here. So I've come up with a new system - I'm going to be touring Youtube based on songs I already like and then continue my search. From artists I find, I'll explore them more and more. With each song, I'll be giving my own personal rating. Feel free to hate me for it :D

This thread is going to start out very slow I think. The music I listen to at first will probably offend most of you, because I'm going with stuff that has a lot of listeners. I'll be rating every song I find on my journey, even if I have heard it before. I think what will happen is my ratings will start out pretty high and slowly get lower and lower as I expand what I listen to. So brace yourself for many early 8/10s-10/10s...Also no decimals.

So let's get started.

The Killers - Mr Brightside
Rating: 7/10
Comments: Not a bad song at all. I like the faster pace of the vocals and the melody sounds pretty good. The lyrics are kind of bare but I still think the song is enjoyable.

The Darkness - I believe in a thing called love
Rating: 8/10
Comments: I love these vocals. The lead is hitting a ton of notes and it is a fun song to try and sing along to, even if I have no chance in hell of doing it. Enjoyed this one.

Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Came across the song a while ago and then found it again today. Definitely one of my favorites. I think the message and lyrics are great, tempo is awesome, all the instruments come into play. Really cool song so I will try to listen to much more of this band soon.

The Clash - Rock the Casbah
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Finding this song, it has a very cool beat and it felt like I was traveling in the past. Good lyrics and very catchy refrain.

Grimes - Oblivion
Rating: 7/10
Comments: I liked this song. I'm not sure why. At some points, I like the way Grimes sounds when singing. Her lisp is cute like her, and her voice is soft. But sometimes, it feels like I'm listening to some kind of weird japanese music. The beat helps a ton here and makes this song fun to listen to. I also enjoy the music video.

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
Rating: 5/10
Comments: Ugh, this is so ... slow. I really don't like the lyrics and it's far too slow for me. Really don't like it.

You and me - Lifehouse
Rating: 6/10
Comments: I like this slightly better than the last song but at the same time...it feels like the exact same song! Very slow again and feels oversimplified. Don't feel anything unique about this.

The Fray - You Found Me
Rating: 6/10
Comments: No wonder this song was group with the others when I was searching >:(. Once again, very slow. Things do pick up at some points and I do like the vocals more than the last two. Lyrics are okay. Nothing special but I do enjoy it more than the last 2.

DEVO - Whip It
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Wow I love this song. Strangely enough, I had never heard this before so I was pretty excited to watch one of the best music videos ever. It was a fun video and a fun song. Very catchy, a great bit with Guitar, and some unique sounds. This is my 2nd favorite song today behind Holiday in Cambodia.

 

[X5Dragon]

Looks to me you want to find a favorite genre or two of music. I pinned mine at late 70s DiscoFunk, 80s funk and good songs with heavy bass. Also rap music with catchy beats are also nice, especially G-Funk.

Gl :)

 

[Jellicent]

Going by your top 3...

Dead Kennedys - Punk from 1980
Devo - Punk / New Wave from 1980
The Clash - Punk from 1982

Starting to look like you've found a genre you like, and even a general time period along with it ^.^

You might wanna check out some stuff from Iggy Pop, The Stranglers, Talking Heads, Johnny Thunders, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, etc. to get a better idea.

 

[kd24]

Thanks for the suggestions, ill give all of them a listen to

 

[Matthew]

Try Television - Marquee Moon they're, and that album specifically, a pretty good 1970's punk band (or is it post punk at that point?).

This is actually a pretty cool thing to sit down and do. I found out that folk music is mostly my jam, but alternative rock came in a close second.

 

[TheWalrus9]

Cool stuff. i'll be interested to see where you go from here. DEVO is a very good band once you start digging past the popular "whip it". They're still around, having just released an album in 2010 titled "Something for Everybody" which I recommend.

I'll let you continue your search with your methods, but you should come back to their new works if you hit a dead end as it'll shoot you in a different direction.

 

[v]

If you like the Clash and Devo, I would recommend the Cars. Safety Dance is also fairly well-known New Wave. Take On Me isn't New Wave, it's pop, but it's like my favorite song/music video of the 1980s.

 

[THE_IRON_...KENYAN?]

gary neuman - cars is pretty great

anything by weird al

 

[Cherub Agent]

Scorpions - Rock You Like A Hurricane

German punk group (obviously sing in english though). Some of my other favourites of the band are "Still Loving You" and "Holiday". Going by Jellicent's analysis of your possibly favourite genre, you might like Scorpions

 

[kd24]

Gary Numan - Cars
Rating: 8/10
Comments: Oh this was difficult to rate. I really liked it but it was kind of a bit too heavy. I was entertained though by the music video which was simple but nice and I thought the synth-pop beat was great. Lyrics were really bare though.

Smashing Pumpkins - The End is the Beginning is the End
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Loved this song when I first heard it, gave it a listen to today, and am still just in love. I love the refrain, the instrumentals, and the lyrics. It's an all around great song. My only issue is the vocals because they are much better in the other version of this song. I'll rate that one too at some point. This loses a point just because the vocals kind of are off.

Beck - Ramona
Rating: 7/10
Comments: I'm a huge Scott Pilgrim fan so I obviously knew this song beforehand. I still don't know how to feel about it though. I really like it, but at the same time, it's a rather bare boned song and is really slow. It gets a 7/10 for being easy to listen to and still enjoyable, but not something I'm really interested in.

Beachwoord Sparks - By your side
Rating: 7/10
Comments: Another slow song, that I still found enjoyable. But this kind of music really just isn't for me.

Buffalo Springfield - For What Its Worth
Rating: 8/10
Comments: The slow approach really works here because its helped out with a fantastic rhythm and some real catchiness. Good song.

Stealer's Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You
Rating: 7/10
Comments: Is enjoyable but I kind of got tired with it quickly. It feels somewhat repetitive and there isn't really anything special about this song other than the catchy title. I did enjoy it.

Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence
Rating: 8/10
Comments: Now this was a song I could get behind. Not only was it enjoyable, but the lyrics felt like they had real meaning and I liked the melody. Really liked this one.

Talk Talk - Such A Shame
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I love it. Not much more to say, the lyrics and vocals are stunning and the singer doesn't look like he would be capable of it but he definitely is. He's also a snazzy dresser. Among other things, it also has great instrumentals while still being very catchy. No flaws that I see and is a song I repeated twice because it was so good.

The Eagles - Hotel California
Rating: 7/10
Comments: Basically the definition of average. Lyrics were okay. Instrumentals was ok. Wasn't really catchy and certainly didn't seem that great to me. I still enjoyed it but I wouldn't listen to it again.

R.E.M - Losing My Religion
Rating: 7/10
Comments: Like the one before it, this was just average. I got linked to this from The Clash and Dead Kennedys so I had expected something grand but I really didn't get it. Was enjoyable but not worth another play.

U2 - With or Without you
Rating: 6/10
Comments: Average but instead of finding it enjoyable, I find this one much more "tolerable". What bothers me is it feels like it's building to something because the music and tempo get louder and seemingly faster and it leads up to squat, just a meh refrain. Really didn't like this.

If you are wondering why my ratings for songs I find average are 7/10, it's mostly because I have tremendous respect for musicians. Even if I only tolerate it or don't particularly enjoy it, I still appreciate the effort. If you're expecting anything less than 4/10s, then you probably won't get it. To get less than a 4, you'd have to literally cause me pain, or enough head pain for me to turn off the noise.

I'll get to more recommended songs here in my next run-through.

 

[Fishy]

I'm sure you definitely haven't heard this before, so I hope you enjoy experiencing it :D

Caravan Palace - Suzy

 

[faint]

bon iver

 

[Carl]

this thread boggles my mind. no offense.

 

[PK Gaming]

3 minute clapping
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LK01R-sCNg

Heavy beats give this track some funky grit! Set yourself adrift on these dope sound waves and your feet will move for you, guaranteed. ♪

 

[Dave]

The Eagles - Hotel California
Rating: 7/10
Comments: Basically the definition of average. Lyrics were okay. Instrumentals was ok. Wasn't really catchy and certainly didn't seem that great to me. I still enjoyed it but I wouldn't listen to it again.


Die.


Bright Eyes, try it.

 

[Dozz]

Well, quite an interesting way to find a taste in music, I must say. Then again, wel all have to start somewhere I guess. I don't really have any things that spring to mind directly in the same line of thought. I'm just going to throw some curveballs out there, and maybe you'll find something completely different you'll love.
Try...
Blur - Girls and Boys
Art vs Science - Parlez Vous Francais?
and No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age.

I don't have any real logic behind those choices, they were basically three songs I thought of, but I'd be intersted to see how they go down. if you hate them, hey ho, might pick something more in line with previous likes.

 

[Texas Cloverleaf]

Foreplay/Long Time - Boston
Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
Heavy Fuel - Dire Straits
You Know My Name - Chris Cornell
Make Me Wanna Die - The Pretty Reckless

Try them out, see if you like 'em.

 

[alamaster]

these are some of my favorite songs, maybe you'll like them too :)

Cake - The Distance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pSlu2okpqM
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6H8WcTPnWM
Animal Collective - My Girls - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1B3LhpfY6k
Bomb the Music Industry! - Sort of Like Being Pumped - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-i-v2zlmL8
Bright Eyes - At the Bottom of Everything - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GHyLhbdzN0 (actual song starts around 1:35)
mewithoutyou - In a Sweater Poorly Knit - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4g-3WRXIts
At the Drive In - Pattern Against User - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrZ7ew8n5SU
Bon Iver - Beth / Rest - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UtQe0JOCnM
Andrew Jackson Jihad - People II: The Reckoning - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyY7Yvx2PYA
The Dear Hunter - Misplaced Devotion - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSv5v-3n4rs

enjoy bro

 

[Steamroll]

Tap into the seventies a bit more KD:

Long Cool Woman -- The Hollies
China Grove -- The Doobie Brothers
Message in a Bottle -- The Police (their second album)

Don't just listen to China Grove by the Doobie Brothers, there's about 7 or 8 songs from them I listen to on a constant basis, same with the Police.

Sneaking a few last ones in (Mainly 80's):
Crocodile Rock -- Elton John
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant -- Billy Joel
Rock This Town -- Stray Cats

 

[Bad Ass]

seconding television - marquee moon. based on how you've rated things so far they should fall into place for you :)

also, maybe try the pixies for some more low-fi alt rocky stuff.

np: The Pixies - Dead
np: The Pixies - Debaser
np: The Pixies - Gouge Away

those are three good songs off of their second album, Doolittle. I prefer surfer rosa, their first, but most people like Doolittle better.

also, check out the yeah yeah yeahs. i'm not SUPER familiar with them. i only really liked fever to tell -- it's blitz kind of sucked for me. they're kind of classified as punk by some people? but it's really just alt rock with a lot of energy and a lot of good sounds.

np: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Tick (if anyone has a better song for these guys feel free, i like this one)

you gave beck a 7/10, but i quite like the dude. odelay is a really good album, and my two favorite songs off of it are Hotwax and Diskobox

if you'd like anything more, i have a couple of bands in mind but you're already swamped :P

 

[kd24]

Ok, time to take a journey through recommended music lane!

Television - Marquee Moon
Rating: 8/10
Comments: The length of the song was a little daunting at first but I wanted to give it a try. Intro was good but I don't really like that vocals that much. A lot of times I can't really hear him, which is okay because the music in the background is pretty great. The solos were fun. All in all, a good experience. I give it an 8 because I don't like the vocals that much. It's really pushing a 9 though.

Men Without Hats - Safety Dance
Rating: 9/10
Comments: This song holds a very special place in my heart because I used to hum this song all the time without ever hearing the full version. I would often make up lyrics. But I really like the beat, the vocals are cool, the music video is unique, and is very catchy. Really like this one. And it put me in a dancing mood to boot.

Scorpions - Rock You Like A Hurricane
Rating: 8/10
Comments: I'm kind of surprised you figured I never heard of this before. Believe it or not, many of the songs I'm reviewing I have heard before at least once. This is one every person hears. I like the music in the background, mostly cuz I'm a sucker for the heavy drums, guitars, bass, etc. Lyrics were ok but for some reason I wasn't really a big fan of the vocals during the actual lyrics where his throat seems raspy. Still, I can listen to this and still be entertained.

Bright Eyes - First Day of My Life
Rating: 8/10
Comments: I swear I've heard this melody before but to a completely different song. It's a very nice relaxing song, and I thought the music video was nice and cheerful. I'm still conflicted on vocals like this. It sounds great at some points but every now and then, I kind of get turned off of it by his voice. Still a great melody, nice lyrics, and a real easy-going song make this easy to listen to again.

Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Everyone knows this song, and I've heard it before at least 30 times. Still one of my favorites, although I'm not too big on the music video for this one, I think the vocals sound cool and the music is great, particularly the background ... "thumping?". I don't really know how to describe it but it fits well and gives the song a lot of energy.

Caravan Palace - Suzy
Rating: 8/10
Comments: This was awesome :D. I liked the really fast paced energy, the music sounded cool, and I thought the vocals fit well. I kind of felt like I was in a commercial. Good stuff. My only knock is that it's -too- fast for my tastes but I still really liked it. Also pushing a 9, but not quite.

Art vs Science - Parlez Vous Francais?
Rating: 7/10
Comments: The music was good, the vocals sounded ok, and the mime fighting was awesome so why do I not really enjoy this that match? I mean it was enjoyable for one listen but not anything I'd ever be inclined to replay which is why it avoids a 6 but yeah, just not my thing. Like other songs, it felt repetitive and simplified, and while that repetition was fun and all, it gets tiring quickly.

Blur - Girls and Boys
Rating: 8/10
Comments: Sounded ... plain, but the good kind of plain. Thought everything was good, but just didn't really feel anything towards this song. I thought the refrain was catchy even if it gets a little confusing with all the girls who dig boys and boys who love girls and girls who dig girls or wghadh. 8/10 for being a good song but just didn't click with me. I'm not sure why.

Queen - Don't Stop Me Now
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Obviously I've heard this before. Great song but compared to what I've listened so far, I feel like I can't give it a 10/10. I just prefer the other songs to this one.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Rating: 8/10
Comments: Ah, I remember this song! This was one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar :D. So it's gonna have a special place in my heart. Song is pretty simple but I really like it. I like the sounds in the background as well, and everything flows well together. Not the best song, regardless of that, but I still enjoy it. One problem I do have though, is the pace. I kind of wished the song slowed down because it keeps up the fast tempo. The only time it really slows is near the end before the last few lines. Maybe it's just me.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I had a lot of fun listening and in a lot of cases relistening to a lot of these songs. I think I'll start using songs I got 8/10s or highers and the YT Suggestions to regroup myself with branching. Feel free to contribute more songs you'd suggest in this thread, I will listen and review them.

Just a few notes

- After a while, I will go over and reevaluate my ratings since many of them are likely inflated at this point due to not having much competition.
- I hope to do many songs every day
- I didn't do every song posted in here so far... I will though. I just figured getting one per poster would be a good stopping point. If I skipped your post, no worries, I was mostly looking for specific songs.

And Carl, no offense taken. The thing is, while I do love music, my problem is I always get stuck on 1 or 2 songs for a week or two at a time and then repeat the cycle. It really has limited how much music I listen too and I know there are great things out there that I simply haven't heard. Hell, some of the songs with 1 million+ views are songs I had never even heard of before, so it's interesting to finally catch up with the world.

 

[Shiny Mew2]

Going out on an edge here, but I like olden hard rock, metal, and I suggest

Children of the Grave -Black Sabbath

Phantom of the Opera -Iron Maiden

Spcae Truckin -Deep Purple

Bullet Train -Judas Priest

Kashmir -Led Zepplin

And Some AC/DC

Carry Me Home

What's Next to the Moon

Back in Black

Don't kill me

 

[Seneschal]

If you like Television and Pixies then you may want to try Sonic Youth. Teen Age Riot is an excellent place to start, though there's quite a long introduction to this song which lasts for about a minute and a half, just so you know.

 

[RODAN]

t-ara - bo peep bo peep

 

[JimBob]

I know you're not looking at stuff like this but I just think it would be a travesty if you were never exposed to Kyuss. And you already said you like QotSA so this might be right up your alley, who knows.

Gardenia