Been listening to a whole lotta rock. For the past 6 months I have been completely obsessed with 2 songs: Stiff Dylan's "Ultraviolet" and Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole". And as of June, Linkin Park's song for the new Transformers movie "Revenge Of The Fallen", "New Divide".
I've got these three songs on rotation and am listening to them on a loop for an entire 8-hour working day, 5 days a week. Have no idea why I'm not completely bored of 'em yet. It's most likely because of each song's beats and rhythm still intrigues me with every listen and each time I seem to catch a diffrent side of the song come through. I guess I would categorize myself as more of a rhythms and beats person rather than a melody or lyrical music listener. If the percussions, piano/keyboard, guitars and singing come together in a completely awesome way, I can get totally hooked to the song even if the lyrics are complete crap.
Take for instance, I am absolutely in love with Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole", the whole song makes me feel sexy :P, but if I were to be honest and really thought through the lyrics, I've always come to the conclusion that the words are more there to rhyme than they are to convey something. The bridge goes....."Glaciers melting in the dead of night, And the superstars sucked into the supermassive". Really, what the hell is that supposed to mean? So, yea, if I like the beats enough, I'll try to ignore the lyrics. Sometimes you can't have 'em both ways. In fact, another group I like, Bon Jovi, have, in my opinion, produced songs with quite insipid lyrics as well. I mean there are the great ones, "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" and "Livin' On A Prayer" but c'mon "Bad Medicine"? Although rhythmically good, the words leave a lot to be desired.
A mainstream group that I believe conveys on both lyrics and rhythm is Nickelback. I have two faves from them: "Photograph" which I think is quite a sweet yet realistic song about reminiscing times of past and "How You Remind Me" which, in my interpretation, is about a mutually destructive love (?). I love when songs have meaning as well as sound great. Case in point: Linkin Park. I won't go on an homage to Linkin Park but I have to mention they are strong lyrically as well as musically. Their lyrics are poetic and evocative. Pair that with intricate rhythm and beats from a multitude of sources and they all combine to make a great listen. That's what you get when you have six creative types who gel perfectly. They come up with musical gems :P
There are also songs where they sound great and the lyrics are fanciful nonsense but I love to sing them. Fuel's "Shimmer" falls in this category. The lines.....
"She dreams a champagne dream
Strawberry surprise, pink linen and white paper
Lavender and cream
Fields of butterflies, reality escapes her"
.....are so cute and I like how they conjure up the very images of said words when I hear them or sing along. The song "Accidentally In Love" by Counting Crows also has cutesy lyrics with catchy music. Sample lyrics:
"So I said I'm a snowball running
Running down into the spring that's coming all this love
Melting under blue skies belting out
Sunlight shimmering love
Well baby I surrender
To the strawberry ice cream
Never ever end of all this love
Well I didn't mean to do it
But there's no escaping your love,oh"
See? How cute does all that sound? Especially being sung by deep voiced men? *Laughs*
Another thing I realized about myself is that I will get hooked to a song that has a unique guitar riff. Although at heart, I'm a percussions kinda gal but what'll first catch my attention will be a standout guitar part. Once a song has me reeled in, it's then I start peeling back the layers, listening out for the different parts of the song that make it interesting. It's almost always the drums that kinda keep me listening because I'll discover new beats that I hadn't heard the first 50 times I listened to it. My top 5 LP songs are those that have a distinct and easily identifiable guitar sound. That Brad Delson sure knows how to catch my attention.
I have to say that this much interest in dissecting songs is mainly reserved for rock music, I don't particularly invest much time in figuring out the building blocks to a Fergie or Britney song. Pop songs are generally straightforward lyrically and the rhythm is rarely igenious. They're catchy, I do listen to my fair share of pop but it's not the genre that has staying power with me. Aside from Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" which I still love, I grow bored of them not too long after I've heard it for the first time. A month tops and I'll be looking back at my rock music :)
I've got these three songs on rotation and am listening to them on a loop for an entire 8-hour working day, 5 days a week. Have no idea why I'm not completely bored of 'em yet. It's most likely because of each song's beats and rhythm still intrigues me with every listen and each time I seem to catch a diffrent side of the song come through. I guess I would categorize myself as more of a rhythms and beats person rather than a melody or lyrical music listener. If the percussions, piano/keyboard, guitars and singing come together in a completely awesome way, I can get totally hooked to the song even if the lyrics are complete crap.
Take for instance, I am absolutely in love with Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole", the whole song makes me feel sexy :P, but if I were to be honest and really thought through the lyrics, I've always come to the conclusion that the words are more there to rhyme than they are to convey something. The bridge goes....."Glaciers melting in the dead of night, And the superstars sucked into the supermassive". Really, what the hell is that supposed to mean? So, yea, if I like the beats enough, I'll try to ignore the lyrics. Sometimes you can't have 'em both ways. In fact, another group I like, Bon Jovi, have, in my opinion, produced songs with quite insipid lyrics as well. I mean there are the great ones, "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" and "Livin' On A Prayer" but c'mon "Bad Medicine"? Although rhythmically good, the words leave a lot to be desired.
A mainstream group that I believe conveys on both lyrics and rhythm is Nickelback. I have two faves from them: "Photograph" which I think is quite a sweet yet realistic song about reminiscing times of past and "How You Remind Me" which, in my interpretation, is about a mutually destructive love (?). I love when songs have meaning as well as sound great. Case in point: Linkin Park. I won't go on an homage to Linkin Park but I have to mention they are strong lyrically as well as musically. Their lyrics are poetic and evocative. Pair that with intricate rhythm and beats from a multitude of sources and they all combine to make a great listen. That's what you get when you have six creative types who gel perfectly. They come up with musical gems :P
There are also songs where they sound great and the lyrics are fanciful nonsense but I love to sing them. Fuel's "Shimmer" falls in this category. The lines.....
"She dreams a champagne dream
Strawberry surprise, pink linen and white paper
Lavender and cream
Fields of butterflies, reality escapes her"
.....are so cute and I like how they conjure up the very images of said words when I hear them or sing along. The song "Accidentally In Love" by Counting Crows also has cutesy lyrics with catchy music. Sample lyrics:
"So I said I'm a snowball running
Running down into the spring that's coming all this love
Melting under blue skies belting out
Sunlight shimmering love
Well baby I surrender
To the strawberry ice cream
Never ever end of all this love
Well I didn't mean to do it
But there's no escaping your love,oh"
See? How cute does all that sound? Especially being sung by deep voiced men? *Laughs*
Another thing I realized about myself is that I will get hooked to a song that has a unique guitar riff. Although at heart, I'm a percussions kinda gal but what'll first catch my attention will be a standout guitar part. Once a song has me reeled in, it's then I start peeling back the layers, listening out for the different parts of the song that make it interesting. It's almost always the drums that kinda keep me listening because I'll discover new beats that I hadn't heard the first 50 times I listened to it. My top 5 LP songs are those that have a distinct and easily identifiable guitar sound. That Brad Delson sure knows how to catch my attention.
I have to say that this much interest in dissecting songs is mainly reserved for rock music, I don't particularly invest much time in figuring out the building blocks to a Fergie or Britney song. Pop songs are generally straightforward lyrically and the rhythm is rarely igenious. They're catchy, I do listen to my fair share of pop but it's not the genre that has staying power with me. Aside from Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" which I still love, I grow bored of them not too long after I've heard it for the first time. A month tops and I'll be looking back at my rock music :)
