Music: Unpopular Music Opinions

[Pharrell Williams]

I still haven't been able to get behind Metal as a genre, personally. I can concede that it can involve technically impressive and inventive talent, but I don't really care about those things in isolation-- the premise itself seems fundamentally broken to my ears. To me, aggressive music works best when it's raw, primitive, messy, and irreverent-- the way punk or hardcore does. Metal has this garrish machismo, theatrical melodrama, and technical grand-standing to it that seems anti-thetical to what makes noisy aggressive music work best, to my ears. It's not the typical criticism-- I love abrasive noises, I just can't get on board with most of the qualities that make Metal Metal.

yes i agree i like very little metal musics, i'd much rather listen to some lovely hardcore hip hop or punk

 

[Shareefruck]

You should try war metal.

Is that anything like Death Metal? If so, I'll probably have the same reservations. Something about that stuff just has this Garrish and showy "look at me!" quality to it that doesn't feel very organic or genuine, to my ears.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I still haven't been able to get behind Metal as a genre, personally.

I realize that's a cliche thing to say that seems to be easily dismissable as ignorant, but while I love a lot of genres that are outside of most comfort zones and difficult to get into (I mean, if I can get into stuff like Free Jazz, Avant Garde Minimalism, and Beefheart, Metal should be easy, shouldn't it? Hell, I probably even have a better time with pure noise-rock like Merzbow for crying out loud.), but I still haven't managed to find anything that works for me.

I can concede that it can involve technically impressive and inventive talent, but I don't really care about those things in isolation-- the premise itself seems fundamentally broken to my ears. To me, aggressive music works best when it's raw, primitive, messy, and irreverent-- the way punk or hardcore is, for instance. Metal has this garrish machismo, theatrical melodrama, and technical grand-standing to it that seems anti-thetical to what makes noisy aggressive music work best, to my ears. It's not the typical criticism-- I love abrasive noises, I just can't get on board with most of the qualities that make Metal Metal and the things that separate it from punk and hardcore.

That describes a lot of metal, but it's not something that applies across the board. I don't imagine Eyehategod's gonna be a playlist regular for you, but I doubt anyone would accuse it of the characteristics you listed:



Maybe heavy riffing's not your bag either. It's not something that's usually found in other aggressive genres.

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

Eagles suck

hey man, I've had a rough night, and I hate the ****ing Eagles

 

[reckoning]

I think Queen is the most overrated rock band in history. A few good songs, but most of it so over-the-top that it becomes annoying. Freddie Mercury was basically Meat Loaf with a much better vocal range, but singing less interesting lyrics.

I will never deny how great or influential the Beatles were, but I don't understand people who act as though every single thing they ever did was a masterpiece that can't be criticized. About a third of the White Album is rubbish, and there's not much worthwhile on Side 1 of Abbey Road. Had any other band recorded "Birthday" or "Come Together", the songs would have been quickly and deservedly forgotten.

The Rolling Stones would have been much better if Keith and Mick shared the lead singer duties 50/50.

Van Halen was a better band when Sammy Hagar was the lead singer, but they were never all that good.

Polly Jean Harvey is the best singer/songwriter of the last 25 years.

 

[Ouroboros]

You should try war metal.

 

[Shareefruck]

That describes a lot of metal, but it's not something that applies across the board. I don't imagine Eyehategod's gonna be a playlist regular for you, but I doubt anyone would accuse it of the characteristics you listed:



Maybe heavy riffing's not your bag either. It's not something that's usually found in other aggressive genres.

I think one of the problems is probably that I actually associate thick heavy riffing and heavy solo-ing with the idea of theatrics/melodrama, cheesiness, and garrish masculinity-- the way it sounds fundamentally communicates phoniness and egotism to my ears for some reason. There's no real rational reasoning behind that, it just does. With punk or hardcore, I'm able to detect an energy that feels much more organic and genuine to me. Not sure if that makes sense.

The way they named their band doesn't help me easily give it the benefit of the doubt, either.

 

[Shareefruck]

I think Queen is the most overrated rock band in history. A few good songs, but most of it so over-the-top that it becomes annoying. Freddie Mercury was basically Meat Loaf with a much better vocal range, but singing less interesting lyrics.

I will never deny how great or influential the Beatles were, but I don't understand people who act as though every single thing they ever did was a masterpiece that can't be criticized. About a third of the White Album is rubbish, and there's not much worthwhile on Side 1 of Abbey Road. Had any other band recorded "Birthday" or "Come Together", the songs would have been quickly and deservedly forgotten.

The Rolling Stones would have been much better if Keith and Mick shared the lead singer duties 50/50.

Van Halen was a better band when Sammy Hagar was the lead singer, but they were never all that good.

Polly Jean Harvey is the best singer/songwriter of the last 25 years.

This kind of Beatles criticism I can understand a bit more. While I think their prime albums are each within striking distance of a masterpiece (as in they were a few missteps away from it but an impressive chunk of the tracks are more than worthy of it), most of them have a few things about them that are massive gaping flaws in them, IMO. Like you said, there is an entire stretch in Side A of Abbey Road that is really weak, the White Album is peppered with forgettable tracks, and there were a couple of really weak tracks on Rubber Soul as well.

It tends to be the McCartney-isms (some sung by Ringo) that he loves to inject into the albums that hold them back, for me.

The way that many greatest albums of all time lists have four or five Beatles albums in the top 10-20 is a complete joke. I think it's their over-arching output, certain stretches of songs in their albums, and the fact that they came so close so often that make them great, personally. Revolver is the only one they did that I think an argument can be made for being infallible, personally.

I think there's also something to be said about mythos, personality/charm, Lennon's twisted psyche, and how the three of them bounced off each other like rock, paper, and scissors that is very engaging/fascinating/enthralling, on top of the music.

That said, Come Together is one of my favorite tracks from them. I find the lyrics very charming and expertly worded. I'd actually take that song over the medley on Side B

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I find A Day in the Life to be a massively overrated song - McCartney's part isn't enjoyable at all - and I think Tommorow Never Knows is easily the greatest Beatles song ever.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Kendrick Lamar took a major step-back after Good Kid M.A.A.D. City which I think is one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all-time. Section.80 also bests both How to Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN. Neither albums have tracks that come close to tracks like Rigamortis or Money Trees.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Sunday Morning by the Velvet Underground is a better pop songs than any pop song in the Beatles catalogue.

- sorry for the multiple posts, on mobile and they don't pop into my head at once.

 

[Ceremony]

Metal is for 13 year olds who think they're being edgy.

 

[Pharrell Williams]

my favorite beatle is yoko

 

[x Tame Impala]

my favorite beatle is yoko

 

[Know Your Enemy]

Metal is for 13 year olds who think they're being edgy.

Edgy

 

[BonMorrison]

I like metal but I find metalheads to be insufferable. Not referring to anyone in here btw.

My experiences irl has always been that they're insecure elitist snobs who spend more time trashing other genres than appreciating their own.

 

[CokenoPepsi]

The Beatles sucked, I get it blah blah "Ohhh but they were so revolutionary and influential" I get it.. but the music was bad, we got to see a modern Beatles 30 years later in Oasis but they had some talent and a couple good albums.

Also lol at Queen haters they were amazing.

 

[kmad]

because 9/10 times it's the same basic beat, or one lifted from a more gifted artist, and then talked over ...usually about the most useless of subjects ...like getting hoes, booze, weed, etc.


that's just my unpopular opinion.

I don't think anyone this closed minded is allowed to have an alex grey avatar

 

[x Tame Impala]

"Unpopular Music Opinions"??? More like "Stupid Music Opinions" amirite?

Beatles suck. Hip hop sucks. Queen sucks. Man, you guys are just so just so off the beaten path. I wish I had your taste in music and could really listen to the good stuff.

 

[Shareefruck]

Posted this in the controversial opinion thread, but I think Revolution 1 & 9 are the two strongest tracks on the White Album. 9 gets an exaggerated bad reputation because The Beatles typically have very simple and approachable music, so their fans are less likely to be open to extreme experimental things, and it also sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest of the album.

But if you come at it from the direction of liking wildly freakout experimental bands, or minimalism, or creepy ambient music, it's a very fine effort, IMO.

Also, it's unfortunate how Yoko Ono gave an entire generation the wrong idea about Avant Garde music. Her ideas were perfectly fine (as evidenced by the better music that it would go on to influence), but she's not much of a musician herself, so listeners were introduced to the style with the worst example/first impression possible.

The Beatles sucked, I get it blah blah "Ohhh but they were so revolutionary and influential" I get it.. but the music was bad, we got to see a modern Beatles 30 years later in Oasis but they had some talent and a couple good albums.

I agree with whoever said that Oasis is terrible. It's tragic that they always get compared to The Beatles, IMO.

I find A Day in the Life to be a massively overrated song - McCartney's part isn't enjoyable at all - and I think Tommorow Never Knows is easily the greatest Beatles song ever.

Amen to that!

I love Lennon's bit on A Day in the Life and think it might be band's greatest single moment, but the bit in the middle holds it back from being my favorite as well. I wish we could see some bizarro alternate reality where Lennon fleshed out the song himself.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

"Unpopular Music Opinions"??? More like "Stupid Music Opinions" amirite?

Beatles suck. Hip hop sucks. Queen sucks. Man, you guys are just so just so off the beaten path. I wish I had your taste in music and could really listen to the good stuff.

I love how annoyed you get by opinions that don't go along with yours. You really do wear your heart on your sleeve.

 

[Roo Returns]

-Freddie Mercury Best Male Singer of All-Time. Minnie Rippington Best Female.

-Rock N Roll really started with Sister Rosetta Tharpe, not Chuck Berry, Little Richard, or Elvis. Sexism at its finest.

-Curtis Mayfield was as talented a songwriter as any of the 60s British bands, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, and Stevie Wonder.

-The Wall as an album is incredibly boring. A few good singles but mostly junk

-Slayer: Seasons In The Abyss and South Of Heaven are much better albums than Reign In Blood which besides the first song which is all shock, is garbage.

-More Slayer: Bospath's drums on Divine Intervention are the best sounding/recorded metal drums of all-time.

-More Queen: Prophet Song > Bohemian Rhapsody

-Chance The Rapper > J. Cole > Kendrick Lamar and Kendrick's new album was very mediocre

-INXS > U2

-Off The Wall > Thriller

-Red Hot Chili Peppers: One Hot Minute, I'm With You, and The Getaway are all good albums, it's just fashionably not cool to be a Chili Peppers fan when John Frusciante isn't in the band.

-John Frusciante-Love him, love him but his solo output this decade has been very disappointing.

-Radiohead have been average since Amnesiac it's just fashionably cool to like everything they do.

-Archetype is either the best or second best Fear Factory album. Christian Ole Webers did a wonderful job switching to guitar.

-The Arcade Fire are garbage.

-The Strokes lasted as long as they were meant to commercially: One trick pony

-Following bad members were the most important in their respective groups: Jane's Addiction-Eric Avery Guns N Roses: Izzy Stradlin

-Presence by Led Zeppelin is criminally underrated. It's because Plant stopped singing in the high register at that point but I prefer songs like Nobody's Fault But Mine, Royal Orleans, Hots For Nowhere to The Lemon Song and Since I've Been Loving You.

-Adelle is boring. She can sing with the power of Grace Slick but her music is beyond boring and by the numbers.

-Wasted generatonal talents: John Mayer. Guy is so talented but writes music for 13 year old girls. Grace Potter: She could've made a difference

-Jeff Buckley's Death really changed the shape of music in the mid-late 90s, At The Drive-In breaking up in the early 2000s as well.

-Bruno Mars is actually much more versatile and interesting than he shows.



And finally, for all of you trashing Queen, listen to Keep Yourself Alive, Brighton Rock, Mustafa, Stone Cold Crazy, Great King Rat, Liar..just to name a few to see how awesome of a band they were.

 

[Shareefruck]

Radiohead were a bit of an insufferable melodramatic band until the post-OK Computer period that people find overrated, IMO. After that, they've been pretty admirable. I can't listen to The Bends because it sounds so cloying and whiney.

 

[x Tame Impala]

I love how annoyed you get by opinions that don't go along with yours. You really do wear your heart on your sleeve.

People are entitled to stupid opinions. It's fine, but some of the stuff I'm reading in here is ridiculous.

It's like people are saying that Gretzky and/or Lemieux were overrated

 

[x Tame Impala]

Agree on John Mayer. The guy is a badass guitarist but his lyrics are so shallow and it holds him back from being more approachable. It's like he just tacks them on to songs because he knows he has to in order for people to hear his guitar playing.

He's got an awesome voice too.