Best Ever Albums

Re: Music & Lyrics

Anti — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 23:54:43 GMT

Author: Anti

Posted: 08/11/2015 03:54

I have to be honest, lyrics do a HUGE job for my love for this album:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Re: Music & Lyrics

Anonymous — Sun, 9 Aug 2015 04:17:50 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/09/2015 08:17

A far-from-complete list of artists whose music is often ruined for me by the lyrics:

U2, REM, Elton John (Bernie's overrated), The National, Aesop Rock, Hawkwind, Amnesia Scanner, Sun Kil Moon, The Who, Pink Floyd (especially The Wall), Rush, The Doors, Jethro Tull

Also, good lyrics are good in the context of the music. Whether they read well as straight poetry is irrelevant. A Shakespearean sonnet would make for shitty lyrics to a punk song -- I'd much rather hear a street urchin venting their frustration in broken English. In fact, it's much more often that music is ruined by transparent attempts to sound deep/intelligent than it's ruined by an artist's unabashed simplicity.

Re: Music & Lyrics

Necharsian — Sat, 8 Aug 2015 16:22:10 GMT

Author: Necharsian

Posted: 08/08/2015 20:22

latenighttv wrote:

Give this a listen maybay 🤣 😎

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ymZ5v6PWkM

video wasn't available but I listened to another song and I think it was the vocals that turned me off more than the lyrics.

and ya Muse's lyrics are certainly not the part that ruins them for me

On another note I cant really think of anything where the music was ok/good but the lyrics made it great. so ya lyrics aren't a big deal for me I guess.

Re: Music & Lyrics

Applerill — Fri, 7 Aug 2015 23:40:59 GMT

Author: Applerill

Posted: 08/08/2015 03:40

permafrost wrote:

RockyRaccoon wrote:

Necharsian wrote:

can anyone think of a song thats amazing musically but gets ruined by terrible lyrics?

i cant think of anything off the top of my head

Basically like 90% of Muse's music, though I don't think they're "ruined" necessarily

it's cock rock claptrap that deserves the lyrics it has

Wait, if I lost my virginity to Muse, and it was cock-rock claptrap, but that mean I have the clap?

Re: Music & Lyrics

Anonymous — Fri, 7 Aug 2015 16:15:42 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/07/2015 20:15

RockyRaccoon wrote:

Necharsian wrote:

can anyone think of a song thats amazing musically but gets ruined by terrible lyrics?

i cant think of anything off the top of my head

Basically like 90% of Muse's music, though I don't think they're "ruined" necessarily

it's cock rock claptrap that deserves the lyrics it has

Re: Music & Lyrics

RockyRaccoon — Fri, 7 Aug 2015 13:49:43 GMT

Author: RockyRaccoon

Posted: 08/07/2015 17:49

Necharsian wrote:

can anyone think of a song thats amazing musically but gets ruined by terrible lyrics?

i cant think of anything off the top of my head

Basically like 90% of Muse's music, though I don't think they're "ruined" necessarily

Re: Music & Lyrics

latenighttv — Fri, 7 Aug 2015 13:39:51 GMT

Author: latenighttv

Posted: 08/07/2015 17:39

Necharsian wrote:

can anyone think of a song thats amazing musically but gets ruined by terrible lyrics?

i cant think of anything off the top of my head

Give this a listen maybay 🤣 😎

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ymZ5v6PWkM

this line from a review over on sputnikmusic sums the band up pretty well

"But there are a lot of times when everything comes together, and Witter shows nearly as much talent as the band that backs him."

Re: Music & Lyrics

Necharsian — Fri, 7 Aug 2015 12:30:08 GMT

Author: Necharsian

Posted: 08/07/2015 16:30

can anyone think of a song thats amazing musically but gets ruined by terrible lyrics?

i cant think of anything off the top of my head

Re: Music & Lyrics

Applerill — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 20:46:14 GMT

Author: Applerill

Posted: 08/07/2015 00:46

meccalecca wrote:

It's not close-minded to have preferences. To be completely dismissive of instrumental would be close-minded, but not to greatly prefer lyrical music.

It's also interesting to point out that most non-popular music is instrumental, considering we're talking about preferences, which may actually prove that a majority of the public greatly prefers lyrical music and that's why so little popular music is instrumental

.....plebs.

That actually does make a lot of sense. I just think as a structualist that it's a problem that affects a lot of our criticism. It inspires us to look much more at the non-musical parts of music than the musical parts.

Re: Music & Lyrics

meccalecca — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 20:24:16 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 08/07/2015 00:24

Applerill wrote:

But the thing is, both of those perspectives are so close-minded. Narrative is just one of three kinds of cinema, and as Secretdad pointed out, most non-popular music is instrumental. You can see mis en scene and editing (or at least creative lack thereof) in almost any film, but so many of my favorite films don't even try to have "plot" (though they still may have excellent narrative).

Re: Music & Lyrics

Applerill — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 20:10:42 GMT

Author: Applerill

Posted: 08/07/2015 00:10

meccalecca wrote:

I think this is a good comparison. I'd imagine that it's understandable how many would claim that the plot is the most important aspect of a film to them (even though there are films without plots), and so is it any different really for someone to claim that lyrics are the most important aspect of music for them? While music may not require lyrics, I'd assume the type of people who hold lyrics as the most vital element listen primarily to music with words.

Re: Music & Lyrics

meccalecca — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 19:51:41 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 08/06/2015 23:51

Applerill wrote:

lyrics really are to cinema what "plot" (not to be confused with narrative) is to cinema. It certainly enriches the experience, and gives you a lot more context into the meaning of the work, but it's ridiculous to view everything in the context of lyrics or "plot".

Re: Music & Lyrics

Anti — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 19:45:46 GMT

Author: Anti

Posted: 08/06/2015 23:45

Precedent wrote:

Lyrics aren't a big deal to me unless they are extremely good or extremely bad.

I appreciate how direct this is. I agree as well.

Re: Music & Lyrics

Anonymous — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 19:06:13 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/06/2015 23:06

Lyrics aren't a big deal to me unless they are extremely good or extremely bad.

Re: Music & Lyrics

SuedeSwede — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 18:37:26 GMT

Author: SuedeSwede

Posted: 08/06/2015 22:37

Applerill wrote:

I used to tell people that "if you want words, read a book". While I realize now that that argument itself is rather close-minded in its own way, lyrics really are to cinema what "plot" (not to be confused with narrative) is to cinema. It certainly enriches the experience, and gives you a lot more context into the meaning of the work, but it's ridiculous to view everything in the context of lyrics or "plot".

I agree with this bit so much. I really don't care much for lyrics, not that I don't listen to them or like lyrics when they're done well. It's just that lyrics will very rarely ruin a song for me (unless they're like super cringey). And if I really like what's going on, and don't like the lyrics I think it's a bad reason - personally - to dislike the song itself. Though I get why people can't detach lyrics from songs.

Re: Music & Lyrics

Anonymous — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 18:03:19 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 08/06/2015 22:03

meccalecca wrote:

permafrost wrote:

i think it's unfair and slightly disingenuous to pick people (partially or fully) operating within lyrics-driven genres (hip hop, singer/songwriter, and spoken word music) to represent "lyrics in music."

I understand your point, but isn't it just as unfair to treat them as the exception to the rule? Pop music is only a very short blip in the history of music.

Those mundane lyrics in the types of songs you speak of are really no worse than the redundant basslines or shitty heartless drum machine beats. So it's no like the music to those songs serve any greater purpose than the lyrics.

We don't look at piss poor middle school cartoon drawings to represent the art of drawing, so it should be no different with music.

i think you misunderstood my point. i wasn't trying to demean simple lyrics but to say that the majority of pop music i've experienced deals with them, and some of that music manages to be fantastic and some of it doesn't.

Re: Music & Lyrics

Tap — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 14:56:53 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 08/06/2015 18:56

Pseud0Scorpion wrote:

Obviously in most music, the instrumentation and the lyrics are complementary

wait, most music has lyrics?

Re: Music & Lyrics

shoopadoowop — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 14:54:47 GMT

Author: shoopadoowop

Posted: 08/06/2015 18:54

meccalecca wrote:

You can change the mood and message of a song drastically by changing the words too, but I know what you're saying. But I also don't think anyone would disagree with this, so I'm not sure what the point is

Well Holly originally said that the message and the idea was most important to her, which is fine but there are other forms of media that do that better I think, like a book for example. A book may not convey a message with the same impact as an album, but to me that just proves what importance the actual musical side of a piece of music.

Re: Music & Lyrics

meccalecca — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 14:47:46 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 08/06/2015 18:47

shoopadoowop wrote:

I think you misunderstood me and my point. I'm not saying that lyrics and the way they're conveyed aren't important, because they definitely are. Music is indeed a good way to get across ideas and messages, but I believe that the music does that more than the words. The reason I think this is because you can change out words of a lot of songs and still manage to convey the same idea, but if you did that with the music then you would effect the song in a much more drastic way.

It all depends on what your changing it with. You can change the mood and message of a song drastically by changing the words too, but I know what you're saying. But I also don't think anyone would disagree with this, so I'm not sure what the point is

Re: Music & Lyrics

shoopadoowop — Thu, 6 Aug 2015 14:43:42 GMT

Author: shoopadoowop

Posted: 08/06/2015 18:43

meccalecca wrote:

But that's not what's at question.

The question was essentially why listen to music for lyrics, when you could read them. And my point is that the words are presented in a special way that can make those words resonate more.

So I have no idea what you're doing trying to change the words.

You could also say that many mediocre songs are totally interchangeable musically, and the thing that separates them is often the words.

Similarly, Mark Kozelek, Bob Dylan and many other songwriters use the same exact chord progressions for multiple songs with the words being the major difference.