My evolving musical tastes

I used to be a fully grown metal head, however as of late I have found my musical tasted developing. There are three reasons for this; - firstly I grew bored with the structure of metal I like, such as Bolt Thrower. Secondly I grew tired of the commercial aspect of much of the more mainstream metal, and thirdly I began to spend time with a different social group who exposed me to more varied styles of music.

I began to view the metal scene, with its stupid dyed hair and spiky trousers with growing disfavour. It seemed a stupid waste of money to purchase overly expensive items just to publicise your commitment to a particular style of music - a style which I had been growing increasingly wary of.

Probably the biggest influence on my aesthetic migration from metal was China Mieville's first book, King Rat. Amazingly written, it deals with a young Drum n Bass listener called Saul getting involved in a battle between King Rat, Anasi the spider God and a few others against the Pied Piper of Hamelin - with King Rat seeking to reclaim his throne by using Saul, and the Piper being able to control more than one type of creature by getting Saul's friend to mix his playing into Drum n Bass tracks.

Why did it influence me? It painted a picture of sounds with words. It describes a landscape of timbres and bass beats, or warbling trebles and of stomping boots. It was more than the sweaty lager fuelled ethos of Metallica or Slayer, it was the ethos of rebellion and of adolescent social culture. It tied in so perfectly with the theme of the book - one of betrayal and anger and of expectancy. It even went so far as to allow me to excuse Mieville's communitarianism for the moment.

So, I ploughed on, however the first tracks I listened to intently were such a jarring culture shock that I didn't find them attractive in the slightest. Instead I went by a roundabout root, through industrial music and future pop. I've been listening to wumpscut, VNV Nation and KMFDM.

Wumpscut are not so difficult to pin down. They're a German EBM/Industrial group with a personal favourite of mine (if only for its gall) "Soylent Green" containing audio samples from the German dubbed version of the film with the same name. Since its release in 1993, it has become a frequently played song at events and clubs in the gothic and industrial subcultures and its associated splinter groups, both in Germany and the United States. Probably their best song is "Wreath of Barbs". It has a slower pace than usual, melodramatic melodies, and a dark synthesised voice hauntingly following the music.

VNV Nation is slightly more difficult to describe. It lacks the bass beat of Drum n Bass, and is more focused around the lyrics - lyrics which deal with emotion and imagery far better than any metal song I have ever heard. They frequently deal with issues in a tone which I feel I can relate to far more than the Artic Monkey's whining about take away curries. For example to quote Joy:

Originally Posted by VNV Nation - Joy

So why do I love when I still feel pain?
When does it end, when is my work done?
Why am I lone and why do I feel
that I carry a sword through a battle field?

Finally we come to KMFDM. They're about the furthest from Dragonforce that I can tolerate at the moment, with an aggressive lyrical style that at times reminds me as much of French rap as anything else. With a heavy, stomping beat their songs are universally threatening, from the mumbling of "Save Me", interrupted with occasional string flourishes, to the indignation of "Witch Hunt" and the call to arms of "Risen". The latter is my favourite track of theirs at the moment, as it most epitomises what I like about their work.

Originally Posted by KMFDM - Witch Hunt

It doesn't matter what you say or do
There is no justice - no future for you
Because you're the scapegoat you are to blame
This is your life - 15 minutes of shame

Note that these are all my personal opinions, other people will surely disagree. Do you like this type of music, or do you prefer something else? Have your tasted changed with time? I'll try and get some samples up shortly.

I reserve my opinion till I hear the samples, but the descriptions are interesting. From the sounds of it, I'm sure I'd like it.
Has my taste changed with time? Indeed! I went from classic rock, to pop-indie, then...plunged into death metal and hardcore.

I find myself in an odd situation with regards to music tastes- I have, compared to my peers a somewhat "odd" music taste. I listen to alot of what I tend to deem "mainstream alternative" - stuff like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine etc. Although such bands have/had significant radio play, they're more of an "acquired" taste. Most of my peers, like I say are far more what I deem mainstream- basically your run of the mill radio rock.

Despite this seemingly antagonistic force against my friends, I find myself trying to actually distance myself further from the tastes of people around me- I pride my individuality. Take for example, Muse. I really like Muse, but as I find their popularity growing, I dont enjoy listening to them as much. The constant radio play takes their edge away. The almost complete lack of division between people who like them and those who dont. Once everyone likes them, there's no chance to debate merits- since there is no goal to be reached in debating them.

Consequently I'm trying to delve into the less known bands around. So far I've had little luck actually finding much I like, with my tastes remaining somewhat stuck in the early 90s. On the other hand, I've begun looking at what influenced these bands- such as MC5, My Bloody Valentine, the Velvet Underground among others. The issue with this is that there is little to no underground movement in such styles of music these days, at least not locally. I guess my tastes move with my desire for individuality.

My tastes are also becoming somewhat clearer thanks to me learning to play. It's actually rather interesting how different my listening and playing tastes are. Song writing will ultimately test me really, although I've only just begun this.

:wumpscut: - Wreath of Barbs
VNV Nation - Epicentre
KMFDM - Risen

Friendly suggestion: Millionaire. Belgian band. Matt Bellamy of Muse names them as an influence for the latest album.

So, while your friends listen to muse, you can listen to what muse listens to, thus putting you on the same level as muse :-)

M

fansite:
http://www.millionaire-fansite.com/mainpage.htm
official site:
www.millionaire-theband.com/
allmusic: samples, try "champagne" and "come with you" (You might need a login, but it's a great site)http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...0:ca9us36wa3dg

My musical tastes have traveled a life-long journey through every conceivable genre, traversing a meandering path, with occasional blind alleys and detours, and in retrospect, covering quite a lot of ground. I would imagine that it's the same for most people my age.

There is just so much damn music in the world, it really does take a very long time to find out about a decent amount of it and know what you like. When I was 15, I was into metal. When I was 17, I was into punk, industrial, and stuff from the sixties and seventies. Then I got into electronic music. Then I got into jazz and classical. The more you discover, the wider your tastes become.