All part of the genre? or, If you like this you must/should like this!

Isbjørn · 01-28-2014, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trillian

This. I tend to get more excited when I hear a band doing something new than I really feel a specific connection to a genre/sound. It doesn't have to be completely groundbreaking, but I at least want a fresh spin on SOMETHING when I hear a new band. It't the whole Led Zeppelin vs Wolfmother thing. I love shoegaze, but I don't want to listen to another Slowdive/MBV copycat.

Honestly, I have pretty decent amounts of music from most genres. Metal is the only one that comes to mind that I just can't get into, and that has more to do with the scene/attitude associated with the genre than the way the genre sounds, really. That and the fact that metal lyrics tend to be pretty terribad (and normally I'm not turned off by bad lyrics - they usually don't matter much to me at all). And that the bands and the fans take themselves so seriously.

Just note that in most cases metal shouldn't be taked seriously, and that many of the writers are intelligent people (Iron Maiden comes to mind). You're missing out on something.

Forward To Death · 01-28-2014, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Yeah, crap title I know: I'm tired.
Main idea is, from a point made in another thread, if you're into a specific genre should you reasonably be expected to like all or most of the bands in that genre? Or even subgenre? Like if you're into thrash metal, you probably love Metallica and Megadeth, but should you have to love Slayer? Or like me: big prog fan but there are bands I don't like who are considered a big part of the genre --- ELP, Yes to a degree, Jethro Tull --- and people generally think "Wow you like Genesis (say) but you don't like Tull (say)? Thought you were a prog fan! How can you not like Tull?" etc.

So the question is: should you feel, if you like, obligated to like or at least tolerate the "big bands" in your selected genre or genres, or is it acceptable and understandable to say "I like bands X and Y but not Z" and not expect to be stared at like you just arrived in the mothership?

Whaddyaz think? I have definitely come across this attitude (without any malice but sometimes with a little derision) in my chosen genre. Has it happened to you and if so what do you think about it?

Tell me in the morning: I'm for bed.
Someone invent a "sleeping" smiley please...

No, if you don't like a band, how can you force yourself to like them because of a label they're attached to? I guess you can, but it's a pretty stupid concept, liking something because of a generalization. I think you can like certain genres, based on elements that are common to genre, without liking all music from the genre. It's called listening to the music and being critical. If you can listen to music and identify what you like or dislike about it, then congrats, you're doing it right!

I usually suggest music based off of my knowledge of what a person likes, and genres/subgenres and elements within that genre are usually what I go off of. It usually works to "go back to the well", because most people do like a certain genre. Even then, I doubt anyone will actually like music just because it's from a genre. That would mean that they liked every single song that's associated with the album, and I just find that hard to believe.

This is the same principle, in reverse, for writing off entire genres, though I'm 100% certain that there are plenty of people who write off entire genres, because it's much more natural to hate something that you're not used to hearing than it is to like it.