Peer Pressure: Artists You're Not Supposed To Like
 

When you've been here for a while, you find there are generally some artists which are looked down on by the majority and which, if you listen to them or profess to like them, you're laughed at. Does anyone have artists they listen to that the majority would think uncool, not worth listening to etc? I mean, we're encouraged to hate Dragonforce (rightly), Nickelback, Eagles, Coldplay etc., and I personally feel that when I listen to bands like that for the first time, my perception of them is automatically coloured by a feeling that "the guys think I should hate this" rather than "I wonder what this will be like".

With my reputation it matters little to me, as most people here will say my music taste is **** anyway, but I wonder are there others who listen to bands that might seem "not on the approved list" as it were, and who those bands are? Also, how do others feel about the perceived idea that they "should" like or hate certain artists?

Love the Eagles. What dip**** trashed the Eagles?



I don’t follow trends; I make trends.

I know some people who don't like the Moody Blues. Then again, a friend of mine was fanatical about them, so you never know.

*which

The Eagles are mediocre.

Nightwish, obviously :laughing:



I would also feel like my love of finnish pop-rock group Indica was strongly disapproved of - except I don't ever talk about them in here so... I've escaped ridicule so far.





Then of course there's my favorite band, Dir En Grey. Again, I don't really talk so much about them. I think the only reason why people don't scoff at me for having this as my favorite band is that they don't really bother with even checking it out. The reason I suspect it would be a band that provokes eyerolls in here is that that's what happens elsewhere. For some reason, just because a lot of anime fans like the band, they're seen as this **** gimmick band for animu otaku weaboos or something... Whatever. A brilliant band in my book, but they sure do provoke some negative reactions in people. Just not in here. Because no one knows them, maybe.

Yeah I'm not talking about Dir En Grey and so forth; most here probably don't know them, and even if they do I imagine they're on the "approved list". I'm talking more about the reaction you get when you say, for instance, I'm into Dire Straits, or aren't the Eagles great, or U2 have some good songs. That sort of thing. Not bands you like that nobody else knows, but bands you enjoy (even in a guilty pleasure sort of way) that the majority here scoff at.

Pretty sure most posters who frequent the metal forum would be familiar with them and would rightfully deny them a spot on da approved list.

Okay well I don't know them, and I haven't heard anyone talk about them other than MicShaz. I am however as I say talking more about the bands that get talked about a lot, and sneered at, rightfully or wrongfully, and how that can (possibly) make someone who is into those bands feel, and how they might react to people realising they listen to them.

As I say, I don't really count, as everyone thinks my music taste is up my arse anyway. :D

imo many would have scoffed at the pop thing that has become a trend on here over the past couple of years, like the Britney Spears fanboying. It's like the opposite of what TH is suggesting where you have a guilty pleasure and are pretty quiet about it, guys are out and proud with their enjoyment of mainstream pop music.

Yeah. I'm not actually saying that it's that people keep quiet about it (though I guess some do). It's more like the first time I listened to Dragonforce, I was already set up to hate them, due to what had been said about them around the forum. It was more a case of "Now, why do I hate these guys?" rather than "Will I like them?" Not sure if anyone else does that, maybe it's just me. Same with Nickelback. I retain my interest in Coldplay though: AROBTTH is still a great album.

(Ducks into a foxhole and awaits the first salvo...)
:shycouch:

If they feel attacked or stop enjoying an artist because an artist they enjoy isn't enjoyed by others, that just means that they lack the confidence to make decisions for themselves. **** those people is what I'm saying. Take it in stride like OH does with the beagles.

I only go into albums with expectations like that if they're pretty much universally acclaimed, so this really isn't an issue for me. Even when I'm checking an album out to see what all the hate is about, I try to approach it with a clean slate.

That's interesting. I definitely went into the Dragonforce with the intention of finding out what all the hatred was about. For a few tracks I was kind of, well, I don't see it. Then it hit me. Then I knew. Then I was .... reborn.

Ja we should all just be dishonest about our tastes to impress each other.

Please, don't mention Coldplay on this forum. Thanks.

Form an orderly queue please. No pushing or shoving.

A lot of things I've listened to has turned heads from people I hang out with. Most of the time it's artists they are predetermined to hate because of living up to a stereotype or peer pressure.'Oh, I"m a stereotypical goth, I'm not aloud to appreciate anything with mainstream appeal' Like Elphenor acting apologetic when he likes a song that is poppy. And he does that. I've seen it in plug. It's like, great, you all boxed yourselves into a label and sheepishly follow these rules that make you a predictable pawn for marketing. Don't hate on me for liking artists out side of the box you guys try to put me in especially when I know for a fact you have never given these artist a fair listen because of your perception and self induced box. Remember folks, the best slave is a willing slave and that's what these cultural identities, religions and political parties are creating.

Edit: And I have such an unintentionally narrow taste compared to a lot of people here, too. I bet a lot you deal with this much more than I do.

I was supposed to grow out of Circa Survive, Fall of Troy, mewithoutyou, and TTNG...

Never did. Still love them although Circa hasn't released a decent album in f*cking years.

Oh yes, I'm not supposed to like Slipknot, Lil Uzi Vert, Kanye West, Twiztid, Childish Gambino, XXXTentacion, Tech N9ne, Travi$ Scott or Desiigner depending on who I'm hanging out with. Back in the day it was definitely ICP.

Not as often as I make analogies that support my point even though I know that they're very weak forms of evidence.

Examples? If they're not outstanding then why do you like them? Art has fluid value, it's not like an unpolished song with a lot of charm is a lesser art because it's unpolished.

That's just a pretentious view on what art is supposed to be, quit trying to draw lines and let it flow free. Art is always a reflection of ourselves and the world around us. The world around us is not always intricate or thoughtful. Some times things are simple, silly and pointless. To think art that reflects that and tries to invoke that feeling doesn't hold the same merit as other art is dumb.

So what keeps it from being an outstanding piece of art if you already enjoy it and (generally) the goal of that medium is to be enjoyed? You don't have to prove anything to us, man.

Point is maybe you should question the criteria of what you use to judge anything if you enjoy something that isn't of that criteria.

So by saying this are you implying that determining the quality of art isn't also arbitrary?

Shouldn't have to defend anything you enjoy.

Edit: Unless it's baby rape.

I gave up on thinking about music as art like that years ago. You know, in terms of how high it is on some arbitrary scale of cultural worth/source of cultural capital/artistic depth and meaningfulness or whatever. Guilty pleasures don't exist in my world. If I like it, it's good music. I take music seriously as "art" in some sense, as long as I find that it's well made and expressive. Doesn't matter if it's Schöenberg og Kylie Minogue.

It is fair, but not really consistent with what we've been talking about though isn't it? That was a rhetorical question, I am well aware that it is not consistent.

A lot of times music that seems simple is actually much more layered than you realize.

So is war. Wake up America. *megaphone drop*

My judgement comes from the superficial first listen most times. Finding out some kind of hidden concept or complexities to the songs or an album makes me appreciate it more most times.

I agree. These days*, I'm actually often quite impressed with the thoughtful progressions of well written pop and singer-songwriter tunes. There can be a lot of pretty nuanced, but subtle things going on with chords, key changes, melodies, background vocals and other vocal layering, little details to add some atmosphere, thematic development, etc.

*and with "these days" I didn't mean necessarily modern songs, but more that I'm personally more able to appreciate the finely crafted simplicity of much music than I used to be.

I try very hard not to hate any artist. But I have a special level of detestation reserved for Bono. Honestly, I've only heard about 15 seconds of U2's music. But the man's politics on creativity and copyright trump even that of Lars Ulrich.

In early 2010, Bono penned a New York Times editorial in which he explicitly called on Western nations to produce Chinese-style national firewalls to protect fledgling artists’ incomes. He wrote, “But we know from America’s noble effort to stop child pornography, not to mention China’s ignoble effort to suppress online dissent, that it’s perfectly possible to track content online."

F*uck you, Bono.

They had a couple allright songs waaaaaay back.

I find Bono to be rather pretentious myself but that doesn't take away from the fact (IMO) that U2 made some amazing albums in the eighties and early nineties. Of course from Zooropa on, I kind of agree they suck.

U2 is number one on the list so get ready to be made fun of.

tbh most artists that im not supposed to like are liked by a fair few of the members here. i mentioned before that i still have a thing for early 2000s radio hip-hop so i guess stuff like 50 Cent, The Game, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, etc that i don't see people ever talk about on here. it's all one dimensional as **** but i like it so whatevs.

In answer to the OP: U2. This forum is the only place I've ever seen them slagged off so severely but I guess it's this forum we're talking about. I haven't been interested in anything they've done in the past 20 years or so but they were decent at one time.

U2 are a great example. But though I would not class myself as a fan (I have the Greatest Hits and All You Can't Leave Behind, which is a great album **** you all) I wonder if most (obviously not all, ELPH!) people's hatred of U2 stems from what ISB says about Bono. Is it the self-righteousness of this man that makes most of you hate U2's music? I mean, "New Year's Day", "The Unforgettable Fire", "Where the Streets Have No Name" ... these are all great songs. You don't agree? And I say this not being a fan as I already mentioned, so don't give me **** as a fanboy.

Bono's self-righteousness is not a part of it for me, I could honestly care less about that. What makes me dislike them is their dull and bloated music.