fredag 9 Apr 2010, 1:01

The Ultimate Music Survey

Tadaa! Motivation: too much study, both already done and still to do. *headdesk*

Let’s start with the good stuff.

What is your favorite genre of music?
Okay. I'm consciously squashing the 'impossible question' response… What about 'singer-songwriter'? Yes?

Why?
Because it's open enough (but accurate if you go by last.fm tags), and because I love the idea of music as self-expression.

Name your favorite band(s).
Runrig, because of my dad. Lots of power and positivity, lots of guitar, and just a little bit of almost-preachy social commentary. All good stuff. :-)

What is your favorite album?
Waiting For You, by Gordon Lightfoot, eternally, for silly emotional reasons. I love the bluesy feel, the crispness, the mellow, melancholy guitar and his gorgeous husky voice. The - is it a triangle? - the tinkly thing in Ring Them Bells, too - it gives me shivers.

Name your favorite song(s).
Sticking to those available on last.fm:
1. William Fitzsimmons' - Passion Play
If you've heard it, the reason is clear. It's beautiful, in the way that makes me want to smile and cry and hug somebody every time I hear it.
2. Runrig - Our Earth Was Once Green
"Mountains are holy places, and beauty is free." Self-evidently fantastic. :-)
3. Ray LaMontagne - Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's a Shame)
Damn, I love this! The beat is great, his voice is gorgeous and raspy, and its got just enough of a folky twang.

Favorite song you DON'T have.
Thinking, thinking… The Captain Planet theme song. Blue-skinned, green-haired heroes have never been so cool.

Favorite lyrics.
Would it be cheating if I said I never listened to lyrics? The melody, the beat and the ebb and flow of the voice is what gets me - kinda like the way I see art: colours first. But then there's songs like Pachelbel by Karma:

But I can hope
I can think of you at times
Thought it best to let you know
You crept into my mind
And it's too late to say goodbye
It's too early yet to think you can't be mine

So we'll talk every now and then
About our day-to-day
Never saying the things
We both planned to say
I think I smile a little differently
When you're close by
You make it hard for me to push all my fears aside

Impossible love. Sigh.

Favorite vocalist.
Well, Ray LaMontagne is growing on me. The more I hear of him, the more comforting his distinctivly raspy voice becomes. Those little soft moments - like in Empty - are gradually wearing down my 'okay, just another indie folk guy' view of him. :-)
Another favourite is Sarah McLachlan, who astonishes me.

Favorite rapper.
Not really a rap kinda girl, so I'm picking Big & Rich. Feelgood country-rap crossover beats (quickly does 'rap' tag search to find names)… 50 Cent any time, any place!

Favorite anything not mentioned.
Instrumentalists: Jesse Cook for guitar, and Ludovico Einaudi for piano. They're amazing, absolutely amazing: the tingle-causing, drift away, 'hey wait, where did the day go?' kind of amazing. (Check out Tempest or I Giorni if you don't believe me.)

And now for the bad stuff.

Before I start - I don't really believe in taste. I like Disney movies and own songs by Aqua. And Abba. And Peter Andre. (I don't listen to them often, but they are there.) So no getting offended: if there's such a thing as good and bad music, the distinction's way over my head! :-P

Least favorite genre of music.
In general, Rap, metal, hip-hop or brainless dance/pop stuff, as exemplified by System of a Down's Chop Suey or Paparazzi by Lady GaGa.

Least favorite band.
I'm so glad I haven't been listening to the radio! As it is, I have to think back a bit and say Fall Out Boy. Now, I like eyeliner. I do. I just think that too much of it is a very bad thing.

Least favorite solo artist.
Any of the idiots that treat bullet scars and easy sex as marks of success.

Most annoying musician.
Now, this changes from day to day. (I could be really mean and say Bob Dylan, but my Dad would kick me!) Awh hell, I don't know. Musicians are generally too talented to be annoying.

If you could shoot any artist or band, who would it be?
No shooting! Just cuddles.

Least favorite song.
by Kesha - TiK ToK. Ugh.

Most repetitive song.
Lady GaGa - Bad Romance. Not entirely in a bad way, but man is this on heavy rotation!

Last song to be stuck in my head.
"George, George, George of the Jungle, strong as he can be!" There is a good reason, I promise.

Did this survey just get that song stuck in your head again?
Yes. Yes it did.

Your musical background.

What was the first music you remember listening to?
Coincidentally, Gordon Lightfoot! I am so very unimaginative. :-) I remember my dad's big old Ford Falcon with its sticky tan leather seats, and the tape deck: I always wanted Waiting for You. Some things never change. Oh, and The Seekers were in there too.

What type of music do your parents listen to?
Same as me! There's a brilliant C.S. Lewis quote about growing up, along the lines of 'becoming an adult doesn't mean relinquishing old tastes, but adding new ones' - my mantra here. Country & folk are my parents' specialties.

Who was your first favorite band or artist?
My first favorite song was Way Out West by James Reyne: I think I must have been about 3, and I called it the Eeyore song (don't know why). I still love it.

Who is your most recent favorite band or artist?
Oooh, good question. My answer's Jeffrey Foucault, because he's amazing: subtle and insightful, a brilliant songwriter and a wonderful vocalist. Instant happiness.

This or that.

Classical or jazz?
Classical! Opera, opera! Ah, Placido Domingo, Simon Keenlyside, Roberto Alagna, Andrea Bocelli… Granada, for starters. Oh so definitely, I choose classical.

Classic rock or modern rock?
Classic rock, for me. Bruce Springsteen's in there!

Rock or rap?
Rock, rock, rock!

Emo or punk?
Well, I can't see myself choosing emo… So I guess that makes it punk by default. Even though I'm not really a punk girl either. :-P

Funk or blues?
Blues, for John Hiatt and his Crossing Muddy Waters. Brilliant.

Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin?
I am so not clued up. I know nothing about either. Next question!

Coldplay or Radiohead?
Have I heard anything by Radiohead? Must have, but it's not coming to mind. Coldplay. :-)

John Mayer or Jack Johnson?
John Mayer because I listen to him more, but I still love Jack Johnson. Easy-going, sand between the toes sort of music is something the world needs more of.

Eminem or 50 Cent?
Eminem, because when I was 12 I liked Lose Yourself. Do I still? Will check. (…) And that's a no. People change!

Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera?
Christina Aguilera, for Beautiful and Candyman. What can I say? I like candy. :-)

Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC?
Backstreet Boys! Does anyone remember the bit in the video for Larger Than Life when the blond guy is on the crazy surfboard thing inside the spaceship?

The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?
The Rolling Stones, easy. Never quite got The Beatles.

Ludwig van Beethoven or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
Both, but only because I don't know enough to pick. Cheating, yes, I know. No, actually, wait… Mozart. For the violins.

Electric or acoustic?
Oh, definitely acoustic! Not to say I don't like electric, but there's something special about acoustic guitar. It's irresistible to me.

Saxophone or trumpet?
Trumpet, just 'cause.

Misc.

Why do you like music?
Oh, for all the questions… But I'll give this a try. Music is expression. It's something that bypasses language (though not culture), it's something that's more closely connected to pure emotion than any other art form I can name. It's transient. It's magical, kinda: it flows through the air, drifts on the wind. It can make you happy in an instant.

When you're angry, what type of music do you listen to?
Oh god, I haven't been really angry in… ages and ages. But when I am, I don't listen to music. I think. I fume. Besides, my taste is generally very mellow. Not exactly towering rage material.

Has music ever made you cry? When?
Ah. At my Grandad's funeral, we listened to a brass band version of Concierto de Aranjuez - and ever since, that song has made me cry. Its power, its emotion: he deserved that. He was wonderful. Oh, and Puff the Magic Dragon. :-)

Has music ever made you laugh? When?
Flight of the Conchords!

If you could just chill with any musician, who would it be?
Xavier Rudd. Any man with a didgeridoo has to be friendly.