If you have ever visited my last.fm
page you might wonder
random landscape you had stepped in to.
Eclectic. Yes, you could say that. Even just looking at my top 6 you'll
see The Beatles, Iron
Maiden and Jethro
Tull. Who listens to all that?
So to cast off the rumour that my taste in music is actually no taste at
all, I thought I would throw together a list of the things I look for in
my music. A tick next to any one of them will get the music a listen.
Two or more and I've probably found a new favourite.
So without any further ado and in no particular order (except perhaps
#1).
A beat that your head can bang along to. Self-inflicted whiplash?
Yes, please.
Unusual instruments. Think flute and mandolin (thank you Jethro
Tull), operatic vocals in metal music, harpsichord, accordion
(button for your Sharon Shannon, piano
for Al Yankovic).
Lyrics that tell a story. Mythical themes and folklore for an extra
point.
Creative blending of genres within an album (or even a song). Tull
(again), Queen.
Folk music (Irish and English and their descendants mostly) and
anything that blends it with. Flogging
Molly for Irish folk and The
Currency for Aussie Folk
(apologies for the facebook link).
Sadness. Depressing stories and melancholy music. An offering for my
inner emo if you like. I have a special playlist on my iTunes I just
call "Melancholy".
Surprises in lyrics or music. Things that you hear that you really
wouldn't expect. Like when Ozzy Osborne
sings "They
should realize before they criticize that God is the only way to
love".
A bass line you can feel. Steve
Harris is the master.
A certain amount of obscurity. No one else has heard of this band?
Gimme.
Nostalgia. Some songs just remind me of a particular time in my life
and will always be favourites, even if they aren't very good
(hello, Duran Duran old friend).