What is it about your favorite music that makes it your favorite?

My favorite genre is R&B. The chord progressions and the singing is so intimate and emotive compared to other genres. The way singers express themselves vocally is just unparalleled. The best singers of all time always tend to be R&B or R&B adjacent — MJ, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, so many more. Yes other genres have amazing singers, but the abundance of falsetto, vocal runs and riffs, often exaggerated and pronounced nasality or “cry” singing in mixed voice (think Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men or Fred Hammond) is just not found much in other genres, or not in the same way.

My favourite genre is rock.

First reason is obvious; it sounds brilliant. The chord progressions, the lyrics, etc. that rock musicians can come up with is astounding.

But there's another factor to it: the diversity. Or, more precisely, the range.

It can range from a soft lullaby, to out-of-your-fucking mind furious, to extremely horny, to wicked and humorous, to a drug-induced train of thoughts, to a summer vibe, to hundreds of other things.

And all that with just a handful of instruments! (Vocals, guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, and some other instrument(s) if necessary.)

Incredible.

There's plenty of reasons why I love Vaporwave, especially the golden era 2012-14. To me it truly captured that feeling of being up at 5am watching the Weather Channel before high school that can't be found anywhere else. Also finally a new genre that came with a sense of fashion. What's the point of creating a new genre if there's not a look?

My favorite band is The Mountain Goats and there are several reasons why they are my favorite. First, the lyrics are some of the best I’ve ever heard. Not just that, I can really relate to them. Second, I found them at a time in my life that I needed them. Third, they put on an amazing live show every time. Lastly, they have a ton of music to fit every mood.

My favorite band is Screaming Females, an indie/punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey.

It's so hard to articulate what makes me like a certain song/genre/band. With Screamales I think it's the way the bass guitar and the sometimes funky and always punchy bass shines through in their music more than it does in a lot of other indie/alt rock. But also I just love Marissa's vocals, from their early stuff where she sounded more youthful and unrefined, to their mid and later stuff where she developed this strong bravado that you'd never expect if you heard her speaking voice.

Plus Marissa can absolutely shred on guitar and belt out these awesome guitar solos while not being obnoxious or masturbatory about it like I feel it gets sometimes with classic rock gods and prog stuff. There's just something about the tone of her guitar and King Mike's bass too that scratches an itch in my brain somewhere.

I also can't downplay how cool it is that they stayed truly independent throughout their entire time as a band, which much to my heartbreak ended late last year. Printing their own tshirts, doing their own art for posters, merch, and albums, booking shows themselves etc. No matter how their sound changed over the years, that punk rock spirit never changed and I loved that about them.

Liquid drum and bass/jungle

If you’ve ever made electronic music, you’ve probably taken a sample and tried to fit it to a drum pattern you’d prepared, and then “accidentally” squashed it to 2x speed (or vice versa) and been like, huh, it’s really fast, but somehow also really slow and comforting.

My favourite example: Matt View & Seathesky — Scenes

Big band/swing and all other forms of jazz are my favourite genres of music even though I do not know how to play or read music. I just like the way it sounds and that should be enough to explain it imo.

My favourite type of music is the kind of music that’s communal and universal. The thing about jazz and gospel music is that it encourages you to clap and sing and play along. It doesn’t have to be happy or sad, pop, rock, or classical. As long as it’s inviting and welcoming.

I think we as musicians have a long way to come when it comes to things like inclusivity. There’s a classist approach to music that I don’t agree with. But there’s also just a lack of effort from people in the arts and I’m not sure if that’s a covid thing or it’s always been a thing? I know so many musicians, professionals, amateurs, students and hobbyists, and they’re all so reluctant to work with each other. They all have a me against the world attitude and I think that’s the big problem we face as a society now.

I love a lot 70s and 80s music because of interesting chord progressions, innovative ideas, interesting instruments, and interesting beats. Music you can really jam out to at the roller rink after smoking in the parking lot beforehand. Giorgio Moroder, Amanda Lear, Baccara. And I love more adult themes and headier ideas. Take Amanda Lear for example. Follow Me is the story of Faust, juxtaposed with innovative music that David Bowie helped create. The Sphinx is another great Amanda Lear track. It causes the listener to wonder what being a silent sphinx means, with a really pounding beat, then the sweeping orchestration in the chorus.

Or take Losing my Mind by Pet Shop Boys. Driving beat, innovative use of synth, and an unabashed use of major, minor, augmented, and diminished chords. Songs like these are akin to meals at a 5 star restaurant, or a good wine. The complexities of the compositions make you think, cause you to feel the emotions of the piece, the depth.

Another piece, Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez. It’s so progressive, and tells the story of her feelings about what happened with her and Bob Dylan. It’s brilliantly written, and the instruments she chooses, juxtaposed with her angelic voice, take you to the events she’s describing.

Saved By The Bell makes a mockery of I’m so Excited by The Pointer Sisters, but if you look at the score of the original song, it does very daring things. In Dreams by Roy Orbison is another good example of some very daring chords that cause you to feel the emotions of the character throughout the story.

I love Tori Amos and Fiona Apple, Scissor Sisters because they’re so heavily influenced by the music from the 70s and 80s. They continue the legacy in the 90s and 00s.

Dream pop is such a powerful genre because it takes you into another space (a la, say, vaporware, as noted here) while also expressing deeply human emotions that are instantly relatable (a la R&B here) — the familiar and unfamiliar, at once.

Let this track wash over you with nostalgia and heartache and melancholic beauty, etc. etc. — "Saturday," the 2017 song by Desire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_MZ2XOytas

Rap music, mostly Golden Era and Eastcoast - I like it so much because I'm fascinated and floored how you can string words together like that and find intricate rhyme patterns while still having a sense of direction with what you're saying! Also how well you can fit on a beat while essentially having a talking cadence!

Otherwise I really Love modern classical music, especially Anton Webern. Because it's beautifully constructed and reveals something interesting everytime you listen/read the score

I find it so hard to describe my taste in music to people. Typically, I like rock/alternative music (my favourite band is Kasabian), but I also drift into other areas.

So many times, people have said to me "You'll really like this band..." and although they are very similar to something else I like, they just don't do it for me.

I've realised that the only criteria is that it must make me feel something. It has to hit me in the chest and give me a feeling. Whether it's listening to IDLES and getting angry or listening to The Killers and feeling like I can take on the world, it just gives me a passionate feeling

There aren't too many genres of music that I don't enjoy. I have engaged my musical tastes for 70 years now, and I love it all just about. There are some genres that I just don't get like mumble rap. Maybe if I were 50 years younger. I do like g-funk, gansta rap, old school stuff.

My heart and soul, tho, belong to the blues. It is a genre that just reaches out and touches my soul. I got turned on to the blues at a very early age, and I also started playing the guitar at around age 5. So both of those events led to my discovery and deep love of the blues. Some have misgivings about the blues. It's not all about being down and out or blue. The blues is about life and the way we live it. I tip my hat in respect for all my African American brothers and sisters who pioneered the blues. I am forever in your debt. I cannot think of one genre that hasn't been touched and influenced by the blues.

Second to the blues, and kissing cousins would be R&B/Soul/Funk/Jazz which are all very related to the blues. From there, the window is wide open. I create any kind of music that strikes my fancy from EDM to rock to whatever else. I really get off on the creation process. It's a 'high' or a rush that I get. Very addictive, in a good way.

I love early Industrial because there is a good amount of improvisation within live sets and studio albums which require creativity and technical expertise to pull off correctly. On the other hand I care very little for the antics of bands like Throbbing Gristle (esp their lead singer) because that's just a part of their performance, I am more into the electronics and techniques they used to create their live sets. The same goes for Cabaret Voltaire, all of their studio albums were interestingly crafted with a good attention of detail towards tape manipulation, sampling, and subversion. And this was during a time when computer-based sampling was nonexistent, they drew heavy inspiration from the musique-concrete of post-war musicians from the 50s and 60s.

I also like alot of other electronic music for similar reasons, especially more artsy synth-pop like OMD (But this is on the complete end of the spectrum).

I listen to a lot of Ambient and Drone. Usually there's a lot of crossover between them.

I'm quite sensitive to an atmosphere of a song and these genres often take it to the maximum. It puts me in a state of mind where I feel a bit surreal like I'm in a world that doesn't feel right. However, it's not a scary feeling. I feel this calm solitude but there's definitely a prominent somber undertone that comes from feeling as if I'm the only living being in a dead unfamiliar world. I'm small and insignificant in this world with gigantic abandoned architecture. The closest visual representation I can give you is to look at the paintings by Zdzisław Beksiński.

Another advantage of these two genres is that they work as background music when I'm busy and need to be grounded in reality but they can also be brought to the foreground so that I can lie down in my bed and drift away with it.

I have music on 24/7 and I don't just deep listen, they are mostly a mood conditioner to me. I've learned that angry music can't dispel anger, sad music can't alleviate sadness, and so on and so forth.

That's why I am very fond of calming, uplifting music that puts me in a better frame of mind. For me that includes smooth jazz (very uplifting), yacht rock/"Westcoast AOR", and 70s soft rock. I also use mellow jazz for the same purpose (think Chet Baker).

I listen to so much more, but those are the 4 genres I'm anchored in.

What I like about Sublime or The Clash is the directness of their influences. If they want to mix straight up dub and hardcore punk-they do it overtly. They will follow up a hip hop sample or beat with something that sounds straight up folk or rockabilly. They don’t have vague mid tempo mixes or ambient wankery-they threw everything in a stew and put it all on the plate. Most bands don’t have the guts or the chops to do this, and it’s why both bands are so culturally enduring and two of my absolute favorites.

I really like bill orcutt at the moment as he is a free improvising guitarist who deconstructs the American folk aesthetic. I like this because I was raised as a child on indie folk music such as that of Elliott smith and nick drake and black keys, but I also have an interest in high musicianship and experimentalism in music, and so I like this aesthetic being broken down by someone who has for years mastered their own voice

I admire people who can actually put into words why they like the music they like. My favourite genres currently are progressive rock/metal and jazz fusion. The aspect both of those genres share is the weird song structures, time signatures, etc. I guess I like that. But then, on the other hand, there's prog bands that I really don't like, and there's fairly simply genres like Blues that I do like, so it's not that those core aspects of prog/fusion are what determines whether I like certain music or not.

Basically, I really don't know what it is that I like about the music I listen to. I can go from fairly extreme Metal and complicated Jazz, to simple Blues and peaceful traditional* music. I guess it's as simple as "I like how it sounds."

*Listening to Songs From A World Apart by Lévon Minassian right now, it's beautiful traditional Armenian music with a heavy emphasis on the Duduk. Highly recommended!

Her name was Ella, and her voice could be soothing, agitated, happy, angry, sad, uplifting, playful, and demure--sometimes all at once, and seemingly without effort.

I hope that's enough words.

If not, I can add words.

Wow, what a question! Where do I begin! JOHN MARTYN, JAMES TAYLOR, RAY LAMONTAGNE, NEIL YOUNG, RYAN ADAMS, NANCY GRIFFITHS, ALISON KRAUSS, BETH HART, TRACY CHAPMAN, CHRIS ISAAC, JOSH ROUSE. WHY? They all touch my soul with deep, meaningful lyrics that you actually feel not just hear. Nothing surpasses their extraordinary song writing skills that leave you deeply touched.

My favourite music is the one that makes me feel it wasnt made in this Planet. Like an alternate version of Earth that didnt have the same history.

This happens a lot with ambient, or videogames and movies soundtracks. 

Right now, Ben Folds. The way he is able to put tragic lyrics to beautiful chords progressions is something else.

The way it sounds and the way it makes me feel. When it makes me visualize a story. When it makes me go 'how they do that?'

Happy by C2C (or basically any song by C2C. I am forever sad the duo has broken up). I like electronic music with lyrics generally, and I like funk rhythms that are danceable. The song is thematically very simple but the music itself tells a good story. Watching the music video says it all, it just makes me happy :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvY7Nw1i6Kw

It is sad electroswing is a small genre with not a lot of great work.

Oh there were many similar threads already, so it is a copy&paste from here, you can find some other answers there as well.

The things I like the most:

• Powerful, unique, outstanding vocals

• Music that is dynamic, changes a lot, incorporates few genres

• Above also applies to vocals, I like for example a moderate usage of rap or metal screams/growls, but not if the whole song is like this

• Catchy, interesting hooks and melodies

• String instruments (including piano and folk instruments)

• Dark, emotional, sensual concepts

• Niche/obscure artists *

What I don't like/avoid:

• Fast, intense beats (they make me sick)

• Very experimental, technical music

• A lot of noise/distortion etc. (prefer clean sounds)

* Generally music for me is art, and art for me is about emotions and beauty. So firstly it has to touch my heart and I don't care much if it's objectively/technically considered good. I often find very obscure artists, with just few singles on their accounts much more appealing to me, than n-th albums of very renown artists, with a lot of experience. Such first releases usually feel much more honest for me.(That's why my recent main hobby is digging up unknown, obscure artists, especially singers.)

I just like stuff that emotionally connects to me. My favourite album is the glow pt 2 which in its imperfections shows a very raw portrayl of emotions. My second favourite album is the origin of my depression and I don't even need yo explain what that's about based on its name lol. As long as you can emotionally connect to me, I'll likely enjoy your music

The despite dark times of struggle they still were able to say that the world was wonderful

When passion and rawness of talent were at the core of reason to somebody’s success. They made you feel something.

I’ve always been curious and felt more connected to the songs from way before my time. It’s the genuine emotion, pure love and creativity that really makes me want that music, that era, the way that real music feels. I think Classic Rock, Jazz and Blues all have that feeling in them. Feeling like Muddy Waters, Louis Armstrong and Jimi Hendrix.

My main kinds of music are j-pop, j-rock, game and anime soundtracks, and to a smaller degree some edm and metal.

I love j-pop and j-rock mainly for the way it sounds, I think Japanese vocalists on average tend to have very beautiful voices and I think the language itself also sounds beautiful in and of itself. Aside from that, there's a certain sense of melodicism and songwriting that just makes sense and speaks to me. I also enjoy the energetic and upbeat vibe that is often present, but there are also more melancholic or bittersweet songs in that vein that hit hard as well. And of course there's the partial crossover with anime, gaming, etc, in the form of features in soundtracks, anime openings, etc. Just up my alley.

Game and anime soundtracks are wonderful to me for the atmosphere and songwriting they have. A good soundtrack imo should really express the kind of atmosphere, tone and aesthetic the work it was composed for has, and also be perfectly Iistenable as an album aside from that. In my experience this has led to countless interesting music with unusual genre combinations, melodies and atmospheres of locations you would never find anywhere else. A lot of it is also just a lot of fun in general, with catchy melodies and all kinds of genres and vibes.

EDM got me into music in the early 2010s (mainly brostep, complextro, big room, etc) and while I loved it way more in the past, I still like it though I don't listen to it as much anymore. I love stuff with heavy or fun drops, and good rhythms, melodies and sound design.

Metal is rather hit or miss as most of it is just kinda ok to me, but every once in a while you find some metal that really slaps and that's when it's great.

I also dig the vast diversity of sounds within edm and metal, ranging from brostep to hardbass to progressive psytrance, or from heavy metal to funeral doom metal to power metal.

I don't have a favourite genre but a favourite approach.

I like experimental, personal and hardcore type of music.

I rarely like something that is smooth and appeal to the masses.

I want to have the feeling, when I listen to music, that the artist is spilling their guts.

My favourite bands are Marianas Trench and MUNA.

I’ve loved Marianas Trench since I was 5 years old, so there’s a sense of nostalgia. My older siblings introduced them to me. Josh Ramsay is my absolute favourite vocalist and he is incredibly underrated. He has such a powerful, unique vocal style and is able to use it in so many different ways. Their songwriting can be super silly or sad and serious, and I relate to many of their songs. They take themselves seriously as musicians but they are not afraid to have fun and try new things. They also put a lot of time into production and aren’t afraid to explore different genres. Not many people are making 7 minute long Bohemian Rhapsody songs anymore, but Marianas Trench is (and they’re doing it better imo). They’re the reason I became a musician and what made me fall in love with music as a young kid.

MUNA is more of a recent discovery, in 2021 I was introduced to their song “Silk Chiffon” because I was a fan of Phoebe Bridgers and it featured her. Katie Gavin’s songwriting is my favourite and I find it incredibly emotional, sensitive and relatable. She also has a very unique voice and uses vocal techniques that aren’t super big in pop music that I admire. They do almost all of the production by themselves, and they’re a group of 3 lesbians and are very outspoken and vocal about global issues which makes me proud to be a fan, especially as a young queer woman. I love their synthy sound and how they incorporate their very different influences into amazing songs. They’re also very funny, good people which makes me love their music anymore. Their song “Everything” is the most beautiful, heartbreaking song I have ever heard and I can only listen to it in moderation.

The Mountain Goats hands down. The lyrics are poetry and John Darnielle delivers them in such way that it makes me want to weep with joy.

I’m mostly a lyrics man with the instruments being secondary.

I’m a huge fan of punk and adjacent genres like grunge/noise rock, I think largely because these genres to me allow for the expression of unfiltered human emotion. This goes well with a low fi production style which i’ve always been partial to, I’m also very much in favor of the largely welcoming and positive nature of the punk community

I mean just listen https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4aIMkeAGJtQWW5gw1xxHoC?si=GmYAaccbRiKLe4MlefBD6Q&pi=u-KGFbESbFTMGY

“Revisions” is a remix album by The Glitch Mob that mixes tracks from previous albums. It’s is brilliant front to back, and essentially one long mix. It is absolute fan service in the best way and I think the group knew it was needed before taking a more Drum n Bass style that longtime fans were not super keen on. If you are familiar with the tracks being mixed you are taken for an adventure through those albums, through your own emotions toward them, through the band’s history (they’ve used custom-made invented instruments—RIP The Blade), and even surprises in things like drops and breakdowns departing from the familiar and expectant places. All-in-all, as a fan of The Glitch Mob for many years, this felt like a goodbye. And it was mind-blowing to see the arrangements fit where least expected.

For me, it's not about liking a genre or type of music, but desperately seeking out authenticity.

I love hearing the emotion in an artists voice. I love voices that are entirely unique and a little bit different. I want to hear every note of every instrument and understand its part in the whole piece. So much of today's music is offputting to me - just a mishmash of overproduced noise.

Most of all, I love lyrics. I've learned so much about people and the world from the hundreds of thousands of songs I've listened to, many on repeat. I love hearing/seeing people express themselves, and music is such a pretty way to package challenging feelings and ideas.

If we talk about song, I will say the relatability of it's lyrics. If we talk about music, it would be it ability to make me feel peace and soothing.

It was not so long ago I realized how video games especially of the 90's and The Legend of Zelda have shaped my music taste while that whole period of time adds to the way I experience emotion through music. I like all kinds of music and as long as I can feel empathetic about it, I can work with either super organic sound design like in soul, rnb or jazz or be very abstract about it in electronic music That's one reason why I have mad respect for Björk, because she tends to hit that sweet spot where she approaches the best of both worlds. I'm also a guitar player and my prog side always gets me intrigued when artists change their sound over time, or even blend several stylistics from different genres together. I admire the taste of trying out new things and be dorky about it more than releasing the same music again and again like ACDC, Volbeat for example. I'm I wanna feel the human emotion behind the music, that's my main strive and when I got that going, digging their music usually follows like that.