Is there ONE aspect that keeps you from liking a particular band/musician?

[Beware the Beast Man]

Let's take Sonic Youth. They are massively influential, have some great, noisy songs, and have pretty much kept to their principles for 25 years (ok, "Dirty" was a near-sellout, but oh well). I'd like them a lot more, but I can't abide by the vocals. Thurston Moore is not bad, but dude, you're pushing 50; you're not a teen anymore. As for Kim Gordon, the whole moaning art school girl thing is tiresome. The occasional Lee Ranaldo vocal turn isn't much better. And their lyrics are dreck. That's the one thing that really keeps me from being a big fan.

What about you?

[Blue-Jay]

1. I have a hard time liking DMB.

No, not for the obvious reasons that I'm certain people will list below.

I have a hard time listening to them because I'm tons better than on sax than Leroi Moore. He's a nice guy and all that... He just must've been in the right place at the right time to get such a cushy gig.

Dear Leroi - On my worst day, I can cut you to shreds.

[SIU_Blue]

3. About those reasons you're certain others will post

every DMB song, decent or good music (sax solos excepted), 6 minutes of whining. That irritating voice ruins it for me.

[Lethe]

29. Coldplay....

because they are good, but not good enough to live up to their own hype.

[Droopy]

2. Rage Against the Machine

I generally dislike rap-rock, but really hate it when somebody yells, "Come with it now!"

[Lady Effingbroke]

31. Zack de la Rocha "sings" like Beavis.

[Fenris]

4. Nine Inch Nails

I can give Reznor credit for creating music that is generally interesting, but he cannot write lyrics. Seriously. His writings read like they should be scrawled with a Sharpie on the locker door of some sophomore goth.

[jpgray]

5. Yep

It's like self-parody, just like how 99% of Ray Davies' lyrical subjects from 1971-present are about a vague societal menace stamping out creativity and individuality.

[Fenris]

6. I suppose Davies could be given credit for sticking with a theme.

But if you stick with a theme for longer than, say, two albums, you're in trouble.

[Beware the Beast Man]

7. Trent Reznor is to industrial music

what Europe was to death metal.

I have to admit, "The Downward Spiral" was a brilliant disc in terms of programming, though.

[anarch]

8. I'd probably like Nickelback ok,

if their music didn't suck.

[Beware the Beast Man]

9. I'd like them if I had an IQ of seven,

or if I was a Clear Channel program director (the two are interchangeable).

[nytemare]

10. Tool.

I like all different kinds of music, dark included. But if there is no form of light, either in the lyrics or the music, I tend to get turned away.

[Droopy]

13. I liked Tool when I was depressed

When the world is getting to be too much and it seems like everybody around you is an asshole, that's when it's Tool time. It also might be time for an anti-depressant. ;)

[intheflow]

11. Bob Dylan.

(...says intheflow, ducking and covering to avoid flamings.)

Don't get me wrong. I love the guy's music.
When other people cover it.

But Dylan's voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me. The exception song that proves the rule is "Maggie's Farm".

[Arugula Latte]

17. Do you like his vocals on Lay, Lady, Lay?

To me, he sounds different on that song than a lot of others.

Although different doesn't necessarily translate into "good," I do like the vocals on that song.

[intheflow]

34. No. Though I used to, oddly enough.

Then I had this wise-guy boyfriend once who did a truly horrible imitation of Dylan singing Lay Lady Lay. Boyfriend was annoying in so many ways, I think that particular song is a bit of PTSD for me at this point. :P

[bliss_eternal]

19. Not gonna' flame you...

...because I have to agree. There's maybe two Bob Dylan songs that I can listen to and actually enjoy. The others, while featuring profound lyrics, make me want to pull all my hair out.

His voice bugs me, too...You put it perfectly.

[miss_kitty]

37. I have hated Dylan since the 60s.

He makes my ears bleed. And the fact that John Hammond 'discovered' him put me off Springsteen for years (as in don't know his music at all, but like him now when I see him) as that was such a powerful connection.
Hate Maggie's Farm, BTW. But Lay Lady Lay makes me want to jam sharp implements into my ears.

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

12. Metallica

Because of the way that they attacked Napster/file sharing and their fans. Regardless of their opinion on the topic, they handled it very very poorly and turned me off completely. I was a big fan before that. Now I just want them to shut the fuck up.

[Droopy]

14. I want to tell them to stfu too after that shitty album that they made

Bastards sold 2 million copies of that hunk of shit on their name alone.

[Beware the Beast Man]

15. It doesn't help that they've blown since 1991, either.

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

16. You're right, Napster was the icing on the cake.

[LaraMN]

18. Backstreet boys.

Their music.

[bliss_eternal]

20. The new breed of garage band, in heavy rotation on MTV.

The way they have somehow 'branded' that whiny, so-called singing into an actual sound. They all sound exactly the same to me. This pop-pseudo-garage-rock, sucks ass.

Sadly, I don't have many specific names, I go out of my way to avoid their music at every opportunity. One I can think of is Hot Hot Heat. HATE them!

Do any of the younger generation have the balls to do something even remotely original with their music? Do they have ANYTHING to say?

[asthmaticeog]

21. "the younger generation... Do they have ANYTHING to say?"

:eyes:

Your dad said that 20 years ago. Rock on.

Yeah, there are plenty of KILLER original young bands out there. They're just not on the radio. Radio programming execs play it safer and safer every year, so yeah, the music you run across when you're not actively digging for the good stuff is going to be dross.

BTW - you're totally right about Hot Hot Heat. They suck asswater.

[bliss_eternal]

24. I don't mean to blanket the younger generation...

because you're right in that the radio programming makes it look like they ALL suck. But there are some great younger bands out there.

Oh geezus--I fuckin' hate this group. Sorry, I'm on Fuse as I type, Simple Plan was on--they are representative of what I spoke of, sooooo whiiiiiny! Drink a big mug of Shut the Fuck up and stop the whining, dammit!

The initial garage band sound, like the Vines, kicked much ass--love them! But the generic, pop knock offs, are horrible.

[asthmaticeog]

27. Ahhh, there's that radio thing again...

The Vines are FAR from the initial garage band sound. The initial garage bands of the current revival wave were homage bands like the Hentchmen, Rocket 455, the Bassholes and the Fells, who you will never ever hear on radio ever unless you catch a college show with an obsessive geek spinning the tunes. The Vines are as much an over-stylized knockoff as the White Stripes or the Hives, which is why you've heard of them - they've been groomed to heard-of.

As for whiny, hells yeah, man, I hear you. Don't get me started on what Emo has turned into.

[Beware the Beast Man]

23. The Hives, however, deserve the hype.

[bliss_eternal]

25. Fantastic band!

The Vines, the Hives, no complaints--it's the ones that came AFTER them, and tried to copy their sounds, but made it more adolescent and annoying.

Blech!

Put some fuckin' feeling and anger in that angst and crank it, wussy boy!

[fiveleafclover]

22. Any band with a singing drummer

I'm not really sure why it bugs me so much, but it does. If you want to sing and be in the spotlight, then get out there and do it. If you want to play drums, then go hide behind the drums.

I've never heard anybody play drums well while singing anyway.

DOWN WITH SINGING DRUMMERS

[bliss_eternal]

26. I take it you didn't care for

the Phil Collins/Genesis years?

:evilgrin:

I'm with Matt and Trey of South Park, he's a douche...

[fiveleafclover]

33. Nah, never cared much of Phil Collins or Genesis

A lot of people tell me I should, but I just ignore them.

[bliss_eternal]

28. How could I forget, Gwen Stefani.

I've tried SO HARD to like her solo project, but I honestly just don't. It irritates the shit out of me. I wanted to like it, I really did. I'm a No Doubt fan, and have always enjoyed her work with the group, but frankly this cd just sucks to me.

If I had to isolate one aspect of it it would be the incessant product name dropping. The way she used at least an entire song to plug her clothing line. I know you have a clothing line, I get it. :eyes: Really annoying!

Some of the singles are more irritating than others. The ones' that aren't an absolute chore to listen to are completely boring.

[chaska]

30. Eric Johnson's prissy voice and prissy perfectionism.

[Canadian Socialist]

32. The Pretenders

For some odd reason, Chrissy Hynde's voice grates on me like nails on a blackboard. :shrug:

[Rabrrrrrr]

36. I feel the same way - it's a band that I wish I could like,

but I just can't because of the singing. Partly because of the music, but mostly the singing - and the way they mix her voice, too. PErhaps if they let her sing without mixing the fuck out of it and taking out all the highend overtones or whatever the fuck they do to make it sound like mung, she might really have a nice voice.

But we'll never know.

[Rabrrrrrr]

35. Rap.

And the only thing that bothers me about it is that it sucks. If it didn't suck, I am sure I would like it.

And let's add hop hop and modern country to that list, too.

[bliss_eternal]

38. I was going to say rap--

but I don't dislike ALL rap--just most of the contemporary rap/hip hop. I like most of the old school, hip hop and rap--Run DMC, Beastie Boys (like their current stuff too),Public Enemy, KRS-one, Salt n' Pepa, etc.

But most of today's stuff (again, exception the Beasties) leaves me cold.

I can't even say I dislike all of country--most, not all. Some of the country artists have done some work I've enjoyed, their politics--whole different issue. :eyes: