Young Writers Society

I have never had a huge interest in music, but now I would really like to find something that interests me.
The problem is that I don't really know what kind of music I like.

All I can say is that I generally do not like the type of music that is popular right now. Thanks to my sister, I have to listen to the top 40 radio station almost 24/7, and have had quite enough of it.

I need some music that has interesting well written lyrics, as a good sound, which could of course encompass a lot of different types of music. So I am open to pretty much anything. What do you suggest?

I'll try to get links.

Groups
Low vs. Diamond. Here's their amazing song Heart Attack. They're pretty recent but completely made of win. If you must watch one single video out of all the links here, watch "Heart Attack". It's just...poetic, man. I was hooked on it for weeks.

The Decemberists (Sixteen Military Wives and The Crane Wife Part 3). These guys are hit-or-miss, but a lot of fun if you're into their stuff.

The Cardigans. Hanging Around -- they're kind of country-ish but also pretty nice.

Manic Street Preachers -- they did a hit single with Nina Persson, the lead singer of the Cardigans. Your Love Alone is Not Enough.

Finger Eleven -- meh. I only really like them because of Paralyzer, but you might like 'em.

Celtic Woman -- if you're into lightly instrumentalized, highly amazing female vocalists. Chloe Angnew's Nella Fantasia, and You Raise Me Up.

Celtic Thunder -- Meh. Male version of Celtic Woman. They've got nice voices, but they're more eye candy than anything else.Heartland.

Straight No Chaser -- a capella deliciousness. Their original show tune and their totally jazzed-up version of The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

Soloists

Loreena McKennitt. She's kind of Celtic and eastern European and old-timey, but she released a Christmas album recently and it's gorgeous. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.

Vanessa Mae. She's a kind of techno-ish violinist -- interesting, at the very least. Laughing Buddha.

Sheila Chandra. More eastern goodness. Ever So Lonely and the Celtic dirge Lament of McCrimmon.

Regina Spektor. A really incredible Brazillian vocalist. Fidelity and Samson are my favorites.

Random Songs that Might Get Your Interest
Hijo De La Luna ("Son of the Moon". Ignore the Harry Potter video attached.)

Eyes by Rogue Wave

Passion by Utada Hikaru. There's a English version called Sanctuary, but I couldn't find it unattached to a AMV.

I Know, You Know, better known as the Psyche theme song. Watch it.

Hollow by Submersed.

The Pretender by the Foo Fighters

Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore by the High Kings

Inner Universe and Rise by ORIGA

And also, if you like extremely strange music (like me) you'll get a kick out of Jonathan Coulton's arsenal of science-infused music - the best album there is "Our Bodies, Ourselves, Our Cybernetic Arms".


...
I need a life! XD

**Dang Sumi, you took all the good ones :P**

Minerva I know how you feel with the whole Top 40 songs 24/7. My older sister sat me down in front of her radio because I couldn't decide which CD I wanted for my birthday... *sighs depressingly* After listening to the Top 40 like a thousand times I eventually told her to just get me an iTune giftcard, which she did.

Wow... Okay I got off track for a second anyway... on with the music!

-=-=-=-=-

Groups:

All Time Low: All they're music is amazing but their songs Remembering Sunday and Lullabies are my favorite. Just a little information on Lullabies; It was written after the lead singer, Alex Gaskarth, lost his older brother to suicide. The song has parts of his suicide note in it and it was really hard on Alex to write it. If you ever see them in concert (considering you like them at all) then you'll realize that it's still hard for him to sing it.

Boys Like Girls: Okay, ever since I listened to this amazing band their song Thunder was always my favorite with The Great Escape at a close second. Also, if you like this band then you should definately hear their cover of Let Go by Frou Frou. :D

Cute Is What We Aim For: These guys are a hit-or-miss like The Decemberists that Sumi talked about. At first I didn't like them, but after a while (a long while) I warmed up to them. Curse of Curves is probably my favorite out of them.

The Higher: Haha! I instantly fell in love with this band! Their music isn't all that head-banging or eardrum busting. Heh, all their songs are pretty cool but my personal favorites are Pace Yourself and 31 Floors.

The Academy Is...: These guys are great as well. Now, if you're like a lot of my friends you might not like this band because of William Beckett's (the lead singers) voice. All my buds say he sounds like a girl. However, their song Everything We Had is my favorite.

The Maine: These guys are awesome! I instantly fell in love with them when I heard their cover of Akon's I Wanna Love You. I know that sounds wierd, but it's true! Out of their own songs I love Everything I Ask For!

A Skylit Drive: Okay, I feel like kicking it up a notch. These idiots (who I love) are a screamo/emo band. I adored them once I got used to their genre and understoof what they were saying. Haha. A Reason For Broken Wings is my favorite from them. The link I gave you includes the lyrics just incase you can't understand what they're screaming! Oh, by the way, don't let their appearances fool you, they're not all that bad in person! (My sister was terrorfied of them so I had to go to one of their concerts with my friend and her sister.) Oh! Almost forgot! Drown the City is a good one.

Watch Out! There's ghosts!: Sadly, soon after A Skylit Drive made their first video their former lead singer, Jordan Blake, left the band. *sighs* But, luckily he joined this one and I, personally, love them! The Shake Up and I Ruin Dreams Not Nightmares are my faves from them.

Divided By Friday: These guys are just starting out! The three bigger ones are seniors in high school, and JP, the small blonde one is a junior. And yes, they're all guys! Haha. Anyway, So Long Utah is their best one so far.

Solos:

Ah. I only know a couple.. sooo here I go!

Nickasaur: This guy is so amazing! He does mainly techno but also does covers of some songs. Rocketships and Radios is one of my favorite songs of his own. Coconut Juica, Buy You A Drank, and With You are his best covers.

Nevershoutnever: Haha, another guy that rides solo. He does everything on his own. Preform, mix, create, everything. Anywhozels, his BigCityDreams is my fave.

()()()()()()

Yeah so that's all I have... I'm also brain dead right now so, good luck!

I'm sorry I can't provide you with any links right now, but I seriously suggest you try ABBA.

Yeah, I know. It's 70's, but what can I do? ABBA's music is actually really good.

Try Celine Dion. She's never really at the "top of the charts," but she has covered everything from your Christian ballad to a neo-house cover. (Neo-house=a kind of dance music) Plus, she has one heck of a voice. Listen to "If You Asked Me To" (from the '90s) and you'll see what I mean.

Also, I recommend (if you're more in a beat-heavy sound) Natalie Walker. Her voice is simply incredible. It doesn't match the diva critique, but it does well on the electronica stuff that she makes.

If you're in very dreamy music, you should check out Emmy Rossum. She's famous for being an actress, but her debut "Inside Out" (released in 2007) has never rocketed. She layers her voice and uses some Enya-like techniques. But it is still very much modernized. I would buy her entire album. It's fantastic.

Rock

Rise Against: Post-hardcore, extremely well-written lyrics, and catchy riffs. If you want an adrenaline rush and you want a revolution, this high-minded, cerebral band is for you.

AC/DC: Classic hard rock. Recommended songs = Back in Black, Thunderstruck, Highway to Hell.

Coldplay: A little more mellow, great lyrics, kind of hit-and-miss in my book, but some people are crazy about them.

Van Morrison: Classic rock again, from the sixties and seventies. Catchy, fun stuff. Upbeat.

Disturbed: Heavier than Rise Against (metal) but not too heavy. Despite being tagged as being metal, this band tends to stray into the hardrock arena with a more musical and less discordant sound than their peers.

Fall Out Boy: They've sold themselves to the media and a lot of highminded people have shoved them aside, but they've got some good songs on their newest album, Folie A Deux. Lyrics don't make much sense, following in Panic at the Disco's footsteps.

The Beatles: No collection is complete without them. Just good music.

Guns N' Roses: Take me down to the paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty!

The Killers: Straying into the world of synth often, this group is probably my favorite at the moment. Good stuff.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers: Their new album, Stadium Arcadium, has some really fun stuff on it. They're kind of a funk/rock band. Groovy stuff.

System of a Down, Three Days Grace, and Panic at the Disco all have some good music to offer as well.

Techno:

Basshunter: Sometimes laughably simple with their lyrics, this group can still deliver a really catchy techno song.

That's all I have time for...

-Kylan

Daniel Powter, James Morrison or Katie Melua for something more sophisticated.

The Killers are great, like Kylan said. As are Keane.

Definitely Lifehouse, their lyrics can be like poetry and the melodies are awesome!

Alkaline Trio. Here's their YouTube channel: http://uk.youtube.com/user/alkalinetrioofficial?ob=4 I adore them. <3

Yay, I love recommending music! I have a really... strange and varied taste in music. You've got some great suggestions so far... especially Regina Spektor... love her!

If you want something quite and relaxing go with Matt Costa, Jack Johnson, or Joshua Radin, Corinne Bailey Rae, or Colbie Caillat. You can't get anymore mellow than them, and the lyrics are really good.

If you want something a little bit more upbeat go with Phantom Planet, they're really good and have a big variety of songs. Most famous for "California," the OC theme song, hate the show but love the song .

Tegan and Sara are very different, if you're in the mood for something a little bit off the beaten path but still pop-ish, go with them. My favorite is "Back in Your Head."

Fiona Apple has a beautiful voice, her music is sort of alternative rock without being too alternative, if that makes any sense. It's dark and different and great study rock.

You can't really get anymore Indie-sounding than The Shins, they're cool and "hip," as the kids would say.

If you want something funkier and more R&B go with John Legend. It's kind of top 40 but it's SO GOOD!

Lastly...
John Mayer. I know, he's got some Top 40 hits, but the ones that make it to the Top 40 are the worst of his work. Look past his playboy public image and you see really heartfelt music and some experience in every kind of music under the sun. If you have iTunes, go search him and look at his full song list, you'll find everything from acoustic pop to blues to songs with Common and Kanye West.

I don't know if this is your style but from all the other suggestions you've gotten so far I'm sure you'll find something you'll like.

-Shannon

Chupatoasta wrote:
The Maine: These guys are awesome! I instantly fell in love with them when I heard their cover of Akon's I Wanna Love You. I know that sounds wierd, but it's true! Out of their own songs I love Everything I Ask For

Yes, yes, yes! I love these boys! I saw them in November and they were so good. They've mastered the pop-rock sound.

...well, everyone's got an opinion and has jumped in on this, so I will too. My musical tastes are way left field compared to the pack here though. But we'll start simple.

If you find simpler song-writing and short songs that are mellow or positive to listen to, then you'll defenitely enjoy listening to bands like 311, Sublime, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Other bands in this department I'd suggest are Porcupine Tree, RED, Avenged Sevenfoldl, and Black Sabbath, Collective Soul, and of course, Led Zepplin. There are some 'harder' bands that are a bit more hard rock, but still are generally upbeat to listen to, like Kyuss, and the Melvins (Both are great great bands.) Chevelle's album Point #1 is a decent album to get into Chevelle. Tool's a great band. King Crimson, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Johnson are great to get into as well.

There are other nice simple bands like that, but they're easy to find nowadays. i'm going to present you with some extreme bands now; either they're extreme in that they're not about song-writing, or they play even longer, complex songs. I'll start with the bands that have really interested me in that department: Isis, Rosetta, and Pelican, though my emphasis is defenitely on both Isis and Pelican.

I also heavily suggest getting into ambient music, because it's not on the radio, and it's much more interesting, fun and intelligent to listen to than generally most of the stuff out there. Robert Rich, Tim Hecker, Steve Roach, Lustmord, Ian Boddy, and artists similar to them are great men to listen to; especially when you find a collaboration effort between any of these men.

And now, I'm going to get into the really, really extreme stuff that few people like. These bands and their sounds are like wine; they have an acquired taste only a few will like. The first is a Black-Sabbath-Inspired band called Electric Wizard. Another great extreme band is the Necks, a minimalist Jazz band. These bands are wild, and their songs (especially the Necks) can get long, and boring to some. But to me they show what brilliance can be concieved in minimalism.

You might also be one of those people who find themselves fascinated with jazz; as I said above, the Necks are a great jazz band to get into; they're the best Australian jazz band, and one of the best Aussie bands in the world today, in my opinion. John Coltrane and Miles Davis are also essential to any jazz lover.

At any rate, I always talk too much about music when someone asks about it. If you really are curious about exploring different genres and sounds of music, just pm me sometime, and I'll give you more to look at.

If you like soft music, go for Enya. Her voice is so amazing.

if you want tribal feeling sound, go for Enigma.

If you like folk music, i would suggest Clannad or Nickel Creek.

I say you check out this link to Forever Threnody's Top Ten Songs List.

topic43394.html

These are my favorites professionally compiled into a list.

Peace, Love and Sugar Packets~
Forever Threnody