Opinions of music based on positive and negative emotions, thoughts, and influences.

[Halo Infinity]

I hardly see this side of opinions being discussed when it comes to music. I normally see topics about how innovative, talented, and original music is, or the complete opposite of that. And I'm not talking about being angry, annoyed, and depressed because the music sounds awful to you. I'm talking about how music can either make you feel better or worse. It just occurred to me that this topic isn't really discussed as much. I only came across it when I spoke to a few acquaintances about Nine Inch Nails.

They said they either gave up, or minimized listening to Nine Inch Nails because they found the topics and emotions to be negative, and they noticed how it negatively affected their thoughts and outlook on life. And not to my surprise, that's why some of them said they stopped listening to other rock bands and genres of rock and rap. Are there any musicians, albums, and songs that you stopped listening to due to giving you a negative outlook on life? Were the songs and lyrics far too depressing for you to handle? Did the music subject you to other negative moods like anger?

I also couldn't think of a better way to word the thread title, but I think it gets to the point. And yes, I'm not referring to talent either. Most of them actually found lots of talent in NIN, but the lyrics and moods of some of the songs brought them down. (One of them even had anger management issues, and stopped listening to rap because of that.) And from the looks of it, most of them wanted uplifting, positive, and inspirational songs and lyrics.

And yes, I get that music shouldn't be blamed as a scapegoat for such things either, but I could see why one would avoid certain genres and songs if they triggered such negative thoughts, emotions, and memories.

[Space Suicide]

The only music I avoid is music made for the masses and money solely. That music lacks emotion. I guess I hate music that lacks real emotion.

[piggy]

What Space Suicide says is absolutely true. Emotion is probably the most important link that we have to music and ultimately I think it's what makes it rewarding to listen to. Something might be catchy or fun, but if it doesn't connect with something inside of you, then it's almost strictly for entertainment value and there's not much there that will draw you back for years to come.

And NIN has the exact opposite effect on me as the people you talked to. I've been dealing with depression for most of my life and rather than plunging me deeper into those feelings, it actually helps me work through them and purge them from my system. The catharsis is a huge reason why I love NIN and it's my go-to music for those times.

On the other hand, I recently tried to get into Codeine even though slowcore is not my thing. It was sort of a natural curiosity branching out of my growing interest in shoegaze. Anyway, even though it was nice music, I found it a little too bleak to listen to and decided that it was actually dangerous for me to possess something like that.

Then of course there is music that unfairly gets kind of ruined on a personal level, due to strong links to events or people from the past that they have a hard time dealing with. There are certain songs that can throw me into an incredibly wistful mindset because they remind me of someone I was in love with for a long time. And there are songs that remind me of when my dad died, and so on.

[eversonpoe]

i was listening to the weakerthans album "reconstruction site" (an old favorite) while doing dishes the other day. "plea from a cat named virtue" came one and, while i've always loved the song and had a strong emotional connection to it, i never realized how different my connection to it had become in the last couple years. i started bawling uncontrollably, but at the same time, i felt so incredibly uplifted and empowered.

backstory:
when i was going through a really rough time at the end of 2010, beginning of 2011 (after ending a 4-year abusive relationship), a friend of mine anonymously sent me the song (with which, as i said, i was already familiar) and the words "i know you're strong."

even thinking about it know makes me want to cry in such a positive way.

in general, my favorite kind of music is that which can make me feel simultaneously melancholy and euphoric. the combination of such positive emotions with a strong undertone of sadness makes me feel incredible. i've tried to achieve that balance in my music over the years, and whenever i manage to write a song that falls into that category, i feel an overwhelming sense of pleasure. (here is an example where i feel i've done just that)

also, dead can dance is a band that pretty consistently makes me feel extremely deep emotions.

anyway, i'm done rambling.

[onthewall2983]

This is an interesting topic, and one appropriate for this forum I think. The thing I value most of all in music is skill. It can mean any number of things, whether it's being an excellent guitar player, a drummer who can really swing, or a song-writer who's message is always true to what someone else is feeling most of all themselves.

The application of a high-level of technical skill and a similar emotional quality is very rare to find, especially in rock music. To me, a band like Yes would be an exception. The understanding of what Jon Anderson sings about in something like "Close To The Edge" is mystifying or downright confusing to the everyman (and I'm no exception to this either), but the passion in his voice for what he knows it's about comes across loud and clear.



This Blu-ray arrived to me a few days ago. I've always enjoyed both Carlos and John's music on a surface level of admiration for their mastery of the guitar, but watching them interact and hearing what they say to the audience resonated to me, how much spirituality is as part of their brilliance as their basic knowledge of the instruments they play. Their fullest potential as instrumentalists is only exceeded by the pure joy they have in playing this material, and it came across to me big time.

[allegro]

G and I watched "Pearl Jam 20" last night (really good movie!) and it brought back a flood of memories about how much PJ's album, "Ten," helped me get through a really rough time when I was in my 1st marriage and was really really miserable and trapped. It actually gave me the mental strength to gtfo; it reminded me that I can still find joy and power and strength in music.

[piggy]

Not to derail the thread here, but Ten absolutely changed the way I view music. I came across it in the mid 90s when I was going through my typically rocky teen years and it blew me away because I had never heard anything with that kind of raw, naked emotion (something that early PJ shares with NIN). I grew up in Idaho and had only been exposed to shitty or corny music up to that point. I had no idea that something like that even existed and it really helped me a lot during that time as well.

[Amaro]

The only music I avoid is music made for the masses and money solely. That music lacks emotion. I guess I hate music that lacks real emotion.

I think I understand what you're saying.

For me, even while I perceive NIN's music more seriously than LMFAO, I acknowledge that I may find emotional reciprocation of some kind in the latter's songs, for an example of a basic contrast of the emotional spectrum. I seem to often be thinking "deeper" in day-to-day life, so sometimes I need a nice recess. I know I'm not the only one like that on this board and beyond, but I feel I tend to divulge in what some would assume to be "guilty pleasure" (a concept I don't really subscribe to) all the more because I'm a music>lyrics listener. Even if lyrics happen to completely suck, but the vocals at least have merit and a melody is good, and the orchestration is just right...I get drawn in. At the end of the day I simply take music in all forms seriously...and yet not too seriously. Some people have it more strict than I, and I can respect that.

More on the thread topic--for sure I feel the need to turn something off that just isn't in line with my heart/head at the time, particularly if it's doing something to me I don't want it to. It happens even with my favorite music. It applies beyond to undesirable memories being triggered, too. Music can act as a good personal learning tool like that.

[piggy]

That's a really good point. Sometimes a song that's mainly enjoyable on the surface can have a valid emotional impact. Like if I'm in a funk, a song like "Candy Everybody Wants" by 10,000 Maniacs, a song that's enjoyable as hell and not super serious, can help bring me back out of it. It's why I keep some intelligent pop/new wave music in my collection, like The B-52s or Blondie, that doesn't fit all that well with the rest of my stuff.

[Highly Psychological]

I think a lot of it comes down to timing, stuff from the mid 1980s is still some of my favorite music of all time, becuase it reminds me of a certain period of my life produces strong nostalgia, hearing material like The Smiths first album when your 21 and unemployed and confused and dont know what to do with your life, its hits harder felt like Morrissey was speaking directly to me, and the music reminds you of that time of your life and its powerful, and being in a frustrated place and hearing the distorted energy releasing beauty of The Jesus and Mary Chain's Psychocandy. Remember hearing that for the first time it was better and more effective than paying for any kind of therapy.
Cocteau Twins were life changing too, made me feel peace and see the world differently Shoegaze got me in touch with my emotions a lot more , NIN was musically was just a perfect amalgamation of everything i liked and sort of just fitted my personality.
So at its best i think music is a very effective life changing tool.