"That's not music, it's just meaningless noise"

[AceTrilby]

The only stuff I've ever heard that I'd classify as 'meaningless noise' is anything by Passenger of Shit. It's entirely pointless and childish - just look at one of their album covers for evidence of that (seriously though, DON'T. Penises shitting. How edgy.). Screeching static and belching lyrics. Whoopee. I'm not even going to dignify them with the page views they'd get from me posting links - look them up yourselves if you really want ear torture.

Seriously, I love metal, and I know a fair few people who would call that meaningless noise - but they have no idea of the horrors that lie beneath the surface...

 

[zehydra]

When they're (I as well) are talking about "meaningless noise", we're talking about the screaming, not the whole musical composition itself. I do understand that there is meaning behind it, and "meaningless noise" is a bit hyperbolic.

However, the pitchless screaming grates against my understanding of music, that is, it lacks melody, harmony and all the combinations of such. Whenever something pitchless (and in this not terribly rhythmically impressive) takes the center stage in a musical composition, then the music is presenting itself as non-musical, which is why some will say "meaningless noise".

If lyrics is what you care about most, then what you care about most is poetry, not music.

 

[BoredRolePlayer]

music==noise

why is it some people can't get that.

 

[GarryIsTheHero]

All music is good, but just it's just up to the individuals taste in music. Ok, BVB are dog shit but excluding them

OT: August Burns Red are a band no-one around here seams to be into and thank christ for that too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugPxKkDmh5M&ob=av3n

 

[SonicKaos]

A bunch of my friends are into Dubstep now. They constantly try to force Skillix down my throat, but I think his music if freakin terrible. Some dubstep I just can't stand because it's random noises that aren't even pleasent because they're so distorted. I have heard a couple decent dubstep songs before though... however they tend to be the ones that sound much more like dance music than what I picture as being dubstep. I don't like the sound of feedback or "dirty bass" because those are sounds that amps/recordings make when they're messed up.

Anyway, I listen to pop music. My friends say I have the musical taste of a 16 year old girl. I have a friend who is a metalhead and he used to say making pop music was so rediculously simple, which is why it's crap music. I challenged him to make a pop song then if it's so easy. He couldn't.

Just because it's "simple," doesn't mean it's bad. Often times the simplest solution is the best solution, and sometimes coming up with something "simple" sounding can actually be quite difficult.

 

[GarryIsTheHero]

Also these are amazing! Sweedish Metalcore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1RRJmf5lhM

 

[zehydra]

music==noise

why is it some people can't get that.

organized noise. For instance, listening to a sound recording of traffic isn't listening to music. I'll grant that hardcore/death metal is in fact music, and that music is largely subjective, but I do think the point can be made that constant pitchless screaming is unmusical.

But that doesn't make you any less of a person for liking it.

 

[Fwee]

Listen to Merzbow. He's basically the God of Noise.
I hope I don't get a warning for low word count.

 

[Mr.Squishy]

A fairly common thing when listening to music you like is that not everyone agrees that it's as good as you proclaim. But then there's the nay-sayers that go as far as to say that what you listen to is in fact not music, but just pointless noise. This is mostly seen when talking about extreme metal genres and progressive music, but I've heard people say it about most genres.

Whenever I hear it, it's always said in such a disrespectful manner. I admit, there is much music that is more difficult to get into than others, but no need to say it doesn't take talent to create it.

So what's your band or genre that you really enjoy but other people dismiss as utter shite with no musical talent?

The one I've been called out on the most would be Yersinia, a Swedish metalcore/hardcore punk band. I really enjoy them, and it's not like it takes anyone to make it, but people seem to think that there's no coherent thought or creative writing to it.

Hey, it's still better than dubstep /musicsnobbery

 

[BoredRolePlayer]

music==noise

why is it some people can't get that.

organized noise. For instance, listening to a sound recording of traffic isn't listening to music. I'll grant that hardcore/death metal is in fact music, and that music is largely subjective, but I do think the point can be made that constant pitchless screaming is unmusical.

But that doesn't make you any less of a person for liking it.

I bang two rocks together it makes noise, someone else hears music. Also isn't constant pitchless screaming metal *runs away laughing*...I kid of course

 

[Ace of Spades]

The only song I would describe as meaningless noise is chacarron macarron, and I stand by that description.

 

[zehydra]

music==noise

why is it some people can't get that.

organized noise. For instance, listening to a sound recording of traffic isn't listening to music. I'll grant that hardcore/death metal is in fact music, and that music is largely subjective, but I do think the point can be made that constant pitchless screaming is unmusical.

But that doesn't make you any less of a person for liking it.

I bang two rocks together it makes noise, someone else hears music. Also isn't constant pitchless screaming metal *runs away laughing*...I kid of course

there has to be some sort of intelligent organization of the sound to be music.

The reason I think pitchless screaming is unmusical, is because it (usually) does not add to defining the rhythm(s) within the song, and does not add to any kind of melodic/harmonic structure of the song. All it's there for is the expression of lyrics (and to establish an angry tone [which can be done well with melodic vocals]), which is technically unnecessary for music. Lyrics are usually used to express an explicit meaning to a song, but are not actually musical by themselves. They are poetry.

 

[BoredRolePlayer]

music==noise

why is it some people can't get that.

organized noise. For instance, listening to a sound recording of traffic isn't listening to music. I'll grant that hardcore/death metal is in fact music, and that music is largely subjective, but I do think the point can be made that constant pitchless screaming is unmusical.

But that doesn't make you any less of a person for liking it.

I bang two rocks together it makes noise, someone else hears music. Also isn't constant pitchless screaming metal *runs away laughing*...I kid of course

there has to be some sort of intelligent organization of the sound to be music.

The reason I think pitchless screaming is unmusical, is because it (usually) does not add to defining the rhythm(s) within the song, and does not add to any kind of melodic/harmonic structure of the song. All it's there for is the expression of lyrics (and to establish an angry tone [which can be done well with melodic vocals]), which is technically unnecessary for music. Lyrics are usually used to express an explicit meaning to a song, but are not actually musical by themselves. They are poetry.

Problem with that is I don't analyze music like that (I have a friend just like you). If I think it sounds good then it's good.

 

[miketehmage]

Instrumentally OP, I quite enjoyed the video you posted, a little heavy for me usually but tolerable. The vocals however, not quite my thing, even if they were in english, I don't enjoy the whole screaming thing, the parts where he actually sang were okay though.

However, in my mind there is a musical spectrum, at one side, there is the extremely heavy stuff, and at the other side is the chart nonsense. My preferences sit somewhere towards the heavier end, however slipknot is about as heavy as I'll go, and even then I only enjoy some of their songs.

As to how I define whether or not something is music, in my opinion, if there is no coherent melody, it is not music. If the instruments all seem to be playing their own thing without any sort of synergy, it is not music.(The heaviest of heavy stuff are bad culprits of this)

I also don't like music that has been created by synthesizers, but I do understand there is a certain creative talent to it, I just wish they'd put it to instruments instead of pushing buttons. I will occasionally decide a chart song "isn't music" even when it clearly is, because I hate the lack of instrumental talent (or even vocal now, thanks to autotune.)

Sorry for the masses of text

TLR Really heavy shit isn't music in my opinion because there is no coherent melody or synergy between instruments. (however I mean things that are heavier than OP's post.)

 

[twothaiwhores]

I love techno. The kind I listen to is more simulated sounds than simulated instruments (Think Portal 2 over Deadmau5). I like the sound of everything jumbled up together, like playing a bunch of songs at once. However, this can be passed off as random computer sounds, and people generally don't like it. On the other hand, if I play it loud enough, it keeps people away from my house.

That's not really techno though, that's more along the lines of progressive house.

 

[imperialreign]

Industrial - especially the old-school stuff . . . even more-so if they use "unconventional" instruments . . .

Y'know, bands like:

 

[warthoggunner]

Some of my (metalhead) friends say that about some of the stuff I like
(can understand why, with some of the electronic stuff)

Here we go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcbbstYuEYw
Darkspace - Dark 1.4
Black metal about space...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_cHOZ8pM8g
Soman - Pusher
Industrial Techno
I like it, but none of my close friends do

 

[Kekkles]

oh dear god all the screamo posted here is absolutely horrible

It's got the same sound as brokencyde, for fucks sake

I hope you're not comparing The Number 12 to the lackluster talent that is BrokenCyde because if you were your ignorance shows no boundaries.

 

[JemothSkarii]

I like bits of everything in music (except rap/hip-hop, though Dead Island/Persona have kinda changed that) but the music I absolutely CANNOT understand the enjoyment of is honestly dubstep (I'm not meaning to start a flame war) To me, it is random noise, it honestly is, just random loud noises of extraordinarily changing pitches and beat. I have tried to give it a go, multiple times, and I just can't stand it.

As for music people I know discredit is these guys, because they can be unorthodox in their instruments.

 

[twothaiwhores]

Autechre - Gantz Graf

[youtube]AyJfHU4GoOQ[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyJfHU4GoOQ&feature=related

genre: avant garde/IDM

When I think of music as noise this comes to mind. Noise is the reaction from vibrations in air while music is the rhythmical control of those vibrations. Even though the composition was released before the video media, in this case the musical elements are (I.e the rhythm)and the reactionary process of noise (i.e the seemingly dying metallic object) are both blended. Its interesting how noise and music do not have to be a clear dichotomy.