Stress Management

[HappyQuark]

With all of your time spent picking schools, researching programs, studying for exams, tracking down transcripts and letters of recommendations and experiencing horribly traumatic emotional breakdowns where you can't stop crying (everyone has those, right?) you have to do something to keep from going crazy. How do you cope with it all?

Every few hours I take a minute and just sit back, relax and bathe myself in music. So far I've found that Ratatat is the optimal medicine when you start to lose your mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiM4IPuqvN0

or, alternatively, if you are looking to lose your mind Ratatat can take care of that for you too,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ohkCQp4xL0

[geshi]

Any relation?

http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/ ... 3%A9mon%29

[WhoaNonstop]

Man... and I thought my music was universally annoying.

-Riley

[HappyQuark]

Man... and I thought my music was universally annoying.

-Riley

[HappyQuark]

Man... and I thought my music was universally annoying.

-Riley

If you want annoying, check out one of my favorite songs ever made (potentially my favorite of all time)!

Autechre - Gantz Graff

[WhoaNonstop]

If you want annoying, check out one of my favorite songs ever made (potentially my favorite of all time)!

Autechre - Gantz Graff

Pfft,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrFTR9fucr8

-Riley

[HappyQuark]

If you want annoying, check out one of my favorite songs ever made (potentially my favorite of all time)!

Autechre - Gantz Graff

Pfft,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrFTR9fucr8

-Riley

Ahem,

you sir have brought a knife to a gun fight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIeA2ct5 ... re=related

[WhoaNonstop]

Completely different types of "annoying." LoL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3kNKjWc3SM

-Riley

[modernphysics]

well i think its all about stress mismanagement. right?
any way watch to this, preferably with your eyes being closed. but atleast 1 try then open your eyes and then play agian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV_KpO8khOI
Best regards,
Modernphysics
peace to all oh God!

[grae313]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIyixC9NsLI

Snaaaaaaaake! Snaaaaaaake!

[HappyQuark]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIyixC9NsLI

Snaaaaaaaake! Snaaaaaaake!

I think this is a bit more appropriate for the forum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlNw5ZuDYsk

[HappyQuark]

Completely different types of "annoying." LoL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3kNKjWc3SM

-Riley

When this song popped up on Pandora today, I couldn't help but include it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGyJbMCfjRU#t=0m43s

[WhoaNonstop]

When this song popped up on Pandora today, I couldn't help but include it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGyJbMCfjRU#t=0m43s

Do you listen to any music with "words" in it?

Just curious.

-Riley

[HappyQuark]

When this song popped up on Pandora today, I couldn't help but include it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGyJbMCfjRU#t=0m43s

Do you listen to any music with "words" in it?

Just curious.

-Riley

Oh god no! I find that when ever musicians have something to say, it is usually very dumb and I lose all respect for them. Some of the most musically gifted people in the world also manage to have some of the dumbest thoughts imaginable.

Just out of curiosity, I scanned my entire iTunes library to see what music I have with lyrics. The results are as follows,

Beastie Boys, Green Day, The Offspring, The Prodigy, Sublime and Weezer. With the exception of the Beastie Boys (I have every album they ever produced) I only have a couple songs from each.

[grae313]

I find that when ever musicians have something to say, it is usually very dumb and I lose all respect for them. Some of the most musically gifted people in the world also manage to have some of the dumbest thoughts imaginable.

Booooo.

Radiohead
Arcade Fire
The National
Tool

[kroner]

These are lyrics I can get behind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVl-doNlOsQ

[kroner]

Talking Heads has universally fantastic lyrics.
Sorry, I can't decide which song to post. Here's another one.

[WhoaNonstop]

Some of the most musically gifted people in the world also manage to have some of the dumbest thoughts imaginable.

I disagree. If you said it like this: Some of the most instrumentally gifted people in the world also manage to have some of the dumbest thoughts imaginable.

In my opinion, lyrics make or break the music. I will agree that most artists aren't worth crap lyrically, especially most of the popular stuff, but I would emphasize that the emotion expressed in music is present in the lyrics.

Like I said, this is my opinion, because that is what music is itself. =)

-Riley

[HappyQuark]

I find that when ever musicians have something to say, it is usually very dumb and I lose all respect for them. Some of the most musically gifted people in the world also manage to have some of the dumbest thoughts imaginable.

Booooo.

Radiohead
Arcade Fire
The National
Tool

I guess it must be the musician side of me, but I find myself totally uninterested in what the lyrics of a song are. The songs you gave don't have bad lyrics but I just find them all so inconsequential in comparison to the non-lyrical music aspects. In fact, I can't say that I've ever really viewed lyrics in a song as anything more than a bit of accompaniment which can add some nice dimension to a song but is frequently unnecessary. As an example, the lyrics for Fake Empire by The National are

Stay out super late tonight
picking apples, making pies
put a little something in our lemonade and take it with us
we’re half-awake in a fake empire
we’re half-awake in a fake empire

Tiptoe through our shiny city
with our diamond slippers on
do our gay ballet on ice
bluebirds on our shoulders
we’re half-awake in a fake empire
we’re half-awake in a fake empire

Turn the light out say goodnight
no thinking for a little while
lets not try to figure out everything at once
It’s hard to keep track of you falling through the sky
we’re half-awake in a fake empire
we’re half-awake in a fake empire

which, if I understood them correctly, talk about a relationship and the illusion of it feeling magical and perfect despite any imperfections. So it's a song about falling in love set to a standard 4/4 time signature and using all of 4 chords. Knowing that music like this, this and this exists makes it nearly impossible for me to think there is anything else worth listening to.

[HappyQuark]

In my opinion, lyrics make or break the music. I will agree that most artists aren't worth crap lyrically, especially most of the popular stuff, but I would emphasize that the emotion expressed in music is present in the lyrics.

I'd assume you aren't much of a fan of classical music.

[grae313]

which, if I understood them correctly, talk about a relationship and the illusion of it feeling magical and perfect despite any imperfections.

"We're half awake in a fake empire" ... I interpreted it as commenting on the state of modern existence.

So it's a song about falling in love set to a standard 4/4 time signature and using all of 4 chords.

Ah, now I see. I used to be a fan of musical complexity as well and turned up my nose at standard time signatures. I loved how Tool would lay different time signatures over each other and switch effortlessly from one to another. The chorus in their song Lateralus switches between 9/8, 8/8, 7/8 and the verses are sung to the beat of the Fibonacci sequence.

Then I got my head out of my ass

You're listening to music with your head, you need to listen to it with your heart, body and soul. There's nothing wrong with feeling a 4/4 beat pulse with your heart and your two legs and those four chords are popular for a reason. They speak to something visceral inside us. Simple music can resonate just as profoundly, and I would argue perhaps even more profoundly, then complex music. It's just resonating on a different level. Music is Dionysian. Let it be that way.

FWIW, I have aphex twin, autechre, boards of canada, and about 30 GB of classical music in my collection. The popular music part of my collection contains classic rock, jazz, soul, oldies, pop, world, punk, progressive, death metal, folk, and lots and lots of indie rock.

Music is personal and your taste is just as valid as mine, but you shouldn't hate on the 4/4 time signatures. Music can be fully enjoyed on many different levels.

[HappyQuark]

which, if I understood them correctly, talk about a relationship and the illusion of it feeling magical and perfect despite any imperfections.

"We're half awake in a fake empire" ... I interpreted it as commenting on the state of modern existence.

It certainly could be that. The multiple mentions of "you" and "our" indicated to me it was a couple, that the references "stay out super late picking apples, making pies" and "do our gay ballet on ice, bluebird on our shoulders" indicated that they were in a state of bliss and "no thinking for a little while, let's not try to figure out everything at once, It's hard to keep track of you falling through the sky" meant that to stop and over think it would ruin the moment.

Ah, now I see. I used to be a fan of musical complexity as well and turned up my nose at standard time signatures. I loved how Tool would lay different time signatures over each other and switch effortlessly from one to another. The chorus in their song Lateralus switches between 9/8, 8/8, 7/8 and the verses are sung to the beat of the Fibonacci sequence.

Then I got my head out of my ass

A little cheeky today, aren't we?

I was going to respond by saying that I do enjoy a lot of non-technical music and that in fact all three of the songs I provided as examples of music I particularly enjoy are 4/4 or some near derivative of it (e.g. 2/4). I was then going to explain that the specific example I reference, by The Nation, was bad because the chords and melody were mundane and highly derivative of an already restrictive musical style and, like a lot of poorly written music, features lyrics designed only to give the illusion of depth and quality when in fact, they write vague nonsense without context which forces you to form an interpretation around a song which, in all likelihood, has no specific meaning or story. Lastly, I was going to explain that while I acknowledge that some aspects of music are "visceral" and speak to us on a basic level, so too do the Harry Potter and Twilight books, both of which I might allow you describe as "entertaining" but never of quality or substance.

However, I decided not to say any of that because I don't want to come off as the forum snob and so what I have decided to actually say is.

"Dear Grae, I respect your right to hold an opinion on music. You are a wonderful person and a fantastic human being!"

You're listening to music with your head, you need to listen to it with your heart, body and soul. There's nothing wrong with feeling a 4/4 beat pulse with your heart and your two legs and those four chords are popular for a reason. They speak to something visceral inside us. Simple music can resonate just as profoundly, and I would argue perhaps even more profoundly, then complex music. It's just resonating on a different level.

FWIW, I have aphex twin, autechre, boards of canada, and about 30 GB of classical music in my collection. The popular music part of my collection contains classic rock, jazz, soul, oldies, pop, world, punk, progressive, death metal, folk, and lots and lots of indie rock.

Music is personal and your taste is just as valid as mine, but you shouldn't hate on the 4/4 time signatures. Music can be fully enjoyed on many different levels.

All joking aside, I never meant to suggest that the music I listen to was in any way superior to anybody elses, only that the music I listen to is the music I find to be extremely interesting, hence why I listen to it. I fully acknowledge that there exists good music within the other styles (with the obvious exception of country music ) but because I don't particularly enjoy those styles, I can't really comment on them. In responding to the question about whether I ever listen to music with lyrics, it may have seen as if I was suggesting that because I really enjoy highly complex music that I therefore thought simpler music was crap, which couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, one of my favorite types of music, both modern and classical, is minimalism (See my Arvo Part link from the music thread in off-topic or my references to Ratatat). I suppose what I'm ultimately saying is that nobody should treat what I'm saying as prescriptive of how music should be but strictly as descriptive of what music is to me.

[HappyQuark]

If it helps to diffuse this tense situation, I'll admit the embarrassing fact that I'm actually quite fond of the lyrics in most of Lily Allen's music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuj3SUiaINc

[grae313]

"Dear Grae, I respect your right to hold an opinion on music. You are a wonderful person and a fantastic human being!"

Well that just goes without saying, but thanks anyway

[kroner]

Just want to mention that voice is also an important instrument. Regardless of what you think of the lyrics themselves, there's something to be said for the musical potential of voice. (Now I get to post just about any song I want.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=617ANIA5Rqs

[HappyQuark]

Just want to mention that voice is also an important instrument. Regardless of what you think of the lyrics themselves, there's something to be said for the musical potential of voice. (Now I get to post just about any song I want.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=617ANIA5Rqs

I entirely disagree. In fact I would argue that only interpretive dance can really be considered music.