What is your mindset?

[sonatafanica]

In relation to your favorite artists and discovering music in general?

Let me elaborate.


Some people feel a need to have a favorite artist that can't possibly be shaken from their place at #1. And that's just fine. I see it with the older members especially.

But in my case with music, I have the mindset that I have yet to find my favorite artist. That way, I'm always open to new types of music and not pigeonholing myself to certain artists.

It's true that I have a favorite artist, Björk, but her spot there is not concrete. She is just as liable as anyone else I listen to  move through the ranks at my whim. But no one has ever come close to captivating me as much as she has, so she stays there for now.


So what's your deal? Do you have a mindset similar to mine or what just say it come on dude

[Pyroph]

steven's going to kill you.

[darkshade]

im actually a mix of both. I am always open to new music, artists, songs, etc... always experimenting, and enjoying old classics.

but i usually have a favorite band or artist for a time. It used to be Frank Zappa, then over time it was Miles Davis, Dream Theater, Phish, etc... these bands in the #1 spot will be there for a long long time. But, to avoid burn out, i move on to other things, as well as always checking out new albums and artists.

if you check out my last.fm account at https://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy you'll see i listen to many different types of bands and genres. But the bands and artists in my 'top artists', the first 10 or so were at one time or another, my favorite EVER! and some still are

[Pyroph]

I guess I have the artists I really like (now being Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Devin Townsend, and OSI/Chroma Key) and new artists I get into. I'll be one to admit, I don't expand my music often, but I mean if I hear something that I really like (Eisley) I'll listen to it.

Reading what I just typed seems really obvious, so I guess I don't really understand the question. Everyone has the artists they love, and if they hear a new one they really like enough, they can replace their favorite artist.

[orcus116]

I used to have a favorite artist but I couldn't tell you who my favorite is now. I just listen to all kinds of whatever.

[Ħ]

DT is my favorite band, but I realize that just like DT is a tough band to discover, there may yet be other bands out there.  My mindset is to not generalize or cast judgment until I've listened to it.  I'm open to everything.

[Birch Boy]

I have ten or so artists that can be my favorite at any moment, and I like them all pretty much equally, just depends on mood.

[Gorille85]

Well, I just don't see how any band could replace Unexpect as number 1...but it is possible. Then, I have some bands that are favorites of mine (Thrice, Porcupine Tree, Ulver). After that, I'm always open to new music, and I need new music too. Music is probably the thing I love the most in life so just sticking to the same few bands would be a bit sad I think. I like to few myself as someone who at least try to be open-minded in regards of the music I listen too, so yeah heh dude. People defines themselves by the music they listen too sometimes, and maybe there's some of that with my love of Unexpect. I don't know.

EDIT: Actually, I would'nt be surprise to see a band overtake Unexpect, giving the fact that that I didn't know like 4 out of the 5 of the bands I like, a year ago.

[antigoon]

Some people feel a need to have a favorite artist that can't possibly be shaken from their place at #1. And that's just fine. I see it with the older members especially.

I was like this with Dream Theater until I fell out of love with the band. Since then I've kinda realized that my infatuation with bands and their albums is usually never permanent, so I'm always on the lookout for new music. It's such a great feeling when you come across something truly excellent. I think the fact that my tastes are rather narrow is exciting; it means that there's so much out there that I've yet to discover.

[Gorille85]

Some people feel a need to have a favorite artist that can't possibly be shaken from their place at #1. And that's just fine. I see it with the older members especially.

I was like this with Dream Theater until I fell out of love with the band. Since then I've kinda realized that my infatuation with bands and their albums is usually never permanent, so I'm always on the lookout for new music. It's such a great feeling when you come across something truly excellent. I think the fact that my tastes are rather narrow is exciting; it means that there's so much out there that I've yet to discover.

Same for me!

[robwebster]

Dream Theater are "my" artist. If they weren't, I'd never have come here. Love 'em, every inch of them. Think they're phenomenal.

I'm more closed-minded than I'd like, musically, though. In general. I don't tend to discover new bands very often. I think it's because I rarely take recommendations. I tend to find that I prefer finding artists for myself.

My last major discoveries were Pure Reason Revolution and Frost*, which I discovered in 2008 within a couple of weeks of each other, and both shot into my top five quite quickly. Since then, it's mainly been minor bits and pieces. Faith No More and David Bowie both stick out as particularly fantastic.

I'm a bit of a dinosaur inasmuch as I like to eat lawyers when they go to the toilet
I'm a bit of a dinosaur inasmuch as I like to crash through walls like nobody's business
I'm a bit of a dinosaur inasmuch as I like to graze on the higher branches that herbivores with smaller necks can't reach
I'm a bit archaic inasmuch as I like to buy the CD when discovering it, which has also slowed my consumption. And, on top of that, I rarely listen to music I don't absolutely love to pieces. It needs to be gorgeous and exciting and fun and turbulent and all around wonderful or I won't listen to it. I don't have time for music I find average. Which means that my favourite artists tend to self-perpetuate themselves, as I'll spend a lot more time with a new Dream Theater release than I will with a new Orphaned Land release - who aren't average! Very good band. But they're not in the same tier as Dream Theater, so they end up a wee bit neglected. I don't know how many times I've listened to their newest album but it's not many.

As a result, it's ended up that most of the music I've got into lately has been things that I've heard on the radio or television. I gravitated to Coldplay when I decided that I really liked "Violet Hill" and "Viva la Vida," and discovered that I really enjoy their newer stuff. I caught Zero 7's "In the Waiting Line" on an old Jools Holland repeat, and have since listened to a bit of Sia too. Right now I'm digging Cee Lo Green.

Meanwhile, I wouldn't be listening to David Bowie if it weren't for "Life on Mars?" being so beautifully used in Life on Mars - and even then, it took hearing Starman on a night out and thinking "you know what? This guy's got a LOT of ace songs" to really convince me. Similarly bought "Daydream in Blue" by a group called I Monster after I heard it featured on Hustle. Right now I'm listening to a lot of TV soundtracks, too - The Apprentice is getting me very interested in how you can use incidental music to create a mood, so I've been sporadically pilfering bits of music that I hear on there, too.

I've got very narrow boundaries with regards to the music I choose to listen to. If I don't fall head over heels in love with it I'm not interested. And I don't check stuff out often enough to fall head over heels in love with it as much as I'd like. "Sand Snowman?" Sounds pretentious as fuck. I'd rather listen to Constant Motion for the umpteenth time.

In conclusion, my mindset is horrifically blinkered.

[sonatafanica]

rob, I'd just like to say that generally, music I didn't like on the first few listens eventually ended with me falling in love with it.

[skydivingninja]

I have two favorite artists: Rush and Porcupine Tree.  No one I've found so far has been able to make more enjoyable/fun music or more intelligent/emotional music that appeals to me, so they're pretty concrete right now, but there was a time when Pink Floyd was my "all time favorite band."  The possibility that someone will overtake those bands is there.  I like discovering new music, and I try to find some new bands every year, especially when I don't really feel like listening to any of the music I have right now.  So I guess my mindset is that I'm open to new music, but if something doesn't really grab me about it early on in the first few listens, its unlikely to catch my attention again.

[Gorille85]

rob, I'd just like to say that generally, music I didn't like on the first few listens eventually ended with me falling in love with it.

Yeah, me too. Hell, I didn't even like Unexpect when I first heard of them!

[Gadough]

I just listen to all kinds of whatever.

That's what every 15 year old white girl says when you ask them what kind of music they like.

[ClairvoyantCat]

I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse, but I will often recycle a band I used to absolutely love in maybe even 3 months.  I've thought I had a favorite artist, but I'm always proven wrong as I discover or am introduced to something even better.  I've generally grown into not having a favorite artist at all anymore.  Particularly, a few have stayed with me very strongly through the years, so I guess I could say I have a select few, probably about 5 or 6 artists.  But mostly I just find something I love, play it until I drain all my love of it, and move on.  I'm very persistent when it comes to new music though, and I've never labeled anything as something that I will never learn to like.  Maybe when I'm a little older than 15 my opinion will change, and I'll find an artist to stick with and call my favorite...

That's what every 15 year old white girl says when you ask them what kind of music they like.

But the difference is he actually means it

[Gorille85]

I just listen to all kinds of whatever.

That's what every 15 year old white girl says when you ask them what kind of music they like.

Hey, I listen to EVERYTHING! No, really! I like both genres of music: shallow hip-hop AND generic metal. Now try and top that.

[j]

rob, I'd just like to say that generally, music I didn't like on the first few listens eventually ended with me falling in love with it.

This happens to me sometimes, but I wouldn't say "generally".  A lot of times there is music that just isn't my thang.  Sure I'll usually give an album several chances and find some things to appreciate, and I might even come back to it after a long time of thinking I didn't like it, but I don't have time to spend hours and hours trying to like every bit of music that doesn't pique my interest.

As for the OP, I don't have a favorite band, and I never really have for a couple of reasons.  First, my musical tastes are pretty broad, making it hard to compare artists that are way different.  And over the short term, I change what I'm in the mood to listen to fairly often.

Secondly, every band that has produced a significant amount of music has put out some crap, with the amount of crap increasing proportionally to the size of the band's discography.  I feel like a "favorite band" would have to have an established back catalog, but IMO there are no bands that I know of that have released a lot of albums without a good number of them sucking.

-J

[Ravenheart]

Dan Swano is my favorite artist at the moment, and he's held that spot for a pretty long time now. I have pretty much everything he's done, which is a lot. But I also realize that he could eventually be replaced. I'm avoiding listening to him currently because I don't wanna burn myself out on him, and I'm also exploring other bands and artists, and even rediscovering some that I haven't listened to in awhile.

[HarlequinForest]

I always have a favorite at any given time.  That favorite generally changes every few years, though.  When I joined this forum, my favorite was Dream Theater; I never thought I'd enjoy any music more than I did theirs, and I was right, in a way, because I never loved any band more than I did when I most loved them.  That enjoyment has simply decreased drastically since then, so my favorite now is either Opeth or Agalloch.

[sonatafanica]

rob, I'd just like to say that generally, music I didn't like on the first few listens eventually ended with me falling in love with it.

This happens to me sometimes, but I wouldn't say "generally".  A lot of times there is music that just isn't my thang.  Sure I'll usually give an album several chances and find some things to appreciate, and I might even come back to it after a long time of thinking I didn't like it, but I don't have time to spend hours and hours trying to like every bit of music that doesn't pique my interest.

As for the OP, I don't have a favorite band, and I never really have for a couple of reasons.  First, my musical tastes are pretty broad, making it hard to compare artists that are way different.  And over the short term, I change what I'm in the mood to listen to fairly often.

Secondly, every band that has produced a significant amount of music has put out some crap, with the amount of crap increasing proportionally to the size of the band's discography.  I feel like a "favorite band" would have to have an established back catalog, but IMO there are no bands that I know of that have released a lot of albums without a good number of them sucking.

-J

Well, I'd have to emphasize the "first few listens" part, because there's plenty of stuff I'll write off on the first listen because it simply is not for me. But beyond that, if I find myself listening to something I didn't really like over and over again, it's because there's something in there that I'm discovering. I don't know if it's subliminal or whatever, it just happens that way sometimes.

[robwebster]

Yeah, it does happen! I've gotta say that I was fairly lukewarm to Deadwing, at first, which was my first foray into PT. Shallow, Lazarus and Halo kept me hooked enough to keep at it, and it's my favourite PT album now, and PT one of my favourite bands, so it definitely happens. I do absolutely need to hear a spark, though. And I don't hear music with a spark nearly as often as I'd like to - if largely through my own faults.

[Ravenheart]

rob, I'd just like to say that generally, music I didn't like on the first few listens eventually ended with me falling in love with it.

This happens to me sometimes, but I wouldn't say "generally".  A lot of times there is music that just isn't my thang.  Sure I'll usually give an album several chances and find some things to appreciate, and I might even come back to it after a long time of thinking I didn't like it, but I don't have time to spend hours and hours trying to like every bit of music that doesn't pique my interest.

As for the OP, I don't have a favorite band, and I never really have for a couple of reasons.  First, my musical tastes are pretty broad, making it hard to compare artists that are way different.  And over the short term, I change what I'm in the mood to listen to fairly often.

Secondly, every band that has produced a significant amount of music has put out some crap, with the amount of crap increasing proportionally to the size of the band's discography.  I feel like a "favorite band" would have to have an established back catalog, but IMO there are no bands that I know of that have released a lot of albums without a good number of them sucking.

-J

Well, I'd have to emphasize the "first few listens" part, because there's plenty of stuff I'll write off on the first listen because it simply is not for me. But beyond that, if I find myself listening to something I didn't really like over and over again, it's because there's something in there that I'm discovering. I don't know if it's subliminal or whatever, it just happens that way sometimes.

I think I know what you're talking about, and I agree. Sometimes I start listening to an artist I'm not really into over and over again, either through experimenting or boredom, and before I know it, they're one of my favorite and most-listened-to bands/artists.

It's not a sensation you can force to happen. It just occurs naturally.

[Lowdz]

I have lots of "favourite bands" but DT are my favourite favourite.
No 1 used to be ABBA, then KISS, then Rush, then Queensryche and now it's DT. I like discovering new bands but my time with the music is much less than it used to be due to having a family life, so the liklihood of a new band becoming no 1 is unlikely. If DT did a Queensryche and turned away from what I love about them then it's possible, but I doubt it.

[Progmetty]

Well I hold Dream Theater, Metallica, Megadeth and Green Day in the unshakable #1 spot you speak about, everything else comes as number #2 and on, but these bands are the only bands I know everything about, own every release, seen every video and DVD, keen on their news and interviews, their albums are "stickies" on my iPod, can sing along to every song by heart and at one point collected loads of audio bootlegs (except DT).
I have interest in other bands and other genres but it comes and goes, like right now my favorite band is Stolen Babies and last year it was Porcupine Tree, all bands come and go and sometimes I'm overly excited about and then dies out.
Honestly it sucks that my #1 bands are all highly commercial bands but I can't help it

[jsem]

Green Day? Nah I shouldn't go bashing - your musical preferences.

But I seriously listen to pretty much anything, and I can appriciate anything (unless it's literally noise - or terrible extreme metal, where I often like the grooves but the vocals just ruin it for me haha).

[Pyroph]

Yeah, it does happen! I've gotta say that I was fairly lukewarm to Deadwing, at first, which was my first foray into PT. Shallow, Lazarus and Halo kept me hooked enough to keep at it, and it's my favourite PT album now, and PT one of my favourite bands, so it definitely happens. I do absolutely need to hear a spark, though. And I don't hear music with a spark nearly as often as I'd like to - if largely through my own faults.

I remember the first time I listened to Even Less. I hated it.

[ariich]

I used to have a favorite artist but I couldn't tell you who my favorite is now. I just listen to all kinds of whatever.

This is me exactly. My favourite changed so many times that the whole concept of picking a favourite seemed silly, especially considering how different a lot of my favourite bands, artists and composers are.

I am always completely open to all forms of music, which is great as it means there is loads of stuff that I enjoy, although it has the downside that I couldn't ever afford it all!

[faemir]

Rob, the new Orphaned Land album is great, you've not listened to it much most likely because it's really damn long, so is effort to get into I found - but once I knew the record it quickly became my favourite by them by far. The start and finish should hook you easily though.

[j]

rob, I'd just like to say that generally, music I didn't like on the first few listens eventually ended with me falling in love with it.

This happens to me sometimes, but I wouldn't say "generally".  A lot of times there is music that just isn't my thang.  Sure I'll usually give an album several chances and find some things to appreciate, and I might even come back to it after a long time of thinking I didn't like it, but I don't have time to spend hours and hours trying to like every bit of music that doesn't pique my interest.

As for the OP, I don't have a favorite band, and I never really have for a couple of reasons.  First, my musical tastes are pretty broad, making it hard to compare artists that are way different.  And over the short term, I change what I'm in the mood to listen to fairly often.

Secondly, every band that has produced a significant amount of music has put out some crap, with the amount of crap increasing proportionally to the size of the band's discography.  I feel like a "favorite band" would have to have an established back catalog, but IMO there are no bands that I know of that have released a lot of albums without a good number of them sucking.

-J

Well, I'd have to emphasize the "first few listens" part, because there's plenty of stuff I'll write off on the first listen because it simply is not for me. But beyond that, if I find myself listening to something I didn't really like over and over again, it's because there's something in there that I'm discovering. I don't know if it's subliminal or whatever, it just happens that way sometimes.

That's true, now that I think about it.  If I'm willing to give an album more than one listen, there was usually something in there that I'd--maybe subconsciously--decided was worth coming back to.

-J

[MetalManiac666]

Dream Theater is my number 1 band, even though I very rarely listen to them anymore, and a good bit of the other stuff I listen to branches off from that style of music.  I'm always open to anything new though if someone recommends it (unless it's country).

[Marvellous G]

I go through phases of loving certain bands and mainly listening to them, but I always have my top 5 artists in my head which are unshakeable, and a top two that is almost set in stone. However, this core group are constantly being challenged/added to. DT were only in it very briefly, for example. I'm sure in the next year or so I'll find another band to add to the top 5, maybe even top 2.

[LudwigVan]

I like following artists and their whole careers.  When it comes to bands/artists, I don't just get into a song or album here or there, because I find it a waste of time, quite frankly. 

I like to pick a band and really dig into what they're trying to do and say from the ground up.  This means enjoying their great albums AND plowing through the bad, their awesome songs AND the shitty songs.  It's just my way of trying to understand an artist's mindset at a particular point in time and somehow making the music "mine" so to speak. 

I know it sounds kinda' corny, but I like to follow along a band's music-making journey, whether it be an old band whose history is complete (like Gentle Giant), or a new band who is still in the middle of their journey (like Riverside).     

[robwebster]

Rob, the new Orphaned Land album is great, you've not listened to it much most likely because it's really damn long, so is effort to get into I found - but once I knew the record it quickly became my favourite by them by far. The start and finish should hook you easily though.

Yeah, my first experience with it was actually playing the first track on the radio, as I didn't have much time between getting back from town and the start of the show. I settled down and said something along the lines of "I've got absolutely no idea what this sounds like, so I'm taking a massive punt here, and might end up regretting this choice of track - but this is off their new album, it's my first listen too, this is Sapari by Orphaned Land." Held my breath for a few seconds, and then had a really fantastic seven minutes. Stellar bit of music. Ended up following it up with the second track, also no disappointment. But my mind seems to wander after that.

Might make a playlist of a few of my more recent purchases on shuffle. So I listen to each track individually and find something to cling to. Split it up a bit, make it less dense. I do find I often have that problem, and it then becomes a lot easier just to listen to something I already really love.

[rumborak]

DT was the last band that I could really say held the spot of "#1", but since they ran out of steam and sank down the ranking, there's been a slew of bands who at various times are at the top, and then move down again.

rumborak