Dedes: What does music mean to you?

Dedes 01.12.18	Sorry guys i'm just feelin' some moods right now.
DinosaurJones 01.12.18	I used to think I liked music, but when I'm not listening to music, I think. And my thoughts suck. So music is way more preferable to my self-loathing thoughts. And it's pretty cool outside of that fact too. Joining a band has helped me come out of my shell immensely, I used to be a hard introvert. I still am, but I'm a little more at ease in social settings now, so I appreciate that aspect of it. It's still taxing and exhausting to me to go to shows and be around a lot of people and be "on" on stage, but I still enjoy it a lot, and I didn't think I would ever be able to perform in front of people, especially something that I created myself. EDIT: Way to break the page, Sinternet.
bloc 01.12.18	Supposed to be a deep ass convo and the page got broken within 2 comments
Dedes 01.12.18	No page breaks.
Dedes 01.12.18	I'm glad you got pushed out of that shell Dino! I understand what you mean, because I honestly have an extremely hard time with that as well. Going out and being social can be great or it can be terrifying haha.
JustJoe. 01.12.18	I don't listen to music as often as I used to & I rarely listen to new music. I've sort of found my niche in terms of expressing myself in that regard. Sometimes, I may only hear a few songs a day on shuffle. But, it's overwhelming nowadays & being constantly bombarded with stimuli, it's too easy to get lost in it all. For me, personally, music is my reminder that I already know who I am & I am both grateful for that & grateful for artists & listeners who put themselves out there enough to express themselves at all, let alone so fully embrace or eschew scrutinization for the ways in which they choose to do so, or for their affinity for specific sounds & subjects.
DinosaurJones 01.12.18	Thanks. I mean, I was in a band in high school, but I shouldn't have been. I didn't know what I was doing, I could barely play guitar, and I did it jus to be "cool," and not out of any sort of love of music, at the time. There's of course the nostalgia aspect to it as well. There are certain albums that transport me back to certain times in my life. For example, I remember in 2007, I was going to college as a Freshman. I had no goddamn idea what to expect because I hated high school and most people involved in high school. So I viewed college as a fresh start. Which it was, in a way. I remember going in armed with the new albums of 2 of my favorite bands, Streetlight Manifesto's "Somewhere in the Between" and Coheed's "No World for Tomorrow." To be fair, my freshman year of college mostly sucked, because I was an introvert who didn't drink, hated crowds, and didn't party, but those albums helped me though. And then finally, near the tail end, I met some pretty cool people (s/o to AtomicWaste) and everything got better, mostly.
ButteryBiscuitBass 01.12.18	Life wouldn't be the same without it. And I certainly wouldn't think I have a purpose. Making music can be frustrating, but ultimately it relaxes me and helps me express feelings that I can't with words. As far as listening to it goes, again it is a huge part of my life. I guess it's just one big distraction from reality and is something to get lost in. I suppose it's just my passion. Some people lose themselves in movies, tv, books or computer games, I get lost in music. Cheesy as fuck I know, but I liked the list idea and thought I'd comment.
cold 01.12.18	Basically anything I listen to, I correlate my emotions to so it's hard to pinpoint significant bands/albums. I just listen to a lot of depressing stuff, at the moment it's "Keep You" from PBTT.
Dedes 01.12.18	Haha hardly cheesy at all Biscuit! Music just makes you feel things man, you need to escape from reality sometimes, especially if the reality you live in is harsh.
Dedes 01.12.18	Again Sin No more page breaks Or I will take out your whole fucking country I swear
Dedes 01.12.18	I wasn't too impressed with Keep You when I first jammed it but that was probably...on its release date? I've gotten more into that brand of music since then so it's probably worth checking again.
DinosaurJones 01.12.18	Naw, man. To be honest, I don't allow myself to just listen to music anymore. I'm usually multitasking. I should really treat myself to just sitting/lying down and just giving something a good honest listen.
TheSpirit 01.12.18	This is a tough question. Music means a lot to me, but I'm not sure I could put into words how. I guess it's like comfort food, but for my ears. It takes me out of myself. It challenges me to think both more broadly and more acutely. It helps me connect with others. Helps me connect with myself. Evokes nostalgia. Lots of stuff.
Dedes 01.12.18	Music is the mac n cheese of life
cold 01.12.18	"I wasn't too impressed with Keep You when I first jammed it but that was probably...on its release date? I've gotten more into that brand of music since then so it's probably worth checking again" It just hits me in the feels. The lyrics, the sad minor melodies, the dynamics, and it's lyrical material. If you ever check it out, read the lyrics along with it. Their previous album was about the death of his father, and "Keep You" still holds some of that, but with an adult mindset. It just fucks me up.
zakalwe 01.12.18	Can’t play a fucking note, have no interest in ‘creating’ music but listening to it is a passion which I’ve immersed myself in since 1992 when Nirvana changed my life. The impact that band had on me as I stepped from being a melancholy child to a shy, awkward, angry confused teen was unmatched. The fact that music seemed to answer questions that I hadn’t yet learned to form meant a hell of a lot back then and it still does. My man Doof once said that ‘music is a companion as you go through life’ and he’s spot on. All those wasted years, highs, lows and unforgettable experiences are ‘soundtracked’ one way or another. You can fall in and out of love with it, the passion for it sometimes wanes but something will always crop up to invigorate the sheer joy of listening to it. And Nirvana are still the best.
Dedes 01.12.18	I did not expect the most profound statement from you Zak haha, but yes, that is definitely true. The best of music can always bring you back somewhere, good or bad, and it's a roller coaster in of itself.
Demon of the Fall 01.12.18	'You can fall in and out of love with it, the passion for it sometimes wanes but something will always crop up to invigorate the sheer joy of listening to it.' (2) I agree with this wholeheartedly, after some changes in my life I went through a significant period of time where I listened to virtually nothing & even now I can't explain why. I guess it didn't fit in with my 'lifestyle' anymore & was 'impractical'. Then I decided for the new year (2017) to rediscover my old music & make a concerted effort to go out of my way to make sure that happened. I dabbled with my old favourites & other stuff from my collection, liking some things a lot more than others but found myself been drawn to metal far more than ever before. This new discovery catapulted me through the year & I'm still going strong now, the barriers in my life were false & completely fabricated, now I MAKE time for music. This place has helped massively so thanks to everyone for that.
JustJoe. 01.12.18	Also, as is the purpose if lists like these, it's a worthwhile opportunity for communal contribution & it brings out a part of people that's extroadinarily profound & yet also preserves that individuality as a sacred aspect of the human condition.
DinosaurJones 01.12.18	That's definitely true. There are times when I don't feel like listening to any music. My old favorites don't do anything for me, and nothing new grabs me. I usually listen to podcasts then. But I always come back. It's just like anything else, I'll go through periods where I'm heavy into gaming, then go weeks or months without playing games. Or periods where I read voraciously, then I won't touch a book for months at a time.
pjquinones747 01.12.18	Music has always been the way I connect with people best. My late father spent years and years discovering tons of different bands and playing various styles on the drums, and I've taken up the mantle of doing the exact same things without even trying. My favorite thing to do when I've made a new friend or gone on a few dates with a girl is to find out some of their favorite bands and then help them find something new that they haven't heard before that they end up falling in love with. Not so I can receive credit for having shown them, but so whenever we hang out we have something to bump in the car or concerts to go see or something. Finding new music is what keeps my life interesting whenever I don't really have much going on. This site itself has helped provide me with some bands that have absolutely changed my life while also reconnecting me with some important songs from my childhood that I heard hundreds of times from my father but never caught the title of. It's eerie how much of my life revolves around music. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to withstand the suffering necessary to make it big as a musician or reach the peak of Maslow's hierarchy so to speak, but if I can continue to live my life sharing music with people and always finding new unique bands to appreciate, that would be a very satisfying life for me. Feels: over.
Prancer 01.12.18	That is an impossible question to ask. Besides the fact music can make you feel a plethora of emotions, I like finding new artists that musically have their own unique way of expressing their thoughts, feelings, etc. I guess when it comes down to it, we listen to music to connect what we are feeling/thinking to something that we can physically sense through hearing. And predictably, The Dillinger Escape Plan is "that band" for me.
bloc 01.12.18	Over the years, I have developed a very mechanical approach to listening to music, especially when I am hearing an album for the first time. I see it as an audition. If there is even a small part of my that enjoyed the album or at least one song, I slap on a 2.5 or 3.0 and put it in my library. Anything else, gets shift+deleted with no remorse. Depending on my listening schedule, it may be months or even years before I come back to it to give it another audition. I am currently going through a 2000+ backlog of albums (Now down to 800) that I've downloaded over the years. Due to the volume and time constraints, I don't really listen to each song 100% through. At a minimum, it'll be 50% of the song and I'll be like, "Ok, I see where this song is going. Now do I wanna keep it or nah?" and then I skip to the next track. I work in an office setting which has been a godsend for this.
cold 01.12.18	"I work in an office setting which has been a godsend for this." Yeaaaaa boiiiii
Prancer 01.12.18	"I work in an office setting which has been a godsend for this." I've been able to listen to like 5 albums a day because of this lol
bloc 01.12.18	Dude I set a minimum quota of 10 albums a day lol. I actually get pissed if I don't reach it due to being away from my computer or whatever haha
pjquinones747 01.12.18	Same, dude. My office doesn't give a fuuuuuck and Sput isn't blocked so it's a huge blessing. My job is stupid easy too so I can mindlessly go to work and be blasting music in my ears the whole time.
MO 01.12.18	music is pure enjoyment. I listen to what I want when it fits my mood and it's integral to my sanity. kinda helps keep me grounded, helps me unwind
MO 01.12.18	also yea being in an office is perfect for listening to music
Demon of the Fall 01.12.18	Guys you’re killing me, I want a job where I can do this. Not a fan of your strategy though bloc, seems a little ruthless. Haha
cold 01.12.18	Touche Amore might be "that band" for me. Every album they've released has come out in an important time of my life and is oddly like I wrote the lyrics. The things and topics he writes about feels like how I feel inside, I'm just not that good of a writer. A few examples are "Art Official", "Harbor", "Suckerfish", etc etc etc. Biggest of all, the entire Stage Four album hits me insanely hard because I dealt with my mother's death as well. The same with my father, which I mentioned Pianos Become The Teeth earlier. As for positivity, mewithoutYou takes the cake. It may sound dumb, but I learned to be a better person through the lyrics of Aaron Weiss. It would take forever to explain, but that's just how it is. My brain is scrabbled, I'm rambling and don't know what I'm talking about.
zakalwe 01.12.18	I’ve always felt the sterile environment of an office doesn’t do justice to the music or fit its purpose. Like you’re letting the album down by jamming it while doing office things. I’m a bit mental like that I spose.
Demon of the Fall 01.12.18	Office listening (I do it at lunch) is nice for a taster but it isn’t optimal. I would love to do it more regularly but on the side, not as the main course
JustJoe. 01.12.18	I guess it all depends on how immersive the music is & how much you can disconnect from everything while listening to it. I, personally dislike listening to music in any setting where someone has the chance to disrupt or interrupt. Those headphones signify it's a personal time.
Dedes 01.12.18	No Coldheaven, I completely understand that. Music is actually my biggest "motivation" as well to become better-to become a person I think I can respect.
bloc 01.12.18	"Not a fan of your strategy though bloc, seems a little ruthless" Bruh if there was ANYONE on this site who could understand my strategy I thought it would be you haha. But yeah man I know it ain't pretty. I gotta do what I gotta do otherwise I will never get through the backlog.
pjquinones747 01.12.18	The "band" that did it for me has to be Trivium. I know they aren't very well-liked on this site but my roots are my roots and they are one of two bands from my childhood that I have not lost love for (the other being Underoath). The greatest thing about Trivium outside of their music has been MKH's influence on the other music I got into. I got into Opeth because of his acoustic cover of Harvest, and through Mikael Akerfeldt's affection for Judas Priest fell in love with them as well. This is just one example of tons of bands that Trivium has both directly and indirectly helped me get into. After seeing them so many times on tour and keeping up with the tour bills elsewhere I've found a ton of metal through them and can still go back to most of their albums to this day and find something new to enjoy about them. If nothing else, Heafy is student of metal and enjoys tons of types of it. I'm still impatiently waiting to see if his black metal side project will ever happen and if it can hold a candle to any of the black metal he supports so strongly.
Dedes 01.12.18	Dude what He has a black metal side project?
hal1ax 01.12.18	music to me is like woah
pjquinones747 01.12.18	@kingdede yeah he's been trying to write a bm album with ihsahn for a few years. i assume trivium's endeavors along with his own rigorous schedule has it on the backburner for a while but if that ever happens i'll be intrigued
Dedes 01.12.18	Yeah that's....interesting
dbizzles 01.12.18	Heafy + Isahn sounds real bad to me for some reason. Also, music to me is an escape, like reading or playing video games. A fantastic distraction with actual substance that is worth every second of my time.
ArsMoriendi 01.12.18	Music means a lot of things to me: -it's something to relax/comfort me -it's something to surprise me -it's something for me to share with others and for others to share with me -it's something to make me happy -it's something I can always talk about without getting bored -it's something I like to find a balance in (between serious and silly, between poppy and out there, etc.) It's more than that, but that's a generalization^
pjquinones747 01.12.18	"Heafy + Isahn sounds real bad to me for some reason." My excitement is certainly tempered with caution. Heafy seems to enjoy some fucking incredible bands and reps them hard, but he also seems to enjoy some real stinkers. I don't think he gives a hoot about the distinction between underground and mainstream metal and just loves all of it. If he enjoys the underground like he seems to, one would think that he might write a bm album that would show some respect to his love for classic bm.
AnimalsAsSummit 01.12.18	a glimpse into the unknown
Demon of the Fall 01.12.18	@bloc Oh yeah I ‘get it’ yet try very hard to avoid being ruthless when it comes to snap judgements like that. It does actually sound like something I’d instinctively do, especially going through it methodically like that.
Dedes 01.12.18	I tend to rate things automatically and usually if I don't really enjoy it I don't really come back to it, so i'm somewhat understanding of your methods bloc.
Dmax28 01.12.18	Anyone with New World Shadows as their profile picture understands some of the most profound emotions I have experienced through music. The pensive, melancholic, naturalistic, majestic, hopeful, heroic feels.
dbizzles 01.12.18	'If he enjoys the underground like he seems to, one would think that he might write a bm album that would show some respect to his love for classic bm.' Good point. Maybe he will. If it's too much of an homage, it may come off as formulaic and sterile. But, considering Isahn is involved, who knows
pjquinones747 01.12.18	@dbizz: That is a risk that we will have to take. As a Trivium fanboy I'm sure I'll find the inevitable Heafyisms satisfying in a bm setting, I'm just not sure how much of it I can expect since it's such a different dynamic than the music he's cashed in on his entire musical career. I'm just along for the ride in any case.
dbizzles 01.12.18	Yeah, can't fault you for being interested. I would be, in your shoes. I'm kind of interested myself, but probably for the wrong reasons. Not a fan of Trivium (they are harmless) and not really big on any of Isahn's more recent output.
pjquinones747 01.12.18	I'm still getting more well-versed with Ihsahn's discog, but his legacy is impeccable. Unique character too. I wonder if there's any literature on him.
dbizzles 01.12.18	I know there are a few books in which he has some interviews (ie. Evolution of the Cult, Lords of Chaos). Very interesting dude.
pjquinones747 01.12.18	Hell yeah i'll have to look into those
Astral Abortis 01.13.18	Music’s pretty cool I guess
Dedes 01.13.18	Agreed
LoLifant 01.13.18	I sometimes wonder if music was actually planned/evolved to be there by nature or if it's just a coincidence that it can affect us to a certain degree
Dedes 01.13.18	I'd imagine people just wanted to create something that brought some form of emotion or pleasure and music was one way to go.
zakalwe 01.13.18	Good vibrations.
TwigTW 01.13.18	Some things never change. I bet it all started when a caveman sang a few bird-like notes and got the girls' attention. Stone-age man: the original rock star.