So I Don't Know Much About Music...

To be frank, I haven't listened to most of /mu/core. From what I've heard, it's not anything special. Genre threads and sharethreads can be decent though, as well as bandcamp threads. Youtube can be pretty good , I agree. There is stuff that's not on there though, which can be annoying.
I think some blogs can be good for finding new music, especially if they have download links.

X

I've listening to that Neutral Milk Hotel album two or three times to see what all the fuss is about. It was alright, but nothing special. From that I concluded that /mu/core is a load of billhooks. Oh and they have a strange obsession with noise music seemingly purely because it's difficult to get into.

Blogs and podcasts are another good shout, though good ones can be hard to find. The most well known is of course The Needle Drop. I respect his views on a lot of things but it's frustrating when he gives a low score to an album I really like, or even no score as it's in a 'y u no review' video. Most recent example of this was Aura by Saor where he seemingly didn't do any research (completed messed up the name pronunciation even though there's a lot of material out there discussing it, and didn't seem to know anything about the band's history or inspiration). He did pick up on the dodgy production, but talked about the chuggy guitars rather than problems with the excessively loud drums and treble. /rant.

I rated your post just for the amount of effort that you put into it.

Queen. I have not met someone who doesn't like Queen.

Me! I just don't get the fuss at all.

Well there is a first time for everything I suppose albeit, 'technically' I still haven't met you haha. Ah well, suppose it might not be to everyone's taste. Not a fan of any of their work then?

Well there is a first time for everything I suppose albeit, 'technically' I still haven't met you haha. Ah well, suppose it might not be to everyone's taste. Not a fan of any of their work then?

Yeah, the noise obsession is a little strange, especially Merzbow. That ****'s not music. I don't really get the shoegaze obession either; I listened to Loveless and it sounded ****.

Blogs and podcasts are another good shout, though good ones can be hard to find. The most well known is of course The Needle Drop. I respect his views on a lot of things but it's frustrating when he gives a low score to an album I really like, or even no score as it's in a 'y u no review' video. Most recent example of this was Aura by Saor where he seemingly didn't do any research (completed messed up the name pronunciation even though there's a lot of material out there discussing it, and didn't seem to know anything about the band's history or inspiration). He did pick up on the dodgy production, but talked about the chuggy guitars rather than problems with the excessively loud drums and treble. /rant.

Merzbow is a meme, but Yellow Swans, Johan G Winther, Masonna, Aube I like from noise. As a rule though it usually needs to be combined with another genre to interest me, usually drone in the case of Johan G Winther.

Shoegaze is a genre that started off great and then got really **** really quickly, it had a lifespan of like 5 years. Loveless is one of my favourite albums of all time, but then I found about them and Slowdive from The Gathering name dropping rather than /mu/ No one likes Loveless first time - because there's so much going on it just sounds like noise until you delve into it. Sometimes is a great song, my favourite from the album. Very glad they did a follow up and a tour last year.

Don't watch video reviews. Much easier to read them rather than watch them, and it seems a bit vain to film yourself doing it me. When I started writing reviews I didn't really know how to go about it, but I like doing it so much I don't really care if anyone else reads them or not. I would also MUCH rather cover some underground bands that are making good music with no exposure or fanbase than do the 7000th Mastodon or Grouper review.

One thing in life that really annoys me though is when no one will EVER give your recommendations ago based on similar artists. Then an artist you've been telling someone about for years supports someone they go to see then suddenly they're a massive fan straight after the concert > I try to take people's recommendations on board, especially in real life where they'll know what I like more.

If you're into pop/acoustic and rap, like you say, maybe listen to Ed Sheeran? He blends those genres into his music pretty well, and he's got an amazing voice too. Some of his more rap based songs are "Take it back" and "You need me, I don't need you", here's some pretty good videos of them:






A few other artists I think are pretty good are:

The Beatles
Nirvana
Jimi Hendrix
Eric Clapton
The Stone Roses
Muse
Biffy Clyro
The 1975
The Paper Kites
The Velvet Underground
Blondie
Fightstar
Guns N' Roses

Nothing wrong with that. It took me a while to develop my taste in music, which is constantly evolving and changing. What type of music do you think you like? Pop, Rock, Alternative? I'll give a list of bands and artists with selected songs which I enjoy and think are generally a bit of a background to some of the music out there. See what you like, and explore a bit deeper if you are interested Keep in mind I don't have the most hip or current taste in music Bare with me, this will be long winded.

Abba. The quintessential pop band. From Sweden, really popular in the 1970s. Cheesy, but a foundation for modern pop music.
Songs: Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Does Your Mother Know, Mama Mia.

Arctic Monkeys. Great Alternative Rock band from Sheffield. First two albums are the best in my opinion, but their latest album AM is also pretty decent.
Songs: I Bet That You Look Good On The Dance Floor, Do I Want To Know, Arabella, Mardy Bum, Florescent Adolescent.

The Beatles. One of my favourite bands, and often considered the greatest band of all time. So many great songs, too many to name. Very influential to both pop and rock.
Songs: Here Comes The Sun, Hey Jude, Daytripper, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Yesterday, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Back In The USSR.

Black Sabbath. One of the early pioneers of Heavy Metal and home to the legendary Ozzy Osbourne. Heavy Metal isn't to everyone's tastes, but nonetheless I enjoy it.
Songs: Paranoid, Iron Man, Voodoo.

Blink 182. Very popular American Punk Pop band. Most popular during the mid 90s to early 2000s, but recently reunited. Soundtrack to my childhood really.
Songs: First Date, Feeling This, Dammit, Whats My Age Again, All The Small Things, Anthem Part Two, The Rock Show.

Blondie. Band fronted by Debbie Harry. Part of the 'New Wave' revolution in pop, with use of synthesisers which are part of parcel of modern pop.
Songs: Heart of Glass, Call Me, One Way Or Another, Dennis.

Blur. Britpop band, which had a heated rivalry with Oasis Pretty decent, but I prefer Oasis.
Songs: Parklife, Girls and Boys, Country House

Bob Marley. Arguably the most iconic figure in reggae. Great chillout music.
Songs: One Love, Jammin', Sun is Shining, Stir it Up, Trench Town Rock, Could You Be Loved, No Woman No Cry, Three Little Birds.

Calvin Harris. Popular Electro DJ/Singer.
Songs: Acceptable in the 80s, Ready for the Weekend, Im Not Alone, Summer.

David Bowie. Iconic British Rock/Pop singer.
Songs: Changes, Life On Mars, Let's Dance, Starman.

Duran Duran. Another New Wave, 80s Rock/Pop group.
Songs: The Reflex, Rio, Girls On Film, Hungry Like The Wolf.

Elvis Presley. The King of Rock n' Roll.
Songs: Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, Suspicious Minds, Viva Las Vegas.

Fleetwood Mac. Half Way Between Rock and Pop. Started in the 60s, mainly blues-ish type music, Band changed direction entirely in 70s, to its more successful Pop/Rock sound.
Songs: Go Your Own Wage, Don't Stop, Everywhere, Little Lies.

Foo Fighters. Massively popular Alternative rock band fronted by Dave Grohl, former drummer for Nirvana.
Songs: Monkey Wrench, Best of You, Everlong, The Pretender, Breakout, Learn to Fly.

The Four Tops. American Soul and R&B at its finest. Great stage men, have a good old time quality to them.
Songs: Same Old Song, Loco In Acapulco, Baby I Need Your Loving.

The Fratellis. Alternative Scottish Band. I love em', but they broke up and kinda fell off the radar.
Songs: Chelsea Dagger, Whistle for the Choir, Mistress Mabel, Look Out Sunshine, Vince the Loveable Stoner, Everyone Knows You Cried Last Night.

Greenday. Another American Pop Punk band, but a bit more serious than Blink 182. American Idiot was a great album, but Dookie is my favourite. Stereotypical teenager band in some respects.
Songs: American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Basketcase, Nice Guys Finish Last, Minority, 21 Guns.

James Brown. The Godfather of Soul. Very troubled man, but always the ultimate performer.
Songs: Papa's Got A Brand New Bag, I Feel Good, Living In America, The Boss.

Johnny Cash. Probably the most well known and revered country musician.
Songs: Ring Of Fire, The Man Comes Round, Folsom Prison Blues, I Walk The Line, Hurt.

Kasabian. Alternative British Band from Leicester. Pretty decent.
Songs: Fire, Shoot The Runner, Underdog, eez-eh.

Katy Perry. I'll be surprised if you don't know her Currently one of the top American pop stars. She is a guilty pleasure, but I thought that her first hit album 'One of the Boys' was pretty good.
Songs: Last Friday Night, Hot & Cold, I Kissed A Girl, Waking Up In Vegas, Roar.

Kiss. Popular American Hard Rock band, well known for their elaborate make up. Some people are quite snobby and don't like them, but they always managed to produce good hits.
Songs: I Was Made For Loving You, Detroit Rock City, Rock N' Roll All Nite, Love Gun.

Madonna. Probably more known for adopting African children, one upon the time during the 1980s she produced some pretty good pop music.
Songs: Like A Virgin, Pappa Don't Preach, Material Girl, Like A Prayer, Hung Up.

Meatloaf. Rock or Hard Rock depending on who you are asking. Pretty good at ballads, all his signature songs have a somewhat epic element to them.
Songs: Bat Out Of Hell, Paradise By The Dashboard Light, Two Outta Three Ain't Bad, I'd Do Anything For Love.

Metallica. One of the first Tharsh Metal bands, a lot faster and more energetic than classical heavy metal. Again, too heavy for some's taste but they did recently headline Glastonbury and stole the show while annoying the hippies.
Songs: One, Seek & Destroy, Master of Puppets, Enter Sandman, Fade to Black.

Michael Jackson. The King of Pop. Long spanning career, from the Jacksons to a highly successful solo career. Don't let his eccentricity put you off his music.
Songs: Beat It, Smooth Criminal, Thriller, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man In The Mirror, Billy Jean.

Nirvana. Arguably one of the most iconic Grunge bands from Seattle. Fronted by the severely troubled Kurt Kobain, during their short span they managed inject life into rock music away from the banality of glam metal. I'd recommend watching their MTV unplugged performance.
Songs: Lithium, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Heart Shaped Box, In Bloom, Territorial Pissings, Polly, All Apologies.

Oasis. Influenced by the 'Madchester' era, they managed to become the face of the emerging Britpop scene alongside Blur. Front by Liam and Noel Gallagher, the band has produced a great number of brilliant tracks. The quality of their music did seem to slip as they entered the 21st Century, with a few notable exceptions, before finally breaking up.
Songs: Little by Little, Slide Away, The Importance of Being Idle, Stop Crying Your Hear Out, Half The World Away, Cigarettes & Alcohol, Some Might, Morning Glory, Don't Look Back In Anger.

The Offspring. Punk Band from California. Think Blink 182 and Green Day, but harder.
Songs: Come Out And Play, Cool To Hate, Want You Bad, The Kid's Aren't Alright, Pretty Fly for a White Guy, Self Esteem.

Pet Shop Boys. British electric music group. Pretty popular in the 80s and 90s.
Songs: It's A Sin, Always On My Mind, Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money), West End Girls.

Phil Collins. Former Drummer of Genesis, changed the bands direction from Progressive Rock to a more commercial Pop Rock sound and replaced lead singer Peter Gabriel. A lot of people consider him Judas, but personally I like his music. I'll include music by Genesis and Phil Collins in this.
Songs: Phil Collins - You Can't Hurry Love, Two Hearts, Easy Lover, Sssudio, Against All Odds, Something Happened On the Way to Heaven, In the Air Tonight, You'll Be In My Heart. Genesis - Invisible Touch, Jesus He Knows Me, Land Of Confusion

The Police. Rock band fronted by prominent Geordie, Sting.
Songs: Can't Stand Losing You, Roxanne, Message in a Bottle, Every Breath You Take.

The Prodigy. Versatile British electronic group. Quite a mix of styles, at the deeper end of electronic music in terms of mainstream groups.
Songs: Smack My Bitch Up, Out Of Space, Firestarer, Omen, Warriors Dance.

Queen. I have not met someone who doesn't like Queen. Fronted by musical heavy weight Freddie Mercury until his unfortunate death. Very diverse and pleasurable rock music, a real treasure in British music
Songs: Radio GaGa, Somebody To Love, I Want To Break Free, It's a Kinda Magic, Bohemian Rhapsody, Fat Bottomed Girls, Don't Stop Me Now, The Show Must Go On, You're My Best Friend.

Red Hot Chili Peppers. Funky, Alternative rock band. Very popular in the 1990s.
Songs: Give it Away, Dani California, Californication, By The Way, Can't Stop, Scar Tissue, Under The Bridge,

Reel Big Fish. Okay, not a very influential or currently popular band but I love them. Fun, energetic ska music that I just can't help but enjoy.
Songs: She's Not the End of the World, Beer, Sell Out, I Know You Too Well To Like You Anymore, Trendy.

Weezer. Alternative American Rock Band. Fun but can be a bit sad at times.
Songs: Buddy Holly, Pork And Beans, Say it Aint So, Perfection Situation, My Name is Jonas.


Well, that took longer than expected Just a few of the bands I like that I thought I'd try introduce. I left some out, and there are numerous bands with only a few songs I like that I could have listed but I'd be here until tomorrow afternoon. Go through it if you want, and see if there is anything you like. Once you get an idea of the kind of genres you like will be much easier for you to delve into the kinda music you like.