Diamond all the way

Shawn Benson

Shawn Benson

I play dem drums
May 6, 2009
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When you listen to a song what is the first thing you notice about the song? for instance, quality? technicality of musicians? and so on. :hotjump:
 
Hmmm. Definitely the first thing that I notice about the song is simply the overall "sound" - things like the guitar, bass, & drum sound, how the mix shapes the music (what rings out most clearly at any given time, and how does it all sound together?), the distinct style of the vocals, etc. - the overall "texture" and "feel" of the music. I guess that is how I first make sense of what I am hearing.

Technical skill comes next, but I don't look for virtuosity - I can just instantly hear the difference between solid riffing and chord-bashing, for instance.

Those two happen very quickly. Quality of songwriting is the next thing I notice, and that is what is most important to me. If the songs flow well, if they are interesting, coherent, well thought-out, display theory put into practice - My favorite and most oft-played bands are those that I value for their songwriting ability.
 
Well, for me this is different every time really, it depends on the kind of music. For metal in general, I think mixing is one of the first things that tell me whether a song sounds promising or not. However, sometimes this can be deceptive, as I greatly underestimated Reinxeed and overestimated Innerwish for example.
Also, when I hear a song for the first time, surprising details like a certain guitar riff, drum fill or admosphere start to pop up and give me a reason to like the song. After listening multiple times to a song, I usually focus on every separate instrument and then how they act together. This is when I decide if a song is worth listening to for its musical quality, lyrical cohesion and talent and technicality of the band members.

Let me take 'A Nightmare To Remember' by Dream Theather as an example, which I recently heard it for the first time. At the first listen, the first drum fill really caught my attention, as well as the beautiful melodies during "In peaceful sedation I lay half awake". The mixing was appealing, nicely done, nothing more. After a couple of listens I started to notice how well the band members handled their instruments, and how closely the music was related to the lyrical theme.

I don't know how other people develop their (dis)taste for certain song, but I'm sure this is one of the more interesting features of music.
 
Ok, let's see. (BTW, that is a GREAT question...)

ususally it's:
The singer's voice (if there is a singer)
Then the lyrics (are they cheesy/deep/epic(Theocracy's lyrics) )
Then the insturmental talent (If there is any....:zombie:)
THen recording quality

That is pretty much how I do it. Cool question, Shawn!
 
That mostly depends on the type of music, but with metal it's usually the "catchiness" of the intro riff and the overall "feel" of the piece.
 
I'm with I_Rock_4_God--number one thing I always look for/notice is the singer's voice/pitch. The singer makes it or breaks it for me. I can't stand listening to music with a bad singer (or any growling, rap, silly fad vocal thing meant to be in place of singing, you name it).

Secondarily, I listen for a melody, harmonies, and chord progressions that are interesting and not the same thing over and over again in every song.

Third, I listen for interesting/more challenging performance from the instrumentalists (i.e., just strumming chords is a little boring).

I can listen to and enjoy a song with simple instrumentation and not-so-technical instrumentalists IF it is interesting melodically and has a good singer. But nothing beats a band that has it all, like Theocracy!

As for lyrics, I listen to lots of music with lyrics I don't even know or listen to. But a band with lame lyrics could never be my favorite band. And especially among Christian bands, lame lyrics abound. That's why Theocracy sticks out so much as an incredible Christian band. Nothing moves me more than great lyrics that tell of God's glory!
 
The song should hook me with some kind of groove. That can be done any number of ways. Drums: like in Iron Maiden's "The Prisoner." Keys like in Theocracy's "I AM." Guitar/Bass Melody as in Theocracy's "Mirror of Souls" or Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name." Guitar Crunch like Stryper's "Calling on You" or Dream Theater's "Overture 1928." Soulful quality vocals like "Star of David" from Seventh Wonder. Symphonic Bliss like in Symphony X's "Masquerade." Or some combination of it all.
 
Shawn Benson said:
When you listen to a song what is the first thing you notice about the song? for instance, quality? technicality of musicians? and so on. :hotjump:
Click to expand...

The tone, both in musical and emotive terms.

Regardless if its vocals, drums, guitars, sound effects, the first thing I always notice is the tone of the song.

The most annoying thing to me is when something in the song doesn't match the tone. Examples...

Negative example:
St. Anger... the drums. Obviously a lot of hate goes around on St. Anger but I think its biggest mistake is that the tone of the songs and the tone of the drums don't match at all. It makes it sound like you're listening to two songs at the exact same time instead of one song.

Positive example:
A Dramatic Turn of Events. Dream Theater, IMHO, are the masters of tone. There are bands that are as good technically, where the production is just as good, etc... but DT knows how to make everything in a song match that opening tone and when it doesn't, its done on purpose for effect.

See also just about anything Satch has released.
 
Stupid answer at first sight maybe: the intro. The intro should be promising, building energy. Of course, these should not be empty promises. Overall, I would go with good energy management (build-up, suspension, etc).

EDIT: Btw, what do you mean with Diamond all the way? Sold the ten million copies?
 
I am an old school riff guy, so I look for a catchy riff as the first thing. Years of listening to Led Zeppelin and such has ingrained this into my thinking. After that I'd say it is attitude that catches me. Then comes emotion. Quality sound and musicianship are always a plus, but the first three mentioned things can always override a bad recording.
 
Thanks for all the responses! and I heard a homeless black man downtown athens say "Diamond all the way" a long time ago. but he also said when i gave him a dollar, "just like drinkin breast milk" lol
 
I would say the "feel" or emotion of the song, whether it be a catchy hook or just an epic build up or great vocals. I would say that the one thing that makes or breaks a band for me is the singer. The mix is second and sadly lyrics is third haha. This is where Theocracy stands out because I believe all 3 things are there and mesh well together. Usually bands have 2 of the 3 for me but thta third thing lacking is just enough to keep me away.
 
I almost love any songs with epic high screams, like laying the demon to rest, or monkey business by skid row. Anything reinxeed, anything melodic, even some extremem metal, black and death. But high screams.......thats an instant win with me. IF theyre on key.
 
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