Do you musical choices change with the season?

[General Zod]

Perhaps an odd question. Do the seasons impact your listening habits? Different genres or different bands, whose music seems more natural at different times of the year?

 

[Claus / Intromental]

Perhaps an odd question. Do the seasons impact your listening habits? Different genres or different bands, whose music seems more natural at different times of the year?

Absolutely - I don't listen to TSO during summer

 

[DuchessOfDork]

I think that in the summer, I'm more likely to listen to really loud, fast, classic-style metal, so that I can blast it while the windows are down. This summer, my car blazed through the neighborhood, blaring Accept. During the winter, I'm too depressed, so I hole up in my car with the heat on full blast, allowing Fabio Lione's beautiful voice soothe me.

 

[jem777az]

Not at all. I'll listen to anything anytime depending on what I'm jonesing for at that moment.

 

[AngraRULES]

It changes, but not much. Much like Claus, I can't listen to TSO anytime between January and October. I noticed I listen to more Black Metal during the winter (especially when I take my dogs for the walks at night, lol).

 

[dcowboys311]

yes. a lot.

 

[TychoCelchu]

More Scandinavian stuff during the winter. I also often have an unplanned "braking session" right before a seasonal change. For example, I know winter's coming, so I've been listening to nonstop jazz fusion for basically the whole month of November, because I probably won't be in the mood for it much come the deads of January and February.

Otherwise, I wouldn't say my stylistic listenings change from summer to winter, but the specific band choices can change. For example, I listen to death metal year round, but Morbid Angel likely plays during the summer while Dark Tranquillity and Sentenced play during the winter. Sometimes seasonal preference for specific albums from a band can vary for me. For example with Blind Guardian, Tales, Imaginations, and Opera are summer plays, while Somewhere Far Beyond and Nightfall are winter plays.

 

[General Zod]

I noticed I listen to more Black Metal during the winter (especially when I take my dogs for the walks at night, lol).

This. I find that stuff from my youth, as well as bands like Sister Sin, Taking Dawn and PC69 have a spring/summer feel to them. Conversely, Black Metal seems to feel right at home when we hit daylight savings... darkness and cold.

Something that just occurred to me, lots of folks suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, to some degree or another. I wonder if there's any correlation between those who get SAD and those who choose music by season.

 

[skyrefuge]

Intuitively, I would say yes (the obvious, more power metal/happy death metal in the summer, more black metal and coldness in winter), but I'm not sure if that feeling is upheld when going to the data.

I ran reports to generate my top 10 most-listened-to albums in June-July vs. December-January, over the 4-year period 2005-2009.

SUMMER LISTENING
Grinderman - Grinderman - 9.3 (don't really associate a season with it)
Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain - 8.4 (I think of all Agalloch as "winter")
Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta! - 8 (definitely more a summer-fun album)
Dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion - 5.9 (I think this just came out in the summer and got a bunch of listens)
Hammers Of Misfortune - The Locust Years - 5.6 (Maybe a little summery)
Angra - Holy Land - 5.5 (A definite summer album, this only got 1 listen in the winter period)
Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth - 5 (more summer-ish stuff, for faries' sake!)
Shaaman - Reason - 4.9 (Matos means summer to me! Except for 'Theatre of Fate' maybe...)
Novembre - Materia - 4.9 (This ought to be more autumn)
Arcturus - Sideshow Symphonies - 4.2 (Dark space-metal really belongs in winter, though not as much as 'Aspera Hiems Symfonia')

WINTER LISTENING
Disillusion - Gloria - 8.3 (it's cold, but was #12 in the summer period too)
In Vain - The Latter Rain - 7 (I think a bit more "warm" with this band)
Agua de Annique - Air - 6.3 (no real season association)
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela - 5.9 (flamenco-ish guitars really ought to be in the summer)
The Gathering - Souvenirs - 5.7 (dark, good winter choice)
Estradasphere - Palace of Mirrors - 5.1 (The most "wintery" Estradasphere album, excluding the one with a black metal song, but still not a very cold band)
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works - 5.1 (no real season for this)
Canvas Solaris - Penumbra Diffuse - 4.9 (no seasons here either)
I - Between Two Worlds - 4.7 (ah, phew! It's not quite Immortal, but it's still nearly at the heart of winter)
Eternal Deformity - Frozen Circus - 4.1 ("Frozen"!)

Neil

 

[Dolamite S. Biffle]

More with mood then season, but I do agree loud, fast, and classic heavy metal for summer, and doom or black metal for winter. I am sure I will listen to an unhealthy amount of Anathema this winter as standard.

 

[Palabra de Dios]

I am sure I will listen to an unhealthy amount of Anathema this winter as standard.

Great choice!!!

I think that in the summer, I'm more likely to listen to really loud, fast, classic-style metal, so that I can blast it while the windows are down.

Dio does the trick for me!

 

[hoodaman]

doom in the winter.

 

[General Zod]

I ran reports to generate my top 10 most-listened-to albums in June-July vs. December-January, over the 4-year period 2005-2009.

Tell me again how you track this. Very curious.

 

[OrbWeaver]

The seasons have not affected my listening habits. Not that I've noticed, anyway.

 

[DarkOne]

Nope. I can be in the mood for heavy, prog, or anything else at any time. The few exceptions are the aforementioned TSO which is my answer to Mall Xmas music, and a locational rather than seasonal change - I listen to Buffett and Reggae when I'm in the Caribbean!

Steve in Philly

 

[Jasonic]

doom all the fucking time!

Fixed.

I can't say this has happened to me personally, but I see how the seasons could impact what I listen to.

I have noticed that bands I see live impact what I listen to.
For example, after the Katatonia / Orphaned Land tour, I pulled out the My Dying Bride stuff.

With Blind Guardian coming up, I have been spinning some Grave Digger and Helloween lately as well ,but them both having new releases certainly has something to do with it.

 

[Osiris' Eyes]

I do find myself being a seasonal music listener...for example:

Summer: bring out the classics from my youth such as Accept, Iron Maiden, Priest, Exodus, Gamma Ray, etc....more traditional heavy metal and some death metal...also more rock oriented stuff like Brant Bjork, Rainbow, Robin Trower, etc.
Winter: I love this time of year the most so out comes the goth, doom, black and symphonic stuff...Opeth, Anathema, My Dying Bride, Tiamat, Katatonia, Immortal, 3rd and the Mortal and folk metal such as Falconer, Otyg, Ensiferum, Therion, etc.

Prog defies the seasons so it generally goes all year round.

I don't know why I am like this...maybe I am just more at one with nature and I let the elements dictate my listening habits.

 

[1000 Faces]

I've found that in the summer I tend to listen to a lot of prog and classic rock. In the autumn I'm usually listening to power metal, and in the winter I often get lost in dark music (stuff like Agalloch, Katatonia, Drudkh, Anathema, and Opeth).

 

[grogg]

Not at all.

same here.

I've got music to cover every genre and it cycles through depending on my mood, not the season.

 

[Riceloft]

In general, no, but there are a few albums that I tend to play more during a particular season.

The only one that jumps to mind right now is Mercenary - 11 Dreams during summer.