what catch your attetion first: lyrics or instrumental?

[Ecto]

as almost all the bands sing in english and english isn't the offical language in my country, i get into the instrumental first.

 

[YaYo]

Music.

I dislike music that relies on vocals to do everything (eg most of the shitter mainstream stuff, each song is the same, its the different lyrics that define what the song is about). There are many instruments used in music, and voice is only one of them and to me its message is stronger and more obvious than the music beneath it. For that reason i think vocals should be used very wisely, to heighten or express small elements of the music... not to be the only message.

I personally dont think lyrics should be enough to know what a song is about. When i eventually get vocals on my album they will be very disconnected and very short lines. The music will remain the most important thing to tell the story. Each instrument will have its turn to be the focus of the story progression... instruments shouldnt automatically be backings for vocals.

So yeh, i notice the music first and foremost, and thats also the way most of the music i listen to (eg metal) is written to some degree (which is why i like it and listen to it i guess!) but vocals are very important and the small parts they should play in songs (by my rules) are often the most important parts, definitely the most memorable parts.

 

[Ecto]

yeah...imo the voice is just another instrument in the song, but sometimes they're (the lyrics) a very important song part, depending on what they're are saying and stuff. if it is a good message, maybe you can enjoy even more the song...if it's not, we can keep just the instrumental to enjoy.

 

[R.I.P.2]

Of course it is the instruments that catch my attention first...

For me, music should be accompanied by vocals, the quality of the music should NOT be sacrificed for the vocals...

 

[Ecto]

but think: imagine metal or any other music style without vocals (lyrics)...it'll be kind of boring.

 

[YaYo]

Im particularly interested in music where the vocals are there yet form the background for the song, rather than being the focal point... dont know if too much music out there does it though

 

[YaYo]

and no, instrumental metal can be very interesting

Think classical and jazz if you wanna see how music can be extrememly interesting without vocals.

 

[Manbient]

ALWAYS instruments. Tell you the truth most of the time i don't even know the words to my favorite songs. I would say i know only 25% of Opeth lyrics, and no song all the way through, yet i've listened to the CD's like 100 times each AT LEAST and enjoy them way too much. And i think knowing ALL the lyrics would make it better... but not THAT much. I am more in it for the music, not the story.

 

[Cows on million man march]

the music/insturmental....cuz i only figure out the lyrics after litening to the song a few times anyway.

 

[TrueBeliever]

Instrumentals do not have to be boring. Nile - Hall of Sourion Entombment. I think lyrics do help though because it's something you can get into. You can sing along, because you don't need an instrument.

 

[Punisher]

music, duh... or else i would just read books.

 

[Parasite]

I'd say their both about the same for me.

If a song had awesome music but the lyrics were "I'm pooping on the shoes of an old man! GIVE ME COOKIES!" I wouldn't enjoy it..

If a song had extremly poetic very touching lyrics but the music soundes like my grandmother vomiting, i wouldnt like it either.

I need both.

 

[Alex78]

I never care about the lyrics. Unless they are annoyingly stupid, which really can make a whole song unlistenable for me.

 

[mindflesh]

Originally posted by ChokingParasite
I'd say their both about the same for me.

If a song had awesome music but the lyrics were "I'm pooping on the shoes of an old man! GIVE ME COOKIES!" I wouldn't enjoy it..

If a song had extremly poetic very touching lyrics but the music soundes like my grandmother vomiting, i wouldnt like it either.

I need both.

True. But if the music is truly great, I can overlook shitty lyrics (except if they transmit a message I absolutely disagree with - fascist ideas, for example). It doesn't work the other way round, though: I can't listen to music that's utter crap even if I love the lyrics - but that rarely happens, bad music tends to have bad lyrics as well.

 

[Mosh Kosh]

this is what i see as the diff between good music and bad. Pop and stuff is written for the vocals...you can tell cause if you mute the vox its pretty lame. Bad metal is like that too, including numetal. In Flames have written their new album like this, and this is another reason why it stinks. Bands that dont do this, that write the vocals into the music, i think it sounds better.

 

[7 Dying Trees]

the interaction of the whole. any part of it done badly can ruin the rest

mostly i'll concentrate on the guitars/drums morethan anythingelse...

 

[Czik]

I usually don't pay much attention to the lyrics of most things at the first listen, so unless they're REALLY striking- which always has to go along with good vocals too- they're not going to catch my attention first.
Usually it's just the overall sound of the song/music ... the overall impression I get from listening to it, which is mostly from the music... especially since usually I'm not that good at deciphering all of the lyrics and then thinking about them the first time I hear them, because maybe the vocalist kind of pronounces the words oddly or too quickly, whatever *shrug*

 

[Jayde]

I don't see why you're all saying that the music should be more important than the vocals. The vocals ARE music. It's all supposed to work together. There shouldn't be this "drum part>guitar part>bass part>vocals.
It's all supposed to work together to form music, and no one element should be more important than the others.

But then again, what do I know? I'm "not a musician"