Hyper-specific things you like in music

[yequari]

I'm curious what sort of weird, specific things make you really like a song. Some examples that I really like:

- A reprise of the chorus but the lyrics are changed slightly. For example, Bo Burnham - Goodbye, though this a reprise of lyrics from other songs on the album but it's the same idea.

- When each band member slowly joins in and it builds up to an epic payoff. For example, this version of Pink Floyd - Saucerful of Secrets from one of their The Man and the Journey live shows.

There are probably technical terms for some of these things but I'm too clueless about music to know them.

[artemis]

for some reason my brain goes !!! when the artist references another one of their songs in a song.

[sixeyes]

i must say lately it's when, without prior warning, the horn section kicks in...

cake's friend is a four letter word (1:05)
mitski's why didn't you stop me (1:55)

(although you should probably listen to the entire song for the point to really come across hehe)

for some reason my brain goes !!! when the artist references another one of their songs in a song.

mm yeah!! my fave non-lyrical example of this is on sefi sizling's "expanse" album where the theme of one of the very earliest songs (6:30) comes back as the climax of the entire album (1:05:25). *shivers*

[Cobra!]

I love when in a Rancid song, all the members join in the sing the chorus. Always makes me want to sing along!

I also love Jun Senoue’s (Guitarist for Sonic games) guitar riffs! They always give me goose bumps!

[Starfighter]

The chord progression Bm G D A (example).

[vincent]

I don't know if this has a name, so I'll just call it stuttering because that's basically what it is.

One example is by the band Brand New in their song Okay, I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t with the line "Oh, we're so c-c-controversial." This is the first song I remember really noticing it in and liking it.

There's also Changes by David Bowie, Movin' Out by Billy Joel, and Psycho Killer by Talking Heads.

[Yukari]

I was telling someone irl that I actually liked Dwayne Johnson's "talk-singing" in the Moana soundtrack, and they informed me that the proper term for it is "recitative" I've mentioned this in the server before, but my favorite example of this is Indiscipline by King Crimson. That man is NOT singing xD

[capricansix]

songs in waltz time, but especially if they're in 6/8.

[Arevakhach]

There's this "grassroots" musical I've been following for a while, recently it's started releasing finalized versions of its songs. This song has a moment where it kinda like gets an interruption, but now that I think about it's not that specific element. I think I just really like callbacks / reprises / twists. But I guess that means you have to be listening to something more drawn out like a soundtrack because otherwise you won't experience that kinda thing with a single song.

[OppositeKeith]

footwork artists stuttering their samples.

[yequari]

I was telling someone irl that I actually liked Dwayne Johnson's "talk-singing" in the Moana soundtrack, and they informed me that the proper term for it is "recitative" I've mentioned this in the server before, but my favorite example of this is Indiscipline by King Crimson. That man is NOT singing xD

Yes, I love King Crimson! Thela hun Ginjeet on the same album is similar to Indiscipline with the recitative singing.

The use of the violin in rock such as in The Poppies of Balmorhea and other songs from New Roman Times. Sadly few rock bands I'm aware of uses the violin but IMO the violin works great in most rock songs and should be used more.

The only one that comes to mind is Yellowcard and man I haven't listened to them since I was a teenager. Agree though, strings in rock are great!

i must say lately it's when, without prior warning, the horn section kicks in...

If you want strings, brass, and choir in a rock song, check out Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother

[rekanochi]

ooh, i've got a bunch of these!

-the bass in YOUR HEAD'S ON FIRE by Louie Zong (love this dude's music and art so much)

-A REPRISE OF PREVIOUS LYRICS BUT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TO FIT A NEW MEANING!!! THAT SHIT DRIVES ME
B O N K E R S

-the way Ferry does their instrumentals. listen to Parties Are For Losers i beg of you

-the cello in Dilaudid by The Mountain Goats gives me straight up chills.
-on that note, so does this recording of No Children during a live show they played in 2006. i have a lot of feelings about the mountain goats

-666 kill chop deluxe's weird circular chorus?? i have no idea how to describe it but it's in the first 15-30 second range and it scratches my brain real good

-whatever the hell it is will wood is doing in SELF-iSH. just like, the entire album.

-the sax in Lost In Paradise almost qualifies as nsfw because of how good it is

-well placed record scratches. i'm a sucker for em

-unusual instruments!! cuica drums are super weird and sound like someone wiping a window and they're great, but also stuff like the scissors/stitching SFX in Terry's Taxidermy by Teddy Hyde

-when the vocalist goes absolutely fucking H A M on a note like they put their whole chest into that shit and it hits you SO HARD. case & point: around 2:05 in the chainsaw man opening (which is a certified banger btw)

-LEITMOTIFS

-stupid ass mashups. i have a lot of these and i love all of them.

i could go on but i think i'd go on until christmas, lmao

[artemis]

i thought of another one today. when songs fade out at the end. idk why but that's just *chefs kiss* to me.

[tako]

for some reason my brain goes !!! when the artist references another one of their songs in a song.

The artist Nelward does this quite a lot, and I love it. Also one of their songs, "The Minus World" has this one metal-esque part and there's a brief moment where he incorporates a stock cartoon sound effect and it manages to always make my brain go .

[swifty]

pan flutes, midis, and nature recordings mixed together... ahhhh....

[Harmonie]

I'm very prone to instrumentation. I tend to like music that uses woodwinds, brass, strings and harpsichord. All of them at once is great, as well. lol

I like minor key music, and also modal music. I listen to a lot of early and folk music, so modes are my thing.

[severe]

I really like hyperspecific types of vocals- I like raw, depressing, industrial lyricism but something else I like is an experimental take on instrumentation and sounds- I like it when artists aren't scared to push the limits the most. I also really like verbose songs that almost seem like poetry (see John Congleton and The Paper Chase). If you combined everything I like in music, you'd end up with Nine Inch Nails, which is kind of funny.

I'm a big fan of electronic and electropop, breakcore, even hyper pop even though I hate the genre etc when it's done right and like there's a catchy melody to it, my main favorite thing being how non-censored it was, and how everything was influenced from other genres too. I think that's the main reason I like 2010s pop and electronic music the most. It's not that I hate current music- there is some good stuff but a lot of it feels commercial instead of passionate and I blame it people only listening to the top 40 songs on the radio instead of actually seeking out things that they'd enjoy.

[severe]

-666 kill chop deluxe's weird circular chorus?? i have no idea how to describe it but it's in the first 15-30 second range and it scratches my brain real good

LISA spotted !!!! 666 KILL CHOP deluxe is genuinely a masterpiece, another song I'd recommend from the LISA ost is devil's bath boys- talking about videogame OSTs idk if anyone here likes OFF but this remix genuinely scratches my brain sooooo insane
https://soundcloud.com/taitoki/off-yourself

[tombofnull]

There's this crunchy, fuzzy, deep, droning wall-of-sound that I seem to find most of the doom I happen upon. It feels like the audio equivalent of a big, heavy warm blanket to me. :]

[hima_online]

Chopped up drum breaks. Need i say more?

[AstroWildcat]

Chopped up drum breaks. Need i say more?

Was gonna say the same thing. I am not immune to a good chopped up amen break.

[DaGrandDragonn]

I don’t know what it is exactly about it but I really like Swedish mall music