# Some gaps in my musical knowledge (and what to do about it.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [February 22, 2024, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943 "2024-02-22T13:47:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/41 "2024-02-23T15:18:03Z")
For those looking for recommendations, I’ll throw in _Lullabies to Paralyze_ (2005) by **Queens of the Stone Age**. Their style shifts from album to album and, honestly, none of the others have particularly hooked me (apart from the previous one _Songs For The Deaf_) but LtP is one of my top five favorite albums. Lately I’ve been exploring Swift and Rodrigo’s oeuvres because my daughter is into them. Solid work, although I’m not sure I’ll ever be a full-on fan. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/42 "2024-02-23T15:18:35Z")
I have to say I’m puzzled by this reaction. I can see not liking the song “Aja”, but the album has “Black Cow,” “Deacon Blues,” “Peg,” and “Josie” on it. Some excellent songs and terrific performances. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/43 "2024-02-23T15:18:56Z")
For the record: I like the song “Aja”. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/44 "2024-02-23T15:28:17Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I have to say that “Tom Sawyer” is not representative of most of their work Is it representative of their _vocals_? Because I can’t take a whole song of that, never mind an album. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/45 "2024-02-23T15:33:23Z")
Yeah, if you can’t stand Geddy Lee’s voice, no sense in putting yourself through more of that. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/46 "2024-02-23T15:35:50Z")
No one opens their mouth on “YYZ” IIRC ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/47 "2024-02-23T15:40:59Z")
If anyone _is_ looking for recommendations of recent(ish) music: [Aurora](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06ht9MyJLT4) [Sigrid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIriwVhRPVA) [Caroline Polachek](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn3cHUtNZKo) [Wet Leg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd9jeJk2UHQ) [Phoebe Bridgers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sfYpolGCu8) [Skating Polly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B4Nn9_9YHg) [Beabadobee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgr4sGq2ba0) [Benee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJadkTa6cgg) and (last, but definitely not least - I can’t recommend them highly enough) [The Beths](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KACt6YhOyY). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/48 "2024-02-23T15:46:07Z")
OK, I gave _that_ a quick squizz, just to be fair. Just… no. That was 4 minutes of fretwankery I’m not getting back. It’s not like I’m averse to _all_ prog. I love the Tull, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/49 "2024-02-23T15:57:48Z")
This might be a good place to once again recommend Andrew Hickey’s epic project, [A History of Rock in 500 Songs](https://500songs.com/podcast/). He’s up to 1968 and starting to really get deep into the Classic Rock that this board’s demographic seems to pin at the the center of their musical universe. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/50 "2024-02-23T17:28:08Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > Now I have some albums to check out. Thanks everyone. That’s the spirit! (And a big reason why I started this thread - please do report back.) > [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > So I found a listing of NME’s 500 greatest albums of all time. And, silly though it is, I liked the look of it more than the Rolling Stone list. I loaded it into Excel, randomized it and began listening to an album a day (roughly) That’s not a million miles from what I’ve been doing, but way more ambitious - I like it. Any big surprises? > [@MrDibble](#): > > If anyone _is_ looking for recommendations of recent(ish) music: I know (and like) Wet Leg from TV Glastonbury coverage. Must follow up. j ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/51 "2024-02-23T17:33:36Z")
I saw Aurora live in San Francisco a couple years ago. She’s fantastic (IMO). ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/52 "2024-02-23T18:04:44Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Just… no. That was 4 minutes of fretwankery I’m not getting back. I’m in two minds. Rush stuff was always immaculately played, produced, and recorded. I can see the appeal. But the songs… just didn’t grab me…? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/53 "2024-02-23T18:11:06Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > Rush stuff was always immaculately played, produced, and recorded. So is Soft Jazz, and that leaves me just as cold. Rock should … _rock_. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/54 "2024-02-23T18:29:50Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I know (and like) Wet Leg from TV Glastonbury coverage. Must follow up. Yeah, their album is just one indie banger after another. They were my first post-Covid concert in 2021. Fantastic live. I haven’t felt that much joy in music in awhile. To be honest, though, I’ve gotten a bit tired of the album itself, for some reason. I’m itching for a follow up. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/55 "2024-02-23T18:35:00Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Rock should … _rock_. If it’s to be called rock… I rather agree. Needs to have a driving force and not be too ‘clever’. On the other hand, you can simplify _too_ much… like a lot of second rate ‘punk’…? Duuuuh… ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/56 "2024-02-23T20:07:01Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > If anyone _is_ looking for recommendations of recent(ish) music: I’ve been tempted for a while to start a “share some new music” thread but always slack off before I do. I make an attempt to find new music, but I know I’m missing a ton of good stuff out there. Maybe this will finally inspire me. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/57 "2024-02-23T23:47:00Z")
Day 1 of checking out some artists that were recommended. I had four that didn’t do anything for me. Belle And Sebastian: I like them. About 5 years ago I checked out the albums on a list of 1001 albums to listen to before you die. One of them was The Zombies. That is one of my list to listen to occasionally. For Belle And Sebastian I was reminded of The Zombies. I found an interview with the lead singer and he mentioned three albums that influenced him and one was The Zombies. I will add them to the “listen to occasionally list”. More to check out later. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/58 "2024-02-24T13:06:16Z")
I’m not a huge Taylor Swift fan, but her last album ‘Midnights’ I did mostly enjoy from start to finish. I think most people can be forgiven for not listening to entire albums released in the past few decades. Thanks to streaming and MP3s before that, I don’t think more recent albums are produced with the intent to be listened to in their entirety the way they were in prior decades. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > > [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > > > I did decide early on that Rap (and similar stuff) is rubbish, and I’m not going to apologise for that. > > It ain’t music, and nobody is going to be playing ‘Rap Classics’ in 50 years time. > > Erm, hip-hop is 50 years old this year. People are indeed playing “rap classics” right now. Did you see the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show? That was “rap classics” and it wasn’t even from the earliest years. > > There’s a ton of rap _right now_ that is worthy to be forgotten but the same goes for every genre in every decade. I often wonder what “rap music” people listen to that turns them off to the entire genre. Yes, there is a lot of crap out there. But Run DMC, NWA, Tribe Called Quest, Lil Kim, Wu-Tang Clan, Lauren Hill, Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre, Jay Z, Eminem, Drake, and Nicki Minaj all released songs that are considered “rap classics” over the past 50 years and all have very different styles. But to each their own I guess. Someone posted 'My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Loveless’ as their favorite album. To me, it is just a “wall of ‘proto-grunge’ noise”. I don’t hate it. It just sounds like 49 minutes of “buzzing” to me. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/59 "2024-02-24T14:34:55Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > To me, it is just a “wall of ‘proto-grunge’ noise”. I don’t hate it. It just sounds like 49 minutes of “buzzing” to me. That is absolutely a fair impression, and part of why I love it so. First few times I heard it, I just thought I got a bad Napster rip. It was borderline unlistenable to me. Now turning the lights off and turning it up (and it has to ve fairly loud for me), it’s like … a drug. I have to be in the right mood, but it just transports me elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943/60 "2024-02-24T16:00:00Z")
Hehe, I’ve loved that record since I heard the first four snare hits of “Only Shallow” in '91 or so, and understand why following it up was a herculean task. And on the other hand, I can’t really finish a song by Taylor Swift, I make it to the chorus and think “This is like listening to Radio Disney. Oh well, I tried.” I figure they didn’t make it for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-gaps-in-my-musical-knowledge-and-what-to-do-about-it/997943.md?page=4)