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    1. What are the best cover songs that reinterpret the original into a different genre, style, or mood?

      Inspiration came when I was listening to Busy Signal - One More Night, a half-cover of the Phil Collins original. Reggae and dancehall have a lot of examples like this but it's usually...

      Inspiration came when I was listening to Busy Signal - One More Night, a half-cover of the Phil Collins original. Reggae and dancehall have a lot of examples like this but it's usually interpolating or covering the chorus rather than the entire song.

      So, which do you know? If you could post links for both the cover and the original, that'd be ace. I'd say sampling in hip-hop usually doesn't qualify here, unless there's clear conceptual connection to the original song beyond just the beat.

      Also, if anyone suggests the Chet Faker version of No Diggity, I will start a riot in here.

      105 votes
    2. Love songs about established, long term relationships

      So, I used to think I hated all love songs. I disliked them because, in the ones that id heard were the type that found on the FM radio stations, and those tend to fall into a couple broad...

      So, I used to think I hated all love songs.
      I disliked them because, in the ones that id heard were the type that found on the FM radio stations, and those tend to fall into a couple broad categories:

      • I just met you, and I want to marry/stalk you
      • You broke up with me, and I will do anything to get you back
      • Your with someone else, and Im trying to win you over

      My view on them changed when I found I'll Take Lonely Tonight, A song about the temptation of cheating in an established relationship.
      While not a song I can exactly relate to, it still struck me, because its, well, respectful.
      Its respectful towards the woman offering the one night stand, but still describes a deep, enduring love between Tim and his wife,
      that he would rather spend the night on his own then break their trust.
      (I guess it probably helps that I already like tim minchin, especially his newer, more subdued works.)

      Since then, Ive only discovered one other song that scratches that same itch: Like my Father, a song about how the artist's parents relationship set the standard she strives for in her own relationship (My parents relationship was very much a role model for my marriage today, so this one hits me in the feels)

      Im actively looking for other similar songs, and would appreciate any other suggestions.

      33 votes
    3. Looking for chiptune album recommendations

      Albums specifically, please! Not individual songs. I’m wanting something meant to be listened to from back to front. I thought about listing some of the favorites I already have, but I don’t want...

      Albums specifically, please! Not individual songs. I’m wanting something meant to be listened to from back to front.

      I thought about listing some of the favorites I already have, but I don’t want to prime the recommendations. I might jump in with some in a comment later if other people are wanting to enjoy the recommendations too.

      Anyway, give me any chiptune album favorites you have. If the music sounds like a game console is having a good, meaningful, moody, or interesting time, then that’s exactly what I’m looking for!

      Also, game soundtracks are fine as long as they work as an album.

      21 votes
    4. Help needed narrowing down the qualities of these songs that I like so much

      I've been building a playlist of songs that I would classify as, for lack of a better term, "cool" songs. The word is extremely subjective and based on my personal experience, of course. But the...

      I've been building a playlist of songs that I would classify as, for lack of a better term, "cool" songs. The word is extremely subjective and based on my personal experience, of course. But the best way I would describe these songs would be: if I imagine myself riding in a car with a friend, and he/she puts on a playlist to show off some new music discoveries, these would be songs that I hear for the first time and think, "damn, that is a cool song."

      Most of the songs that I'm about to list have similar qualities, but there are some exceptions. I know all of these songs by heart, so my objective is to find new songs that fit these obscure qualities. Also, I'd really like to know what exactly is causing me to call these songs "cool".

      The songs (with Spotify links):

      Now, you're instantly thinking: 5 out of 6 of these are songs from the 90's from groups that all probably ran in the same circles and shared pedal board setups backstage. There's probably a lot of truth to that. Aside from that theme though, here's what I've identified:

      • Typically the sound is lo-fi.
      • There's some sort of funky beat/rhythm. The drums are probably electronic.
      • Many of these songs feature buildups into a powerful chorus or ending
      • There may be vocal distortion or other effects
      • Usage of electronics
      • There's a dark/minor/modal sound to them
      • Maybe there's a bit of industrial tie-in?
      • The singers are closer to monotonous than all over the octaves

      And that's all I've got so far. I've been thinking about this a lot and would love to discover some more music to fit into this theme. I want to be clear that I do NOT think this should just be a 90's playlist... unless that just happens to be where all of these songs exist.

      4 votes
    5. Best genre, artist, playlist etc., to boost productivity when writing?

      I'm currently working on a research paper (low-threat undergrad coursework), and I keep alternating between Lofi hip-hop and gentle acoustic pop covers to keep me motivated and on task. I've tried...

      I'm currently working on a research paper (low-threat undergrad coursework), and I keep alternating between Lofi hip-hop and gentle acoustic pop covers to keep me motivated and on task. I've tried to get into a variety of classical music for this purpose, but I always end up rolling back to my Samuel Barber playlist and end up burning out on it. What's your go-to for productivity enhancement?

      15 votes
    6. Modern hardcore

      What's happening in the hardcore scene in 2023? I typically pose these sorts of questions to Reddit, but Tildes hasn't failed me on anything music related. We had an incredibly successful prog...

      What's happening in the hardcore scene in 2023?

      I typically pose these sorts of questions to Reddit, but Tildes hasn't failed me on anything music related. We had an incredibly successful prog metal thread a couple of weeks before, and I'd love to have one on hardcore punk.

      I have general questions about hardcore like:

      • Who are the biggest names in hardcore of all time that still tour and write music today?
      • Who are the biggest hardcore bands that have started in the last decade or less?
      • In 2023, is it even useful to talk about hardcore as a distinct genre separate from metalcore anymore?
      • Does any metalcore meaningfully exist in the hardcore scene? Is there any metalcore scene that embraces the punk ethic of hardcore?
      • If a through-and-through hardcore band uses elements of metal in their music, are they now metalcore? Are you no longer punk if you use breakdowns?
      • What should people know about the hardcore punk scene?

      I don't know enough to know which of these questions are stupid or cringe, or what the best questions to ask are. Feel free to answer questions, ask questions, or share your knowledge of the scene with curious minds.

      As always, I greatly appreciate your feedback!

      19 votes
    7. Favorite ambient / instrumental music?

      Hey I would love some new recommendations. I love all kinds of music without words, weather that be classical, ambient, postrock, whatever. (I also love music that has lyrics too :) But sometimes...

      Hey I would love some new recommendations. I love all kinds of music without words, weather that be classical, ambient, postrock, whatever. (I also love music that has lyrics too :) But sometimes I just enjoy listening to instrumental tracks).

      Are there any favorites you'd be willing to share? Right now I am listening to Brian Eno. Thanks in advance.

      74 votes
    8. Genres you dislike due to the time period you originally listened to them

      I grew up an angsty rural white kid in the 2000s, and as such listened to my fair share of post-grunge/nu-metal/emo bands. Stuff like Seether, Staind, Korn, MCR, Nine inch Nails, Disturbed or...

      I grew up an angsty rural white kid in the 2000s, and as such listened to my fair share of post-grunge/nu-metal/emo bands. Stuff like Seether, Staind, Korn, MCR, Nine inch Nails, Disturbed or Breaking Benjamin Sometime around 14 my musical taste shifted away from that and towards alt/indie/folk (not so coincidentally around the same time I got my first girlfriend and a solid group of friends). From there I've expanded to listening to pretty much every major genre, but the one subsection of music I've never been able to get back into is the aforementioned stuff. Whenever I listen to it I feel like it takes me back to my early tween/teen years and just puts me in a very bad mood. I know I used to really enjoy all of that but I feel like the period of time when I listened to it has been like permanently fused with the music itself and I can't enjoy it any more because of that.

      Which is also weird because I had a very bad few years circa 2015-2019 and I was listening to the mopiest sad boy albums and post rock stuff but I've been able to come back around and enjoy them again without feeling like they're tainted by when I predominantly found and liked them, which was objectively a "worse" period of my life.

      15 votes
    9. What do you think is the most interesting/weird music genre?

      The first one that comes to my head is Viking Metal, which i think is self-explanatory. Also one that I like but is a bit more popular is Doomer Wave. Usually just remixes of music on Youtube that...

      The first one that comes to my head is Viking Metal, which i think is self-explanatory.
      Also one that I like but is a bit more popular is Doomer Wave. Usually just remixes of music on Youtube that are more depressing.

      18 votes
    10. An introduction to microtonal music (including a long list of recommendations)

      I love microtonal music. Ever since discovering the concept about 6 years ago, I’ve become deeply fascinated by alternate tuning systems and have sought out and listened to microtonal music...

      I love microtonal music. Ever since discovering the concept about 6 years ago, I’ve become deeply fascinated by alternate tuning systems and have sought out and listened to microtonal music wherever I can. Most people I’ve talked to are not familiar with microtonal music, or have had a bad experience with it, so I wanted to make a post that explains what it is, and how one might appreciate and eventually acquire a taste for it, along with providing a variety of examples to choose from. All discussion related to microtonal music welcome!

      What is microtonal music?

      In short, microtonal music is any music that contains notes or intervals not found in the standard Western tuning system. Of course, this invites the question: what is the standard Western tuning system? If you are a musician, you are probably intimately familiar with it: the division of the octave into 12 equally-spaced steps, to which we typically give letter names like C or E flat (etc.). Most people come to unconsciously use these notes as the baseline for determining whether a note or interval is in tune or out of tune.

      However, there is nothing intrinsically ‘correct’ about the Western tuning system. In fact, by some standards, it can be quite out of tune. If you listen carefully, you may even notice that our major thirds are ‘wobbly’ - the notes come close to a 5:4 ratio of frequencies, but the interval is about 14 cents too wide, which causes a subtle wobbly sound. We find these slightly ‘off’ intervals acceptable in part due to sheer familiarity. But it turns out, you can familiarize yourself with almost any interval!

      There are a great many ways to design a tuning system that produces notes and intervals which are different from what we’re used to. Some of these might be more ‘in tune’, others less so. And there are even those that are in tune with respect to ratios that don’t even exist in the Western tuning system. As a result of these unfamiliar features, microtonal music may give the uninitiated listener the general impression of being ‘out of tune’. But if you give it a chance, it may surprise you - the only way to develop the familiarity that governs taste, after all, is to keep listening.

      I think it also helps to know a bit about different tuning systems, to ‘see what’s going on under the hood’, so to speak. This conceptual familiarity may eventually support a degree of aesthetic familiarity.

      Tuning Systems

      Equal Division Tunings

      Where the Western tuning system chose 12 steps, we can also divide the octave into some other number of equally spaced steps. These tunings are often referred to ‘EDOs’ (Equal Division of the Octave) - e.g., the Western tuning system could also be called 12-EDO.

      Globally, perhaps the most common EDO (other than our very familiar 12-EDO) is 24-EDO, which is used by many musical traditions in the Arab world, such as Turkish, North African, Persian, or Arab itself. Conceptually, 24-EDO is interesting because it ‘contains’ all the notes of 12-EDO, plus 12 new notes exactly in between the other 12. As a result, it can be used to play all the intervals we are familiar with, and music which strongly relies on this feature is definitely on the more accessible end.

      I tend to refer to 24-EDO music as simply being ‘quarter-tonal’ (the 12 semitones of 12-EDO being divisible into 24 quarter-tones). This distinction is useful since in many cultures, quarter-tonal tunings are not precisely 24-EDO, but some slightly sharp or flat variation of the general 24 notes per octave structure. It can be hard to distinguish the two, so ‘quarter-tonal’ is probably most accurate.

      You could divide the octave equally into any number of notes, though - I’ve seen as low as 5 and as high as 500. Each has a unique sound depending on what intervals the division produces. Some EDOs, such as 19-EDO, 31-EDO, and 53-EDO produce very similar intervals to what we have in 12-EDO. Played with some restraint, they can be difficult to distinguish from 12-EDO, though they also have the option to play unfamiliar notes as well.

      Other EDOs, such as 17-EDO, 22-EDO, and 27-EDO sound quite different from 12-EDO, producing lots of unfamiliar intervals while ‘missing’ ones you’d expect to hear in 12-EDO. And finally, there are of course EDOs such as 10-EDO, 13-EDO, 23-EDO (and many more) that produce few truly ‘good’ sounding intervals. Nevertheless, this doesn’t stop people from trying to extract something decent-sounding from them!

      Just Intonation

      In short, just intonation is the practice of tuning different intervals to exact ratios of frequencies. Instead of trying to accommodate or work around ‘out of tune’ notes you might find in EDOs, why not just make every note perfectly in tune, after all? The result of this is notes that harmonize perfectly with each other, even if these harmonies are at first unfamiliar to the untrained ear. Often, just intonation produces intervals or whole chords that have a very clear, resonant quality.

      The downside of this, though, is that since the notes do not equally divide an octave, you cannot simply transpose scales and chords to a new key. You may have made everything in tune with respect to, say, B flat, but it may turn out that with respect to D, the ratios are far more complicated and their sound commensurately dissonant. To compensate for this shortcoming, a lot of just intonation music tends to play in only one key, or perhaps a few related keys. Certain genres of music, such as drone music, or modal examples of rock and folk, better lend themselves to this technique.

      There are many possible tunings within the broad category of just intonation. Usually a musician selects, say, 9 different notes that form specific frequency ratios with each other, and limit themselves to that. So describing specific just intonation tunings often comes down to a list of ratios, which can be hard to interpret without experience in microtonal music.

      Free Intonation

      Enough of ratios and equal divisions - maybe you just have a particular sound in mind, and you’ll know it when you hear it. This practice of tuning notes semi-arbitrarily, is known as free intonation. The notes chosen may simply sound good to the musician playing them, and at times they may even come close to the just intonation ratios. At other times, they may be chosen because they are out of tune. Maybe the ‘beating’ quality of out of tune notes provides a desirable texture, or maybe a certain ugliness itself is desired.

      Free intonation per se is somewhat less common than the other two categories of microtonality. However, some musical traditions are actually more similar to free intonation than anything else, the difference being that instead of the ‘ad hoc’ quality of free intonation, the specific tunings are passed down from generation to generation.

      Examples of cultures that use non-just, non-EDO tuning (for lack of a better name) include Indonesian gamelan music, Georgian liturgical music, and lots of different types of African and Asian music, just to name a few. If you needed proof of the notion that microtones are, in principle, capable of becoming familiar, even ‘normal’, these long-lasting traditions of unsystematically tonal music should suffice.

      Examples

      After listening to a lot of microtonal music, some good, some bad, some very bad, I have amassed quite a collection. Below I have listed what I feel to be prime introductory examples of microtonal music in a variety of genres. A lot of it is very approachable to people unfamiliar with microtones, and I hope you can find something you enjoy among the albums listed.

      Of course ‘microtonal music’ is such a broad category I can’t hope to be even close to exhaustive. In many cases I am summing up a huge subcategory (such as Turkish psych rock or Arab dance music) with one or two representative examples.

      For any other fans of microtonal music out there, please post your favorite albums or tracks! I’m sure there is some great stuff I’ve missed, and I would love to expand my collection further.

      Rock

      Altın Gün - On
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Altın Gün - Aşk
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      A lot of Turkish folk music uses a tuning similar to the quarter-tonal tuning used in the rest of the Arab world, and a lot of modern Turkish rock music (especially starting in the 70’s and 80’s) features these same tunings. I think Altın Gün is probably the best example of the ‘Turkish Psychedelic Folk’ style from the past decade or so. Some songs on these albums, in part or in whole, focus more on the normal Western tunings. But pay attention to the vocal parts and the baglama (similar to a guitar) and you’ll hear lots of quarter-tonal inflections. These two albums are a very accessible introduction to quarter-tonal tunings, in my opinion.

      Balungan - Kudu Bisa Kudu
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      This album is a juxtaposition of Javanese gamelan music (explained in detail at the very bottom of this list) with RIO-style avant-rock (featuring the drummer of French band Etron Fou Leloublon) that uses the more typical 12-EDO. Bombastic and strange without being too inaccessible.

      Brendan Byrnes - Neutral Paradise
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      Brendan Byrnes - 2227
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Brendan Byrnes has some excellent microtonal rock music which generally uses a lot of electronic elements as well (synthesizers, digital effects, and occasionally drum machines). Sometimes this recalls synthwave, but genre-wise it’s very much its own thing. He uses a variety of tunings, particularly 22-EDO, but also 27-EDO and just intonation, among others. His guitar work fuses these exotic tunings with fluent, articulate playing that is a joy to hear.

      Compro Oro - Simurg
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Another great modern example of Turkish psychedelic folk, from a psych / funk / fusion band whose other albums do not use microtones (most of them exploring a more ‘Ethio jazz’-influenced style). As with a lot of music in this style, the microtones often play a more ornamental role, which makes them more accessible to the uninitiated listener.

      Feeding Fingers - Do Owe Harm
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      Some very fresh-sounding post-punk / darkwave that uses quite a diverse selection of exotic tunings (listed on their Bandcamp page). This album has that dour, ‘Joy Divison’ sound, and the use of microtonality alternately lightens the sentimentality or darkens the menace that music in this genre evokes.

      Horse Lords - Interventions
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Horse Lords - Comradely Objects
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      Horse Lords are one of the most exciting, interesting microtonal rock bands out there, in my opinion. They primarily use just intonation tuning, and a lot of their tracks even use other compositional elements to point out the mathematical features of this tuning (for instance, using a 3 on 5 on 7 polymeter, with instruments that play the 3rd, 5th, and 7th harmonics of a note). Polymeters and polyrhythms are a regular feature in their music, and along with other cool techniques such as hocketing, change ringing, and repetitive riff structures reminiscent of North African music, they serve as a fascinating, unique vehicle for exploring just intonation. These two albums are probably the best examples, but pretty much everything this band has put out is excellent.

      King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - K.G.
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - L.W.
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      King Gizzard is probably one of the biggest-name artists on this list, and while only 3 of their albums (out of like 20-something) are exclusively microtonal, they are a great example of heavy psych rock or garage rock that draws a lot from Turkish psychedelic rock. This is some high energy rock music for dropping acid and kicking ass. Flying Microtonal Banana, which marked the point at which I personally got very into microtonal music, is almost entirely based on the microtonal ‘Huseyni’ scale most common to Turkish folk music. The other two albums on this list have more variety, but still employ the characteristic quarter-tone tunings.

      The Mercury Tree - Spidermilk
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      Some very aggressive prog rock using the curious 17-EDO tuning. The sound of this tuning is very different from the standard 12-EDO, which gives this album a dark, otherworldly sense of harmony that fits its angular melody and unconventional rhythms. And yet, the vocal parts are very smooth and natural sounding, which is an interesting contrast. The Mercury Tree have several other albums using this tuning, but I think Spidermilk is their best work.

      Secret Chiefs - Book M
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Extremely eclectic music (featuring members of the bands Mr. Bungle and Estradasphere) that employs Arabic-style quarter-tones. The band wanders between folk traditionalism, speedy electronica, swanky funk rock, and industrial metal with each subsequent track, but somehow the aesthetic is all of a piece. Some really great musicianship here as well, especially the violin parts (in my opinion). A few of the band’s other albums feature microtones but I think this one is the most cohesive and approachable.

      Ventifacts - Ventifacts
      Bandcamp
      A duo consisting of the frontmen of The Mercury Tree and Jack o’ the Clock, who play rock music which heavily features the hammer dulcimer (of all things). Stylistically, you could call it progressive rock, leaning towards acoustic but still quite intense in places. Some of the songs use quarter-tones, but others use such tunings as 10-EDO or the 17-EDO favored by The Mercury Tree.

      Yossi Fine & Ben Aylon - Blue Desert
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Israeli hard rock / world rock which uses the standard Arabic quarter-tone tunings. Heavy desert vibes, with simple, approachable riffs and microtonality that is way out in the open, but still very accessible.

      Metal

      [syzygy] - [escape]
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      10-EDO is a pretty wild-sounding tuning, and [syzygy] works it beautifully into some stoner doom metal. This EP unrepentantly embraces the out-of-tune feel that this tuning has, but it was surprisingly easy for me to acquire a taste for. It helps that the singer belts out a very strong performance, exactly nailing those hard-to-grasp notes. Not necessarily for beginners, but rewarding if you can get into it.

      Agonanist - The Cynicism of Solitude
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Atmospheric black metal with extra creepy microtones (I’m pretty sure it’s 17-EDO but I couldn’t find any information about it). The microtonality is a good fit for the genre, where the extra-dissonant parts find themselves buried among blast beats and guttural roars. Yet at times, the tuning provides a melancholic feeling that is softer than you might expect. Really interesting stuff, especially if you’re already into black metal.

      Cryptic Ruse - Unfertile
      Bandcamp
      An impressively heavy sludge metal album featuring the super dissonant 23-EDO tuning. Cryptic Ruse has albums with other tunings, but this one is especially impressive with how well such a strange tuning works. Of course, by any reasonable standard, it’s still extremely bizarre, so tread with caution.

      Jute Gyte - Perdurance
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Jute Gyte - Mitrealität
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      If there was such a thing as using quarter-tones for evil, Jute Gyte is it. Absolutely crushingly heavy avant-black metal with hyperspeed blast beats, harsher-than-harsh vocals, and the most dizzying, angular approach to quarter-tones possible. These two albums are a good place to start if you like the sound of pure madness. The liner notes on the Bandcamp page for Perdurance explain a bit of the (really crazy) compositional approach.

      Kostnatění - Úpal
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Blackened death metal that incorporates microtonality through the usage of fretless guitar. A lot of the microtonal sections seem to roughly follow quarter-tones, but there appears to be some free intonation stuff as well. It’s a surprisingly accessible album, at times seeming to draw a bit from (Slovakian?) folk music. A really catchy release, overall.

      Last Sacrament - Enantiodroma
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Death metal using the 16-EDO tuning. Interestingly, this tuning preserves the tritones and minor thirds present in 12-EDO, so it’s a good fit for a genre that heavily relies on these intervals in its riff structures. At times it almost just sounds like regular death metal, though there are plenty of places (such as guitar solos) where the microtonality shines through.

      Scarcity - Aveilut
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      Atmospheric black metal using 72-EDO. With high-numbered EDOs like this one, you get so many intervals you can approximate almost anything you want, which allows this album’s droning guitars to be quite consonant - when they want to be. Long song structures allow for very gradual development of harmony, and it’s all underpinned by blast beats and screams like you might expect from the genre.

      Victory Over the Sun - Nowherer
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Blackened sludge metal using 17-EDO. Really dissonant, not only due to the standard screams and guitar distortion, but also along with sections that are kind of minimalist and not overwhelmingly distorted - rather, just written to be intentionally kooky and compositionally abrasive.

      Electronic

      Aphex Twin - London 03.06.17 [field day]
      YouTube / SoundCloud
      Aphex Twin is a pretty big name in electronic music in general, producing stuff in the IDM / drum & bass / acid genres, but a lot of his music is also microtonal. The London 03.06.17 EP is one where pretty much the entire thing uses microtones (I’m not sure of the tuning; it might be free intonation), but you can also find a healthy dose of microtonality on several of his other works, including Syro and Analord.

      FASTFAST - New Color Bomb
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      Bright-sounding funky synthwave which uses a wide variety of tunings. Very accessible, with some really refined-sounding, psychedelic vocals which gives even the most electronic tracks a slightly more organic quality. A lot of the chords are nearly the same as you’d hear in 12-EDO, but the changes between them occur over microtonal intervals. Neat stuff.

      Lynyn - Lexicon
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      Hyperactive drum & bass / IDM music that occasionally incorporates microtones (sometimes quarter-tones, other times more of a free-intonation thing). These harmonic qualities really fit the wonky, glitchy sound of the music, at times playing almost more of a textural role - as a result, it’s a very accessible album if you like the genre.

      Omar Souleyman - To Syria, With Love
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      The music of Omar Souleyman is like something you’d hear at a Syrian wedding party. Quarter-tones are common to most forms of pan-Arabic pop music (a huge category that would of course be hard to effectively summarize), but I’ve found that I keep coming back to this album, among others that Omar has recorded. Incredibly fun dance music (‘dabke’) with a sort of cheesy 90’s techno vibe.

      Sevish - Harmony Hacker
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      Sevish - Morphable
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Sevish is a big name among electronic microtonal hobbyists, and for good reason. Bright, uber-synthetic timbres are used on these albums to deploy a wide variety of equal temperament and just intonation tunings. Alien sounding for sure, but the fun, pop drum & bass approach keeps the overall experience pretty approachable. Sevish is probably many an internet-dweller’s introduction to microtones.

      Trauma Triad - A North Facing Window
      Bandcamp
      I feel awkward promoting my own music here, but I do honestly think my album of quarter-tonal IDM / fusion is actually pretty decent and worth a mention. Primarily using electric piano and 808 style bass synthesizer, I tried to explore quarter-tones from a more harmonic and less modal perspective. A more detailed explanation of the harmony is included with the (free!) Bandcamp download of the album, for any deeply interested parties.

      Jazz

      Amir ElSaffar - Rivers of Sound: The Other Shore
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      This album explores a combination of contemplative spiritual jazz and quarter-tonal Iraqi folk music. The large ensemble provides a huge diversity of instrumental texture, and long song structures provide a chance to let the microtonal harmonies sink in before proceeding through the sprawling yet gentle improvisation. A must for any jazz lover.

      Firas Zreik - Salute
      YouTube playlist / Bandcamp
      The first half of this album leans towards quarter-tonal Palestinian folk music, while the latter half develops more into actual jazz. The star here is the kanun, an instrument similar to a dulcimer, which Firas absolutely shreds. The mastery of this instrument on both a rhythmic and harmonic level is really impressive. Overall quite accessible and entertaining.

      Giorgi Mikadze - Georgian Microjamz
      YouTube
      The full album doesn’t seem to be available on YouTube or Bandcamp, but one track should at least give you a taste of the truly unusual Georgian folk harmonies. Neither equal temperament nor just intonation (nor even an approximation of either), this is some extremely strange sounding stuff, especially combined with some spacey instrumental timbres. Yet it’s ultimately buffered by a more familiar jazz fusion stylistic approach, complete with virtuosic solos and skittery rhythms.

      Land of Kush - Sand Enigma
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      This album features Arabic quarter-tone styles worked into large ensemble avant-jazz. The addition of multiple vocalists is also rather unique. At times, the music swings like you’d expect, but a lot of the music here is more textural and experimental. There are sections of fiery free jazz, creepy noise-sculptures, and much more.

      Mike Battaglia - Sweet Lorraine
      YouTube
      While I try to focus more on albums than individual songs, this cover song from YouTuber microtonalist Mike Battaglia is particularly fascinating. Using a stride piano style that gradually works in more and more quirks of the 31-EDO tuning, it perfectly toes the line between detuned honky-tonk piano and truly intentional microtonality. Mike has a bunch of other neat microtonal covers on his channel if this provokes your interest.

      Ambient / Electroacoustic / Folk / Classical / Etc.

      75 Dollar Bill - I Was Real
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Incorporating the quarter-tonal aesthetic of North African music, 75 Dollar Bill deeply plumbs the idea of desert folk for this really excellent, wide-ranging album. Many of the tracks are in a sort of meditative near-ambient style that highlights the subtly-amplified guitar. In others, hand percussion and occasionally other instruments (e.g. viola, saxophone) push lightly in the direction of rock. Overall an extremely relaxing album.

      Basiani Ensemble - Georgian Polyphony Singing
      YouTube
      I bet you didn’t think you’d be listening to microtonal Georgian church choir music today, but here you are. As I explained for ‘Georgian Mikrojamz’ above, Georgian folk tunings are quite otherworldly, but here as a solemn purely vocal performance they acquire a strange profundity that is hard to describe. Some of the tracks use typical 12-EDO harmonies, but about half of them have these odd, resonant microtones that probably sound even better in a huge space like a church (I imagine). Start with tracks 2 and 5 if you want just a taste.

      Duane Pitre - Omniscient Voices
      YouTube / Bandcamp
      Ambient electroacoustic music primarily featuring piano. The very slow pace and gentle, quiet sound are very conducive to hearing the details of just intonation tuning, whose exactly tuned ratios produce intense and evocative ringing sounds. A great album for relaxation or meditation, in my opinion.

      Guillaume Costeley - Seigneur Dieu ta pitie
      YouTube
      Guillaume Costeley was a 16th century French composer, and one of the first Western examples of experimentation with microtones - particularly, he used the 19-EDO tuning, which is good at approximating similar intervals to 12-EDO, but gives new options for key changes. This video is a brief composition of his, played on microtonal organ, along with sheet music and a more detailed explanation of how this tuning works. Fascinating stuff.

      Julia Reidy - World In World
      Bandcamp
      On this album, just intonation tunings are played using only almost exclusively clean electric guitar, using heavy reverb, delay, and looping to create some expressive, mystical soundscapes. The almost tactile textures produced are sometimes rather dark, though never sinister. At other times they are bright and expansive, though no less quiet and intimate. Another great relaxation album.

      Methods Body - Methods Body
      Bandcamp
      Electroacoustic avant-rock that uses free intonation to create harmony that is bizarre yet curiously organic-sounding. You can hear the warbling texture of the intentionally out-of-tune intervals in a lot of these tracks, which fits the earthiness of the acoustic instrumentation. A lot of the tracks also have a danceable groove to them reminiscent of some free intonation African music. Methods Body also recently released an album called Plural Not Possessive that is an even more low-key, ambient example of some of these features.

      Sound Tracker - Gamelan
      YouTube
      Indonesian folk music, also called ‘gamelan’ music, uses some very unusual tunings - neither equal temperament nor just intonation, but some idiosyncratic set of intervals cooked up long, long ago. In addition, gamelan ensembles pair up instruments that are tuned slightly differently, so when they play in unison you get a beautiful, ‘shimmering’ texture. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of high quality recordings of purely traditional gamelan music. This is probably the best one I’ve seen, and it also lets you see some of the musicianship involved in actually performing the stuff.

      75 votes
    11. Has modern pop music lost its generational aspect?

      "Generational" might not be the correct word. What I mean is that pop1 music from the 20th century transitioned from one style to another in a way where decades could have pretty distinctive...

      "Generational" might not be the correct word. What I mean is that pop1 music from the 20th century transitioned from one style to another in a way where decades could have pretty distinctive sounds. 50s music was different than 60s was different than 70s was different than 80s. What I'm wondering: what is your perspective on pop music style change from 2000s to 2010s to today?2 Has it changed or does it sound the same as it did 10-20 years ago?

      The reason I ask is that I listened to a pop station recently and it seems barely different than when I was in high school pre-2010. Taylor Swift is still incredibly popular, and listening casually to other songs, I had no guess on what year they were actually produced. It could have been 2012 or it could have been last year. I don't know if I'm just getting old and I've lost my ability to keep up on the nuance of current trends or if it's that pop music has stagnated the same way Hollywood movies have - art that is analyzed and meticulously designed to appeal to the widest audience possible.


      [1] - I'm defining "pop" as Billboard Top 40 or equivalent.

      [2] - I think this only applies to "pop" songs. I haven't noticed the same trend in sub genres such as country, rap, latin, or metal. I am also sure the extent of style variation over time depends on the country.

      12 votes
    12. What are some good modern nu metal bands?

      I'm a big fan of Nu Metal, but I've been listening to the same stuff for quite a while. (System of a Down, Slipknot, Mudvayne, Soulfly, etc.). So, I'm wanting to find some cool new bands to add to...

      I'm a big fan of Nu Metal, but I've been listening to the same stuff for quite a while. (System of a Down, Slipknot, Mudvayne, Soulfly, etc.). So, I'm wanting to find some cool new bands to add to my playlist. Honestly, the only two modern acts that I know of are Crazy N' Sane and Dropout Kings.

      15 votes
    13. What are your favourite genre-bending bands/artists?

      I really enjoy music that blurs traditional genre lines and draws on multiple different influences to make something unique and distinctive. I'm sure I'm not alone in that, so I'd love to hear of...

      I really enjoy music that blurs traditional genre lines and draws on multiple different influences to make something unique and distinctive. I'm sure I'm not alone in that, so I'd love to hear of any groups that have caught your attention for the same reason!

      I'll start out with one of my own recs, as an example - I absolutely love the band Hollenthon. They're probably most closely described as black/death metal, except that they include full orchestras + choirs as part of their instrumentation, and draw on a bunch of diverse inspiration across classical music, modern movie music, and even traditional ethnic/folk melodies. The result is an incredibly interesting and distinctive sound that I haven't heard paralleled in any other band I know of. Example song - Y Draig Goch

      37 votes
    14. Progressive metal: What are you listening to?

      My love for progmetal, djent, and related genres has recently been rekindled by an appreciation of the depth, complexity, and even runtimes of progmetal pieces in a world where most music made...

      My love for progmetal, djent, and related genres has recently been rekindled by an appreciation of the depth, complexity, and even runtimes of progmetal pieces in a world where most music made today (more generally) consists of relatively simple 1.5 minutes long tracks.

      I'm out of the loop. I've kept up with Periphery over the years (listened to them in highschool) and not much else. I recently saw Animals as Leaders, Devin Townsend, and Dream Theater live and had a good time.

      Bands I've been listening to:

      • Periphery
      • Erra
      • Animals as Leaders
      • TesseracT
      • Devin Townsend

      What else should I be listening to? What should I know about progmetal; both historically and today? What shows have you been to, which were your favorite? Just a general thread about a genre I've rediscovered.

      45 votes
    15. Favorite blogs/publications for metal?

      For the metalheads here, wondering what you all are reading for news, releases, tour announcements, etc that's primarily focused on metal. I really enjoy black metal so would definitely be...

      For the metalheads here, wondering what you all are reading for news, releases, tour announcements, etc that's primarily focused on metal.

      I really enjoy black metal so would definitely be interested in sites/forums that focus on that!

      9 votes
    16. What's your thoughts on vaporwave as a genre?

      Personally I thought it sounds interesting, with the stutter and grainy effects. But I've also heard it has a reputation of being lazily produced with the original samples doing most of the work...

      Personally I thought it sounds interesting, with the stutter and grainy effects. But I've also heard it has a reputation of being lazily produced with the original samples doing most of the work of making it sounds good. Since there are people who are very passionate about music here (some even have music making experiences if I'm not mistaken), I'd love to hear your opinions.

      For people who haven't listened to vaporwave before, I found this playlist on Youtube, you can also give it a try and share your impression of them too.

      25 votes
    17. Shoegaze!

      I love shoegaze. Nowadays, I am a bit out of the genre and scene but hearing shoegaze always makes me happy. My first introduction to the genre was through Lowtide. They are an Australian trio...

      I love shoegaze. Nowadays, I am a bit out of the genre and scene but hearing shoegaze always makes me happy.

      My first introduction to the genre was through Lowtide. They are an Australian trio (originally quartet) that were inspired by the classics like Slowdive. "Held" was the first ever shoegaze song I remember hearing a/o loving. Their self-titled album is one of my favourites of all time, and I have it on vinyl!

      Of course, the landmark shoegaze album remember by many is Loveless by my bloody valentine. Great album, noisy asf and has awesome songs like "Only Shallow" ,"To Here Knows When", "Blown a Wish", "Sometimes", "Soon", "I Only Said". There are many other bands out there that deserve recognition, like Show Me Mary with "A Dream" from their self-titled EP.

      So yeah. Post some of your shoegaze picks, if you love shoegaze.

      33 votes
    18. Classical music for working out? (Also, ambient/trance recommendations?)

      What's your classical music playlist when you hit the gym? Lately, I've been enjoying classical minimalist composers for my workouts. I like that the pieces are long and build gradually, which...

      What's your classical music playlist when you hit the gym? Lately, I've been enjoying classical minimalist composers for my workouts. I like that the pieces are long and build gradually, which matches the energy and intensity I feel in a cardio workout. Also, the minimalist pieces I select have no rubato, so I can get in a groove. They often lack variety in dynamics, which is good because I want to be able to hear the music over gym noise. Most importantly, they are droning and repetitive in a way that doesn't demand constant attention. They allow me to enter a meditative state.

      Here's my playlist these days:

      More than suggestions, I'm just curious to hear what classical music is on your playlist. But also I'm curious about ambient/trance suggestions, as I suspect that there's a lot in those genres that might fit my criteria, but I'm ignorant on the topic.

      7 votes
    19. K-pop thread

      There's a whole lotta normal music threads, but kpop seems more popular recently. Any songs that people like? Any comebacks you're excited for?

      12 votes
    20. Any electronic trance genre lovers out there?

      I was a huge fan since 2000 listening Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, AvB, ATB and many more. I was lucky I went to few night events with my favorite DJs and producers. Right now I only...

      I was a huge fan since 2000 listening Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, AvB, ATB and many more.

      I was lucky I went to few night events with my favorite DJs and producers. Right now I only listen Aly & Fila and Solarstone.

      18 votes
    21. Haunting covers, or something like that

      Hey folks, A few years ago I went in to the basement room where the cool kids hung out while they did video conversions and such. They had a playlist in the background of "Haunting Covers" or...

      Hey folks,

      A few years ago I went in to the basement room where the cool kids hung out while they did video conversions and such. They had a playlist in the background of "Haunting Covers" or something like that. It was a take on all different music, but played in a really chilled, gothic style and by a mix of un/lesser-known artists.

      Does anyone have some recommendations? To give you an idea, one of the more known tracks I heard while I was there was Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit but covered by Tori Amos.

      Thanks.

      10 votes
    22. How do you decide if a piece of music is good?

      There're maybe 2 aspects to the question: what makes you prefer a certain genre over another? and within that genre, what criteria makes you think one piece performs better than another? I get...

      There're maybe 2 aspects to the question: what makes you prefer a certain genre over another? and within that genre, what criteria makes you think one piece performs better than another?

      I get that this is a very subjective and probably subconscious thing. Just curious to see how everyone would describe their own tastes.

      For me I'm not much of a music person, most music I found were just soundtracks from films or videogames. So I guess the music is good if the film/game is good. Listening is a way to put me back into the moods of the scenes it came from.

      Edit: I also listen to meme songs a lot so I guess I like them for just being funny, which is not a very musically relevant criteria I suppose

      17 votes
    23. Are r&b, funk, soul and jazz the least controversial music genres or is it me?

      I've been thinking, and it seems like most genres are a love/hate thing (metal and punk are highly controversial for example, they have super hardcore fans but are largely disliked by the majority...

      I've been thinking, and it seems like most genres are a love/hate thing (metal and punk are highly controversial for example, they have super hardcore fans but are largely disliked by the majority of people, pop is the opposite, most people like it but there's a very vocal minority that absolutely deplores it and wants to watch it burn, electronic music as a whole also tends to gather mixed reception, etc), but out of all music I pretty much never see any dislike aimed at r&b, funk, soul and jazz (except for smooth jazz, although a lot of people don't consider it actual jazz).

      Is there some truth behind this? I personally don't like these genres (and neither do the people around me) and I've always had the feeling we were pretty alone in that sense.

      8 votes
    24. A music library covering more than two hundred genres

      This submission showed up on /r/listentothis a couple of weeks ago. I'm reposting it here because it is the finest and most on-point collection of music I have ever encountered. The original post...

      This submission showed up on /r/listentothis a couple of weeks ago. I'm reposting it here because it is the finest and most on-point collection of music I have ever encountered. The original post from /u/theamazingsounds is included below.


      Hello again fellow music enthusiasts!

      1 year ago, I made a post about my ongoing project to create a collection with as many genres as possible, aiming to give listeners a convenient way to discover new music. It got many interested and since then more than 50 genres have been added, as well as descriptions for every genre.

      I'm making this post to thank those following already, and am once again open for suggestions and ideas. I also made a subreddit called r/TheAmazingSounds where you can post about music that you want to share with others. It is currently empty but I will try to keep it active and reply often.

      You can find everything on Spotify. It is synced with other services but doesn't convert all songs.

      Spotify | Deezer | Soundcloud | YouTube

      11 votes
    25. Nine genre and mood-inspired playlists I've been building since a few years

      Hey there, Someone suggested I add this here, hope you enjoy my collection of music. Been collecting/doing write ups about my favourite tracks since 2013 (~4.5k posts) and last year I started...

      Hey there,

      Someone suggested I add this here, hope you enjoy my collection of music. Been collecting/doing write ups about my favourite tracks since 2013 (~4.5k posts) and last year I started re-thinking how to organize music + putting together playlists on the major streaming platforms.

      Chill Beats | lofi hip hop, chillhop & jazzhop

      Spotify | Apple Music | SoundCloud | YouTube

      Groovy Beats | instrumental hip hop, soul, funk & bossa nova

      Spotify | Apple Music | SoundCloud | YouTube

      Funky Flavors | electro funk, break beats, hip hop & electro soul

      Spotify | Apple Music | SoundCloud

      Soulful Hip Hop | hip hop, neo soul, jazz & r&b

      Spotify | Apple Music | SoundCloud

      Acoustic Escape | indie, acoustic, folk & folktronica

      Spotify | Apple Music | SoundCloud

      Dance Vibes | nu disco, electro, funky house, indie dance, french house

      Spotify | Apple Music | SoundCloud

      Ambient Space | downtempo, chillstep & trip hop beats

      Spotify | Apple Music | SoundCloud

      Bass Waves | future beats, future bass, electronic dance and trap

      Spotify | Apple Music | SoundCloud

      Lush Vibes | r&b, soul & future beats

      Spotify | Apple Music | SoundCloud

      8 votes
    26. Do you have certain genres/bands for certain moods? If so, what are they and why them in particular?

      I, personally, have a lot of music I listen to, but I can't just throw anything on when I want to jam. I have certain bands and certain genres whenever I'm feeling strongly one way or the other....

      I, personally, have a lot of music I listen to, but I can't just throw anything on when I want to jam. I have certain bands and certain genres whenever I'm feeling strongly one way or the other. Sad usually gets (to name a few) The Smiths, Blue October, or Motion City Soundtrack. Angry gets Periphery, some early Coheed and Cambria, or some early Incubus. Happy might get Weezer, Fleetwood Mac, or Polyphia. To name a few examples.

      Or sometimes, I'm just feeling a certain band/sound and nothing else for days at a time. At the moment, it's been Thank You Scientist. If you can't put bands to emotions, what have you stuck on repeat lately?

      14 votes