I've found VGM in general more appealing because it by and large lacks lyrics. With certain exceptions, mainstream pop music and so on [Hip-Hop in particular] consists largely of a minimal beat and rhythm, with the emphasis on the facetious, often intentionally meaningless/sarcastic lyrics. I mean, listen to a karaoke version of any of these songs, and you get flat, repetitive tripe you wouldn't want to listen to for very long at all.
Taking that layer out of music puts a higher emphasis on the emotive potential in melody itself. I feel so many emotions in the best VGM that I passionately and happily listen to only one album at a time and never get tired of it.
How shmups mold our tastes
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Minzoku
- Posts: 1006
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JBC
- Posts: 3850
- Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 3:14 am
I absolutley agree with Minzoku on the issue of lyrics. For the most part they detract from anything the music could be expressing to you. Take the majority of modern rap and hip hop songs. The music itself isn't always bad - but the lyrics completely destroy any idea you could be thinking of while listening to the beats.
It's very difficult to take music seriously if it's covered up by someone spouting out hip phrases and meaningless sexual references in an effort to look 'cool'.
Here's a closer to home example for me. Carcass. The music behind Carcass is absolutley amazing but the majority of the lyrics are very limited to conveying images of gore and violence. If i could twist the beat in my head to whatever the music felt like to me then that would be great - but that's hard to do when the lyrics have added a finality to the song's meaning that is just simply 'blood and gore and death'.
The major fault that i find with that band is that i don't have to try to understand the lyrics. If it requires concentration for me to understand the words then i can instead choose to just hear the emotion over the music instead allowing me to let that song twist itself into wherever my mind takes it - usually a far greater place than anyone's lyrics can convey.
Some of my favorite shmups all tend to have a similar vibe in thier soundtracks - Battle Garegga, Gunbird, Strikers 1945 II, and Viper: Phase 1. Anything fast paced with synth and a bit of metal/metal-ish vibe tends to make my day. Though Gunbird is admittedly a bit 'happier' than the rest
It's very difficult to take music seriously if it's covered up by someone spouting out hip phrases and meaningless sexual references in an effort to look 'cool'.
Here's a closer to home example for me. Carcass. The music behind Carcass is absolutley amazing but the majority of the lyrics are very limited to conveying images of gore and violence. If i could twist the beat in my head to whatever the music felt like to me then that would be great - but that's hard to do when the lyrics have added a finality to the song's meaning that is just simply 'blood and gore and death'.
The major fault that i find with that band is that i don't have to try to understand the lyrics. If it requires concentration for me to understand the words then i can instead choose to just hear the emotion over the music instead allowing me to let that song twist itself into wherever my mind takes it - usually a far greater place than anyone's lyrics can convey.
Some of my favorite shmups all tend to have a similar vibe in thier soundtracks - Battle Garegga, Gunbird, Strikers 1945 II, and Viper: Phase 1. Anything fast paced with synth and a bit of metal/metal-ish vibe tends to make my day. Though Gunbird is admittedly a bit 'happier' than the rest
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Ganelon
- Posts: 4413
- Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2005 1:43 am
I third the no-lyrics part. However, lyrics do oftentimes help make the more techno-esque trance tunes a bit more organic, which helps convey the song's drive and emotion better (obviously, I have no clue what the official musical theory jargon are for such terms).
Incidentally, I can't stand normal metal but really enjoy the light J-pop "metal" found in early 90s CD-based games (no, NOT Lords of Thunder and Guilty Gear).
But music definitely hasn't molded my music tastes; it's the other way around for me as well. Since I prefer anthem-based trance tunes (including most forms of Eurodance and Jpop), I find myself heavily enjoying games that feature such tunes. Hell, I bought Metropolis Street Racer just to hear Richard Jacques's great trance tunes (well, and because it's a $1 game).
Incidentally, I can't stand normal metal but really enjoy the light J-pop "metal" found in early 90s CD-based games (no, NOT Lords of Thunder and Guilty Gear).
But music definitely hasn't molded my music tastes; it's the other way around for me as well. Since I prefer anthem-based trance tunes (including most forms of Eurodance and Jpop), I find myself heavily enjoying games that feature such tunes. Hell, I bought Metropolis Street Racer just to hear Richard Jacques's great trance tunes (well, and because it's a $1 game).