Like you probably inferred from the title, I'm looking for new music. My tastes in music have been called eclectic by some... so what better place to go looking for suggestions? I ask because most of the music I have, I've memorized, and I make a lot of long car drives, so because my music is so niche, I don't have a lot of it, and because it's so widespread, what I do have of any specific type is just a fraction of a whole, making perhaps 50-200 tracks total of what I'll listen to if I'm in the mood for that type of music.
The main factor in the music I like is a chorus - as in, a group of people singing in unison, not the refrain of a particular song. There's nothing like a resounding choral piece to get the dopamine flowing. If you're thinking of some of the tracks from the soundtrack to the Lord of the Rings movies, you've got the right idea. I love the sound of a full orchestra - put it together with a blasting chorus and I'm in heaven. I don't listen to opera very often, but some of it is okay.
I'm also a big fan of symphonic metal; Nightwish was the first 'band' I really listened to (before then it was mainly game music and movie soundtracks). That, along with Rhapsody (of Fire) are the front contenders to the most-often listened to playlists. Rhapsody would beat Nightwish hands down, though, if they had female vocalists - I like female lead singers much more than male. Other than that, I enjoy Xandria, Serenia, Epica, Aesma Daeva, and Angtoria (aside from the screaming, more on that in a bit).
I also like anything with a Celtic flair - another reason why Nightwish is high up on my list. I don't have much of that, though... Wicked Tinkers and Enter the Haggis (along with Frog's Theme from CT =P ) barely fit my bill. Flogging Molly and the Pogues are also okay.
Some Oriental music is all right as well; if you've listened to the music from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, House of the Flying Knives, etc (pretty much anything Tan Dun), I'll probably like it, especially anything to do with drums. I usually hate drums, they're so overstated in contemporary music that you can barely hear anything else, but when the emphasis is supposed to be on the drums - such as Japanese drumming, like AUN - it's pretty moving.
I also loooovvvee cello music. Unfortunately I don't really have any cello music I like - the only example I can give you is Bach's Prelude =\ I tried Apocalyptica, but didn't really like their style very much....
So, general guidelines for suggestions... anything that sounds Irish, Oriental, and/or what you could call "epic music." Something that sounds like you could choreograph a fight scene for. Something with a big chorus and/or big, deep drums (like war drums).
for the Don'ts... absolutely NO SCREAMING. I fucking hate anything that has screaming, growling, roaring, or whatever you want to call it that seems like you have to have it in order for the music to be termed 'metal.' It's why Sirenia and Epica aren't much higher on my list; I refuse to listen to half their tracks. umm... that's all the negatives I can think of right now.
Anyway... thanks in advance for all suggestions, I'll give as much feedback as I can =)
Edit: Forgot to mention Within Temptation and certain game soundtracks like Shadows of Colossus and Tales of Symphonia.
The main factor in the music I like is a chorus - as in, a group of people singing in unison, not the refrain of a particular song. There's nothing like a resounding choral piece to get the dopamine flowing. If you're thinking of some of the tracks from the soundtrack to the Lord of the Rings movies, you've got the right idea. I love the sound of a full orchestra - put it together with a blasting chorus and I'm in heaven. I don't listen to opera very often, but some of it is okay.
I'm also a big fan of symphonic metal; Nightwish was the first 'band' I really listened to (before then it was mainly game music and movie soundtracks). That, along with Rhapsody (of Fire) are the front contenders to the most-often listened to playlists. Rhapsody would beat Nightwish hands down, though, if they had female vocalists - I like female lead singers much more than male. Other than that, I enjoy Xandria, Serenia, Epica, Aesma Daeva, and Angtoria (aside from the screaming, more on that in a bit).
I also like anything with a Celtic flair - another reason why Nightwish is high up on my list. I don't have much of that, though... Wicked Tinkers and Enter the Haggis (along with Frog's Theme from CT =P ) barely fit my bill. Flogging Molly and the Pogues are also okay.
Some Oriental music is all right as well; if you've listened to the music from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, House of the Flying Knives, etc (pretty much anything Tan Dun), I'll probably like it, especially anything to do with drums. I usually hate drums, they're so overstated in contemporary music that you can barely hear anything else, but when the emphasis is supposed to be on the drums - such as Japanese drumming, like AUN - it's pretty moving.
I also loooovvvee cello music. Unfortunately I don't really have any cello music I like - the only example I can give you is Bach's Prelude =\ I tried Apocalyptica, but didn't really like their style very much....
So, general guidelines for suggestions... anything that sounds Irish, Oriental, and/or what you could call "epic music." Something that sounds like you could choreograph a fight scene for. Something with a big chorus and/or big, deep drums (like war drums).
for the Don'ts... absolutely NO SCREAMING. I fucking hate anything that has screaming, growling, roaring, or whatever you want to call it that seems like you have to have it in order for the music to be termed 'metal.' It's why Sirenia and Epica aren't much higher on my list; I refuse to listen to half their tracks. umm... that's all the negatives I can think of right now.
Anyway... thanks in advance for all suggestions, I'll give as much feedback as I can =)
Edit: Forgot to mention Within Temptation and certain game soundtracks like Shadows of Colossus and Tales of Symphonia.
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