Angry Music

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I've never connected music with my emotions at all... Angry thrash metal to love ballads. I listen to various stuff, from 80s & 90s metal, to 1950s country, to most anything (except disco or rap). I don't really get into any of it. Certain instruments cause me physical pain, such as the saxophone... That lets out a lot of 80s soft rock, which was plagued with saxophones. Sounds like chalk squeaking on a chalk board to me. Basically, I don't pay attention to what the music or lyrics mean, as if I can even tell. Either it sounds good or not.

Charles

While I enjoy all sorts of music, angry music helps me to feel less alienated when I'm angry.

Also, suffering is relative, while the spoiled rotten kid may have had everything under the sun handed to him, he may never learn what a payoff hard work and self control are, which in-turn leads to internal suffering. What would your life be like if you had only half the values you do now? Values not only keep us reciprocal to one another but also keep us filled with a sense of purpose, even when it isn't explicitly apparent.

How do you know what peoples' lives are really like and what they suffer through or from? "Spoiled rotten as kids" doesn't mean no suffering, unless you think that suffering only comes from lacking plentiful material goods. It may seem to you like kids who came from greater affluence than you should have literally no pain in their life. But money doesn't protect you from somebody you love dying of cancer, watching your parents rotate through different partners while neglecting their kids, sexual abuse from a relative and that's just three possible things that kids who were "spoiled rotten" could have suffered invisible to you without putting a dent in their childhood toy collections.

It's also important to know that not all people listen to negative/angry/depressing music strictly because they want to relate to it or feel like they need to channel their feelings. Nor does everyone want to make some kind of statement about themselves through the music they listen to.

Some people just happen to enjoy a certain aesthetic. Some people see beauty in things that might seem dark and depressing to others. Other people might find that angry music energizes them or relieves stress.

That too. Sometimes I hone in on a particular song because it expresses an emotion I'm feeling. Sometimes I just like the way something sounds. I definately don't think I need some sort of certificate of hardship to enjoy certain music and nobody else should need one either.

I listen to it for the instruments To be honest I can rarely understand what they were saying, and I'm fairly certain after reading the lyrics I couldn't relate either. . . . if it is meant to sound angry or happy or something, so be it. I just don't notice or care

I prefer to think of it as "aggressive", because not all it can be classified as "angry" just because it's loud and "obnoxious" (to some). And some of it might be better described as "assertive".

It's assertive in the sense that it energizes me. I can get into something like housework or painting the walls when it's playing. It gets me moving, I'll even dance. It makes me happy, no matter the subject matter (although there are a few songs I've heard that I find disturbing, such as "Kim" by Eminem, which is about as angry and psycho as you can get). I have a wide variety of musical likes. I can do classical, early RnB from the 50's (not modern RnB, that's totally different), esoteric, mellow, grunge/alternative, metal, rap...etc, etc, etc. Doesn't matter, like Smokey Robinson said, "If you like it, you like it." Ain't no one gonna tell you different.

Growing up, people take music more seriously, particularly the lyrics. If some kid wants to get his anger and/or depression out via listening to angry/aggressive music, who's he/she hurting? Would people against their music rather they get their anger out in other, more inappropriate ways? (Some do, but it's not because of the music they're listening to - the seed of their problems began somewhere else.) Music is highly therapeutic, all forms, and best of all, it's cheap.

I remember years ago I was reading a Reader's Digest article about a mom who one day decided to listen to her son's metal tapes. The more she listened, the more she liked it. What grabbed her was how good she felt after pumping out aggressive music while she was feeling irritated or depressed. She could do her boring chores and get therapy at the same time. Kind of like me, only I'd been enjoying/employing it longer.

that's just the thing...I don't think it reflects reality at all; I think it reflects either a person's beliefs on the inside, or it reflects what they aspire for.

My life was lousy as a child...so why would I want to listen to angry music? I could never get into it. I started listening to music from the '70s in high school but...it just wasn't doing all that much for me; it's like...it was missing something.

I started hearing a lot more music from the '80s....that smooth upbeat, fun, synthesized sound, and was thinking "yeah, that's the sound I was looking for!"

for instance, take Metallica's "Master of Puppets" song; my guess is the people who love that song are under this inner mentality that they're not in control of their own lives, and someone else is pulling their strings. That IMO is a horrible thought mentality, but then...so many do actually believe it...

bee33, Heavy Metal & Punk Rock have huge fan followings mainly in California and NJ.

It's about addiction, particularly cocaine. It's basically telling the listener to avoid it because it controls you, like a puppet.

But the lyrics are irrelevant for some. It's also a damn good song for the music. The guitar solo is awesome!

x2


I could add alot to this both from my own personal perspective and the overall deterministic view of life.

As for the latter....it would be nice if the OP could PROVE that happiness is a choice.

Or that anything else is for that matter.


In the face of all we know about genetics, epigenetics, neuroscience, psychology, etc...which would call the whole idea of "free will" into question, it's amazing to me
that billions of people still act like the notion of free will is absolute truth.


Considering the actions of the dominant economic, political and religious institutions .... i'd say people in this world aren't angry ENOUGH.

Considering that the people who make up these institutions are morally speaking, probably WORSE than the nazis, i'd say that's reason for some anger.


After all...at least the nazis believed in SOMETHING....at least Hitler actually believed he was doing good for the world.

This is coming from a disabled person (or at least the nazis would've considered me disabled) of jewish descent btw. The nazis would've gassed me twice.


Still...what do millions of sociopathic, hedonistic nihilist "businessmen" believe in?

They sure don't seem to believe in coral reefs, rainforests, the purity of the public's drinking water; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/arts/ ... sland.html or
anything else aside from their money and power.



Two examples of "Angry" music:



"God money i'll do anything for you.
God money just tell me what you want me to.
God money nail me up against the wall.
God money don't want everything he wants it all.
No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me
No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me
Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
God money's not looking for the cure.
God money's not concerned with the sick among the pure.
God money let's go dancing on the backs of the bruised.
God money's not one to choose
No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me
No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me
Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
You know who you are


NIN



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPJpfNE73fQ

Hear, hear! I completely agree.

It's such a relief to hear music from people that are angry, fed up and who are willing to speak truth to power (to use an old cliche phrase). It's energizing and cathartic. I find it a downer to hear happy music that tells me I should be happy. What in the world for? I want to know there are kindred spirits out there who are outraged at the injustice in the world.

I'll add an angry song here too. The lyrics are on Youtube as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb6UWYpfJZw

Having said all that, I want to add that taste in music is a bit like taste in sexual partners. There's no reason to expect others to like the same music or sex partners that we ourselves like.

I listen to a very wide variety of music. It's not uncommon for me to be listening to extremely harsh music for a while and then something as light as The Cars right after it. And yes, I even like Peter Gabriel era Genesis... there is actually some REALLY angry stuff going on there, even though it might be overlooked by some. I can understand that not everyone LIKES angry music, but I think people with a "there must be something wrong with you if you listen to this, and it's bad for you" mentality are very narrow minded, snooty, and immature.

Sometimes, when I've been very stressed and I listen to 'angry music', I become extremely calm because it feels like someone else is angry enough for the both of us, so I can relax. I don't do it on purpose, it just happens. And the angrier it is, the more effective it is. Black Flag helped me through a very stressful time in my life.

And everyone suffers, even the very wealthy. People always like to say money can't buy happiness yet there is the ever-present assumption in our society that it certainly does. Curious.

Signed,
happymusic

'Angry music' often leaves me in a good mood. One time, when I was really stressed, I listened to black metal in my mind and I felt a certain rest. I must admit that 'angry music' improves my mood, so I don't listen to it to dwell in misery.

I listen to 'angry music' because I happen to love it. Not because I had a bad childhood (which I did) or because I feel the current US President sucks, or whatever reason you had in mind. I dare to be so arrogant to think that an 'opinion' isn't a good reason in any way to listen to a certain type of music. Doesn't make sense to me how one can enjoy a music type because of an opinion if he detested it before.

It's ridiculous.

I love classical music too, and if you avoid the bombastic compositions it's not very 'angry'. Just exremely beautiful and intriguing. Especially music from the early 20th century is genius, in my opinion, and also Berlioz, who was far ahead of his time.

AC/DC during the Bon Scott era (pre-1980) is not only angry, or at the very least rowdy, music; it speaks to me like nothing else.

Most of the lyrics of the lesser-known tracks mostly aren't superficial odes to sex and alcohol like the popular songs heard on the radio. They are the desperate lamentations of a man who is never whole. Or maybe not so desperate. He resigned himself to a "rock and roll damnation." Neverending tales of being jilted by women, and getting in trouble and drinking himself to oblivion because of it. He knew no other life.

1. You come across as labeling music as "angry" with one idea in your head-- Music is art and is not subject to this kind of labeling. Punching someone in the face: that's something that's angry.

2. For those of us who have trouble feeling anything on the emotional spectrum besides sudden anger, a controlled scenario that does stimulate feeling is the ultimate counter-balance. Most who have posted here cited the soothing element of their favorite music.

3. There's no point in making (or appearing to make) a judgement about someone's behavior based on the art they enjoy. Art was the only thing that allowed me to feel real at the darkest & blankest moments of my life.