Favorite Music

In my previous post I wrote about one band - Muse - that I really enjoy. There are many groups and styles of music that I enjoy. One of my favorite things about riding the bus to school is I can sit and listen to my iPod and enjoy all the good music on there (I also enjoy listening to podcasts, particularly NPR ones).

Let me just say that my greatest love in music is classical music. There are few things in life better than songs by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Dvorak, and others like them. This post isn't about classical music though.

I love some old groups/bands such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, ABBA, and Simon & Garfunkel. Elvis is OK but a little over-rated in my opinion.

There were some good groups and songs in the 70s and 80s but those were low years on the whole in the pop music world. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of music that I like from those eras but newer music tends to be so much better. The 90s had some pretty good music too - Soul Asylum's Runaway Train is one of my favorite songs. I also really like Collective Soul's The World I Know. The Cranberries came out with great songs too. I also really enjoy They Might Be Giants (who have good songs from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s). Ben Folds is another artist who started in the 90s who has some very good songs (you have to be careful with his music because he likes to swear in songs). Green Day has some good songs from the 90s as well. I know I'm missing a lot of songs and groups but I really want to write about my current favorite groups.

One group I recently learned to like a lot is Guster (they also started in the 90s). They have some songs that are bad (they like to swear too) but they also have a lot of really really good songs, especially their newer stuff. I'd have to say that my favorite group at this time is Yellowcard. Their music is very good. They have a few songs that aren't that great but overall they've come out with great music (as long as you focus on albums from Ocean Avenue and on). I love the layers upon layers of sound in many of their songs. Their music is so complex and well-written. Their prettiest song is called How I Go from their album Lights and Sounds. That song is amazing (it basically tells the story of the movie Big Fish but you don't have to know the movie to enjoy the song). One thing I love about Yellowcard is their use of a violin (one of the band members plays the violin). They also use a full complement of strings at times (in a Beatles-esque way). They are one of the few bands for which I'd actually consider going to a concert.

Another artist I enjoy is Brandi Carlile. She's folksy and has a lot of really great songs. Her voice is a little different but very rich and pleasant. I particularly like her songs Have You Ever and Downpour. She has a lot of other good ones but those are my favorite of hers.

There are other groups that have some really good music as well: Jimmy Eat World, The All-American Rejects, Five For Fighting, Relient K, MIKA, Barenaked Ladies, Simple Plan, Death Cab for Cutie, Dashboard Confessional (they have only a few songs I really enjoy) and The Ataris (this group has a lot of really great songs). Great Big Sea (a Canadian group) has quite a few good songs too (and quite a few not so great songs). Blackmore's Night is a different group with some good songs (they have a wonderful version of Greensleeves). Within Temptation has a few good songs too (warning - their songs can be really weird - picture a high fantasy novel come to life). In general I enjoy the sound of modern emo/alternative music.

I also really enjoy Alison Krauss music. She's an amazing artist. Her lullabies are without peer (e.g., Slumber My Darling, Evermore, and Blessed Be). I also love her songs A Living Prayer, When You Say Nothing At All, Simple Gifts, The Scarlet Tide, and her songs from O, Brother! Where Art Thou? This woman can sing (and play the violin)!

I'm also a huge fan of crossover classical music (think Charlotte Church). I'd have to say that my favorite crossover artist is Hayley Westenra, an artist from New Zealand who has about the most pure voice you'll ever hear. Her range is amazing too. Her voice is so good it's unreal plus her songs tend to be well-arranged. She has a version of Shenandoah that will make you cry. She also sings Abide With Me with perfection. While I like most of her songs I particularly enjoy (in addition to the songs I mentioned) River of Dreams, Quanta Qualia, Hine e Hine, Both Sides Now, and Pokarekare Ana.

I also really enjoy the groups Celtic Woman (they do a lot of amazing modern Celtic music), All Angels (4 females), Libera (a boy choir), The Choirboys, OperaBabes, and a few others like them. The string quartet Bond has some pretty good songs too (think Euro dance/pop meets Mozart). I also love Nickel Creek, CCR, and some other groups.

One thing I really like about music now is the use of different instruments in bands. It's not entirely uncommon to have pianos, violins, cellos (those are becoming very popular), trumpets, and other instruments like that. There's a lot of musical freedom (in a good way) today and such a varied sound to songs.

Of course I love the Utah musicians Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band and Peter Breinholt. Both do great music. Well, I could go on but there's a little flavor of some of the music I enjoy.