25 bands I like. Choose a least/less liked by you

^Didn't mean to destroy your day, Greg.

If I'm honest, your polls are kind of similar, with feedback from the usual folks. So we know their tastes by now. But, I couldn't do better so carry on.

Grumpyprogfan wrote: Cristi wrote: A few bands here are not my thing, but I don't want to point them out, why would it matter?  Maybe I do not understand the purpose of this poll.  Agree. What are you going to do with this information and why does it matter?

I'm not planning on profiting from this info, at least not financially. I never made a dime from this site. It goes into my mind palace, and I use it for discussion and trying to connect and get to know people better. I don't profit from "What is your favourite?" topics either.

I might turn that back on you to ask why does it matter to you that I tell you why I think it matters? And I would appreciate a response to get to know your thinking behind the question better. No pressure, of course.

From a nihilist perspective, of which I sometimes have leaned towards, it doesn't matter at all, nothing really matters. Considering that everything will come to an end, when assuming it does, it all can seem and be totally futile. Everything being pointless. The exercise should or need not matter to you. If It mattered enough to me to ask in someones topic, then I would sooner phrase it as "Why is this inquiry of interest to you?" But I would not do so without trying to play along first, but I like to be sport unless it comes into conflict with other concerns, responsibilities, ethical considerations.

It's rather sad and makes me feel hollow and it does all feel pointless in a way because I have been trying to express why I'm interested in having conversations about what we like and don't like, the confluences, divergences, connections and disconnections of our tastes since I started posting here. I like polls to be interactive. I don't care about the poll results, I care about reading the posts, I care about people's thoughts, I care about conversations. I care about reading and sharing details. It can be entertaining, it can be enlightening, it can make me feel closer to individuals, and it can be creative in a way when interacting and it gets me to revisit and think about music I care about.

That said, much as I want to get to know how and what others think when it comes to a great many things, part of posting here is trying to understand myself better.

I think that one can have positive and affable conversations about what we like, don't like, and like less, and I enjoy exploring such things with individuals.

What often has mattered to me is trying to come up with approaches to poll inquiries and ideas for topics that are different from the norm. It's something of a creative exercise even if the results are mediocre (hey, I'm constrained by my less than stellar brain).

One might ask, why does it matter when it comes to a poll which asks, "Which is your favourite?" I was hoping to have some friendly and informative back and forth discussion with people about what they least connect with from the list. And maybe, just maybe, which is a reason why I hoped for specifics on what people know from the acts, we might find something that might appeal to them.

I like threads and polls that feel like a group effort commonly. And threads are only as good as the sum total of the parts (i.e. the posts).

If we don't find anything to be appreciated from the lists, that's okay too, but I like topics that help me feel like I'm getting to know people better and it can help me to build empathy. And I know that I like to evaluate and re-evaluate music, and hope that I can find something that appeals even in bands that I don't generally like. Progressive music listeners often try to keep an open-ear and an open-mind.

By the way, why I am at PA generally boils down to my teen years. My group of friends and I would share music with each other, experience it and talk about it.. My rose-tinted memory of those times is magical. While I have wanted to recapture that spirit of discovery and discussion at PA, and I have with many people here, with some, especially of the more cynical variety, there will always be too much of a disconnect for us to fall into that kind of warm and encouraging, sympathetic and encouraging being a key word for what matters to me, circle.

If I could find try-to-be positive open-minded warm and tolerant people with various similar music interests locally, I would love to meet. Well, I say that, but, while you would not know if you met me, I have bad social anxiety and a part of me dislikes being in the company of others (I can only take being around people in doses as it exhausts this introvert). That said, despite being introverted and non-sociable, I still care about trying to connect with people from an emotional and musical angle, and I find such inquiries have helped with bonding with some even if those perceptions of bonding are ultimately very superficial and just perceptions. Others just seems to have a very different approach and mindset to mine and I think I will never really find a sense of synchronicity with and we will always have to question the intent of each other instead of accepting and enjoying the ride, so to speak.

As for what I'm going to do with this information, store it in my mind. What do people commonly do with the information from polls and discussions? If you think there is some nefarious ulterior motive, you got me all wrong. No one should feel like they have to participate in such polls, and I do think that if one does not appreciate such things or want to play along, it's usually best just to ignore them and leave them to those who do. That said, maybe you were really interested to understand my motivation (it matters to you to ask). It's lot of effort to explain and it might not make sense to another. Vive la difference, I guess, to each his or own interests and sense of what matters to them.

Part of the perhaps sad or lame enjoyment for me is coming up with list, and trying to think through an idea and present it in the opening post (a minor intellectual exercise). I hope my ideas are out of the box, different from the norm often. To me that is a creative exercise. but the real joy comes with my interactions with people who also seem to appreciate the exercise. That is gratifying to me. I hope some enjoy this, and if just one person enjoyed the exercise (other than me), and maybe had some pleasant conversation, I'm at least happy with those results.

Edited by Logan - May 29 2024 at 11:35

A few bands here are not my thing, but I don't want to point them out, why would it matter? 

Hrychu wrote: I'd be easier to choose which ones I do like! So, I've decided to put the 👍 emoji next to the bands I like and the 🤮 emoji next to the ones I can't stand. There we go. Amon Düül II Area 🤮 Art Zoyd Black Country, New Road black midi 👍 Can 🤮 Cardiacs Comus Current 93 Dead Can Dance Faust 🤮 Godspeed You! Black Emperor 👍 Henry Cow Kayo Dot King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Magma 🤮 Mr. Bungle Radiohead 👍 The Residents Soft Machine 👍 Squid 👍 Swans Tangerine Dream 🤮 Univers Zero 🤮 Van der Graaf Generator 👍

Only 2 bands on the list I know and love... TD & VDGG

I would say Dead Can Dance. No matter how much I tried, I never really got into their music.

Various excellent posts; thank you very much.

TheGazzardian wrote: This list is very consistent with what I was into about ten years ago at the peak of my "need strange new sounds" era (with a few bands that I hadn't heard of yet back then but have listened to since).  I ultimately voted Kayo Dot despite liking them in theory - I've tried a bunch of their albums and they are always interesting in a way that I rarely want to come back to, even though I appreciate it. I was going to give it to Dead Can Dance, either, but even though I think I've checked them out, it turns out the one song I could remember as being 'by them' was actually by Cocteau Twins, instead. So I'm drawing a blank as to what they even sound like. In reflection, I think the actual answer should have been Residents, I've tried a couple of their albums and they are interesting but I don't really remember enjoying them. Interestingly, I listen to very few of these bands these days; I'd say KG+TLW, VDGG, Cardiac, Current93, and Magma are the ones I actually return to the most, while I still think of Can, Swans, Comus, Univers Zero, Radiohead, and Mr Bungle as bands I really like, but rarely make time for anymore. I think the only artist on this list I've never listened to is Squid. Ok, anyways, I'm checking out Dead Can Dance, turns out I had their album ''Dionysus" in my digital music library and I like it more than Residents and Kayo Dot. Given your list, I wonder - have you ever listened to Cheer-Accident?

I think I was needing stranger sounds than a lot of of this about 15 years ago. My tastes now can be really tame by comparison. I listen to a lot of art pop kind of stuff now and was much more into experimental music before.

I have linked Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance. I love both bands.

I have listened to Cheer-Accident. I really liked the album Fear Draws Misfortune.

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Incidentally, I had a list of about 100 and went with various of these not necessarily just because they are amongst my favourite bands, but because I know they can be divisive when it comes to appreciation (even when it comes to some like-minded listeners). Wish I'd kept in Talk Talk and some others for this.

Cardiacs but based only on one album and a few listens. I don't think I can put the time and money into getting to grips with them tbh.

Art Zoyd. They just haven't clicked with me yet. In due time, I'm sure. I like to wear commemorative stamps on Saturdays.