What defines good taste in music? Doesn't it ultimately come down to one's own subjective idea of what sounds good and what doesn't?
I've always had that annoying little problem of caring too much about what other people think of me. I love the music I listen to, regardless of the genre or the musical awesomeness (or lack thereof). And I'm willing to try almost any genre because I know that there will always be at least one or two songs that I'll like even if I don't lean towards that particular type of music. Yet I always find myself defending my "taste in music" as though what I listen to is something to be ashamed of.
As is evident by the majority of my posts on this blog, I've been heavily into Korean pop music for the last few months, and I like it. I like the catchiness of the songs, I like singing along to them, I like the melodies. Yet whenever someone puts down my choice to listen to K-pop I feel this inexplicable need to laugh and agree that my taste in music is questionable, or even go to such lengths as to say that once upon a time my taste in music was much better, like when I was more into J-rock.
But why do I consider J-rock as being better then K-pop? Okay, I do consider J-rock to be better than K-pop (for my personal tastes) because I can immerse myself in J-rock in a way that I can't (or don't) do with K-pop... even though I do really like K-pop and would be able to loop K-pop forever. I suppose the right question would be... why should K-pop be considered inferior to J-rock? The impression that I've gotten from other people who have called my taste in music "bad" simply because I listen to K-pop is that 1) it's pop, and 2) they don't play instruments. As if being an actual instrument-playing band makes someone's music better?
I'm not gonna lie though. I'm a hypocrite because I also look down on certain genres (and by association the taste of those who like them). American teenybopper pop, for example. Maybe I just have a god complex where I think my taste in music is absolute and infallible? Lol.
I know that this isn't something restricted to just J-rock and K-pop... it's applicable to any genres of music, and to anybody in the whole world. I guess in the end this is just a long-winded rant about people criticising my own taste in music, haha. And I suppose it doesn't help that I have the exact same stereotypes (otherwise why would I call my choice of K-pop a "questionable" taste in music?) as the people criticising me.
I love the music I listen to. And that's what makes my taste in music good.
Listening to right now: Dir en grey - Akuro no Oka
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This post is an automatic win because of the song you were listening to. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy guess as to why you may subconsciously consider K-pop to be inferior is that perhaps J-rock has more of an audience amongst your peers? I don't know if that's true or not, but I'm thinking that you feel compelled to say J-rock's better only because it may be more socially acceptable to be knowledgeable of J-music than K-music - even if neither has a really big fanbase where you are.
That said, I wouldn't consider K-pop to be inferior to J-rock based on the reasons you mentioned. From what I read, Ayumi's last few releases were heavily inspired by those types of girl groups rather than the J-rock of previous songs (even going so far as to actually record a song that had originally intended to be for a pop group) - and I thought they were great!
When it comes down to it though, music (to me) is about an artist expressing him-or-herself, and a listener making a connection to it. 3rd party persons don't really figure in that equation.
Actually nobody I know listens to either J-rock or K-pop. -_-;
ReplyDeleteI think the reason I feel compelled to defend my taste in music with rock is because a lot of people that I meet seem to think that rock trumps pop in general (or maybe that's just the impression that I get. Or maybe that's really what I think?).
I don't listen to girl groups and neither do I like them. Lol.
Save for very few songs. But I don't follow girl groups at all... maybe I like male voices better? Dunno.
I know this doesn't really have anything to do with what you said but I thought I'd throw that in when you mentioned girl groups, haha.
I definitely agree with your last statement... which is why I get so annoyed at myself for feeling the need to defend my choices in music. :(
It's just like back in the day when I was ashamed to admit that I was a closet BSB fangirl.
I think what you said concerning rock and pop was something like what I was trying to get at, but I was almost sure I was saying it incoherently. lol I think people often blindly put down pop, without realizing that pop music by definition includes anything that's popular... including rock music (technically).
ReplyDeleteBut forgetting that technicality for a moment, and only thinking of pop music in terms of acts like Lady Gaga and Rihanna, say, I don't see any reason to feel ashamed liking it. I'd be a hypocrite if I did, not because I like the American poppers, but because I love Ayumi.
Incidentally, I was thinking of the wrong Ayumi song when I mentioned her singing the song intended for a girl group.
The one that was originally intended to be written for the girl group is this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjeuLKrDXNo
but the one I'd liked was this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl1mKoiDGus
I still like both though. lol
I remember you telling me how you had to pretend not to like BSB anymore!
Incidentally, I make use of the fact that (1) the hospital generally is always calling me, and (2) customizable MP3 ringtones, to ensure I at least have a bit of fun expressing myself at work. For the most part, I almost always have a Muse song going off when someone calls, but there's Ayumi's Monochrome there too (and even this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccFcLFcEUcQ when Lindsay calls... can you imagine this going off when I'm amongst guys? hahaha). I am pretty sure that most don't understand me on this basis alone (at least), but I've decided I really don't care.:)
Haha I know, you've been telling me that for years now (the pop thing). But I know that most people don't think of pop that way so it's just easier than explaining every time heh. Also, I tend to use "pop" to describe music that can't necessarily be lumped easily into sub-genres like rock. I mean, e.g. Lady Gaga and Rihanna I would call dance music so I wouldn't even think of them when I say "pop". To me, pop is stuff like Taylor Swift or BSB who don't have a strict sub-genre that they can be defined as.
ReplyDeleteI don't like Bold and Delicious but I like Sunrise. I can't listen to too much of Ayumi though, I get tired of her voice after a while. ><