Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Another Musical Interlude...
How the heck did we ever discover new music when I was a kid? Oh, yeah, we had to wait for the radio stations to get paid to share them with us. That still works, I guess.
I usually listen to music while coding. I've actually got a playlist in iTunes called "development music" which puts me in the mood for some serious Frayed Knights work.
While in the midst of coding and listening to music, I got a little curious to look up some information on Evanescence, and ended up following links-to-more-links, and found myself listening to a couple more bands on YouTube. One of the ways music SHOULD be discovered...
And out of a few "mehs" I discovered a Finnish band named Nightwish. Their music is sorta over-the-top symphonic power metal with operatic / gothic undertones. Except not the kind that sucks. The sorta thing I'd have been nuts over as a teenager. A couple of songs in, I found myself getting into it. It was pretty awesome music to code by. My wife started digging it too, especially the folkier pieces like The Islander and The Last of the Wilds. And their live version of The Phantom of the Opera was fun. We decided we were fans. Of both vocalists.
But one of the songs sounded vaguely familiar. And then another one sounded extremely familiar. We recognized it as some of that darned music our teenaged daughter likes to play far too loud!
Now that's just... weird.
So, if she finds out that we like it, we she suddenly start hating it?
(Actually, knowing her, she'd probably be thrilled. She's still young enough to believe that her parents have some slight coolness left in them. Little does she realize that we were always geeks and never, ever cool.)
Oh - and bringing it back to games / RPGs - apparently their music is featured in the trailer for the upcoming RPG from Piranha Bytes, Risen. Nifty! But I don't know if the music is actually going to be in the game itself or not.
Labels: music
- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 5:04 AM (Permalink)
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Having been on your daughter's end of things, go for it. There is no shame in appreciating Nightwish, because it actually happens to be a good band, and it's not yet popular enough to be associated with a particular (younger) generation.
Heh - okay. It's hard for me to know, because my parents were *NEVER* into my music. It's hard to even imagine my dad rocking out to Blue Oyster Cult, Van Halen, or Rush...
Nightwish rocks ! If yo ulike them you can try our Within Temptation which is more pop.
# posted by 
: August 19, 2009 10:15 AM
: August 19, 2009 10:15 AM
Yeah - Rowan actually prefers Within Temptation, and has shown us some of their videos. I enjoyed them, but haven't really listened to them on my own yet. I'm just amused that I stumbled into one of her favorite bands on my own like I did.
Nightwish is a good band to code to. You've probably heard of it, but just in case you haven't, Pandora is a great service for finding new music. I've found a lot of good coding music through them.
The Gathering is a great European band in the same vein as evanescence. Think evanescence meets radiohead.
Back in college I got really into the over the top symphonic metal. Try out therion - secret of the runes sometime for the most head banging opera/symphony you will ever find.
Back in college I got really into the over the top symphonic metal. Try out therion - secret of the runes sometime for the most head banging opera/symphony you will ever find.
Eh, not bad.
Kinda funny your daughter listen to them too.
I'm more of a relaxing kinda guy... songs like Burn One Down (Jack Johnson n Ben Harper version).
Kinda funny your daughter listen to them too.
I'm more of a relaxing kinda guy... songs like Burn One Down (Jack Johnson n Ben Harper version).
Okay - inspired by this, I have a forum topic for dev types (and non-dev types) entitled "Music to Code By." Let's hear your choices:
Music to Code By
Music to Code By
I first picked up Nightwish and a few other bands through Pandora... back before they kicked all us non-USA people off. (Yes, I know that wasn't Pandora's fault, but it still sucked.)
It's hard for me to know, because my parents were *NEVER* into my music. It's hard to even imagine my dad rocking out to Blue Oyster Cult, Van Halen, or Rush...
It was from my MOTHER that I picked up Blue Oyster Cult as a kid (she even had a 'Soft White Underbelly' tshirt!). She owned far more music than I ever have. She said she first started listening to Iron Maiden as something to keep her awake while studying...
It's hard for me to know, because my parents were *NEVER* into my music. It's hard to even imagine my dad rocking out to Blue Oyster Cult, Van Halen, or Rush...
It was from my MOTHER that I picked up Blue Oyster Cult as a kid (she even had a 'Soft White Underbelly' tshirt!). She owned far more music than I ever have. She said she first started listening to Iron Maiden as something to keep her awake while studying...
Well, now we know how you ended up so warped, Whiner... :)
So was she a fan of BOC from their SWU days, or just have the shirt? That's pretty wild.
Oh, and incidentally, I've now become a total Pandora fan. That didn't take long... :) It's been recommended to me before, but I never really used it before. I love the information age!
So was she a fan of BOC from their SWU days, or just have the shirt? That's pretty wild.
Oh, and incidentally, I've now become a total Pandora fan. That didn't take long... :) It's been recommended to me before, but I never really used it before. I love the information age!
I've listened a lot to Nightwish over the years. It's stereotypically Finnish (i.e. cheesy power metal/Wagner-light bombast) but somehow manages to rise above the majority of bands in the genre. For example, it would be impossible to count the number of times I've indulged myself in the gloriously overblown silliness of "Ghost Love Score" ("Once", 2004).
Although I'm not exactly devastated over the fact that their former soprano vocalist has left the band, their new (Swedish) singer simply isn't a good enough singer to match the over-the-top style the band is trying to convey. Also, their latest album ("Dark Passion Play") included a lot of worryingly bland and boring throwaway tunes, so I fear Nightwish is on a downward spiral nowadays...
Although I'm not exactly devastated over the fact that their former soprano vocalist has left the band, their new (Swedish) singer simply isn't a good enough singer to match the over-the-top style the band is trying to convey. Also, their latest album ("Dark Passion Play") included a lot of worryingly bland and boring throwaway tunes, so I fear Nightwish is on a downward spiral nowadays...
It's kind of funny, but the first thing I generally do in any computer game is turn off the music. I like music, but not in the background, when I'm doing something else.
If I want to listen to music, I'll listen to music. One thing at a time. I'd probably have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time, don't you think? :)
If I want to listen to music, I'll listen to music. One thing at a time. I'd probably have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time, don't you think? :)
I've been listening to Nightwish for a few years now, they're a great band and put on an excellent live show - their cover of Walking In The Air knocks the stuffing out of the original. I'd also heartily recommend Epica (they've done some interesting semi-classical stuff), Sonata Arctica, another slighly cheesy but skilled band & (as another commenter mentioned) Therion. Stick it to the man, stay a little off the mainstream!
# posted by : August 20, 2009 8:03 AM
: August 20, 2009 8:03 AM
I'm one of those horrible lazy people who hates making yet another account, so I'm just posting here instead of on the appropriate thred. Hope you'll forgive me.
I tend to like a lot of indie/ambient stuff when I study or work. Bands with fast drum beats and eerie vocals tend to lock my mind into the right mode.
Lost Ocean, Mutemath, Deas Vail, Owl City, and The Myriad are some examples.
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I tend to like a lot of indie/ambient stuff when I study or work. Bands with fast drum beats and eerie vocals tend to lock my mind into the right mode.
Lost Ocean, Mutemath, Deas Vail, Owl City, and The Myriad are some examples.
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