What are your music standards?

[koumori]

I fail to see your point, I'm really sorry.

As someone who has lived in the U.K all their life, I have obviously experienced english music all my life too. And even though I guess on the 'surface' of the industry, English-languaged music has seemed to take a different route to Asian-languaged music, I will always remember the music I grew up with.

How anyone can say bands such as The Cranberries or The Cardigans are as generic as modern day bands astound me, and also I have to put in a band called James, who I've always listened to - whose lyrics and energy also bring me to tears as much as someone such as Ayu might.

There's always going to be that golden memory of discovering asian music if you're not actually from an asian country; I still remember mine with fondness and with certain aspects of what is in kind an 'arguement' in defence of your love of asian music, I can kind of agree - since I love asian music that much as well. My top five Japanese singers/bands are Ayumi Hamasaki, SCANDAL, alan, Koda Kumi and Utada Hikaru, and I genuinely love everything they put out there, how they talk and communicate to the fans, and just how differently they forward their careers. English music, drastically different in a lot of ways, still puts forward the same feelings for me.

I can't cut out English music for me, because as Emiko said, English music in turn you can dance to, make you feel sexy - there are gems in the forms of either single songs from different artists or artists as a whole in the English/American industry.

I grew up with English music and I'm guessing you did too. It's part of your culture, and as you said, it's music 'you can understand on the first listen'. Maybe that's why you don't like it as much, I don't know. But there are strong, meaningful artists that speak English and I just don't understand why you're ignoring them based on just the language they speak.

Asian music yes, is different in ways, but there's always going to be a side to the music industry you don't like. You're either ignoring or haven't discovered that side to the Asian music world yet, probably because you're not Asian. But you are concentrating on the 'bad' side to the English music industry, and with no offence this is very narrow-minded and naive.

And I also slightly take offence, at you saying the very native language I speak can't be turned into a meaningful song - which I believe, and many will agree, it can be.

Personally I listen to more 90's music than modern day English bands, just because that's where my tastes lie. You need to experiment much more and broaden your horizons alot more. There's always something.

Ayumi Hamasaki is inspired by English artists as are other Japanese singers/bands, and I'm sure English/American artists are inspired by Japanese singers/bands. If they can see the good music no matter what language, I'm sure you can make more of an effort.

[Hoshi no Suna]

@Koumori, you misunderstood me.

I don't like Japanese music because it's Japanese.

I fell in love with it, because the lyrics amaze me, and the arrangements generally fit my taste.

Once again, I never said that all of it is amazing. My interest in the language has got nothing to do with it, it's the meaning behind each song. English songs, just as any, can be meaningful, I don't deny it. (I never said they can't be, so I don't know why are you saying that I did) I just don't enjoy them to such an extent.

Why be offended by someone's opinion that is not directed at you? I live in England as well.

I truly dislike being perceived as narrow minded. That is the exact opposite of what I am.

The bottom line is, there is no good, or bad. It's simply a matter of taste.

[happiholic★]

There is no poll option for my feelings. I love Western music just the same as I love Japanese. Daft Punk and Britney Spears can stir up emotions just like Ayu can for me. Not the same ones, of course, but I feel just as strongly, independent of what those feelings are. There are so many Japanese artists who are full of fake, and so many Western artists who dedicate their lives to quality music, I really can't judge.

[MeltingCORE]

My standards? If it sounds good to me, that's good enough. I do consider myself a music appreciator and I appreciate ALL styles of music since they all take time and effort to make. But generally I tend to stick to Japanese and Electronic music. I love Japanese Pop but my all time favorite genre is Trance. Without Trance, I wouldn't be myself. But anyways, I love all sorts of music. I am open minded. I like from Drum n' Bass to Glitchstep to Orchestra to Speedcore to American Pop to Trance to Happy Hardcore and so on.

I really don't care if some of the stuff I like *cough*American Pop*cough* "sounds all the same" becuase I like it and that's what matters. All that matters is if you like the music.

[JackieRos]

I listen to whatever

[Picaflor 7/4]

Originally Posted by JackieRos

I listen to whatever

this.

[Ranma Matsuri]

I can see why you were 'misunderstood', the options on that poll are very scewed and come off really haughty and biased. It's like you're basically saying that everyone feels the same way you do but are either aware or unaware of it. O_O It probably wasn't your original intention to do so but you've gotta be more mindful of how you set up polls like these.

Well, for me I've been listening to almost nothing but J-pop and occasionally K-pop for the past year. There just hasn't been any... desire to listen to much else. Like emiko stated, a lot of pop music here has hip hop (and even country ) influence these days which I'm just not a fan of. I'm more of a fan of pure pop, electropop, techno pop, 90's, 80's synth pop and even bubblegum teeny pop. There's few artists right now that I bother with, like Britney, Madge, and Ashley Tisdale. Other artists I like/love (like Evanescence), take forever to release something and by the time they do, I've forgotten all about them and can't be properly excited.

Most of the J-artists I like just happen to fit the bill of what I like in my music period. All female with sweet high voices, cute with a hint of sexy, singing catchy fun pop songs that lift my spirits and keep me energized. Artists like Kalafina, alan and Hikki are another story... I turn for them for strong ballads, beautiful vocals, and compositions that stir the blood. I put Ayu in another category all her own, as (much like identity stated) she pretty much convinced me just how powerful music can be. I used to hate pop ballads (and still do to some extent) because I thought they all sounded so generic and boring always talking about a break up or whatever blah blah. I thought hers would be more of the same then I heard HANABI~episode II~ and was blown away. Though I admit to being one of the ones complaining about all the medium ballads recently, still no other artist to this day can make me fall so completely in love with a ballad like Ayu does.

[MemorialAddress]

I listen to whatever the hell I like, no matter what language it is. Language is not a factor for me.
I'm not one of those people who is like "OMG! I ONLY listen to Asian music, so I can't listen to this British / American / w.e music cuz I just won't like it!" I think that's really silly. People really miss out on a lot of great music when they limit their possibilities.
How can you say you don't like ANYTHING non-asian? Have you heard all the music in the world? The answer, for everyone, is NO.

[love in music]

Originally Posted by Yum!Fruit_Salad!

But seriously, have either you and identity given American artists / bands a fair chance? I mean, when you searched through American music, did you go in thinking "let's see if this time I find something. what am I talking about, I won't". Thoughts like those can greatly alter how you view the music, how you might genuinely like the artist. It predisposes you to find nothing of value.

I wasn't like that at all. I really wanted to find something I liked. I usually went into it like "yay, this might be the first singer/band I actually end up liking!" and get all excited just to be let down in the end after listening through their albums. I just feel like I did give American music a fair chance, and I wound up not really liking much of anything. I searched long and hard, and maybe found one song that I thought was "okay" or "not that bad" but that's all. Really though, I'd love to love American music but whatever I listen to seems to always disappoint me.

[Yum!Fruit_Salad!]

Originally Posted by identity

I wasn't like that at all. I really wanted to find something I liked. I usually went into it like "yay, this might be the first singer/band I actually end up liking!" and get all excited just to be let down in the end after listening through their albums. I just feel like I did give American music a fair chance, and I wound up not really liking much of anything. I searched long and hard, and maybe found one song that I thought was "okay" or "not that bad" but that's all. Really though, I'd love to love American music but whatever I listen to seems to always disappoint me.

That saddens me, no, truly, that saddens me that you haven't. It's the country you grew up in and English is your native language so it should be idealistically be the source
of comfort to express yourself. I would ask if you've looked into past artists like from the 90s and etc. but you probably have. Well, Japanese music seems to fill in what American music has failed to do and you seem happy which is a very important thing in life. =]

[bondingo]

Great first post emiko. I pretty much agree with everything you said.

There was definitely a time where pretty much all I listened to was Japanese music (around the time I first discovered it, so 2005 I think), but with time my tastes broadened again. Like other people have said: Japanese music can be just as crappy as anywhere else (look at Arashi, KAT-TUN, etc.) Sure, American music has kind of blown lately, but that's why I'm constantly looking for new music from anywhere, not just one country. American music was great about a year or two ago, just as British Pop was. More recently K-Pop has been amazing, and it definitely doesn't stop there. I say just keep looking, because you may not think anything but Japanese music is good right now, but that's bound to change, because you obviously haven't listened to every artist from every country on Earth.

[Mai82Go]

Originally Posted by bondingo

Like other people have said: Japanese music can be just as crappy as anywhere else (look at Arashi, KAT-TUN, etc.)

Lies

....

Hoshi no Suna - I think people should stop to convince you of trying other music, atm, as I think japanese music works best for you. Why don't accept this as a nice thing? I mean, you found the music you wholeheartedly love and can't stop listening to it. Stick to it. Why is it bad that this is the only music you like? There are people only listening to classical, opera or jazz. I love that there is so much different music and when you found YOUR music the one that fits you best - great!

And are you American? Because people try to convince you to like american music the most, it seems.

[Hoshi no Suna]

By saying that they top the list, I'm stating my opinion. It's not a fact, we are allowed to have favourites and mine happen to be Japanese. The problem is that people make an argument out of an opinion. Which makes it seem as though we all should live in the same way, and enjoy the same things. It's true that I haven't listened to every single artist that's ever lived, but neither have those who point this out. Therefore my opinions are based on what I've heard so far. Even if I listen to musicians from other countries, if you ask me, who's your favourite, wouldn't the answer be obvious?

Originally Posted by emiko

but then there's the problem that, you can find really amazing and talented musicians in every place all over the world...they just might not be making the type of music that you value.

Which brings us right back to "opinions". Our tastes vary. And people who say that I am narrow minded are the ones who should consider applying this term to themselves, because they can't accept that someone may not favour their type of music.
Why can't we all be happy and listen to whatever we like?
Someone will say "appreciate music for what it is", because it's a wonderful thing, but I won't force myself to do something that I don't enjoy on a personal level.
For a mere moment of praise or whatever? So that someone may say that I "appreciate" music? Will you say that I don't, even though I spend a lot of money on supporting the artists I admire? This account proves that I like Ayu, and this forum, wasn't it made to bring the people who enjoy her music together?

Originally Posted by emiko

But I'm sorry that you've been misunderstood, but, I mean, if your premise was that you think Japanese music has some of the best music...perhaps you should find another way to say it, and start a new thread.

I think it would be really interesting to analyze possible "evidence" for something like that...even though, it's something based in opinion.

There's no point really. You can't find evidence for something that is based on opinions. We could have another discussion, but I won't be starting it.


@Mai82Go

I agree with you. Many people try to change others' beliefs when they differ from their own. What I find amusing is that every person on this forum likes Japanese music, right? And yet, when someone says that most of the music they listen to is Japanese, others are offended.
And I really fail to see why.
I'm not a robot, I'm a human being with a brain who doesn't let her beliefs (likes/dislikes) be changed by those who disagree with them.
What's even funnier is that I never flat out said "everything else is crap, Japanese music is best thing in the world!!", and you still get all those complaints.

I'm British, but it doesn't matter. When it comes to music, the language makes no difference. If I don't understand it, I'll go look for a translation, and then decide whether I like it, or not. Just like some people say, there can be a great song with bad lyrics, and a bad song with great lyrics. Which one do I choose? Neither.

But then again, what is good to me, may be atrocious to you.
And so on.

I don't know why you feel attacked. Nobody said anything mean. Sorry if you thought I was trying to insult you or something.

[ストロボ・EdGE]

I just listen to so much... there's amazing and there's horrible music in every genre from every country.

I mean, I'll be at home listening to Ayu, then in the car listen to Katy and Gaga on the radio, get to my friend's house and listen to indie rock in the back while we eat dinner, head to a salsa and bachata party, listen to French rock on the way home, and then arrive and listen to something shoegaze or dream pop.

Variety is the spice of life. Comparing Western music to Asian music is like comparing apples to horseshoes. Try all sorts of music instead of putting up a wall, which is what so many people do and then miss out on amazing music.

[Ranma Matsuri]

@Kanzaki: I know which one you're speaking of but I honestly don't like him much (for other reasons) so I won't go looking for his posts. XD Trying to pick a good definition from Urban Dictionary but it seems to be cluttered with fails. Liking anything Japanese =\= Wapanese. (-_-)

I think this might be the one you're looking for:

7. Wapanese listen to tons of japanese music but will refuse to listen to anything non-japanese. They also tend to say that non-japanese music is crap while the japanese music is godly. However, most wapanese tend to listen to Japanese Pop which can be very, very similar to non-Japanese pop.

[MemorialAddress]

^ that's so true for many people here, I'm sure

[Kazeyomi]

I was like that years ago. I mean, during my teenage.
I was totally into japanese music that I often said 'western music is crap, Japan is the best!!1 Kawaiidesune(^_^)v' lol. I'm totally a music sucker as well, so I was listened to anything seriously. Mainstream, indie, j-urban, shibuya-kei, j-rock, visual-kei, oshare-kei, enka, etc. I'm thankful to that, because I know much more about japanese music now. But growning up make me appreciate western music too. I remember when I was watching a Mononoke Hime AMV with Loreena Mckennitt's Mummers Dance as bgm. I totally fallen in love with her voice. Suddenly, my brain worked properly and et voilà wapanese brainwash disappear .
I discovered a lot of wonderful western groups and singers, even though I love oldie music more than most of 00s music. Especially 50s, 70s and a little bit of 80s. And classical music.
I'm still a japanese music lover though, but not so obsessive like before.

Music is such a wonderful thing it's a waste do not appreciate it just because of language, seriously. So my standars are:

I listen whatever I like, genre and language doesn't matter at all.

I think the reason why people are telling you to try different music is because it looked like you were stating your opinion as fact in your first post. I'm not saying that was your intention, but that's what it came off as.

See, what I got from the title of this thread and your first post, was that Japanese music is waaay up there, and everything else is... well like you said, crap. I'm not saying you feel this way, but that's how you wrote it out. I'm just getting this all from the word "standards". I felt as if you were saying that if you like only Japanese music, you have high standards. And if you like western, you have low standards.

That's just what I got from. Again, not saying you feel that way because I don't know. But maybe next time you could try wording what you mean better.

[primavera♥]

@Hoshi no Suna: I wrote a lot so here's a spoiler to contain it lol. Hopefully u understand what I'm trying to say. I know it may come off redundant at times.

Spoiler:

I don't think anyone is "offended"...nor is there an issue with just liking japanese music
I think it was your generalizing what I may say are "properties" of english/western music and saying that is why u dislike it. And then generalizing Japanese music as the opposite when honestly it is the same

But that's basically what I got. Maybe some lyrics and etc of japanese artists like ayu for example appeal more to you, but I honestly wouldn't diss western music as if there are no sincere artists, who write their own lyrics, and compose their own songs. And write lyrics that aren't just about sex.
Even in the mainstream.
So I think it was that u just seemed like another person stereotyping western music as oversexualized fake artists, etc.
U not liking western artists is fine. Speaking of them that way, to me isn't, because an artists composing a song, isn't "opinion"
The things u said, u could switch the situation and I would say the same thing

Is all. So u liking the lyrics of japanese artists and liking the music more and finding more emotion from them is cool. Its natural, baby, to like what u like. U found music u love which is a beautiful thing. But when u went on to say things about english music, that was different. If u don't like any of their lyrics or songs, nothing wrong with that. What probably made u seem close-minded was your close-minded views of english music.

Its like if I said

I like pop music since I love how the artists have beautfiull meaningful lyrics. And I'm touched by them. And the artists are just so much better

I hate rock music cuz its just a bunch of fakers who can't play guitar well and sing about sex and scream all the time.
(Lol its hard coming up with rock generalizations especially when I love it so much XD)

When u said something like "Can u please write your own song?" Well tell that to japanese artists too. Things like that are where u probably seemed to come off as very disagreeable with some people.
At least to me, that's what I saw. Its just like "huh?"

Its mainly I think just an issue with your sort of compare and contrast. But its gone now with your first post
I think people like emiko were just trying to enlighten u on those matters.
So don't take it as everyone being offended u don't like english music.

None of us know if u go into everything with a psychological bias. U might not even know. But if u can't find english music u like then oh well. Its all good.

^___^