It feels more universally human. Like, it takes so much more skill to portray an atmosphere/vibe without one word at all. And its doesn’t care which country you’re from, you can share it with anyone in the world, regardless of language.

  • Vanth@reddthat.comEnglish
    401·
    1 month ago

    I disagree that you can’t share a song with the whole world due to language. I listen to stuff in languages I don’t speak frequently. And making music out of one’s voice seems pretty darn human.

    There is a time and place for instrumental for me. I like listening to it when I need to focus, as opposed to songs that sometimes distract me more.

  • jqubed@lemmy.world
    171·
    1 month ago

    I wouldn’t really say I prefer one over another; they both have their place to me

  • Korhaka@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    13·
    1 month ago

    If you don’t understand the language then singing is just another instrument

  • Samsonreturns@lemmy.world
    112·
    1 month ago

    Language is irrelevant, beautiful music transcends. Weather it is lyrical melodies or harmonies… makes no difference. There are VERY many truly sublime operatic performances across a variety of genres

  • cley_faye@lemmy.world
    8·
    1 month ago

    Vocals can be a good generic instrument too. See NieR: Automata soundtrack or more recently Clair Obscur, although this one have more actual sentences.

  • Vupware@lemmy.zip
    7·
    1 month ago

    I’m on the same page as you, but really it’s for different reasons.

    Oftentimes when I listen to music with vocals (especially American music), I can’t shake the feeling that the singer is being an attention whore / trying too hard.

    I don’t always get that vibe, but it definitely impedes my ability to listen to a lot of tracks.

    I also like that instrumental music gives me room to think.

  • lennybird@lemmy.worldEnglish
    81·
    1 month ago

    I listen to a lot of music in languages I don’t understand. Growing up I especially loved Rammstein. No clue what they were saying until I was older, but feeling is feeling.

    There’s a time for both instrumental and vocals, and that’s of course dependent on my mood and focus. I’ll put on something like an elder scrolls soundtrack or lo fi hip hop if I need to focus.

    • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
      2·
      1 month ago

      Growing up I especially loved Rammstein. No clue what they were saying until I was older, but feeling is feeling.

      I’ve generally been underwhelmed by song lyrics. I liked Rammstein in part because I couldn’t understand what they were saying in a given song.

  • jh29a@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    6·
    1 month ago

    I have a little bit of a cringe-problem, so If the lyrics of a song portray some feelings I can’t imagine sharing or being worthwhile having, I can’t really listen to it.

    Lyrics are also banned for background distraction music, the kind of music I listen to to block Background Noise that would be annoying me when I do homework. Listening to music like trance (my lofi beats to relax/study to replacement) moves the problem from being annoyed by noises I don’t want to hear, to slight problems having complicated thoughts I would want to vocalise out loud or in my head. So sometimes I just turn on Brown Noise (Bass-boosted White Noise), or Pink Noise where I forgot what it is, but that feels weird in the ears after 1 to 2 hours. I don’t always need to play sounds I pick, but sometimes, I really don’t want to hear other people’s noises.

    • MattTheProgrammer@lemmy.world
      1·
      1 month ago

      I’ve been feeling this with the heavier music I’ve been listening to lately. If a song is all growling/screaming I just can’t take it seriously as an example.

      • crt0o@discuss.tchncs.de
        1·
        1 month ago

        I view dirty vocals as an aesthetic choice rather than emotional, they pair better with distorted guitar tones, and with metal, the focus is more on rhythm than melody anyways, so a more percussive vocal style makes sense.

        Edit: + I kind of like the fact you usually can’t understand the lyrics straight up, because it’s easier to ignore them if they’re bad and just enjoy the instrumentals, and if they’re good, you can still follow just fine once you know them

        • MattTheProgrammer@lemmy.world
          1·
          1 month ago

          I don’t mind growling/screaming in music at all, but sometimes it feels like they’re trying to hard to be hard and that’s when I start rolling my eyes.

    • Glitterbomb@lemmy.world
      1·
      1 month ago

      Have you ever tried listening to music in another language? I find myself in a similar situation where electronic gets too busy and pulls me out of focus. Listening to lyrics I can understand also breaks focus because some amount of brain cycles are trying to comprehend them. But when I put on like some russian indie rock, I can zone out to sounds I like without that dialogue interpreter running in the back of my brain.

  • _NetNomad@fedia.io
    4·
    1 month ago

    https://youtu.be/X7R2Vl_hcCA

    i usually don’t catch most of the lyrics the first or second go around, so anything i hear for the first time basically sounds like this. because of that, i treat vocals like any other instrument- is the tone good? is it carrying a good melody? only if i like a song enough to listen multiple times (because of or in spite of the singer) do i start to pick up the words, which can elevate the experience if they’re good but if they’re not, nothing gained and nothing lost.

  • kinther@lemmy.world
    3·
    1 month ago

    I struggle to parse fast paced song lyrics, so often find myself listening more to the music than what they are saying. This has gotten me in trouble before.

    Right now I am digging Dance with the Dead’s “Driven to Madness”. Reminds me of an 80s monster movie synth/metal album.