Gave some of their most popular tunes a listen and not for me. I found the music to be minimalist and not very engaging or interesting, which leaves the songs heavily dependent on her vocals that I found just lilting and likewise not very interesting or captivating. Nothing of interest here for me and not my cuppa at all. But that’s me.
London Grammar?
Curious about people's opinions of London Grammar. I just discovered them on a Qobuz playlist.
I've only just started listening to their 3 albums. The music seems interesting enough to get my attention but not sure yet if it will hold it.
Curious as to how people feel about the technical quality of the recordings.
Interested to hear how people would classify the music. At times it seems a bit like pop.....maybe even a bit like Adele who I don't care for. But probably more than simple pop?
Curious what people think about Hannah Reid's voice. The range is certainly there. But is it disciplined? Is it it a pop gimmick? Is it AutoTuned?
What do you think about the two other musicians?
I like them. I have curated my own London Grammar playlist on Tidal. I think their recordings sound good on my system. When I am in the mood their music hits the spot. @soix So give us a few examples of music that you do find “engaging” inquiring minds want to know 😉 |
@dougsat Well, something with a halfway decent melody helps as does some evidence of actual musicianship. Nondescript synth mood music that sounds like it was composed completely on Pro Tools using AI just ain’t my thang. Like I said, that’s just me and to each his own. The OP asked for opinions so I was just sharing mine and no need to take it personally. |
Thanks for the thoughts guys. I'm still sorting out what I think about this band. For the record I don't mind 'mood' type music. I don't even mind some techno and electronic music. I don't go as far as 'ambient' type music though. I like bands like Khruangbin a lot, although in that band there is no doubt about the presence of 'musicianship' even when there isn't a whole lot of thematic variation. As far as London Grammar I do not perceive a lack of musicianship despite the electronic nature of it. But agree there isn't a lot of variation in the style. Some of the compositions are quite good. Some of the songs are engaging. Sound quality is good/okay on my system. A couple of songs sound great. Hannah Reid's voice is a bit of a mixed bag for me. Some of the higher register pieces sound a little weak or ragged and undisciplined even though I assume those are her signature hooks. It is almost like she is trying too hard. When she keeps it at a less extreme register I find her voice to be quite beautiful and engaging. And I'm not suggesting all voices have to be precise and operatic. Ragged and edgy sounds great if you're Janis Joplin but not in techno symphonic stuff like this. Anyway, I'm intrigued enough to keep listening which is more than I can say for a lot of stuff that is 10 years old or less.
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Incredible band, music. Hannah’s voice is hard to explain, but just wow. She’s an absolute favorite and hooks me in every time. Now this is pop music (so lets keep in in context) and not a large percentage of what I listen to on a reg basis, but, every time I start a LG tune, hard not to listen to the entire album - which is how I listen usually anyway (not a playlist, single song type of listener). Sometimes I just like this style of music Very engaging music from the get go, goosebumps MANY times. Very different vocal arrangements, inflections, music isn’t of standard recipe/fake crap like most everything put out nowadays. Is unique and surprising musical hooks. Great SQ to boot. They don’t have a bad album and the new teaser out (House) already has has hooked. |
Modern pop, electronic music or even rap can have fairly difficult tracks that can be used to stress test hifi systems. There are fairly talented artists tucked away inside the "young people" genres. They actually sound good on hifi rigs and don't sound good on crappy rigs (Bose, Sonos, etc) of the "young people". A bluetooth speaker with a 3 inch driver should do just fine for Beatles (i.e., the whiny 60s boy bands!), rolling stones, etc. You don’t need a hifi rig with badass speakers and subs for the beatles! Apparently, some guys around here stuck in a time warp think that the greatest music ever made was from 60 years ago. Ooooo, so sophisticated, don’t i know....Read some of the 60s boy band lyrics and it is just as cheesy and sappy as some modern crap.
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