You know when you open YouTube, and then its algorithm suggests you videos that you might like…well, today the almighty YouTube suggested me to check out this video by a music band called Arch Echo…so I checked it out. And to my surprise, it was a great instrumental song. I really enjoyed listening to it. Kinda even like overjoyed. So had to pause for a second and ask myself.
Why is it that sometimes instrumental music feels so good? Honestly off the top of my head, I can think of three profound reasons:
- Insincerity of singers
Honestly, a lot of times I think some singers/vocalists don’t really care what they sing or how they sing. Or even worse when you actually like the music of a song, and even the text/lyrics, but you don’t like the way that the vocals have been performed…maybe they sound goofy to you…maybe it’s supposed to be an upbeat song, and yet the singer sounds sad to you, or vice versa. I don’t mind the music of a lot of modern American pop and rap music…sometimes, I even try to ignore the lyrics, just to be able to enjoy the song…but God, sometimes the way that some of this new modern generation of singers/rappers sing/rap, God that’s awful and unbearable for me…totally ruins the song for me.
- Insincerity of lyrics
Sometimes there is even a song in front of me with good music and good singing in it, and yet I don’t like it…cuz I can’t take those words. Back in the day music was much more sincere…the words weren’t just thrown away for whatever’s sake…there was a meaning and purpose behind things. Nowadays, not only is most of pop music like that (where they somehow try to understand their market of listeners and their taste, and try to feed them whatever they want to hear to grab a quick cash from them), but also tons of music in other genres such as rap, rock, etc. with empty words and fake lyrics.
- Compromising instruments
And there are tons of music with vocals, where instrumental parts of the music have been watered down, so that the singing can take on the front stage. And then you listen to a fantastic instrumental song, and you ask yourself “this is so cool! I never thought the guitar/keyboard/etc. can sound like this. Why can’t other songs have cool instrumental sections like this song?!”
I know, I bashed the songs with vocals pretty hard, but let me still tell you that, majority of my music listening still comes from songs with lyrics and singing. And I cannot get enough of a good pop song, with genuine lyrics and singing and that still keeps room for fantastic instrumentation such as Someone Like You by Adele, which I admired from the very first day I heard till now.
There are tons of good instrumental music and bands out there…but I want to recommend two bands that make pure instrumental music (no words, no singing) and they offer you a journey, a musical one, if you accept.
The Aristocrats
Liquid Tension Experiment
