My Favorite Type of Music?

Well hello there!

So, per the usual, I was thinking about what to do for today's blog post, and I got to thinking about a question that everyone is always asking me: "What's my favorite type of music?" Ummmm, to be honest, I really don't have a 'favorite' type of music, just artists that I like. I constantly pride myself on the fact that I don't see genres, I just see music, so if there's a song or artist out there that I like, then I like what they put out. Obviously, tastes can change overtime (I actually liked Maroon 5 at one point), and my interest in certain genres of music now are WAY different than they were ten years ago (when I was 9, the only thing I would listen to was mainstream music or soundtrack music from kid shows. I was that cool. Haha not really). But since I've grown up, I've continued to discover new music that I love, and music that I'll never love no matter what, and I've decided to finally shed some light on what types of music get me excited, and which types I skip over.

Renaissance:
Might as well start early, huh? There's a lot of awesome renaissance music, but my favorite piece from this era has to be John Dunstable's "Quam Pulchra Es", it's just so amazing; by far the best piece to come from this era, this and "Tant Que Vivray", a chanson by Claudin de Sermisy.

Baroque:
Obviously, Bach is a favorite here. "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", his third partita in E-Major, the Brandenburg Concertos, just amazing!! I also love Vivaldi, he's done great work with "The Four Seasons"!

Classical:
Okay, you know I have to list Mozart as my favorite here. His pieces are just so light and happy, but completely substantive and challenging. 

But, from all eras, my favorite composer has got to be Beethoven. He's all about wringing emotion out of everything, his pieces are so filled with a wide range of expression, I seriously just can't take it sometimes.

19th/20th Century:
Modest Moussorgsky. Nuff said.

And now, on to modern genres!

Pop:
Man, where do I begin? Well, there are many, maaany different artists from this genre that I adore. First and foremost is Madonna, specifically her "Confessions on a Dancefloor" days. Lady Gaga, of course, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Ke$ha, Adele, and JoJo. More teen-pop based artists include Miley Cyrus (yes, really), Selena Gomez (yes, really), and Demi Lovato. Then the legends: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Nelly Furtado, Michelle Branch, KELLY CLARKSON, Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, P!nk, and Avril Lavigne. Lesser known names include Fountains of Wayne (they have more songs besides "Stacey's Mom" you know), Ellie Goulding, Lily Allen, and Carly Rae Jepsen (she has other songs besides "Call Me Maybe", you know). 

I know what you're thinking: I'm a music major, how on Earth can I like shit like this? Well I'm sorry, but I don't think that Top 40 is shit. Some of it is, but not these artists. A deeper look into their catalogues, and I know you'd come to agree with me.

Singer-Songwriter/Acoustic:
Sarah McLachlan is my all time favorite in this area. Other favorites include Jewel and Christina Perri, and Michelle Branch fits here as well.

Rock:
Alanis Morissette, oh God yes!!! I am also a huge fan of Evanescence and Sheryl Crow, and then more indie/alternative artists such as Katy Rose and Skye Sweetnam. Oh and Nickelback, too, and Maroon 5 (you know, before the 2010s happened). Ok, I'll do classic rock as well: Queen, Bon Jovi, some Poison, and a little bit of Bruce Springsteen.

Indie/Rock:
Katy and Skye are awesome, but my favorite indie artist of all time has got to be Liz Phair. She can do so many different styles and ace all of them, indie/rock just launched her career. And then of course Tegan & Sara fit in this category as well. Some songs by Panic! At the Disco resonate with me, and sure I'll dabble in Fall Out Boy from time to time.

Electronic:
Daft Punk. The all time champs of this genre. 

...oh right, there's other artists too. Owl City (so good, he's just so good and awesome and I LOVE IT), Madonna's synth-driven albums, Lady Gaga's synth-driven works as well, Ellie Goulding, t.A.T.u, LORDE (!!), and last but certainly not least DIDO!!!

Dance:
Madonna and Lady Gaga again, as well as Ke$ha and Selena Gomez, and then some bigger names such as David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Kaskade, and a new favorite, Krewella. Cher has done some pretty great dance music as well, and then I'll also include Jennifer Lopez, Icona Pop, and Rihanna.

New Age:
Enya. Enya. Enya, and...yes: ENYA!!

Latin:
Shakira!! Who else? I guess to a certain extent Jennifer Lopez, and let's not forget Enrique Iglesias!

R&B:
First and always foremost is Mariah Carey, the five-octave legend!! Destiny's Child, and then subsequently Beyonce, some Rihanna, Mary J Blige, some Alicia Keys here and there, and obviously, TLC!

Hip-Hop:
Ciara, Missy Elliot, Timbaland, some more Mary J Blige, and Nicki Minaj.

Rap:
I don't particularly like this genre. I like some Eminem, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Sir Mix-a-Lot (for obvious reasons), but other than that, I just don't feel it.

Country:
I'm more ambivalent towards this one. There's alot of it that I don't like, but then there are some artists that are absolutely amazing. First is the Dixie Chicks, and in a close second would be Miranda Lambert, and subsequently the Pistol Annies. And how could I forget Shania Twain??! And then the earlier music of Taylor Swift (her pop songs are...eh).

So yeah, that's a basic rundown of the artists/genres that I listen to. I have most of these artists on my iPod or in my iTunes library, and whenever I put my iPod on shuffle, you never know what you're gonna get! Which is scary sometimes, but ultimately great.

Feel free to tell me your favorites!