Light notes

I was going to just say "So Long, Dearie", but I figured I already posted an obituary for a wonderful musician this week, so instead I give you this:

My students were assigned (not by me) to write brief in-class essays on music they absolutely cannot stand, as an exercise in musical description. The music that pisses them off the most is:

1. Miles Davis with Marcus Miller in the '80s
2. emo/punk bands, particularly New Found Glory
3. John Cage's 4'33"
4. Bruce Springsteen in general, but especially "Queen of the Supermarket"
5. Koda Kumi's most recent album
6. Lamb of God
7. A piece he doesn't remember the name of, but the guitar solo is just one triad arpeggiated over and over
8. "Dark Blue" by Jack's Mannequin
9. "Beat of my Heart" by Hillary Duff
10. "heavy metal" (those are his own scare quotes around the genre), especially Meshuggah
11. heavy metal in general
12. Blink-182, "What's my age again"
13. Kings of Leon, "On Call"
14. "Monkey and Bear" by Joanna Newsom
15. NWA's "Straight Outta Compton"
16. Country music. All of it, apparently.
17. Phantom of the Opera
18. technical metal, particularly Look What I Did. Don't ask me what technical metal is.
19. "Soulja Boy"
20. Pachelbel's Canon

I didn't plan that order. The last paper in my stack was really and truly about hating Pachelbel's Canon.

Of the twenty songs/artists/genres listed, I can safely say I like at least four. Stay tuned for the next list: music my students love.