Several years ago, a girl I worked with introduced me to Nickel Creek. Amazon lists these guys as "contemporary folk" and "bluegrass" which I NEVER listened to before. I've always listened to mostly rock and metal, but these guys really blew me away when I first listened to them (and the 100s of times since). They have to be in my top five all time favorite bands of all time, hands down.

I just discovered that they've had a new album out since April, so it's like Xmas in August for me right now. To temper my jolly, though, was the realization that they were in Philly in May and I missed them. I never go to shows, especially alone, but I would have definitely gone to see them. :(

Two other artists that come to mind are Kimbra and Ellie Goulding - I think their albums are just fantastic.

Have any of you guys ever discovered a band or an artist that you unexpectedly liked? Maybe their music was in a genre you never listened to before, or hated even, before you discovered them. But for SOME reason, you found you loved this particular band?

i came around to liking animal collective a few months ago and am glad to be wrong about my initial impressions of them

At 8/10/14 08:27 PM, Natick wrote: i came around to liking animal collective a few months ago and am glad to be wrong about my initial impressions of them

I listen to various Indie stations and these guys get played there. I didn't mind them.

At 8/10/14 08:28 PM, WahyahRanger wrote: Of Monsters and Men

Good shit, but something about these guys really rubs me the wrong way...just not sure what.

At 8/10/14 08:38 PM, WahyahRanger wrote: Maybe it's just that they're hippies. They seems cool though and I want to go to a show of theirs if I can avoid the LSD and shrooms.

What are you, a fun hater?

Cage the Elephant. I was turned off by them for a while because I heard the frontman was a super jerk, but saw them live when they were opening for Alice in Chains. Pretty sure I was the one yelling the loudest.

Well every single electronic musician I like technically counts as unexpected due to there being a point where I absolutely hated electronic music. Recently I have started to listen to a handful of Black Metal bands.

At 8/10/14 09:09 PM, freaksy101 wrote: Well every single electronic musician

I think Dubstep is like the heavy metal of electronic. It's good working music, sometimes.

At 8/10/14 09:20 PM, SubliminalVirus wrote: Mindless Self Indulgence....

I know exactly what you mean...there's something deliciously filthy about that band.

Well there's Tool. I originally thought they were one of those overly hardcore metal bands at first, but now I find their music really cool.

At 8/10/14 09:28 PM, NuclearInfected wrote: Well there's Tool. I originally thought they were one of those overly hardcore metal bands at first, but now I find their music really cool.

Their live shows are totally mind-blowing.

At 8/10/14 09:13 PM, BrenTheMan wrote:

At 8/10/14 09:09 PM, freaksy101 wrote: Well every single electronic musician

I think Dubstep is like the heavy metal of electronic. It's good working music, sometimes.

Eh not really a fan of todays Dubstep.

I was unprepared when I first heard Matisyahu.

I also thoroughly enjoy Paramore, though I still have a bad habit of turning them down while I jam out to them at the gym. I gotta cut that out, because I've always wanted to meet a chick I could sing Paramore with.

I'm not really sure how to respond to this? I mean if I've never heard a band before I'll give a listen before deciding if I do or don't like them. So there's not really that "Oh I think this band is going to suck" before I've ever heard them in the first place I guess?

I'll give it a listen. Any band or artist deserves that much at least. In fact I'll give at least two songs a listen before deciding if I just don't like a band or artist. That seems fair.

There are some that have made me go WTF?? Namely if their personal style clashes badly with their kind of music they play. Kerli would be a perfect example of this. Her personal style looks completely awesome and you think you're about to be treated to some kind of punk, goth, industrial, or metal music, but instead it's pretty much cookie-cutter pop. Huge letdown. I mean she looks absolutely awesome. She definitely has an industrial goth look. But her music sounds anything but that.

At 8/10/14 08:28 PM, WahyahRanger wrote: Of Monsters and Men

The song that really got me hooked on them was "Mountain Sound"

I heard it on the Weather Channel...

funny thing I was about to say Of Mice and Men

turns out they are everything I love

At 8/10/14 10:08 PM, Otto wrote: funny thing I was about to say Of Mice and Men

turns out they are everything I love

fuck I was thinking of Modest Mouse

just forget I said anything

At 8/10/14 09:47 PM, Phobotech wrote: I was unprepared when I first heard Matisyahu.

I also thoroughly enjoy Paramore, though I still have a bad habit of turning them down while I jam out to them at the gym. I gotta cut that out, because I've always wanted to meet a chick I could sing Paramore with.

Matisyahu is kind of like a cross between reggae and rap, or at least seems that so far isn't it? Pretty good. Thanks for sharing. I really am digging this.

Although Haley Williams is pretty hot. No offense but Paramore just sounds like generic radio-friendly music to me though. Like, it's not horrible or anything, but not really anything I would go out of my way to listen to either.

Probably Sublime With Rome

At 8/10/14 09:47 PM, Phobotech wrote: I was unprepared when I first heard Matisyahu.

Super talented dude, no doubt.

I also thoroughly enjoy Paramore

Goddamn, me too. I love Paramore, and I don't know why exactly.

i kind of figured OK Go is just "band with cool music videos" but i actually enjoy the majority of their songs

At 8/10/14 11:45 PM, BrenTheMan wrote:

At 8/10/14 09:47 PM, Phobotech wrote: I was unprepared when I first heard Matisyahu.

Super talented dude, no doubt.

I also thoroughly enjoy Paramore

Goddamn, me too. I love Paramore, and I don't know why exactly.

Probably because Haley Williams actually is kind of hot. You might have a crush. Just a guess.
I mean it's possible you just really like the music, but consider if the lead singer looked like Roseanne. Would you still like the music? There's your answer.

I might get smashed for admitting this, but I like Bring Me The Horizon. I dislike their attitude and their fashion style, but their music grew on me. I don't care what anyone says, "There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret" is a solid album.

At 8/11/14 12:00 AM, Me-Patch wrote: I might get smashed for admitting this, but I like Bring Me The Horizon

I've listened to these guys - pretty cool shit. Check out "Abandon All Ships" and "Glass Cloud" as well!

one direction.

At 8/10/14 11:58 PM, NeonSpider wrote: Probably because Haley Williams actually is kind of hot ... I mean it's possible you just really like the music

I'm not really into Hayley. If she looked like Roseanne and sounded the same...yes, I would definitely love the music still.

Now if she SOUNDED like Roseanne on the other hand...no.

At 8/11/14 12:00 AM, Me-Patch wrote: I might get smashed for admitting this, but I like Bring Me The Horizon. I dislike their attitude and their fashion style, but their music grew on me. I don't care what anyone says, "There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret" is a solid album.

Unfamiliar with their music so I looked up a music video and watched it. I'm assuming you dislike tattoos then when you mention disliking their fashion style?

Not really sure why people would hate you for liking that band though. There wasn't anything wrong with it. Just a band.

At 8/11/14 12:12 AM, NeonSpider wrote: Unfamiliar with their music so I looked up a music video and watched it. I'm assuming you dislike tattoos then when you mention disliking their fashion style?

Nah, tattoos are cool. They've toned it down in recent years but they used to rock the Beiber bowl and the skinny jeans.

Not really sure why people would hate you for liking that band though. There wasn't anything wrong with it. Just a band.

Some metal heads are really... picky I guess. BMTH is one of the most popular metal bands for metal heads to shit on.

At 8/11/14 12:10 AM, BrenTheMan wrote: I've listened to these guys - pretty cool shit. Check out "Abandon All Ships" and "Glass Cloud" as well!

I haven't heard much Glass Cloud, but I'll check them out. Abandon All Ships is solid.

I used to listen to Tyler the Creator ironically. I watched this and thought OFGWKTA was just satire. But when I actually listened to their music I found it was really good. And the music videos are really fuckin' creative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lDqMx4rmFU

At 8/10/14 11:58 PM, NeonSpider wrote:
Probably because Haley Williams actually is kind of hot. You might have a crush. Just a guess.
I mean it's possible you just really like the music, but consider if the lead singer looked like Roseanne. Would you still like the music? There's your answer.

Sexual attraction and physical appearance in general has nothing to do with it. Talent is talent, and music is audible first and foremost. Thats why Gorillaz can get away with pretending to be cartoons, and Daft Punk remains masked and no one cares.

Point and case, Heart.

Lemmy is the ugliest motherfucker on the planet, and yet, Lemmy is God.

On topic, I didn't expect to be a fan of Motorhead after my first impression of them through "Ace of Spades." ...Then I dug deeper...and deeper...and I got hooked.

At 8/11/14 01:10 AM, Phobotech wrote:

At 8/10/14 11:58 PM, NeonSpider wrote:
Probably because Haley Williams actually is kind of hot. You might have a crush. Just a guess.
I mean it's possible you just really like the music, but consider if the lead singer looked like Roseanne. Would you still like the music? There's your answer.

Sexual attraction and physical appearance in general has nothing to do with it. Talent is talent, and music is audible first and foremost. Thats why Gorillaz can get away with pretending to be cartoons, and Daft Punk remains masked and no one cares.

Point and case, Heart.

Well yeah but it could be a factor as to why someone may like a particular band more than others. If you just really like the music, that's fine. Just my personal opinion was that Paramore didn't sound any different from generic radio-friendly music. To you the band is something special though, and that's fine.

Even if the reason would have been because you thought she was hot, I would have accepted. It can be a reason for some people. But it's not, and that's cool too.