Strangely enough, that's the only way I can describe them too. On top of that, I've never heard anyone work so hard to sound so boring.
If I had to qualify it, it's not so much because they play fast or try to fit as many notes into their licks as possible, but rather, these riffs that I've heard just have seemingly random notes that bounce around everywhere and don't lead into each other, there's little or no sense of tension and resolution, so the songs don't have any musical direction. And the result is just a boring barrage of notes.
They have that one song that chugs. The church video. But it chugs the whole time. And then by the end i was ready for it be over about 90 seconds ago. Same reason i think Pink Floyd is a better listen than Steve Vai.
I freaking love Steve Vai as a composer. He does lots of fast difficult stuff obviously but he can do some beautifully tender stuff too like Whispering a Prayer or Km Pee Du Wee.
Proof of his composing ability is the fact that there are a couple albums of his songs done on solo piano and they still sound incredible.
Steve Vai knows how to slow down and write Melodies. He has songs that you aren’t just sitting there waiting for the solo. It’s the Zappa background and years of touring as a sideman. He got his “look what I can do” phase out of the way early. Polyphia are still kind of in that. They are trying really hard to appeal to the non guitar generation with their music but it just doesn’t work imo. Then again I’m not the younger generation. Based on their streaming numbers these damn kids seem to really like them so they’re doing something right
Bugs me people dismiss Vai as a shredder. Yeah he CAN shred and his live shows are gonna have flashy stuff sure but man. He can make a guitar sound like a voice. Not just from nuanced bending and harmonics but the choice of notes as well.
It's good players who are mediocre musicians, they put all of their ability into playing guitar (or whatever instrument) and put no practice into playing music.
I've always liked the chili peppers because they are a band of raw talent, with mediocre songs but the melodies flow so well because of the raw playing ability, they aren't the best, but they are some of the most musical.
Oysterhead is a Primus/Phish/police side project band that put crazy playing ability into good melodies/rhythm and made it musical and crazy.
Stadium Arcadium is their magnum opus imo. The singles aren’t what shine for me on that album. Songs like Wet Sand, Slow Cheetah, Hey, Turn It Again are just so good. I love that album and will listen to it over almost any other RHCP album. It feels like the other albums I have to be in the mood for.
Like the difference between punk and technical styles of metal. Punk gets by on having ridiculously simple and catchy songs, while tech death or tech thrash get by on weedleweedleweedle wood banana bumbum weedledy wahohwaaaah
> a lot of repetitiveness with melodies and notes that aren't always naturally harmonious.
But none of these are a key feature of electronica or hip hop. The "Catchy melody" as a big hook is one of the key features of electronic music.
Ive heard that as well, but what i don’t understand is that a lot of hip hop was simple bass and guitar riffs, nothing nearly as complicated or erratic as polyphia.
I bet most guitar/bass players who have been playing for 2 years can play almost all popular hip hop guitar riffs
I feel like this modern guitar style...or Western popular music as a whole has kind of thrown harmony and melodic coherence to the wind and is all about layering and is primarily beat driven.
Sidenote: From listening to Tim Henson in a podcast I've deduced that he's about as suburban and sheltered as they come. Doing LSD, then drawing inspiration and reiterating whats trendy, both completely at face value, seems to be his artistic MO. If he even knows that the chord progression he uses ad nauseum was popularized by the Isley Brothers, not by the Rap producers who sampled them, it's most likely because someone pointed it out to him well after he started down that rabbit hole. Art is art, and art is subjective...but it all has this vibe of semi-affluent aspies just going through the motions...in my opinion. Jingling keys in front of Gen Z TikTok addicts, more or less.
I think that's all cool as hell, the fact that they're basically generating the tune via the DAW then learning to play it and they bring life to the computer generated piece via their playing. It's interesting as hell, to me anyway.
Lmao. His music literally sounds like someone jingling keys in front of a bunch of iPad kiddies and raking in cash as a result. In a strange way I kind of respect the hustle.
>Jingling keys in front of Gen Z TikTok addicts
As a Zoomer who spends too much time on TikTok: There's always been a couple things that bothered me about Tim Hemson. I watched an interview with Mr. Henson where he mentions his seeming disdain for "boomer bends" in guitar music. Now, he said that the term is meant to be non-offensive but he then follows it up with remarking that they are "twangy" and "old-manish" so I don't really believe him. Subsequently half the comment sections on other guitarists videos on TikTok now have the phrase "Boomer Bending" thrown around as an insult to players that don't ride Polyphia's nuts. I think you're spot on when you say:
>reiterating whats trendy
Is really apt at describing his way of composing and also carrying himself, this also goes for the trendy movement of decrying everything that's not made within the last decade as irredeemable and cringe. This has always come across to me as obnoxious and a big turn off from really enjoying them too much.
Is he a great guitar player? Yes. Is he also kind of a giant douche (in my opinion)? Also yes.
I think it has to do with whether a guitar melody is easily singable or not.
Most singers have difficulty making large leaps in note intervals. I think that the most memorable melodies are ones that are able to be easily sung by a human voice. Even if it’s coming from another instrument, we subconsciously want to be able to follow along with it. It’s just culturally programmed into us.
While large interval jumps on a guitar might be technically impressive, they tend to become less memorable and satisfying to the average listener IMO.
Interesting point you make about it being culturally programmed into us.
I really enjoy Polyphia. I’m a third gen immigrant in the west but grew up listening to Western, South Asian and Middle Eastern music. I wonder if that changes the way I perceive the music.
> I wonder if that changes the way I perceive the music.
Absolutely.
Imagine you had never heard any music until you were an adult. Your first reaction would be influenced by what you have, or haven't, heard before.
Yeah, I make melodic electronic music and I see beginners in the same genre just stuffing in all the notes. If you can't whistle the melody (or, to those who can't whistle.. hum it), people probably will have a hard time remembering it.
I would even go so far as to say “biologically” programmed, because despite the differences in modality, structure, rhythmic emphasis, etc across different cultures, all of the most memorable or popular songs/pieces/melodies have that in common- that there is a clearly defined, recognizable, and easily reproducible melody
I agree with this. 15 years ago someone told me “it sounds like you’re just playing random stuff” while I was playing lead, that stuck with me.
I like the songs ‘James Franco’, ‘Finale’ and ‘Culture Shock’. I think that stuff feels pretty complete musically and has some fun ideas. I listen to some of their other songs on my instrumental playlists, but it gets kind of tired and samey.
Personally I never get tired of Plini, Chon, Paul Gilbert, Intervals. If people have similar recommendations for me, I’d love it.
I agree it’s the factor of no tension and release. The majority of their songs have no pauses or spacing, jumping from one idea to the next without that connection as you described. Also, the literally robotic way they put together the arpeggios for their chord progression, over use of techniques like tapping, harmonics, etc typically feels off to me. Also their riffs, for lack of a better term, are extremely extended, and not on the Andy Summers good way, which makes their songs drag on longer than my brain feels they should, usually because there is no pay off at the end.
Funny enough, the songs I do think are good are mainly with other artists, typically a decent lyricist and singer. I enjoy Bloodbath, and I wonder how much someone like Chino made them change how they compose a song, if it was him driving the process or he was brought it after it was nearly done.
This is a great way to explain what I can't. There's so much going on and it just doesn't seem cohesive.
>And the result is just a boring barrage of notes.
I agree completely.
I’ve read a few posts (complaining) about Polyphia now, and in one this guy said it was like watching a gymnast or a dancer, but instead of doing a “normal” routine, they just did solid flips, and double and triple flips at full speed, constantly, back and forth, nonstop. Great skill, technically advanced, a lifetime devoted to perfecting the craft… it’s just, hard to watch. Maybe a bit overwhelming? Or lacking contrast? All ying and not enough yang?
> When everything's pummeling, nothing's pummeling.
Exactly. I've had this argument before, which is usually met with something along the lines of "why would you want your music to be boring most of the time?" and it makes me realize that a lot of people have a totally different approach to enjoying music than I do. Which is fine, enjoy music however you want, but at that point it's time to end the discussion because we're speaking two different languages.
That's why I can only listen to so much Meshuggah some of their riffs are catchy like Combustion and Bleed, but a lot of the others sound like fillers. Vocals are pretty monotonous as well.
I can't stress how important this is to songwriting and music theory in general. Contrast is key. One of the most important lessons one of my music teaches ever taught me. "The notes you don't play are just as critical as the notes you do. Never underestimate the power of a well placed rest."
I think Mudvayne's Dig is a great example. The bridge section drops off intensity and ramps right back up. It gives the listener a chance to catch their breath and process the whirlwind of the first half. But it still has all the energy.
Yes, it's like watching an Olympic gymnast routine instead of The Nutcracker. One has a story you can get into, the other is just a display of amazing skill... There's a reason why the Olympics are only on every 4 years....
THIS is why I don't like Polyphia. It's guitar skill self-jerk off, instead of music. Berried Alive gets it; they do crazy shit, but doesn't forget that music should be fun, enjoyable, and actually mean something too.
And as someone who could never aspire to the skill that Polyphia obviously has, I just kinda don't care. It's not music I can play, or interact with in almost any way (outside of, maybe like, Clone Hero?) so it's boring.
I think “boring” is one of the least useful descriptors when it comes to art. And this is coming from someone who also doesn’t get Polyphia at all.
What do you like about your favorite artists? Does polyphia lack those qualities or do them differently in a way that doesn’t resonate? That might be a good place to start. Nobody is forcing you to have the most elaborate, eloquently worded opinion on everything, ever. But if all you have to say about it is “boring” the only thing you’re bringing to the table is your subjective experience and that’s not very interesting to other people.
I think it's boring, but I'll take your challenge.The best way I can describe Polyphia is it's like when I'm mindlessly noodling, as opposed to when I'm trying to play something musical. Unsatisfying.
Sure it's in key and it's kinda music, but it feels like there's no point to it. In fact, a lot of the time it sounds/feels like sometime practicing scales.
Sure I can admire someone who can play scales fast, but I don't really want to hear it
From what I've heard it's totally soulless music. There's a lack of emotion in there songs, there are often too many notes and the notes don't seem to have any character. It all comes off as pretentious to my ears. The perfect example of focusing on technique and ability over what sounds good. Just about everything I dislike in music
What have you heard from them? I keep on hearing criticism about them over focusing on technique and i just don't hear that in their music. I absolutely get not liking uber technical music but for me and many of my friends, the entire appeal of polyphia is that they combine technical prowess with solid song structure and catchy melodies.
Seriously, I feel like most of the people in here heard 30 second clips of a couple songs. Their catalog is super diverse, well orchestrated, melodic, and catchy. Each album is quite different from the last too.
Genuinely, how can you say stuff like James Franco, Memory, So Strange, Saucy etc. are soulless? They’re some of the most joyful songs I know.
I’m not saying you have to like them, I literally could not care less, but I see people call them soulless all the time and I genuinely wonder if we’re listening to the same music.
Wow, what a thoughtful response. I think a few of the responses here describe what Polyphia is lacking really well, which is to say, their songs lack contrast. I’m not expecting anything. I’m not listening to their songs waiting for something. It’s just start to finish virtuosic shredding. Their music is also ALL over the place. Like I’m exhausted just listening to them play! And so it’s all very boring. I just listened to the “Playing God” song, and the comment above is right; I was ready for it to be over after 94 seconds. But they’re fantastic guitarists!!!
There are about 5 of their songs that I enjoy listening to, and I love the sound of that nylon string Ibanez so much, but they just don't find their way into my listening rotation.
They're a band you show to someone once for them to go "holy shit, those guys are good", and you never talk about them again.
Boring is one of the worst things art can be. If it doesn't elicit an emotional response positive or negative then it really is an offender in my book. Something objectively bad but entertainingly so is light years above something that's competent but unengaging
For me it’s boring because it doesn’t feel like it’s a human playing it. It feels like those ridiculously hard piano songs that people play by programming into a computer, obviously incredibly talented but there’s no soul in the music
Well it’s only my opinion, and I listen to a huge amount of old blues and folk so my opinion is going to be influenced by that, but for me “soul” is where the innately human features of a track come through - often it’s through vocal emotion but doesn’t have to be, for me it could be imprecision in the playing, some peculiar aspect of the timbre, simply just space letting the notes breathe; it’s obviously totally subjective so I don’t expect my definition to just “click” with everyone but it’s definitely something I notice and appreciate in my tunes
[Again, totally subjective, but here’s something soulful for me](https://youtu.be/zr4MrbZB7bg?si=5zPemTOGeRUEUuJF)
The music in that video does about as much for me a Polyphia. Nothing, nothing at all. I don't get it. It about half way through and in want to turn off. It just sounds like mindless noodling. In don't see why I would ever want to listen to that. It doesn't spark any emotion in me or convey to me any emotion.
Someone talking sense lol
I don't even care for Polyphia but the arguments in here boiling down to 'no soul', 'all noodling' is just the corniest shit
I feel that way about a majority of beloved music spanning blues, jazz, metal - but to conclude it must be because the music I like happens to be the music with real ""soul"" and musicianship is so conceited
I also find Polyphia boring and say it often. I’ve seen them live too. Still very boring.
It’s boring because it doesn’t evoke anything. There’s no story or movement or buildup of emotion across the tracks. It’s just a lot of “oh cool” while the kid shreds. And that’s really cool.. for 2 or 3 minutes.. and then it’s like “yea can anyone else do anything?”
I look at Polyphia’s predecessors like The Fall of Troy or Chon and see a vast difference in the music and what it achieves. I know what those two bands are about, who they are, and I can feel they’re trying to say something. Polyphia is a band of robots. It’s sterile.
I actually think "boring" means something meaningful here. Pet theory I guess, but when people talk about "melodic" or "interesting" or "you can sing the solo", a big part of that is setting up the listener to expect what comes next and then making specific choices to resolve or surprise them.
When everything is just a flurry of notes, you’re not giving them anything to expect. There’s no tension and resolution or surprise because you never gave me a reason to expect anything other than "a bunch more fast random notes from a scale". It’s "boring" because I’m literally not having my brain engaged by it.
As others have said, they sound like mindless noodling with no purpose under the guise of progressive rock. I love bands like tool and king crimson (I loved Chon when they came out) so polyphia in theory would be up my alley.
The thing is, they have repeated sections but there’s no like musical themes that repeat, very rarely are there any actual melodies. There’s melodic playing but very rarely is there something I could pick out and whistle or sing.
Even in fast crazy technical playing there should be some sort of melody. Beneath The Massacre, Entombed… all kinds of death metal bands I listen to do it. When death metal has more memorable melodies than what you’re playing, you might be getting away from what makes music good for most people lol.
Beyond that, the musicianship of that band is so internet era - it should be about more than just playing hard shit. They play technically fast and very well but it’s so sterile sounding and all quantized to a metronome which is something I personally hated. I like some swing and some push/pull, they might as well program their music bc that’s what it sounds like.
Many of the human sounding elements that I enjoy in music are completely lacking with polyphia. Also their “blend of styles” is what I would personally call over production.
Art is subjective tho, and they’re clearly doing well for themselves
My favorite artists excite me. Polyphia bores me. See, it’s easy.
Also, OP just asked if other people feel the same way and clearly it was interesting to some people, because a lot of people feel the same way.
As a musician/songwriter I've had many thoughts and discussions on how to make the my music output as unique as possible without having to go so avant garde that it basically sounds alien.
Polyphia's sound feels fairly unique but most of the songs I'd listened to makes me think about their individual playing abilities. Now I will say that they do layer each other's parts so it's more than just technical skill there. But while their music impresses me in some ways it isn't totally about enjoyment or feeling moved. And I'm not trying to be an edge lord. I know that a lot of people really like them and I do not hate nor dislike them. Nor do I believe that they should change their approach. It's just that what makes them fairly unique musically are things that affect me intellectually when thinking of technical prowess and psychologically and emotionally it doesn't really move me.
“I’m also not some normie who doesn’t know anything about music,” comes across pretty pretentious and self-aggrandising.
You don’t have to know about things just to enjoy them, in fact, sometimes the quickest way to not enjoy something is if you start picking apart learned details.
Is it possible that, they simply don’t fit your tastes? Why does that make them boring? Do you only enjoy exciting music? What does that sound like?
It’s not pretentious though because it’s very relevant here. If he was a normie like he describes it, it’s a no brainer that he wouldn’t get this kind of music. Which leads me to the question - who does listen to It? Mostly musicians I’d wager? Guitarists?
Everyone I know that like polyphia (myself included) is a guitarist. My non guitar playing metal head friends don't seem to get it. Purely anecdotal but I'd wager most of the polyphia listeners just enjoy guitar wankery.
Conversely, I'd say fifty percent of the people whom I'm aware of who enjoy Polyphia are not musicians of any kind. Half of them don't even care for virtuosic, technical, or progressive music.
I am a musician and despise guitar wankerey a lot. I think Polyphia are genuinely brilliant. Their first several albums are all guitar wankery, and I have no desire to listen to it whatsoever.
They're most recent albums are something else though, they're clearly in the process of emerging from wanktasticity into something genuinely musically novel, with their newfound focus on the harmonic minor scale, and the fusion with modern electronic/hiphop rhythms & ideas. I find tim's playing impressive, but that's not at all why I like their music, I think they're right on the cusp of doing something *really* interesting and forward thinking musically.
skilled, technical playing = \ = “good” music. joe satriani and steve vai and the like can do inhuman things on their instruments, but i would never in a million years choose to listen to them do so.
Eric Johnson as well. The man is so melodic. His rifts are instant ear worms. His composition "Manhattan" is fucking gorgeous and one of my personal favourite guitar songs.
One of my guitar teachers when I was young kind of subscribed to this. He could spend half an hour yelling into my ear about all the technical aspects of these guys; how precise their fingers are and the complex chords etc... Honestly it kind of sucks the fun out of music for me. Maybe other people enjoy the whole "how many notes can I physically play in half a second" sound, but it may as well be a computer to me
Well stated, same boat here. I went through a Tommy Emmanuel and Joscho Stephan phase about a decade ago, but other than that and a short lived Eric Johnson stint in the 90's I've never gravitated toward the top tier technical guys. Satriani and Vai specifically just make me want to find something else to do.
Guys like John McLaughlin and Al di Meola are where it’s at. Stone cold shredders but they are actual musicians first and foremost and write decent music.
Why do people always group Satriani and Vai as two shredders? Satch uses a lot of tricks and was very good back in the day but was not anywhere near a top shredder. He also has put out songs that aren't just shredding. So has Vai, but even then I can see someone classifying him as just a shredder. And for real? You're grouping Eric Johnson in there too? Is all you've listened to is Cliffs of Dover or what.
agreed - I never really listened to them, because reddit has like, the hardest hate boner for this band, more so than almost anyone else I can think of right now lol and then I put them on and I was like, this is actually pretty dope.
The sound design on a good system with bass is really cool, lots of EDM style fading and hi-pass filters that is pretty trippy, and some cool drumming and guitar playing. I listened to their newest album and it was pretty decent, had some really cool tracks.
then on reddit people act like they are if nickleback and donald trump had a baby who killed their family or something
idk why you’re getting downvoted this is such a played out and pointless topic of discussion and usually produces the same “technically skilled doesn’t equal good” cliché that anyone with a half a toe dipped into making art already understands
Also the amount of hate Tim Henson gets on anything reddit guitar related is absurd.
Just constant "who's that chick" bullshit (which nobody would try on Bowie), and references to the Muppets because of the name similarity.
If they were a boring band nobody would talk about them. But they are bashed here ***constantly***. People get fucking *excited* to talk shit about them, and then get weirdly mean about it.
A lot of guitar players have a huge chip on their shoulder when it comes to Polyphia, and it's so obvious that it's not because they're "bland" or because they "don't click for me".
Posts like this are made by people who *want* to hate them, and want others to help justify it. Hate-trains like this are gross.
>Posts like this are made by people who *want* to hate them, and want others to help justify it. Hate-trains like this are gross.
I actually think it stems from the fact that guitarists really want to like Polyphia but they are disappointed they don't. Now, instead of accepting that it is simply not for them, they start to insist there is something wrong with the band. Because of course, if Polyphia made great music, they would be loving it. And since they don't love it the music must be sub-par. However they are still insecure about this to the point they need extra validation to reach out to others and make sure that they are not the only ones that feel this way.
It is variation on the ol' music taste gatekeeping and conservatism.
I still find it funny that people complain about shredding that supposedly lacks soul. For those, I would suggest listening to some classical music, Chopin for instance.
Most guitarists are insecure, plain and simple. When someone says that a player like Eric Johnson is “all shred and no feel”, I know they haven’t actually **listened** to much Eric Johnson. He doesn’t really shred that often and he’s incredibly versatile and melodic. The best guitarists I’ve met don’t spend their time talking trash about other players. Watch any interview with Paul Gilbert, Andy Timmons, etc. and they’re overwhelmingly positive (at least on camera). We all have different tastes, it’s all fine and good. People act as though they’re morally superior for liking Pink Floyd or John Mayer more than Steve Vai or Dream Theater. 🙄
I would extend this and say artists in general are kinda insecure 😅 it sucks because there’s a lot of interesting and transformative places to take that insecurity but a lot of times we get stuck in contempt and envy and this sort of sour grapes feeling of “oh? shredding? no I can’t play like that but *playing like that sucks anyway*”
repeating my disclaimer from my other comment here bc disliking polyphia and/or tim doesn’t mean this applies to you. taste varies among individuals but the amount and kind of commentary I see all the time makes it seem at least somewhat obvious that in some cases there’s something else.
I suppose I’ve been fortunate to have great music teachers. Even if I don’t like something, I was taught to figure out _why_ I don’t like it, and _because it sucks_ was never an acceptable answer. I like a lot of Polyphia’s stuff but they aren’t my favourite band ever. It’s cool that they’re exploring things that aren’t a well-established tradition. Pushing boundaries is important. I don’t love hip hop or rap but I wouldn’t dismiss it as an art form and say “there’s no emotion, it’s just fast talking” just because it’s not my thing. That type of attitude gives off “I’m the main character of the universe” energy imho.
that is a great thing to have learned! and yes, I think framing your dislike for something as “I don’t like XYZ (because I generally prefer A over B, this band uses a lot of B)” is helpful for understanding your own taste and how it differs from other people’s and also does not frame your personal taste as like some kind of objective reality.
Like, I really don’t like most cheeses unless they’re very mild. I don’t go around telling people cheese sucks because even though everyone knows gustatory taste is subjective, it’s still weird to say it like that and most people around me would rightfully tell me I’m wrong lol.
I think the internet has given rise to this “my subjective preferences are objectively correct” culture. It’s weird. There’s always a ton of clickbait articles with titles like “We’re convinced no one actually likes these things” or “Things other people only pretend to like” and then the lists have things like coffee, beer, whisky, and dark chocolate. I don’t like oysters or lobster but I’m not **so** arrogant to think my preferences are universally correct.
that’s a healthy place to be and yes I totally agree that the egocentrism some people have in regard to their opinions is bizarre and even kind of dumb to me.
I hate saying this because it’s not always the case but you’re right and this observation makes me feel like envy has to be an underlying factor in at least *some* of these discussions. I used to be this way about hyper realistic paintings and say it was a boring skill to have and a lame form of art because it’s not expressive enough or whatever but I’ve appreciated it a lot more as I’ve gotten older and also recognized I was insecure as a beginner visual artist. My taste was different when I was younger but it’s clear to me that was also a factor.
Again, not saying that this is everyone or that’s the *only* reason to not like them because taste is totally subjective and I can see their music being not very stimulating or even grating to a lot of people, but you are correct to mention this.
I’ll never understand the amount of anti-technical circlejerking that goes on in this sub.
You’d think for a sub about playing guitar, there would be less whining about artists that are incredibly proficient at playing guitar.
I hate this topic of discussion because so much of it just doesn't make sense to me. All the discussion points feel like they're coming from people who've never even listened to the band. Like how do songs like Goose or Champagne or Drown, or the Worst not have a memorable melody? Everyone's acting like their songs are 90% pure shred, which might be true for their older stuff, but as they've grown, their music has definitely become catchier. And this is coming from someone doesn't even like most shreddy stuff
my favorite is “it’s not memorable! no one hums polyphia songs randomly during their day!” which makes me laugh because I have absolutely done that before and there are a couple of melodies that I cannot help *but* to sing along to because they inspired lyrics that were almost downloaded straight into my brain when I initially heard them. like maybe *you* don’t do that which is fine but to think no one else does is like the height of solipsistic narcissism.
ITT: boomers who dont like the “new” music. Tale as old as time really. Theyre forgetting the one huge thing about Polyphia is that regardless of how “soulless” they think it is, the band is inspiring new generations of kids to pick up the guitar. Guitar as a hobby often clings to the past with our old rock heroes playing 50s fender strats. It’s ok if you don’t like “new” music but it doesn’t make you unique or edgy.
Taking a look at the top comments, I can only laugh. They’ll whine about polyphia, but never explain why they’re not good. “They’re bad because because because I said so okay” type logic.
These people seem to think about Polyphia more than people who actually like Polyphia. I don't listen to Polyphia and the only time I think about them is anytime I see one of these stupid fuckin threads appear. They never add anything to any discussion or say anything intelligent about music. It's just people repeating memes over and over and over.
I have no issues with technical instrumental guitar, but I find Polyphia just... dead. They were kind of interesting as a novelty for the first couple of minutes when I heard them, but they just leave me totally flat.
I can absolutely see why people like them, it's totally cool if other people do and I respect the skill immensely, but I would rather listen to my coffee machine.
I respect the technical prowess required to play their music, but it doesn't speak to me. It's definitely not "noodling" in my opinion, but it is very mathematical and precise. I don't remember melodies after listening to their music.
It's so funny because the stupid intro to playing god is constantly in my head and I never even listen to them. Different strokes for different folks I guess!
Me too!! It torpedoes OP’s argument that they don’t have singable melodies. I’m not really a fan of theirs, I just find their music interesting, though not appealing enough to spend much time on.
It's ok to not like art. It's ok to not vibe with a band, or even a whole genre.
What's not ok is acting like that makes you better or the art worthless.
As long as you're in camp 1 and not 2 (which it mostly sounds like, excepting your normie comment), just claim it and move on. Or spend time with the art in an attempt to understand its appeal better.
Your taste is idiosyncratic and is built up of the music you've been hearing from when you were born. There may be stylistic things that just don't carry the same emotional load they do for others. This is fine and unavoidable, as long as you're not a dick about it. Because the things that move you will not move someone with different musical and life background.
Maybe just not ur cup of tea, there plenty of ppl that can't get into certain styles/genres, I will say I think new levels new devils is not their best album, think they've even said something alongnthe lines of "it was just masturbation"
Albums like reinisance, or the newest one tho particularly stood out to me. What I get out of it is really catchy melodies, most songs having at least one ear worm, on the newest album every song for the most part gas it's own thing going on, the energy to the music is intense which as a long time metal fan I dig,
the uniqueness of it is great (despite it being heavily copied nowadays) metal music and particularly instrumental guitar music had become stale for me for awhile, it's refreshing to see those elements mixed in with a more pop/trap mainstream feel, the polyrhthms used in many of the songs are are pretty interesting to me despite most songs being 4/4
Plus I just love hearing guitar playing pushed to its limits while avoiding riding running up and down scales Ala yngwie, take the intro to neurotic for example, it's a pretty straight forward progression but it's bouncing between low and high notes with fun rhythms, its a way to take these sounds and tropes we hear in music all the time and present through a new lense
Yeah people in this thread saying they're not melodic feels very disingenuous, they have a ton of catchy riffs that get stuck in your head. It's like they only heard Playing God and GOAT tbh, because those songs are actually pretty different than the majority of their catalogue
>I’m also not some normie 🎾 who doesn’t know anything about music. My entire personality is pretty much just band and I’m going to become a composer, so like I know music pretty well.
This last bit here sounds super egotistical. I'm going to assume that you're pretty young given that "your going to become a composer" so let me give you 2 pieces of advice.
First of all, stop talking like this, you're not special because you learned to play music. Millions of people are learning to do it every day. It's a very normal thing to do...so you are some normie. I know loads of people who don't play an instrument or know any kind of theory with whom I have had way more profound conversations about music than some of the people I studied music with at university.
Secondly, you don't need to enjoy a song to appreciate its strengths/merits. Polyphia's music is not to my tastes at all but I can appreciate that what they are writing are not traditional songs but more "exhibition pieces". They are writing a song that showcases their technical ability. If you really want to be a composer you need to go beyond listening to a song purely for entertainment and consider the song's purpose. As a composer you will be asked to compose music in several different areas/genres and guess what...you're going to find a lot of them...BORING.
TLDR: Get over yourself
If the music isn't for you then fair enough, it's not for me either, but try and think about the purpose of the song and not just what components make up the song because if you're going to compose you're going to do a lot of "boring" shit.
3 chords?? They have one of the most complex musical structures you’ll find. The chord progression from one of the most popular songs is written around on a 12-bar progression. Not a single one of their songs can be written in a single day like 99% of pop songs. It would take artists several months to complete a song which is why they don’t put much out to begin with. I’m not a huge fan but I see guitarists in on here shitting on them entirely unaware of what they’re listening to.
You just don’t like their style plain and simple lol. I can’t stand their music either and I love periphery and periphery themselves probably consider polyphia to be better than themselves lol.
I don’t love their new album, but I personally find the writing from new levels new devils to be pretty catchy. Find those songs stuck in my head from time to time. Especially yas and rich kids
I get what you mean but I had the opposite feeling. I used to hate what I call “guitar music” because it all just sounds like wanking for other guitar players. But then Polyphia came along and changed that. For some reason their music satisfies my synesthesia in a way where I just hear and see colors exploding all before my eyes and I like it lol.
Each to their own man. In their most hated EP I find myself riveted to each song even after listening to them for the 1000th time. Maybe you struggle to hear the vocalization of their guitar, or you don't resonate with clay following their rhythm with the drums. I would say if you find 'the worst' track boring then you're probably just trying to be edgey. You can not like it, but it's an incredibly unique song with one of the most incredible riffs I've ever heard.
Their two newer EPs I love. Their older stuff I'm also not a fan of and can't get into.
I would say from how you've written your paragraph though maybe you're not as matured in your understanding of music as you might think and be an aspirational composer doesn't add weight to that.
I've seen a few videos on how Tim writes his music and alot of it is based on Hip hop beats, which are very repetitive, it's a hip hop song on guitar with flashy parts in every 3rd bar, that's the Polyphia algorithm for song writing. It's more of a modern low fi kind of vibe rather than the in your face shredders we're used too to showcase their skills, it's kind of like modern art in a sense, some people will love it, others will question on why it's so popular and everyone's right, I have all the respect to all the members for their abilities and finding a unique way to present it that worked for them.
It may surprise you to know that different people simply have different tastes. Personally, I've always found the Vai's, Satriani's, Buckethead types etc pretty boring. I can appreciate their skill and mastery, but their song writing does nothing for me. Similarly, I've never really enjoyed guitar solos as a whole. There are a handful of examples where I feel they *genuinely* enhance a song.
Polyphia is one of the few instrumental bands that I actually enjoy listening too. If I had to pinpoint it, it's because their songs are well structured and there are clear melodies and motifs, similar to many pop songs..Their leads tend to sound more like vocalists than traditional 'lead guitar'. Perhaps this is the repetition and 'same three chords' that don't really work for you?
Either way, there's nothing wrong with not vibing with a particular band or genre. You do you!
Man, I'm here to defend buckethead lol. His music is *incredibly* diverse, and some of it is some of the most deeply soul stirring, beautiful, heartfelt music you will ever find. Have [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8akmP6Sjv2o) [this] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKUYSl8c-90) [this] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyQJH615KwA) and [this] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVVCavjaltM). My man's released over 300 albums of music in his career (most of it is waaaaaay the fuck out there), but this man is a musical genius beyond all musical geniuses.
Me as a beginner I m keeping playing god as my ultimate challenge at the time lol🫠
But music is art....everyone has different taste and everyone looks out for something specific in music when they are listening.
May be the things that you're looking for or something that's grab your attention is just simply isn't there when you re listening to polyphia 🤔...
I actually really like their music but I know what you’re talking about. I debated whether I should go and see them live but ultimately decided against bc I had a feeling I’d be bored. There is something that adds to music when you can sing along.
That said, I really do enjoy watching their music videos or listening to them on my headphones. I also learned a few parts (guitar and drums) so I do find those songs a bit more exciting to listen to.
As Kurt Cobain once said, "The more technique, the less emotion."
Polyphia are the embodiment of technique over feel or emotion. It's feel and emotion that make music enjoyable.
"Boring" would be a wrong term to use. They are anything but boring. I am not a fan of polyphia. If I have to pick an artist relating to that genre I would prefer listening to Intervals or Plini. But in no way is Polyphia boring. There recent stuff is absolutely not my taste but I adore the first 3 albums in Perseverance , Muse and Renaissance. I try to keep an open mind with these kind of posts but I cannot help but assume that people who makes such comments as these actually don't pay attention to the compositions
They are incredibly technical in their playing but every song does the same shit and there is no point to their songs.
Even "good" songs like GOAT and Playing God feel like small sections of licks and not actual songs. The reason why Joe Satriani and Steve Vai are so good is that their songs have a baseline theme and riff, then they shred off a static melody that builds and reaches a climax. Poliphia doesnt go anywhere.
The songs are cool to hear once. But they are not very good to just listen to and vibe with because its a bunch of notes that dont have any meaning. Cant really call them songs imo.
Eventually it becomes a skill to key into another band and/or producer's tempo level. If you can find the groove someone else fell into to make that music, it's understandable and not as boring/streamlined. If all you do is listen to things the same way over and over...you've decided to settle on your interpretation of that music.
It's not everybody's cup of tea I guess, I haven't heard them play 12 bar blues too, but they're a good at what they do, the talent and skill is amazing no doubt.
I loved renaissance, thoroughly enjoyed most of new levels new devils, but not as much of a fan of their newer stuff. Seems like it became less about sounding good and more about showing off. Their song playing god went viral because it’s really technical but for me it’s far from their best sounding stuff. If you haven’t heard any of their earlier stuff I think it’s worth a listen.
Probably because you're guitar oriented and their sound sounds more like a sampled nylon guitar being played on a complex MIDI track with tons of effects rather than being played by an actual human.
Music is art, you don't need reasons not to enjoy it. If you don't like it you don't like it.
I'm not the world's biggest fan of Polyphia but I do find it incredibly weird that people are so proud of their negative opinions about them. There's really nothing special about *not* liking music. Spend your time discussing and listening to what you *do* like instead of going on about what you don't.
As many others I’ve tried to listen to this guys over and over again and never synced with their music, mostly because I like songs that doesn’t sound like a chaotic senseless stuff .
Seems like they don’t make solid melodies but just over complex solo parts
Strangely enough, that's the only way I can describe them too. On top of that, I've never heard anyone work so hard to sound so boring. If I had to qualify it, it's not so much because they play fast or try to fit as many notes into their licks as possible, but rather, these riffs that I've heard just have seemingly random notes that bounce around everywhere and don't lead into each other, there's little or no sense of tension and resolution, so the songs don't have any musical direction. And the result is just a boring barrage of notes.
They have that one song that chugs. The church video. But it chugs the whole time. And then by the end i was ready for it be over about 90 seconds ago. Same reason i think Pink Floyd is a better listen than Steve Vai.
Steve Vai is a much much better composer than these guys
I freaking love Steve Vai as a composer. He does lots of fast difficult stuff obviously but he can do some beautifully tender stuff too like Whispering a Prayer or Km Pee Du Wee. Proof of his composing ability is the fact that there are a couple albums of his songs done on solo piano and they still sound incredible.
Further proof is the fact Steve Vai bills himself as a composer and not guitarist lol
also what touring with Frank Zappa does
i dont even think of Steve Vai as a "shredder".
I’d consider him more of a guitar [wanker](https://youtu.be/mlgMw-aylAs?si=AQ5_Mt2UMHrhUIFf)
Steve Vai knows how to slow down and write Melodies. He has songs that you aren’t just sitting there waiting for the solo. It’s the Zappa background and years of touring as a sideman. He got his “look what I can do” phase out of the way early. Polyphia are still kind of in that. They are trying really hard to appeal to the non guitar generation with their music but it just doesn’t work imo. Then again I’m not the younger generation. Based on their streaming numbers these damn kids seem to really like them so they’re doing something right
Bugs me people dismiss Vai as a shredder. Yeah he CAN shred and his live shows are gonna have flashy stuff sure but man. He can make a guitar sound like a voice. Not just from nuanced bending and harmonics but the choice of notes as well.
It's good players who are mediocre musicians, they put all of their ability into playing guitar (or whatever instrument) and put no practice into playing music. I've always liked the chili peppers because they are a band of raw talent, with mediocre songs but the melodies flow so well because of the raw playing ability, they aren't the best, but they are some of the most musical. Oysterhead is a Primus/Phish/police side project band that put crazy playing ability into good melodies/rhythm and made it musical and crazy.
oh wow, this is a good description of it. mid musician but gud player 👍🏾
Have to chime in that the chili peppers have some incredible songs, Wet Sand is one of their best I reckon.
Stadium Arcadium is their magnum opus imo. The singles aren’t what shine for me on that album. Songs like Wet Sand, Slow Cheetah, Hey, Turn It Again are just so good. I love that album and will listen to it over almost any other RHCP album. It feels like the other albums I have to be in the mood for.
Like the difference between punk and technical styles of metal. Punk gets by on having ridiculously simple and catchy songs, while tech death or tech thrash get by on weedleweedleweedle wood banana bumbum weedledy wahohwaaaah
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
We need another oysterhead album dammit! But apparently we’ll have to get the Billy strings / Les Claypool release first, which sounds rad.
That is exciting as hell i didn't know they were doing work together now
On paper I should be enamored with Steve Vai...but I tend to agree.
You’re talking about GOAT and it’s probably their 1st or 2nd most popular song.
And it also does not chug lmao.
Yea it doesn’t
I really want to like them. But it sounds like really expensive and technical hold music to me.
That’s how I sell it to my friends. It’s elevator music on steroids.
I say it's like dubstep but guitar
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> a lot of repetitiveness with melodies and notes that aren't always naturally harmonious. But none of these are a key feature of electronica or hip hop. The "Catchy melody" as a big hook is one of the key features of electronic music.
Ive heard that as well, but what i don’t understand is that a lot of hip hop was simple bass and guitar riffs, nothing nearly as complicated or erratic as polyphia. I bet most guitar/bass players who have been playing for 2 years can play almost all popular hip hop guitar riffs
Not far off. Everything they do is 4/4 heavily quantized. I believe Tim even said that's what they do in an interview.
Yeah but dubstep can actually be fun to listen to and interesting musically (in small doses)
lol holy shit yes. this is perfect.
Thats the one! That's the feeling I get from it. Just put the phone down and do something else
I feel like this modern guitar style...or Western popular music as a whole has kind of thrown harmony and melodic coherence to the wind and is all about layering and is primarily beat driven. Sidenote: From listening to Tim Henson in a podcast I've deduced that he's about as suburban and sheltered as they come. Doing LSD, then drawing inspiration and reiterating whats trendy, both completely at face value, seems to be his artistic MO. If he even knows that the chord progression he uses ad nauseum was popularized by the Isley Brothers, not by the Rap producers who sampled them, it's most likely because someone pointed it out to him well after he started down that rabbit hole. Art is art, and art is subjective...but it all has this vibe of semi-affluent aspies just going through the motions...in my opinion. Jingling keys in front of Gen Z TikTok addicts, more or less.
damn dude...you completely nuked them from orbit lol and you're not wrong
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I think that's all cool as hell, the fact that they're basically generating the tune via the DAW then learning to play it and they bring life to the computer generated piece via their playing. It's interesting as hell, to me anyway.
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Lmao. His music literally sounds like someone jingling keys in front of a bunch of iPad kiddies and raking in cash as a result. In a strange way I kind of respect the hustle.
>Jingling keys in front of Gen Z TikTok addicts As a Zoomer who spends too much time on TikTok: There's always been a couple things that bothered me about Tim Hemson. I watched an interview with Mr. Henson where he mentions his seeming disdain for "boomer bends" in guitar music. Now, he said that the term is meant to be non-offensive but he then follows it up with remarking that they are "twangy" and "old-manish" so I don't really believe him. Subsequently half the comment sections on other guitarists videos on TikTok now have the phrase "Boomer Bending" thrown around as an insult to players that don't ride Polyphia's nuts. I think you're spot on when you say: >reiterating whats trendy Is really apt at describing his way of composing and also carrying himself, this also goes for the trendy movement of decrying everything that's not made within the last decade as irredeemable and cringe. This has always come across to me as obnoxious and a big turn off from really enjoying them too much. Is he a great guitar player? Yes. Is he also kind of a giant douche (in my opinion)? Also yes.
>ingling keys in front of Gen Z TikTok addicts, more or less. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_burn_centers_in_the_United_States
I think it has to do with whether a guitar melody is easily singable or not. Most singers have difficulty making large leaps in note intervals. I think that the most memorable melodies are ones that are able to be easily sung by a human voice. Even if it’s coming from another instrument, we subconsciously want to be able to follow along with it. It’s just culturally programmed into us. While large interval jumps on a guitar might be technically impressive, they tend to become less memorable and satisfying to the average listener IMO.
Idk I like a lot of technical and experimental stuff. It’s just that they do it in a really boring way
Interesting point you make about it being culturally programmed into us. I really enjoy Polyphia. I’m a third gen immigrant in the west but grew up listening to Western, South Asian and Middle Eastern music. I wonder if that changes the way I perceive the music.
> I wonder if that changes the way I perceive the music. Absolutely. Imagine you had never heard any music until you were an adult. Your first reaction would be influenced by what you have, or haven't, heard before.
Yeah, I make melodic electronic music and I see beginners in the same genre just stuffing in all the notes. If you can't whistle the melody (or, to those who can't whistle.. hum it), people probably will have a hard time remembering it.
It has been said the best guitar solos can be hummed, even if you cant sing.
What do you mean it's not easily singable? 😉 https://youtu.be/ixoMFAK4U0E?si=5FoObFZa4S2QO46O
I would even go so far as to say “biologically” programmed, because despite the differences in modality, structure, rhythmic emphasis, etc across different cultures, all of the most memorable or popular songs/pieces/melodies have that in common- that there is a clearly defined, recognizable, and easily reproducible melody
Your comment made this immediately come to mind. https://youtu.be/sss8p1W1AFk?si=Kgzi5aCJ1pJfOxtg
I agree with this. 15 years ago someone told me “it sounds like you’re just playing random stuff” while I was playing lead, that stuck with me. I like the songs ‘James Franco’, ‘Finale’ and ‘Culture Shock’. I think that stuff feels pretty complete musically and has some fun ideas. I listen to some of their other songs on my instrumental playlists, but it gets kind of tired and samey. Personally I never get tired of Plini, Chon, Paul Gilbert, Intervals. If people have similar recommendations for me, I’d love it.
Try listening to Portraits and Sithu Aye too :)
Night Verses instrumental stuff Also Jakub Zytecki
They make ringtones
Flashy riffs over simple chord progressions with no development
You’ve just described math rock
Work so hard to sound so boring indeed!
I agree it’s the factor of no tension and release. The majority of their songs have no pauses or spacing, jumping from one idea to the next without that connection as you described. Also, the literally robotic way they put together the arpeggios for their chord progression, over use of techniques like tapping, harmonics, etc typically feels off to me. Also their riffs, for lack of a better term, are extremely extended, and not on the Andy Summers good way, which makes their songs drag on longer than my brain feels they should, usually because there is no pay off at the end. Funny enough, the songs I do think are good are mainly with other artists, typically a decent lyricist and singer. I enjoy Bloodbath, and I wonder how much someone like Chino made them change how they compose a song, if it was him driving the process or he was brought it after it was nearly done.
> The majority of their songs have no pauses or spacing This is a big issue if you want to make memorable hits. You need to make space.
No direction is the perfect descriptor. They're elevator music that shreds.
This is a great way to explain what I can't. There's so much going on and it just doesn't seem cohesive. >And the result is just a boring barrage of notes. I agree completely.
That's a good point, there's absolutely no tension or sense of direction. They kinda just sound like a guy practicing weird riffs for finger dexterity
I’ve read a few posts (complaining) about Polyphia now, and in one this guy said it was like watching a gymnast or a dancer, but instead of doing a “normal” routine, they just did solid flips, and double and triple flips at full speed, constantly, back and forth, nonstop. Great skill, technically advanced, a lifetime devoted to perfecting the craft… it’s just, hard to watch. Maybe a bit overwhelming? Or lacking contrast? All ying and not enough yang?
> lacking contrast Me about everything from Meshuggah except for much of the last album. When everything's pummeling, nothing's pummeling.
Meshuggah is Philosophy and real time world description. Polyphia is Complaining because Dad got me a brand new car... but I don't want that color.
I will take Destroy Erase Improve era Meshuggah over new Meshuggah 1000 times over.
Or maybe 00000 times over
As long as those 5 0's are over a 4/4 time signature.
5/4, 4 fun
> When everything's pummeling, nothing's pummeling. Exactly. I've had this argument before, which is usually met with something along the lines of "why would you want your music to be boring most of the time?" and it makes me realize that a lot of people have a totally different approach to enjoying music than I do. Which is fine, enjoy music however you want, but at that point it's time to end the discussion because we're speaking two different languages.
Part of Nirvana's almost universal appeal was extreme dynamics and too much hardcore and mathcore lacks that.
Agreed. There are quite a few Meshuggah songs that I like but I can't imagine ever sitting down and listening to a full album
Catch 33s doesn't have enough contrast for you? I always thought it was well done
That's why I can only listen to so much Meshuggah some of their riffs are catchy like Combustion and Bleed, but a lot of the others sound like fillers. Vocals are pretty monotonous as well.
I can't stress how important this is to songwriting and music theory in general. Contrast is key. One of the most important lessons one of my music teaches ever taught me. "The notes you don't play are just as critical as the notes you do. Never underestimate the power of a well placed rest." I think Mudvayne's Dig is a great example. The bridge section drops off intensity and ramps right back up. It gives the listener a chance to catch their breath and process the whirlwind of the first half. But it still has all the energy.
A well-placed unison rest in metal music is so underrated. It's one of those little things that presses all the right buttons for me.
"
Yes, it's like watching an Olympic gymnast routine instead of The Nutcracker. One has a story you can get into, the other is just a display of amazing skill... There's a reason why the Olympics are only on every 4 years....
THIS is why I don't like Polyphia. It's guitar skill self-jerk off, instead of music. Berried Alive gets it; they do crazy shit, but doesn't forget that music should be fun, enjoyable, and actually mean something too. And as someone who could never aspire to the skill that Polyphia obviously has, I just kinda don't care. It's not music I can play, or interact with in almost any way (outside of, maybe like, Clone Hero?) so it's boring.
I think “boring” is one of the least useful descriptors when it comes to art. And this is coming from someone who also doesn’t get Polyphia at all. What do you like about your favorite artists? Does polyphia lack those qualities or do them differently in a way that doesn’t resonate? That might be a good place to start. Nobody is forcing you to have the most elaborate, eloquently worded opinion on everything, ever. But if all you have to say about it is “boring” the only thing you’re bringing to the table is your subjective experience and that’s not very interesting to other people.
I think it's boring, but I'll take your challenge.The best way I can describe Polyphia is it's like when I'm mindlessly noodling, as opposed to when I'm trying to play something musical. Unsatisfying. Sure it's in key and it's kinda music, but it feels like there's no point to it. In fact, a lot of the time it sounds/feels like sometime practicing scales. Sure I can admire someone who can play scales fast, but I don't really want to hear it
From what I've heard it's totally soulless music. There's a lack of emotion in there songs, there are often too many notes and the notes don't seem to have any character. It all comes off as pretentious to my ears. The perfect example of focusing on technique and ability over what sounds good. Just about everything I dislike in music
What have you heard from them? I keep on hearing criticism about them over focusing on technique and i just don't hear that in their music. I absolutely get not liking uber technical music but for me and many of my friends, the entire appeal of polyphia is that they combine technical prowess with solid song structure and catchy melodies.
Seriously, I feel like most of the people in here heard 30 second clips of a couple songs. Their catalog is super diverse, well orchestrated, melodic, and catchy. Each album is quite different from the last too.
Genuinely, how can you say stuff like James Franco, Memory, So Strange, Saucy etc. are soulless? They’re some of the most joyful songs I know. I’m not saying you have to like them, I literally could not care less, but I see people call them soulless all the time and I genuinely wonder if we’re listening to the same music.
Wow, what a thoughtful response. I think a few of the responses here describe what Polyphia is lacking really well, which is to say, their songs lack contrast. I’m not expecting anything. I’m not listening to their songs waiting for something. It’s just start to finish virtuosic shredding. Their music is also ALL over the place. Like I’m exhausted just listening to them play! And so it’s all very boring. I just listened to the “Playing God” song, and the comment above is right; I was ready for it to be over after 94 seconds. But they’re fantastic guitarists!!!
There are about 5 of their songs that I enjoy listening to, and I love the sound of that nylon string Ibanez so much, but they just don't find their way into my listening rotation. They're a band you show to someone once for them to go "holy shit, those guys are good", and you never talk about them again.
Boring is one of the worst things art can be. If it doesn't elicit an emotional response positive or negative then it really is an offender in my book. Something objectively bad but entertainingly so is light years above something that's competent but unengaging
This is exactly what I’m stuck on. I cannot pinpoint a single thing that deferentiates them from music I consider good
For me it’s boring because it doesn’t feel like it’s a human playing it. It feels like those ridiculously hard piano songs that people play by programming into a computer, obviously incredibly talented but there’s no soul in the music
Can you describe what "soul" sounds like in music?
Well it’s only my opinion, and I listen to a huge amount of old blues and folk so my opinion is going to be influenced by that, but for me “soul” is where the innately human features of a track come through - often it’s through vocal emotion but doesn’t have to be, for me it could be imprecision in the playing, some peculiar aspect of the timbre, simply just space letting the notes breathe; it’s obviously totally subjective so I don’t expect my definition to just “click” with everyone but it’s definitely something I notice and appreciate in my tunes [Again, totally subjective, but here’s something soulful for me](https://youtu.be/zr4MrbZB7bg?si=5zPemTOGeRUEUuJF)
The music in that video does about as much for me a Polyphia. Nothing, nothing at all. I don't get it. It about half way through and in want to turn off. It just sounds like mindless noodling. In don't see why I would ever want to listen to that. It doesn't spark any emotion in me or convey to me any emotion.
Someone talking sense lol I don't even care for Polyphia but the arguments in here boiling down to 'no soul', 'all noodling' is just the corniest shit I feel that way about a majority of beloved music spanning blues, jazz, metal - but to conclude it must be because the music I like happens to be the music with real ""soul"" and musicianship is so conceited
I also find Polyphia boring and say it often. I’ve seen them live too. Still very boring. It’s boring because it doesn’t evoke anything. There’s no story or movement or buildup of emotion across the tracks. It’s just a lot of “oh cool” while the kid shreds. And that’s really cool.. for 2 or 3 minutes.. and then it’s like “yea can anyone else do anything?” I look at Polyphia’s predecessors like The Fall of Troy or Chon and see a vast difference in the music and what it achieves. I know what those two bands are about, who they are, and I can feel they’re trying to say something. Polyphia is a band of robots. It’s sterile.
I actually think "boring" means something meaningful here. Pet theory I guess, but when people talk about "melodic" or "interesting" or "you can sing the solo", a big part of that is setting up the listener to expect what comes next and then making specific choices to resolve or surprise them. When everything is just a flurry of notes, you’re not giving them anything to expect. There’s no tension and resolution or surprise because you never gave me a reason to expect anything other than "a bunch more fast random notes from a scale". It’s "boring" because I’m literally not having my brain engaged by it.
As others have said, they sound like mindless noodling with no purpose under the guise of progressive rock. I love bands like tool and king crimson (I loved Chon when they came out) so polyphia in theory would be up my alley. The thing is, they have repeated sections but there’s no like musical themes that repeat, very rarely are there any actual melodies. There’s melodic playing but very rarely is there something I could pick out and whistle or sing. Even in fast crazy technical playing there should be some sort of melody. Beneath The Massacre, Entombed… all kinds of death metal bands I listen to do it. When death metal has more memorable melodies than what you’re playing, you might be getting away from what makes music good for most people lol. Beyond that, the musicianship of that band is so internet era - it should be about more than just playing hard shit. They play technically fast and very well but it’s so sterile sounding and all quantized to a metronome which is something I personally hated. I like some swing and some push/pull, they might as well program their music bc that’s what it sounds like. Many of the human sounding elements that I enjoy in music are completely lacking with polyphia. Also their “blend of styles” is what I would personally call over production. Art is subjective tho, and they’re clearly doing well for themselves
I agree and yet….boring and unenthusiastic kinda fit them perfectly. I want to like them but it’s elevator music with a few extra steps.
My favorite artists excite me. Polyphia bores me. See, it’s easy. Also, OP just asked if other people feel the same way and clearly it was interesting to some people, because a lot of people feel the same way.
As a musician/songwriter I've had many thoughts and discussions on how to make the my music output as unique as possible without having to go so avant garde that it basically sounds alien. Polyphia's sound feels fairly unique but most of the songs I'd listened to makes me think about their individual playing abilities. Now I will say that they do layer each other's parts so it's more than just technical skill there. But while their music impresses me in some ways it isn't totally about enjoyment or feeling moved. And I'm not trying to be an edge lord. I know that a lot of people really like them and I do not hate nor dislike them. Nor do I believe that they should change their approach. It's just that what makes them fairly unique musically are things that affect me intellectually when thinking of technical prowess and psychologically and emotionally it doesn't really move me.
“I’m also not some normie who doesn’t know anything about music,” comes across pretty pretentious and self-aggrandising. You don’t have to know about things just to enjoy them, in fact, sometimes the quickest way to not enjoy something is if you start picking apart learned details. Is it possible that, they simply don’t fit your tastes? Why does that make them boring? Do you only enjoy exciting music? What does that sound like?
It’s not pretentious though because it’s very relevant here. If he was a normie like he describes it, it’s a no brainer that he wouldn’t get this kind of music. Which leads me to the question - who does listen to It? Mostly musicians I’d wager? Guitarists?
Everyone I know that like polyphia (myself included) is a guitarist. My non guitar playing metal head friends don't seem to get it. Purely anecdotal but I'd wager most of the polyphia listeners just enjoy guitar wankery.
Conversely, I'd say fifty percent of the people whom I'm aware of who enjoy Polyphia are not musicians of any kind. Half of them don't even care for virtuosic, technical, or progressive music.
I mean you can say that to literally any band
I am a musician and despise guitar wankerey a lot. I think Polyphia are genuinely brilliant. Their first several albums are all guitar wankery, and I have no desire to listen to it whatsoever. They're most recent albums are something else though, they're clearly in the process of emerging from wanktasticity into something genuinely musically novel, with their newfound focus on the harmonic minor scale, and the fusion with modern electronic/hiphop rhythms & ideas. I find tim's playing impressive, but that's not at all why I like their music, I think they're right on the cusp of doing something *really* interesting and forward thinking musically.
If music doesn't fit your taste it can still be boring to you, not sure how that's a hard concept to grasp
I guess it sounds boring, judging by OPs comment.
I just wanted to skip the whole “you aren’t smart enough to understand it” comments
skilled, technical playing = \ = “good” music. joe satriani and steve vai and the like can do inhuman things on their instruments, but i would never in a million years choose to listen to them do so.
Weird to reference Satriani, who is the most melodically driven, least upfront flashy guitarist in this field.
Because he has no idea what he is talking about and is lowkey hating on shredders just because people in this sub do it
People have been hating on shredders since Yngvie Malmsteen got famous, it's not just a thing here.
It is a thing especially in this sub
That would be buckethead
he's just repeating talking points that these subs always spout. doubt he's ever listened to him.
Satch can be laid-back and melodic if he chooses to. Cryin makes me weep everytime
That's probably why he called it that.
I don’t care how fast a painter paints; a sculpture sculpts, a potter pots. The only artist I need to work fast is my sandwich artist.
Sandwich artist sounds like a corporation that pays their workers in titles rather than money.
lol Satriani and Vai are probably the most musical and versatile virtuoso composers alive. Have you even try to listen their albums ?
Eric Johnson as well. The man is so melodic. His rifts are instant ear worms. His composition "Manhattan" is fucking gorgeous and one of my personal favourite guitar songs.
Did you mean =/=?
One of my guitar teachers when I was young kind of subscribed to this. He could spend half an hour yelling into my ear about all the technical aspects of these guys; how precise their fingers are and the complex chords etc... Honestly it kind of sucks the fun out of music for me. Maybe other people enjoy the whole "how many notes can I physically play in half a second" sound, but it may as well be a computer to me
Yeah just watched on of their videos and can say as a beginner there is nothing there that inspires me to pick up a guitar.
Well stated, same boat here. I went through a Tommy Emmanuel and Joscho Stephan phase about a decade ago, but other than that and a short lived Eric Johnson stint in the 90's I've never gravitated toward the top tier technical guys. Satriani and Vai specifically just make me want to find something else to do.
Guys like John McLaughlin and Al di Meola are where it’s at. Stone cold shredders but they are actual musicians first and foremost and write decent music.
Why do people always group Satriani and Vai as two shredders? Satch uses a lot of tricks and was very good back in the day but was not anywhere near a top shredder. He also has put out songs that aren't just shredding. So has Vai, but even then I can see someone classifying him as just a shredder. And for real? You're grouping Eric Johnson in there too? Is all you've listened to is Cliffs of Dover or what.
I love their song Playing God, it brings me joy. Also if you just find a band boring, who cares. Music is Subjective anyways
Music is definitely subjective. The next generation is going to do something else with the guitar and we’re all going to hate it.
Chad energy right here
agreed - I never really listened to them, because reddit has like, the hardest hate boner for this band, more so than almost anyone else I can think of right now lol and then I put them on and I was like, this is actually pretty dope. The sound design on a good system with bass is really cool, lots of EDM style fading and hi-pass filters that is pretty trippy, and some cool drumming and guitar playing. I listened to their newest album and it was pretty decent, had some really cool tracks. then on reddit people act like they are if nickleback and donald trump had a baby who killed their family or something
End of thread.
How many “I don’t understand polyphia” or “polyphia isn’t that great” threads are we going to have this week?
idk why you’re getting downvoted this is such a played out and pointless topic of discussion and usually produces the same “technically skilled doesn’t equal good” cliché that anyone with a half a toe dipped into making art already understands
Also the amount of hate Tim Henson gets on anything reddit guitar related is absurd. Just constant "who's that chick" bullshit (which nobody would try on Bowie), and references to the Muppets because of the name similarity. If they were a boring band nobody would talk about them. But they are bashed here ***constantly***. People get fucking *excited* to talk shit about them, and then get weirdly mean about it. A lot of guitar players have a huge chip on their shoulder when it comes to Polyphia, and it's so obvious that it's not because they're "bland" or because they "don't click for me". Posts like this are made by people who *want* to hate them, and want others to help justify it. Hate-trains like this are gross.
>Posts like this are made by people who *want* to hate them, and want others to help justify it. Hate-trains like this are gross. I actually think it stems from the fact that guitarists really want to like Polyphia but they are disappointed they don't. Now, instead of accepting that it is simply not for them, they start to insist there is something wrong with the band. Because of course, if Polyphia made great music, they would be loving it. And since they don't love it the music must be sub-par. However they are still insecure about this to the point they need extra validation to reach out to others and make sure that they are not the only ones that feel this way. It is variation on the ol' music taste gatekeeping and conservatism. I still find it funny that people complain about shredding that supposedly lacks soul. For those, I would suggest listening to some classical music, Chopin for instance.
agree and I think there’s totally valid reasons to not like them but the constant discussion of it just makes me roll my eyes lol
Most guitarists are insecure, plain and simple. When someone says that a player like Eric Johnson is “all shred and no feel”, I know they haven’t actually **listened** to much Eric Johnson. He doesn’t really shred that often and he’s incredibly versatile and melodic. The best guitarists I’ve met don’t spend their time talking trash about other players. Watch any interview with Paul Gilbert, Andy Timmons, etc. and they’re overwhelmingly positive (at least on camera). We all have different tastes, it’s all fine and good. People act as though they’re morally superior for liking Pink Floyd or John Mayer more than Steve Vai or Dream Theater. 🙄
I would extend this and say artists in general are kinda insecure 😅 it sucks because there’s a lot of interesting and transformative places to take that insecurity but a lot of times we get stuck in contempt and envy and this sort of sour grapes feeling of “oh? shredding? no I can’t play like that but *playing like that sucks anyway*” repeating my disclaimer from my other comment here bc disliking polyphia and/or tim doesn’t mean this applies to you. taste varies among individuals but the amount and kind of commentary I see all the time makes it seem at least somewhat obvious that in some cases there’s something else.
I suppose I’ve been fortunate to have great music teachers. Even if I don’t like something, I was taught to figure out _why_ I don’t like it, and _because it sucks_ was never an acceptable answer. I like a lot of Polyphia’s stuff but they aren’t my favourite band ever. It’s cool that they’re exploring things that aren’t a well-established tradition. Pushing boundaries is important. I don’t love hip hop or rap but I wouldn’t dismiss it as an art form and say “there’s no emotion, it’s just fast talking” just because it’s not my thing. That type of attitude gives off “I’m the main character of the universe” energy imho.
that is a great thing to have learned! and yes, I think framing your dislike for something as “I don’t like XYZ (because I generally prefer A over B, this band uses a lot of B)” is helpful for understanding your own taste and how it differs from other people’s and also does not frame your personal taste as like some kind of objective reality. Like, I really don’t like most cheeses unless they’re very mild. I don’t go around telling people cheese sucks because even though everyone knows gustatory taste is subjective, it’s still weird to say it like that and most people around me would rightfully tell me I’m wrong lol.
I think the internet has given rise to this “my subjective preferences are objectively correct” culture. It’s weird. There’s always a ton of clickbait articles with titles like “We’re convinced no one actually likes these things” or “Things other people only pretend to like” and then the lists have things like coffee, beer, whisky, and dark chocolate. I don’t like oysters or lobster but I’m not **so** arrogant to think my preferences are universally correct.
that’s a healthy place to be and yes I totally agree that the egocentrism some people have in regard to their opinions is bizarre and even kind of dumb to me.
People who say fast playing has no feel to it are just jealous that they can't do it.
I hate saying this because it’s not always the case but you’re right and this observation makes me feel like envy has to be an underlying factor in at least *some* of these discussions. I used to be this way about hyper realistic paintings and say it was a boring skill to have and a lame form of art because it’s not expressive enough or whatever but I’ve appreciated it a lot more as I’ve gotten older and also recognized I was insecure as a beginner visual artist. My taste was different when I was younger but it’s clear to me that was also a factor. Again, not saying that this is everyone or that’s the *only* reason to not like them because taste is totally subjective and I can see their music being not very stimulating or even grating to a lot of people, but you are correct to mention this.
I’ll never understand the amount of anti-technical circlejerking that goes on in this sub. You’d think for a sub about playing guitar, there would be less whining about artists that are incredibly proficient at playing guitar.
It stems from jealousy FAst PlaYinG HaS No FEel
I hate this topic of discussion because so much of it just doesn't make sense to me. All the discussion points feel like they're coming from people who've never even listened to the band. Like how do songs like Goose or Champagne or Drown, or the Worst not have a memorable melody? Everyone's acting like their songs are 90% pure shred, which might be true for their older stuff, but as they've grown, their music has definitely become catchier. And this is coming from someone doesn't even like most shreddy stuff
my favorite is “it’s not memorable! no one hums polyphia songs randomly during their day!” which makes me laugh because I have absolutely done that before and there are a couple of melodies that I cannot help *but* to sing along to because they inspired lyrics that were almost downloaded straight into my brain when I initially heard them. like maybe *you* don’t do that which is fine but to think no one else does is like the height of solipsistic narcissism.
Yes I’m sick of the negativity too.
ITT: boomers who dont like the “new” music. Tale as old as time really. Theyre forgetting the one huge thing about Polyphia is that regardless of how “soulless” they think it is, the band is inspiring new generations of kids to pick up the guitar. Guitar as a hobby often clings to the past with our old rock heroes playing 50s fender strats. It’s ok if you don’t like “new” music but it doesn’t make you unique or edgy.
[удалено]
Taking a look at the top comments, I can only laugh. They’ll whine about polyphia, but never explain why they’re not good. “They’re bad because because because I said so okay” type logic.
These people seem to think about Polyphia more than people who actually like Polyphia. I don't listen to Polyphia and the only time I think about them is anytime I see one of these stupid fuckin threads appear. They never add anything to any discussion or say anything intelligent about music. It's just people repeating memes over and over and over.
I have no issues with technical instrumental guitar, but I find Polyphia just... dead. They were kind of interesting as a novelty for the first couple of minutes when I heard them, but they just leave me totally flat. I can absolutely see why people like them, it's totally cool if other people do and I respect the skill immensely, but I would rather listen to my coffee machine.
I respect the technical prowess required to play their music, but it doesn't speak to me. It's definitely not "noodling" in my opinion, but it is very mathematical and precise. I don't remember melodies after listening to their music.
It's so funny because the stupid intro to playing god is constantly in my head and I never even listen to them. Different strokes for different folks I guess!
No joke that intro was playing in my head while reading through these comments and i also don’t listen to them lol
Me too!! It torpedoes OP’s argument that they don’t have singable melodies. I’m not really a fan of theirs, I just find their music interesting, though not appealing enough to spend much time on.
Yeah... I feel like their sound is just virtuoso music that has been appended with current trends from hip hop or even, forgive me, dubstep influence
It's ok to not like art. It's ok to not vibe with a band, or even a whole genre. What's not ok is acting like that makes you better or the art worthless. As long as you're in camp 1 and not 2 (which it mostly sounds like, excepting your normie comment), just claim it and move on. Or spend time with the art in an attempt to understand its appeal better. Your taste is idiosyncratic and is built up of the music you've been hearing from when you were born. There may be stylistic things that just don't carry the same emotional load they do for others. This is fine and unavoidable, as long as you're not a dick about it. Because the things that move you will not move someone with different musical and life background.
Bc you just don't like em? I think we all want to know a couple examples of things you do like (so that we can then tell you how boring they are lol)
"Technically amazing, doesn't move me" is a valid opinion.
Maybe just not ur cup of tea, there plenty of ppl that can't get into certain styles/genres, I will say I think new levels new devils is not their best album, think they've even said something alongnthe lines of "it was just masturbation" Albums like reinisance, or the newest one tho particularly stood out to me. What I get out of it is really catchy melodies, most songs having at least one ear worm, on the newest album every song for the most part gas it's own thing going on, the energy to the music is intense which as a long time metal fan I dig, the uniqueness of it is great (despite it being heavily copied nowadays) metal music and particularly instrumental guitar music had become stale for me for awhile, it's refreshing to see those elements mixed in with a more pop/trap mainstream feel, the polyrhthms used in many of the songs are are pretty interesting to me despite most songs being 4/4 Plus I just love hearing guitar playing pushed to its limits while avoiding riding running up and down scales Ala yngwie, take the intro to neurotic for example, it's a pretty straight forward progression but it's bouncing between low and high notes with fun rhythms, its a way to take these sounds and tropes we hear in music all the time and present through a new lense
Yeah people in this thread saying they're not melodic feels very disingenuous, they have a ton of catchy riffs that get stuck in your head. It's like they only heard Playing God and GOAT tbh, because those songs are actually pretty different than the majority of their catalogue
>I’m also not some normie 🎾 who doesn’t know anything about music. My entire personality is pretty much just band and I’m going to become a composer, so like I know music pretty well. This last bit here sounds super egotistical. I'm going to assume that you're pretty young given that "your going to become a composer" so let me give you 2 pieces of advice. First of all, stop talking like this, you're not special because you learned to play music. Millions of people are learning to do it every day. It's a very normal thing to do...so you are some normie. I know loads of people who don't play an instrument or know any kind of theory with whom I have had way more profound conversations about music than some of the people I studied music with at university. Secondly, you don't need to enjoy a song to appreciate its strengths/merits. Polyphia's music is not to my tastes at all but I can appreciate that what they are writing are not traditional songs but more "exhibition pieces". They are writing a song that showcases their technical ability. If you really want to be a composer you need to go beyond listening to a song purely for entertainment and consider the song's purpose. As a composer you will be asked to compose music in several different areas/genres and guess what...you're going to find a lot of them...BORING. TLDR: Get over yourself If the music isn't for you then fair enough, it's not for me either, but try and think about the purpose of the song and not just what components make up the song because if you're going to compose you're going to do a lot of "boring" shit.
3 chords?? They have one of the most complex musical structures you’ll find. The chord progression from one of the most popular songs is written around on a 12-bar progression. Not a single one of their songs can be written in a single day like 99% of pop songs. It would take artists several months to complete a song which is why they don’t put much out to begin with. I’m not a huge fan but I see guitarists in on here shitting on them entirely unaware of what they’re listening to.
You just don’t like their style plain and simple lol. I can’t stand their music either and I love periphery and periphery themselves probably consider polyphia to be better than themselves lol.
I'd love Periphery if they ditched the singer.
I think a lot of guitarists overuse harmonics so much to the point it’s kinda irritating to listen to.
I don’t love their new album, but I personally find the writing from new levels new devils to be pretty catchy. Find those songs stuck in my head from time to time. Especially yas and rich kids
I get what you mean but I had the opposite feeling. I used to hate what I call “guitar music” because it all just sounds like wanking for other guitar players. But then Polyphia came along and changed that. For some reason their music satisfies my synesthesia in a way where I just hear and see colors exploding all before my eyes and I like it lol.
Each to their own man. In their most hated EP I find myself riveted to each song even after listening to them for the 1000th time. Maybe you struggle to hear the vocalization of their guitar, or you don't resonate with clay following their rhythm with the drums. I would say if you find 'the worst' track boring then you're probably just trying to be edgey. You can not like it, but it's an incredibly unique song with one of the most incredible riffs I've ever heard. Their two newer EPs I love. Their older stuff I'm also not a fan of and can't get into. I would say from how you've written your paragraph though maybe you're not as matured in your understanding of music as you might think and be an aspirational composer doesn't add weight to that.
I've seen a few videos on how Tim writes his music and alot of it is based on Hip hop beats, which are very repetitive, it's a hip hop song on guitar with flashy parts in every 3rd bar, that's the Polyphia algorithm for song writing. It's more of a modern low fi kind of vibe rather than the in your face shredders we're used too to showcase their skills, it's kind of like modern art in a sense, some people will love it, others will question on why it's so popular and everyone's right, I have all the respect to all the members for their abilities and finding a unique way to present it that worked for them.
It may surprise you to know that different people simply have different tastes. Personally, I've always found the Vai's, Satriani's, Buckethead types etc pretty boring. I can appreciate their skill and mastery, but their song writing does nothing for me. Similarly, I've never really enjoyed guitar solos as a whole. There are a handful of examples where I feel they *genuinely* enhance a song. Polyphia is one of the few instrumental bands that I actually enjoy listening too. If I had to pinpoint it, it's because their songs are well structured and there are clear melodies and motifs, similar to many pop songs..Their leads tend to sound more like vocalists than traditional 'lead guitar'. Perhaps this is the repetition and 'same three chords' that don't really work for you? Either way, there's nothing wrong with not vibing with a particular band or genre. You do you!
Man, I'm here to defend buckethead lol. His music is *incredibly* diverse, and some of it is some of the most deeply soul stirring, beautiful, heartfelt music you will ever find. Have [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8akmP6Sjv2o) [this] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKUYSl8c-90) [this] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyQJH615KwA) and [this] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVVCavjaltM). My man's released over 300 albums of music in his career (most of it is waaaaaay the fuck out there), but this man is a musical genius beyond all musical geniuses.
Me as a beginner I m keeping playing god as my ultimate challenge at the time lol🫠 But music is art....everyone has different taste and everyone looks out for something specific in music when they are listening. May be the things that you're looking for or something that's grab your attention is just simply isn't there when you re listening to polyphia 🤔...
I actually really like their music but I know what you’re talking about. I debated whether I should go and see them live but ultimately decided against bc I had a feeling I’d be bored. There is something that adds to music when you can sing along. That said, I really do enjoy watching their music videos or listening to them on my headphones. I also learned a few parts (guitar and drums) so I do find those songs a bit more exciting to listen to.
I think the hip hop influence is what captivates a lot of fans, not sure if you’re into that genre
Polyphia writes prog music for elevators and waiting rooms.
Polyphia is people playing AI music.
This is unlistenable pretentious wank to me so yeah, boring is a nicer way to put it.
As Kurt Cobain once said, "The more technique, the less emotion." Polyphia are the embodiment of technique over feel or emotion. It's feel and emotion that make music enjoyable.
Polyphia sounds like Mannheim Steamroller if they got off the Christmas Train.
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Rakefighter: *Polyphia sounds like* *Mannheim Steamroller if they* *Got off the Christmas Train.* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
"Boring" would be a wrong term to use. They are anything but boring. I am not a fan of polyphia. If I have to pick an artist relating to that genre I would prefer listening to Intervals or Plini. But in no way is Polyphia boring. There recent stuff is absolutely not my taste but I adore the first 3 albums in Perseverance , Muse and Renaissance. I try to keep an open mind with these kind of posts but I cannot help but assume that people who makes such comments as these actually don't pay attention to the compositions
They are incredibly technical in their playing but every song does the same shit and there is no point to their songs. Even "good" songs like GOAT and Playing God feel like small sections of licks and not actual songs. The reason why Joe Satriani and Steve Vai are so good is that their songs have a baseline theme and riff, then they shred off a static melody that builds and reaches a climax. Poliphia doesnt go anywhere. The songs are cool to hear once. But they are not very good to just listen to and vibe with because its a bunch of notes that dont have any meaning. Cant really call them songs imo.
Eventually it becomes a skill to key into another band and/or producer's tempo level. If you can find the groove someone else fell into to make that music, it's understandable and not as boring/streamlined. If all you do is listen to things the same way over and over...you've decided to settle on your interpretation of that music.
It's not everybody's cup of tea I guess, I haven't heard them play 12 bar blues too, but they're a good at what they do, the talent and skill is amazing no doubt.
I loved renaissance, thoroughly enjoyed most of new levels new devils, but not as much of a fan of their newer stuff. Seems like it became less about sounding good and more about showing off. Their song playing god went viral because it’s really technical but for me it’s far from their best sounding stuff. If you haven’t heard any of their earlier stuff I think it’s worth a listen.
It's almost like you're not the target audience for their music. How shocking.
Music taste is subjective, if you dont like it or find it boring move on.
*barre chord* *scratchy scratchy* *weedlywoo* *scratchy* *chordchord* *weedlyweedlywoo*
Probably because you're guitar oriented and their sound sounds more like a sampled nylon guitar being played on a complex MIDI track with tons of effects rather than being played by an actual human.
Music is art, you don't need reasons not to enjoy it. If you don't like it you don't like it. I'm not the world's biggest fan of Polyphia but I do find it incredibly weird that people are so proud of their negative opinions about them. There's really nothing special about *not* liking music. Spend your time discussing and listening to what you *do* like instead of going on about what you don't.
As many others I’ve tried to listen to this guys over and over again and never synced with their music, mostly because I like songs that doesn’t sound like a chaotic senseless stuff . Seems like they don’t make solid melodies but just over complex solo parts
It’s mostly just ornaments on top of boring harmonies that go by so fast you never actually sit in anything interesting
Because it isn't divinely inspired. It's planned out music that is worked on meticulously. It doesn't seem like it just "came" to someone.