What do you personally look for in music?
 

What elements make a song good in your opinion?

It really depends on the kind of music but in the most general terms if a song makes me feel something or transports me in some way I think it's good.

I, personally, always look for a good melody. Not that that's all that should be in a song, but some people can listen to the sound of trains shunting or whatever and call it music, or people banging on dustbin lids while yodelling. I don't find that musical at all.

To expand, in a song that's non-instrumental I like to hear good lyrics. I like lyrics that make me think, are clever or maybe rhyme well, or badly but badly well if you know what I mean. I also like to hear a "hook" in a song, be it a keyboard arpeggio, guitar solo, bassline or whatever. Most importantly, the musicians have to sound or make me believe that they enjoy what they're doing. I don't like music that's clearly created just to sell (only to sell) records without any real heart or soul or sincerity in it.

I also like something that I either I will remember later or that takes me by surprise by how good or interesting it is. Always nice to get a pleasant surprise, no less so in music than in anything else in life.

The triangle of innovation, technical skill, and fun. Few artists have all three.

How it feels; whether it's the melody telling an abstract story, or the rhythm throwing down a groovy atmosphere, all that matter's is how it feels.

1. Ability to evoke emotion of any kind.
2. Technical/musical skill or ability.
3. Tells a story or communicates an idea of some kind.

Generally, if music possesses either of these three things it'll be pleasing to my ears.

I've been getting into metal for the past couple of years. I enjoy the progressive/technical side of metal, but I also like metal bands that build around a heavy bass line as well. I like the Screamers and the low growl voice but I also enjoy the mixture of a good gROWLr along with a good clean conventional vocalist too. A song with good lyrics is always great but the lyrics are not always necessarily as important, if the music dominates the vibe.

Very difficult question. There's nothing specific that I look for. I don't have any set parameters for what I enjoy. Some songs just do it for me. Depends entirely on each song and what it makes me feel.

I can love one supremely talented guitarist, and be completely bored by another (see Satriani). And that method applies to literally every style of music,

Satriani is a technical genius, but there's less passion/soul/whatever-that-thing-is. I don't hear him ever really make a sensible "phrase". It's as if somebody said a bunch or eloquent words strung together in a way that's grammatically correct, but meaningless.

I look for skill, creativity, lyricism, style, and overall quality among other things. One or more of those things are usually present in the music I like, but I'm sure there're things that appeal to me that have none of them. Also if something is creative or lyrical or whatever, it's not an automatic selling point (though creativity usually does that for me).