So my friend starts telling me about all of these fucking sweet ass metal bands at work and how they're the future of music. See, not that I hate metal in particular or anything, but when it doesn't have any particular form and just sounds like someone is beating their face against a wall, I tend to get a wee bit skeptical. He puts on this weird ass band called 'The Number Twelve Looks Like You'. So I tell him I hate the music and he says, "Oh hey, thats natural. You've been listening to music made in 4/4 time all your life. These guys are pioneers man, they're like classical music was at the start." I ask him what he's getting at because I still think the music is shit and that Beethoven would probably be doing several consecutive rolls in his grave before he ever decided THAT was anything close to music. He says this metal is made in a different time signature and thats why it's so cool. I think he's just insane. I don't particularly like that kind of metal though... am I missing something here? He brags that he's an artist because he was in a garage band for like... a year and that I wouldn't understand.

Recommend me some good songs to listen to in other time signatures so I can tell him that you know, that band just... sucks.
Actually, hold on. I don't mean sucks. I just mean I dislike the music. Alot. My personal taste. Yeah, there we go.

I hate when people say something is amazing just because it's in a different time signature.

I listened to some of The Number Twelve Looks Like You and it's okay but it's definitely not anything worth getting excited about. They're competent players but the singers are pretty annoying and the songs are a bit spastic.

Tell your friend that attempting to qualify music as good or even progressive because of a time signature shift is hilariously dimwitted and limited.

Also 7/4 Shoreline by Broken Social Scene. The most stereotypical indie band ever, it should piss him off.

That's pretty dumb... A band isn't good just because they shift time signature. Hell Metallica shifts time signatures on some very crappy songs if I recall correctly.

A few bands that do play in other time signatures:
ISIS
Neuraxis (I'm pretty sure they do switch time signatures, one way or another they're an awesome band)
Tool (if you consider them metal)
UnexpecT
Augury (I only saw these guys live, their albums are supposedly meh)
Martyr
Necrophagist (I hate 'em but a lot of people love 'em)
Gorguts

That's all I can think of right now... You should also tell your friend that certain pop songs aren't in 4/4 so maybe he should listen to them? I remember some Whitney Houston song that's in 5/4 or 3/4 if I remember correctly. Several music genres break away from 4/4 but that doesn't make them the future of music or good. It just makes them technical or however you want to call it.

If you want songs in other time signatures, tell him to try progressive rock. Though that'lll probably bore him if he's into metal.

Mission Impossible Theme Song (5/4)
Halloween Theme Song (5/4)
Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel (7/8 or 7/4, you can't tell from listening to it)
Them Bones by Alice in Chains (7/8 or 7/4)
6/4 Jam by Jaco Pastorius (6/4...)
Jocko Homo (7/8 or 7/4)
Money by Pink Floyd (7/8 or 7/4)

There's pretty much a ton of music out there that's in odd time signatures. I just looked up a list on the internet to flesh my list out.

Puppet Master those time signatures aren't that odd. They sure aren't 4/4 or 6/8 but it's not like they're rarely used.

I think your friend is a condescending asshole and that kind of music is so mind numbingly loud and congested that you can't enjoy it.

Not like there isn't good metal, but most of the newer metal bands out there are pretty damn bad.

INSANDE DRUMOP SOLO

I got a friend that is hilariously into indie metal bands one of which is named after an early 90's sitcom character who's name I can't remember right now but I think its Dave something.


EKIT: seriously, what a fucking asshole though.

"well man, I understand why you don't get it. I'm an artist so its easy for me to understand the complexity of metalcore", what a dick...

I don't now anyone that would say that to me irl but I wish I did because I would probably start laughing uncontrollably for quite awhile

Your friend's an idiot who thinks he's got it all figured out, but actually is completely missing the point of what makes a piece of music good.

I think your friend is a condescending asshole and that kind of music is so mind numbingly loud and congested that you can't enjoy it.

Not like there isn't good metal, but most of the newer metal bands out there are pretty damn bad.

INSANDE DRUMOP SOLO

I got a friend that is hilariously into indie metal bands one of which is named after an early 90's sitcom character who's name I can't remember right now but I think its Dave something.


EKIT: seriously, what a fucking asshole though.

"well man, I understand why you don't get it. I'm an artist so its easy for me to understand the complexity of metalcore", what a dick...

I don't now anyone that would say that to me irl but I wish I did because I would probably start laughing uncontrollably for quite awhile

Funny thing about the core kids though, they can't adopt to other styles of music. I'm in a doom/death metal band and we badly needed a guitarist and one guy that seemed alright was this huge fan of metalcore. He just couldn't adapt at all, he kept talking about we should just do arg can't remember how you call them in english, in french it's an arpeche where if I remember correctly you just skip one note or something like that (hey, I'm just a drummer okay?). They also generally don't have a lot of groove when playing, they just concentrate on being pseudo-technical to think they're cool.

Mission Impossible Theme Song (5/4)
Halloween Theme Song (5/4)
Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel (7/8 or 7/4, you can't tell from listening to it)
Them Bones by Alice in Chains (7/8 or 7/4)
6/4 Jam by Jaco Pastorius (6/4...)
Jocko Homo (7/8 or 7/4)
Money by Pink Floyd (7/8 or 7/4)

or the master of strange jazz timing Dave Brubeck with any number of classic fucking songs in 5, 7, 9 and various off-3's and shit

I love fucking sweet ass metal bands that play in odd time signatures, but that doesn't make your friend any less of an idiot.

Puppet Master those time signatures aren't that odd. They sure aren't 4/4 or 6/8 but it's not like they're rarely used.

Well yeah, I just wanted to show that not everything is in 4/4, 3/4, or 6/8.

Oh, and Eleven by Primus is 11/4 I think.