Its interesting that you should mention music pumping up your adrenaline. When I was in school, I played a lot of sports and used to listen to really hard rock before games. Of course, we are talking about Metallica in their prime, but the principle was still the same, raise your emotion level up to get pumped for the games. Under the same principle, my wife uses music to relax and go to sleep. I also use music to calm the kids down by putting in slow classical music and it really seems to help calm them down for the evening.
I think of what the lead singer of Rammstein said once: "Art doesn't work without pain, art also exists for compensating pain." As an artist myself, I agree absolutely. Pain has a big influence on me, but I never let it get the best of me. I express it through art and the music I listen to. Now, not all the music I listen to is heavy metal. In fact, one of my favorite styles of music is classical, and a personal favorite artist of mine is Simon and Garfunkel. I listen to the bands depending on how I feel.
I have eclectic tastes. I listen to everything from doo-wop to rock n' roll to country to bluegrass to modern..
it all depends upon my mood
my favorite female vocalist is Sarah Vaughn and Enya.
favorite male vocalist is Ray Charles and Willie Nelson
Favorite bands are Creedence Clearwater Revival, Styx, and Glenn Miller.
Basically, I can see something to like in all forms of music except for some reason I can't get into opera and I loathe musak..that ersatz stuff played on elevators and a few other places..makes my teeth ache!
I listen to just about any style of music. Since I am a music major and an English minor, the musicality and the lyrics matter a lot to me. I can't stand songs with just four chords, unless it's early rock from the 50s and 60s, in which case the historical value overrides the monotony. I especially enjoy diverse, independent music, and I listen to 'The World Cafe' on public radio when I get the chance. I am not opposed to music that makes the charts, but when something gets popular, it gets overplayed.
Since I sometimes sing for 5 hours a day or more, when I get into the car to go home, I listen to the news or nothing at all.
I like most kinds of music. My favorite kind would be a toss up between alternative and rock. I listen to it to have fun and joke around. Alot of the time music is the only thing that cheers me up, and like stated befor in other people's post to pump you up. Most of the time I listen to music to stop from being bored during a bike ride or run, alot of the time I do to trian myself, more like a mental image train while I train as well,
If someone would analyze me thru the music I listen, than my friends one wouldn't understand much. I like rock, but I listen to all kind of music: classical, jazz, latin, R&B, Rock&Roll ... even folk. My favorites are Queen, U2, Robbie Williams, Linkin Park and Simon and Garfunkel (what a combination... I told you). Why I listen to what I listen, I think everyone agreed, depends on the mood.
I would have to say the main reason I have such an affinity for The Beatles is because of something called LSD. I used to take alot of LSD and The Beatles became the soundtrack to my life while on it. Knowing that they used be on it while writing and performing songs seemed to link my state of mind to them, like only a person on LSD can understand and interpret what is going on in another person on the drug's mind. I found melodies and sounds that had been previously ignored in the music and the world of their emotions opened up to me. I've long since stopped taking LSD, but the thoughts and feelings gleaned from my experiences will forever keep The Beatles close to my heart in both joy and in sadness.