Masters of Emotion

Have you guys noticed that sometimes when you hear a song you can feel the emotion they are singing about through the music? A good example would be Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin, you can just feel the tiredness and confusion in the music.

Best people for emotion through music:
Led Zeppelin
Bob Dylan
Simon & Garfunkel
Bruce Springsteen (Just listen to Born to Run and tell me you can't hear Bruce's soul!)




Those are some old guys that I love to listen to just for the fact that the music (almost) always has so much emotion in it. What are some bands (or songs) that you guys think the same about?

The ability to convey an emotion through lyrics, not just what they say, but how they are sung (and bonus points if they can get the music to deliver the message as well), is something that I look for in a lot of the music I listen to. It's not always the case, sometimes its a catchy hook or tune, sometimes it's the poetry of the words alone. But with some artists (or individual songs in some cases) there's that moment that sends chills through my arms.

Most slower songs by Barenaked Ladies do it (eg "Blame it on Me," "When I Fall," "Same Thing," "Am I the Only One?" etc), The Academy Is... did it with "Down and Out;" Brand New with "Guernica" and "Play Crack the Sky;" Bruce Cockburn with "If I Had a Rocket Launcher;" Buffy St. Marie with "The Universal Soldier;" The Flaming Lips with "Do You Realize;" Frou Frou with "Let Go." Great Big Sea has done it many times to me as well, with "John Barbour," "Buying Time," "Demasduit Dream," and "Widow in the Window."

I could go on for a long time, but that's a sampling of stuff where you can feel what the band is trying to convey, not just hear it.