i'm a alternative/folk/rock writer, i dont have the angst necessary to write metal, or the ego to write hiphop, nor the lack of artistic integrity to write pop. so alt/folk/rock is my genre.. the choice genre for all chilled, mellow musicians.
Its all about the lyrics. poetry to music. sure, melody is important, but if the words are meaningless drivel you might as well just be la-la-la-ing along to the music. time should be spent making sure the words are right; rather than just churning out song after song of the same overused cliches and oneliners. you can't always avoid the black hole of lyrical retardation, but you should at least give it a try.
my influences are broad and ecclectic, from nick drake to neutral milk hotel, bowie to the beatles (although in recent year i have begun to realise that the beatles were infact not actually as good as people originally thought. "i wanna hold your han-ean-eaneand, i wanna hold your hand" is exactly the same black hole i mentioned earlier, as equaly is " she loves you yeah yeah yeah".)
like most unsigned artists (and a few signed artists) i'm poor, i have a bout 2quid to rub together; which may be enough for a small cup of roadside burgervan coffee, but is certainly not enough to buy studio time, so any music of mine that you'll be able to hear online will have been recorded in my living room. (with the exception of 'greed and ignorance')
but really good, costly production is just a cheap trick to sell rubbish music to stupid people, if a song is good it shouldn't need to be dressed up in a tux. it should be about guts not glitz, content over production... viva la revolution.