If Death Grips isn't the fourth horseman of a hip-hop apocalypse, its music at least tests the genre's threshold of extremity: The trio's abrasive, jittery style teeters on the edge of palatability, and plays toward a morbid curiosity to which many listeners won't succumb.

Anthony Fantano

The idea of music is to liberate the listener and lead him to a frame where he feels he is elevated.

A. R. Rahman

In the end, to do a good accent, you just have to be a good listener.

Abbey Lee Kershaw

As a writer, I find it very satisfying when a lyric suddenly ties together more neatly than you expected it to. But for the listener, hearing a good lyric is not generally as exciting as hearing a great beat or a great riff or a great melody or even a distinctive singing voice for the first time.

Adam Schlesinger

I want listeners to feel as though they went through an experience.

Adrian Younge

We hope to win over new listeners who would normally never listen to an Aly & AJ record. That's our greatest expectation we've set for ourselves.

AJ Michalka

Kendrick Lamar is a phenomenal artist whose work has served as a catalyst to raise a new level of consciousness for this generation. His message challenges the status quo and motivates listeners to rethink our society's institutions.

Aja Brown

I'm not sure it's a better music world of appreciation and performance. I think the listener is a different guy, and listening is something he does in passing, with other stuff going on. There's less care and understanding of the relationship between the song and the listener.

Al Jarreau

I'm passionate about the issues that I care about, and I'm a really good listener.

Alan Lowenthal

If a listener nods his head when you're explaining your program, wake him up.

Alan Perlis

Great entrepreneurs are often great listeners and they can spot patterns and pick up on small details in customer stories.

Alexander Osterwalder

I'm a very good listener. I think that's one of the things that makes me a good producer. But it's a challenge for me because my custom is to listen and absorb what someone is saying and take it in, and not necessarily comment.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

I'm quite a good listener, and I'm good at looking after people.

Amanda Abbington

I like to think I'm a listener, and I'm fascinated by observing people - I suppose you just lock that in.

Amanda Burton

I haven't said this yet, but my goal for this 'Beautiful' album is not to say, 'I'm beautiful,' or, 'OK, I'm so cool.' This is, honestly, an album written for the listeners.

Amber Liu

Politicians are good listeners. Because if they're not, they aren't politicians for very long.

Andrew Cuomo

I often find that pundits are quite negative... not just in tennis, but in sport in general. I just don't like that. Obviously, the job of a pundit is to create interest and a bit of controversy. I get that. Listeners like that. But I do think there's a duty there to promote the sport and talk about how good these people are at what they do.

Andy Murray

Insult is in the ear of the listener. Statements of fact cannot be insulting unless you feel that the label applied indicates some failing, moral or otherwise, in yourself.

Ann Widdecombe

I want the poem to be an experience - for both the listener and for myself.

Anne Waldman

There is great strength in vulnerability, as it takes courage to push through the fear and share one's true self with others. In music, that vulnerability really speaks to listeners as it connects with their own hearts.

Anoushka Shankar

As far as using electronics in my music, I have to do that as honestly as possible. Also, I have a broad range of listeners from a classical music base, as well as people, like me, who listen to a lot of different music. So I'm mindful of letting my sitar playing remain at the center of what I do.

Anoushka Shankar