The Brain Dump

8-28-24

Music Is Cool

Music is something everyone is familiar with, even if it isn't the same kind of sounds everyone is universally used to. We all have our own individual ideas of what makes "good" music. But regardless, music is part of the human experience and is (IMO) mandatory to live any kind of fulfilling life.

All About the Feels

Music is such a weird thing. It's a bunch of sounds that appeals to us, and that's just the start of it. Once you start throwing in lyrics, shit goes off the walls. IMO, this is one of the more interesting parts of musical production. You can be some random asshole feeling a certain way, then an album (or song) comes along that makes you say "WTF? I feel the same way!" Being able to identify with each other is a natural part of the human experience, but the fact that music seems to create an intangible bridge between emotions is something I'm sure philosophers love to ramble on about at length. The ability to use sounds & words to convey to you in an intimate manner how someone feels is insane. I wish I could make my customers feel that when I have to do shit they decided not to do despite being given explicit instructions simply because they can't be bothered.

Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?

Another potent part of music is the concept that lyrics and song not only convey emotion, but they can convey the state of mind of the musical creator. Anguished teens across the globe are rejoicing at this very moment because they discovered an angsty 90s band that completely encapsulates their existence. Not really, but maybe... probably. No matter how you feel, if you dig deep enough, you can find music that you can identify with. Part of the human experience is shared experiences, so music can totally fulfill that need in a way. You don't have to know a fuckin' thing about the artist; all you need to do is listen to their music and you feel like you can understand them at that particular point in time. if not completely, maybe just a little. Maybe it clicks with you, maybe not. More often than not, it seems possible to connect with that little bit of ourselves thrown out via an MP3 or whatever. Definitely strange, but equally interesting.

Listen to EVERYTHING

I'm not a fan of quite a bit of music. I'm just your average schlub: I like what I like. However, that doesn't mean anyone should stop exploring music just because they find something they don't happen to like. If you're a human being, there's very likely a musical genre/style that will appeal to you. I'll admit, at times I've been that guy who's been like, "That music sucks.", but then I grew up. As a self-proclaimed person who's "grown up", I will say that there is tons of stuff that you may think sucks, but is someone's eternal jam. Sure, it may not be your thing (or even close), but if that's what does it for them, who are we to complain? I regularly enjoy music I'm sure some would say is "fucking nuts", but that's the beauty of music. What you like may be complete different from what someone else likes. Even crazier, that someone else may be someone you like, be it "like" as in thinking they're cool or as in someone you could see yourself falling in love with. Musical divisions (like many divisions in humanity) are all superficial. Hell, even if you feel a certain way now, you may not feel that way in a week/month/year (cue the shitty FRIENDS theme), but you feel that at the time. Just like any other memory, those things may pass, or on the other hand, they may stick with you. Regardless, listen to that shit and make a mental note of it. There have been plenty of times where I've listened to a certain song that wasn't my thing only to come back to it years later and be like "Yeah, that's cool."

Just so I can put my own little idiot self out there, here are some tunes that are my favorites I listen to according to my mood, but are all music I enjoy. All I ask is you acknowledge how eclectic my shit taste is and maybe realize having wildly different interests in music is not at all a bad thing.