With as much emphasis as I place on music, it only makes sense to me that I should blog about one of the things I love best in this life…. music! Honestly, there is no such thing as too much of it and I rarely tire of it and desire complete silence. It continues to amaze me how much a single song can change my mood, cheer me up, bring me down or outright make me think of things that hardly ever cross my mind. With an 8gb (small by some standards, I know) IPod that is bursting at it’s plastic seams and my ITunes that comes in with nearly 2500 songs on it, I feel I’m nowhere near done. I find a new song, (or perhaps new to me as I rarely pay attention to the radio), and it seems its no time at all before I’m all but thirsting for new tunes, a different style, a favored artist or even something just lyrically beautiful.
These online games my husband introduced me to, while they are a -tremendous- time suck, they’ve afforded me the ability to meet several people who have done wonders to broaden my musical horizons, whether it’s my best friend from New York dragging me into the chaotic, drum driven songs of Avenged Sevenfold or the operatic rock of Kamelot or my other friend waaaay over in Vegas introducing me to the offbeat lyrics of Ludo, I’ve run into things I’d likely never have found on my own.
Alternately, there are the tried and true songs and artists I was raised on that I still love, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, the Eagles, ZZTop all top the list but none quite come close to my sole favorite from that time, Sir Elton John. While I grant that the man is not the most talented lyricist, his piano playing could soften even the most anti-musical person with the passion and fluidity that just seems to flow so effortlessly from him onto those lovely ivory and ebony keys.All these random thoughts come to me as I sit at work, listening to the satellite radio that my store owner had installed. While for the first year and a half of my employment we subsisted on the LOVE channel, (think Bette Midler, Frank Sinatra, Faith Hill and songs of that sappy nature from the 70’s-90’s) which was good I grant you. Recently however, Ray, Lois and I, I believe, mutually agreed that something newer was needed.
Enter, Sirius Satellite Radio’s station, The Blend. Quite easily one of the better stations I’ve heard, it runs the musical gambit from the late 70’s to music made in the past three or four months. Now, I cannot say it’s -completely- diverse, as there is a fair bit of music I adore that isn’t really meant to play in an upscale jewelry store, but it certainly hangs in there. I recall listening to it that first day, hearing things like the Eagles, Roxette, Hall and Oates, the Beach Boys and I assume it’s an oldies station. Slowly, mingling into the mix, are the familiar and loved (at least by me) songs of Maroon 5, Michael Buble, Daughtry, Uncle Kracker, Lady Antebellum and many others. I spend much of my day singing to myself now, much to Ray’s dismay I believe!Stations like the Blend as well as Pandora are other ways that I find new music, I’ll load up an artist that in my eyes does very little wrong. Case in point is John Mayer, of his four or five albums, I believe he has released two songs that I dislike strongly, I’d say that’s a pretty good track record I’d say. The enormously talented Mayer combines his strong, bluesy guitar style with a more pop-influenced background, low, sultry vocals and lyrics that always make me sit up and take stark notice. It’s rare to find an artist that I am such an avid fan of, but my affinity for John has brought me the likes of Lee Dwyze, Matt Nathanson, Train, The Script and others on the mellow note.
Lyrics tend to be my favorite part of music on the whole. A song can have a catchy beat, or a nice rhythm that makes you want to move… but if the words are trite and ridiculous, I hate it regardless, as is the case with the idiotic “Porn Star Dancing”. Nice beat… but the lyrics are typical, trashy and in general just horrible. On the other hand, I’ve found songs so slow and written from such a painful place that one might be moved to, I don’t know, jump out a 12th story window on a bad day and somehow I find them beautiful such as Breaking Benjamin’s “Dear Agony”, or “Victim” by Avenged Sevenfold. Uncle Kracker’s “Smile” always brings to mind thoughts of my husband, I cannot listen to “Dirty Laundry” by Don Henley without thinking of my father and his wife dancing in their den. Dance routines still flow effortlessly through my mind with the first strains of “Bent” by Matchbox 20 or Alanis Morisette’s “Uninvited”.There is the rare occassion that I will fall for entire albums like Savage Garden’s “Affirmations”, the album is easily ten years old and one of my favorites to this day. “Heavier Things” by John Mayer can mellow me straight out even if I”m angry enough to throw things through windows. Jars of Clay’s “Much Afraid” takes deep root in my life, representing a book I was skeptical of that I grew to love, a Christian band I embraced even though I rarely embrace faith in general and a meaningful (but kept secret from me) reading at my wedding. “Hands All Over” and “You’re Awful, I Love You” by Maroon 5 and Ludo respectively turn me into a bobbing, happy girl who can’t sit still.
Before I dart off to get lost in a musical world for the next twenty minutes until closing time, (and marvelling that my boss is a fan of Matchbox 20), please, next time you turn on your radio or your internet music app (because there is an app for everything). -Listen- to what they’re saying, pay attention to the tune, the rhythm, the flow, the vocals, get lost in the entire thing and you’ll see my meaning. Music itself, no matter your taste, is beautiful.