When the love started

I love music. To a point that if there is ever dead silence that I start to have anxiety and either have to but out my phone and play some sort of jam, or just sing in my head to avoid going crazy. I might be slightly dependent on it, but it has never let me down.

For the record, I don’t have beats. #SennheiserLife

Growing up, I loved country music. I had a “best of” cd of Alan Jackson songs that I still have as part of my collection to this day. I can’t remember any song off the CD other than “pop a top” which is ironically a cover of another person’s song, but the memories of listening to that song were a big part of my young childhood.

As I got a little older, my sister Gretchen got me into some other types of music. At the time she was a band of Linkin Park, and they were between their CDs Hybrid Theory and Meteora when I started to dig their music. Reanimation may or may not have been released when I first started to listen to them, but I remembered when I first heard the music that the rap portions of the songs were a big put-off. Either way, I still feel pretty cool that I was interested in such “heavy” music back when I was in elementary school.

In Middle school, I transitioned to a little bit more angsty music I would say. My friends were big fans of Slipknot but I got more into music like Avenged Sevenfold, because I thought the tats and piercings and black hair made that band so cool. Admittedly, I still enjoy City of Evil, but I have fallen off the A7x wagon. Not because they aren’t good, but my tastes have changed.

Eighth Grade is around the time I really started to learn to love music. There is something about watching FUSE television (if that’s not a throwback, idk what is) and hearing Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick Push” for the first time that made me really fall in love with music. By this time, rap was still rather strange of a concept for me, and after hearing that song it just clicked. I never bought that album, but Lupe was cemented in my top 5 rappers list forever.

Before we move on, for those rap fans out there, I will go ahead and put up my top 5s for both all-time and alive for reference:

All-time: 2pac, Notorious BIG, Nas, Big L, Big Punisher

Living: Nas, Pharoahe Monch, Lupe Fiasco, Big KRIT, and Vince Staples (honorable mentions: Earl Sweatshirt, Kendrick Lamar, and Joey Bada$$)

Those are largely biased, I just figure it would give you a frame of reference.

Another great memory I have when defining my music tastes was that an award show had a showdown between three metal songs. The songs were “Blood and Thunder” by Mastodon, “Confined” by As I Lay Dying, and “Redneck” by Lamb of God. At the time, “Confined” got my overwhelming vote for the best of the three, but I had to admit I loved all three. Years down the line and I’ve bought almost all the music from all three bands, but Lamb of God moved from my third favorite in that countdown to my favorite band of all time. It’s not even close. It’s Lamb of God, then waaaaaay under that is Mastodon, then everything else.

As I Lay Dying won that award for the record, with the lineup that included Clint Norris on bass. Good times.

So, what does this mean for you? Maybe nothing. I think it’s important to map out musical influences throughout your life though. What song changed the meaning or a genre or what band came into your life and changed it in a significant way (whether by making you spend all your money on their merch or just by being so awesome you get a tattoo to honor it)? Music is important people. Take note of it’s evolution as well as your own.

Sorry I’m rambling, it’s been a long day and music is the safe haven.

– Dave

Digital vs. Physical

Okay, so here’s the situation. Later this month, my favorite band is going to release an album, and I am now faced with the decision of: do I buy the digital version or should I just wait and buy the physical copy. Either way I’m supporting my favorite band and both forms offer their unique sets of pros and cons, so the decision is becoming increasingly difficult.

Digital

iTunes, or whatever you prefer to download music from is pretty convenient. Why? because you can’t scratch up a digital copy of a song. If you accidentally delete it from your library, its still on file that you have bought it. It can’t be stolen, its easily retrievable, and its solid quality. Not to mention, in certain cases (like this specific case), you can pre-order a cd and get some of the pre-released songs earlier so you can enjoy them.

The way I look at it is that my favorite band has three songs out there that I absolutely love, and I can’t listen to them without internet connection for another 19 or so days. That may not seem like a big deal, but these songs may very well be some of their finest. The question is, could I last 19 days and go to a record store and just pick up the physical copy, or should I go with convenience and just get it early and have it as soon as possible. After all, I work 6 days a week (sometimes 7) and it may be hard to get to the store.

The downside of digital is that you don’t get to add digital files to a collection. You can’t show how much you love your favorite bands. I love to collect music, and my cd stand back home has more than ran over. I have all of their other albums, I feel like this just needs to complete it.

Physical

This is pretty much the opposite of digital when it comes to convenience. You can misplace the cd, have it scratched up through every day use, and sometimes you might get a cd that is not the best of quality. Like I said, the big draw of this is just having the cd to put in your collection. You also get a sweetass booklet with lyrics, and pictures, and credits and shtuff. Maybe I’m just old school, if I love a band I’d rather have the cd itself

The Verdict

Unless I have a drastic change of heart, I think I am going to buy both. The band has been my favorite for years and spending money on their music does not bother me in the slightest. Do you think I’m looking at this the wrong way? Should I wait? Should I not worry about the collector aspect of it? All these questions and more on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z.

-Dave

My Body Is Ready.

Wax Tailor: Tales of the Forgotten Melodies

WAX TAILOR

When I first started listening to Spotify, I spent a lot of time listening to “Spotify Radio” that led me to some interesting finds. I’ll be honest when I can’t say what song’s “radio” led me to the discovery of Wax Tailor, but I’m glad it did.

The first song I heard off Tales of the Forgotten Melodies was “Que Sera.” Essentially the song is just a sample of Doris Day’s song of the same name put over a reworked beat. That style continues thought the album, and it creates a hauntingly beautiful sound that is both familiar and refreshingly unique. There are also samples of TV shows and movies that create this feeling of a developing narrative.

Despite being put together by a hip-hop producer, this album really has something for everyone. From the aforementioned Doris Day to features by the rap group “The Others” and even one of the greatest remixes of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good that I’ve ever heard.” The combination of horns, strings, and an effect to mimic the sound of a record on a turntable makes this 2005 release sound like it is much older than it truly is. This is the type of music that you put on a pair of good headphones, relax, and just melt away into the music.

Out of 10, I’ll give this album a solid 7. It’s definitely worth a listen. It’s a tad slow for my pace for listening to on any consistent basis, but it’s a staple of my iTunes library just for times when I need to relax the mind.

-Dave

P.S. Next week I’ll pick an album I’m less familiar with and give it a lesson. It’ll take the bias out.