Of Having A Music Identity Crisis

Bob Dylan and The Beatles : Obviously Photoshopped

I am feeling strange talking about this. It’s like going to the doctor about a weird ailment in a part of the body no one talks about, other than in the context of a joke to encourage adult camaraderie. You can say what you like about the pimples on my face, but we can’t ever refer to….

Now, just to be clear, I don’t actually have anything going on, covert or not, that needs a doctor’s appointment. I do have a tooth issue going on for months, but who has ever felt shame talking about their teeth? No, what I am going through, and it must have been about a year (strangely, coinciding with the duration of my tooth issue), is a music identity crisis. I can’t decide what I want to listen to.

Yes, I can’t decide what I want to listen to.

Of The Music You Like

Headphones (Courtesy: Pixabay)

Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?/ I’m getting old and I need something to rely on. – Keane, “Somewhere Only We Know”

According to a recent study, the music you listen to from age 12 to 22 is the music you will go back to, or prefer, for the rest of your life. There have been studies like this before,

Of Private Music

Piano (Courtesy: Pixabay)

Yiwen had a portable cassette player and she was always listening to music as she walked. It was very modern and deeply Western to listen to music that no one else could hear. Private music led to private thoughts. Private thoughts led to private desires, to private fulfillments or

Does Music Streaming Make You A Better Listener?

High Fidelity

There’s too much and not enough at the same time. – Dylan Moran

My Google Play subscription ended a few months ago. I already have an Apple Music family subscription, and though I prefer the services of the former, I thought I’d save a few bucks. 89 rupees per month to be exact, which is 1.367 USD. And now, Amazon Prime has launched its music services, and because I happen to have an account, I’m guessing I’ll be eligible for it too. And I can’t f***ing take it anymore.

Of (Fake) 80s Pop Songs

Today I share with you, as it says in the title, a recent fake 80s pop song (and there are quite a few out there, the best being PoP!’s “PoP! Goes My Heart”) from the recent film Mindhorn, about a fake 80s TV detective. The film is rightly bonkers, and the above single a little gem in itself. “Thunder in jail” is an actual quote by Muhammad Ali.

Book Review: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

A Lad Insane: 2016 Edition

You can daydream with music … it takes you away and creates a new world. – Tim Buckley

I’ve always wondered about the word well-read, and by extension what could be called well-watched, or well-listened. How do we exactly cover all bases with these distinct areas of knowledge? Who decides what constitutes being well-listened? Am I well-listened if I can remember note for note all of Beethoven’s symphonies? Or am I well-listened if I say, “Megadeth makes my ears bleed. And I can confirm this because I’ve listened to ALL their albums, and they’ve consistently made me reach for fresh bandages.”

Of Music and Dance

Today is World Music Day and International Yoga Day. Now, I don’t know if you’re up for yoga, so I thought we’d do some bhangra – Punjabi social dancing – today to combine music and movement. This track is from the Hindi film Kal Ho Naa Ho, and reworks Roy Orbison’s classic into an irresistible dance number. 

Of Vanilla Smiles and Strawberry Kisses

Continuing with this month’s theme of pop and philosophy, I have The Cure’s “Mint Car” for you today. The Cure do plenty of happy numbers, but this one’s, like, the definition of what it is to be happy.

Of Hot and Cold

This is like my generation’s “Hello, Goodbye” (you know, that song by The Beatles about the dialectics of relationships).

Of Dancing By Yourself

She & Him is a band I enjoy a lot. I came across this video again the other day, and I think it’s a really lovely depiction of longing.