Perhaps it is familiarity, or nostalgia, or just the need to hear some angry music when I myself am not in the world's best mood, but listening to Fugazi on the I-tunes network at work is my panacea today. I've noticed over the years that I categorize my music more by mood than by any other classification system:
Fugazi for angry, blue, and, funny enough, great mood
Portishead for blue or randy (not sure what that combo says about me)
Techno of any type for a good mood, driving long distances, or drinking heavily
The Smashing Pumpkins at just about any time of the day or mood
Classical or jazz for studying or relaxing
Ska/The Queers for summer days and road trips
Old school Jump-up Jungle for hot summer days and driving in the city
Funk for cleaning or entertaining guests
and so on...
It's funny how music has always been my safe place; somewhere I can turn to to invoke the certain state of mind that I wish to be in, or to soothe myself out of moods in which I don't want to find myself. I'm a little disappointed in myself that my actual accumulation of new music seems to have ended, for the most part, in the mid-90s. I heard something on This American Life once that we lose our sense of adventure for trying new things somewhere around the age of 23; after that point, we as individuals tend to revisit what is familiar and pleasant to us, and think of anything new as being inferior. Granted there are some people who never seem to stop wanting to push their boundaries, I tend to agree with this hypothesis; why else would oldies stations be necessary, or did our parents never seem to want to go with us to get Ethiopian food rather than Italian? I, for one, am waiting for the time when there will be 90's alternative stations and mega buffets that serve Asian, Middle Eastern, and African foods.
Wow, from music to food - hitting all the comfort zones today!
Not Goodbye, but See Ya Later
8 months ago
2 comments:
Fugazi is great. As is their bastard brother Egg Hunt, Jane's Addiction, and Faith No More to name a couple of late 80's-90's ground-breakers. Ever get a chance to listen to Lovage, yeah... I have a bit of a Mike Patton fetish, they're great. I could go on and on, but it would be borring.
Oooh lovage is great!
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