On Music
A couple months back, I was gifted with a bunch of mp3s and almost immediately asked which was my favorite. Aieee! The problem with that approach is that I really don't listen to music that much. It's generally out of the question at work. At home, I don't often have dedicated listening time. I can put it on while I'm doing other things, but then it's background noise I'm not paying attention to, making it easy to miss songs and hard to critique them. Ultimately, I usually only end up listening to five or six songs a day at the most while driving to and from work. And then, they have to be in a format that I can play in the car (which will play mp3 files, but only from CD).
In the end, the answer was Blackmore's Night's Under a Violet Moon.
The process got me thinking a little about what I like in music these days. It's got a nice beat that draws you in, that's good. The lyrics are pleasant and generally understandable, that's a plus. The biggest thing in my book, however, seems to be that it's evocative. Between music and vocals, it paints a picture in my mind, and I love that. Those songs transcend music.
Some songs get "free" points in that column because I associate them with something that may be independent of the song itself. Megumi Hayashibara songs elicit memories of watching The Slayers back when it was new, neat fantasy anime. Chris Cornell's You Know My Name probably wouldn't get as much interest from me if it weren't tied directly to the return of James Bond. Some songs remind me of certain times of my life.
And some manage to pull it off all on their own. Operation Mindcrime remains among my favorite albums. The picture it paints may not be pretty, but it's surprisingly vivid at times and coherent throughout. It suits certain moods and provides inspiration to me for distopian futures like your typical cyberpunk settings.
In the end, the answer was Blackmore's Night's Under a Violet Moon.
The process got me thinking a little about what I like in music these days. It's got a nice beat that draws you in, that's good. The lyrics are pleasant and generally understandable, that's a plus. The biggest thing in my book, however, seems to be that it's evocative. Between music and vocals, it paints a picture in my mind, and I love that. Those songs transcend music.
Some songs get "free" points in that column because I associate them with something that may be independent of the song itself. Megumi Hayashibara songs elicit memories of watching The Slayers back when it was new, neat fantasy anime. Chris Cornell's You Know My Name probably wouldn't get as much interest from me if it weren't tied directly to the return of James Bond. Some songs remind me of certain times of my life.
And some manage to pull it off all on their own. Operation Mindcrime remains among my favorite albums. The picture it paints may not be pretty, but it's surprisingly vivid at times and coherent throughout. It suits certain moods and provides inspiration to me for distopian futures like your typical cyberpunk settings.
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