Music

March 4, 2025

Music is amazing and probably saved my life duh

Why music?

I doubt anyone can particularly pick out their first exposure to music. And everyone's experience with music, I am sure is as unique as their own experience with life itself.

I think the reason for which that we have those unique experiences, and why we hold music so dear is also simply as unique as our own schemas.

A unifying factor for its importance however, I think is clear in how it is one of the not necessarily verbal ways to share a snapshot of what you consider to be beautiful in your own Schema. This is how we introduce Schema-Switching in a way which is not necessarily reliant on your words.

It is a completely valid way to Splay your Schema, and it's one of the most effective ways to do so. Very time dependent however, and of course relies heavily on the listener's openness to what you have to present to them. Seeking to Understand cannot be substituted in terms of Schema-Switching.

Anyways, back to my own journey

My musical journey

I approach music from way more of a listener standpoint even though at several stages of my life I have experimented, and I believe I still will, experiment with expression through music. As an overflow of emotion, it is so essential to do so.

Though I've always felt a draw towards guitar heavy music. Something about both acoustic and electric resonances deeply draw myself towards them.

It could be connected to the guitar heavy music that I was brought up with. Some of my family's favorite music on long drives were James Taylor, Harry Nilsson, Squeeze and so many others.

A very musical family, definitely rooted in rock.

My mom would have this one playlist on CD which had Sam Sparrow, Chet Baker, and a lot of other interesting ones. She loves jazz and genres that are very emotive. We rarely listened to much technically challenging music, though I discovered my own deeper taste for the vision of some classical composers eventually much later.

When I had my own options for music, I had a much stronger tendency towards rock.

My youngest preference was Green Day, especially American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. To this point, I believe they still remain one of my favorites of all time. My brother and I would absolutely love When I Come Around, specifically the version on International Superhits.

The first time I remember bonding with someone over music that I claimed as my own. Instances of which I believe are fundamental to developing ownership over your own personality. Dealienation of your preferences. I remember that moment as being with a family friend over Linkin Park.

It's so special to find someone who appreciates on a level that you feel you resonate with an artist. Finding your tribe, finding a potential member of your karass, though it's most likely a granfalloon.

Anyways having developed deeper love for rock, and gaining a sense of independence in my own taste in music, I was able to explore it on a deeper sense.

Exploring Grunge and Alternative

For the longest time, as an individual growing up in a small community, especially one that valued cohesion. I would struggle deeply with Thought Discretization. What makes me different. Liking things on the basis that they will help me blend in, or develop more granfalloons did not appeal to me anymore. So I needed to explore more artists.

And such following a realization that I really resonated more with alternative rock and grunge, I was launched into an exploration of the 90s movements. With an extra special emphasis on riot grrrl.

And so I began to make it a point to explore. I would listen to Hole, Garbage, L7, Veruca Salt, you name it.

My favorites quickly became Garbage, Hole, The Distillers, anything with Brody Dalle and so much more. Ugh Sleeter-Kinney and there just are so many artists that I loved and still do love. Donita Sparks, PJ Harvey and by god did I love Courtney Love's solo stuff.

Funnily enough, I was a Hole fan earlier than I was a Nirvana fan or even an Oasis fan.

From the initial exploration into grunge, which took place when I was 14, I moved on to other forms of rock.

Black Hole sun, Weezer, some of that alternative weird era were things I was exploring. All the while I still had my feet deep in some of my still favorites like the Ivy rock Vampire Weekend I absolutely loved Ezra Koernig.

Throughout this time though I believe my love for alternative was pretty mainstream, I really enjoyed some Saint Motel, some Vulfpeck. There were so many artists that had a couple really good songs, and I'm afraid this was just kinda that era. I liked Declan Mckenna OH MY GOSH

Lewis Del Mar, Franz Ferdinand, Sir Sly... Great music

But what Really got to me were:

Some of my favorite alternative, not that that wasn't some before.

I absolutely loved Wild Party, they have singles like Outright and Chasing Honey, but that's about it from what we got to hear from them. Real shame. There was also Superorganism now styled SPRORGNSM i think, or something like that.

Alt-J OF COurse. some Cold War Kids. And one of my absolute heart wrenching favorites... Passion Pit. All these artists mean so much to me.

There was some Teen Spirit, some Violent Soho, and a LOT of Interpol.

The Wombats, CHVRCHES, Bleachers, Tennis, and of course Alvvays.

Bombay Bicycle Club, New Politics and of course HAIM.

Some other genres I got to explore

My brother was really into Rizzle Kicks which I still enjoy and love. He just really liked soccer, so I'm sure down with the trumpets was picked up by fifa or something, or someone used it for a chelsea video. I'm sure he was tapped in somehow over there.

I had also loved Imagine Dragons though that was quickly forgotten lol. I liked smoke and mirrors, though my favorites were of course radioactive era.

Of course Arctic Monkeys and woah, Dirty Pretty Things a Libertines offshoot that had such a damn unique sound, were some amazing memories. Of course I still listen to AM pretty often now too.

I absolutely love Regina Spektor, and I remember watching VH1 top 20 countdown with my mom, my dad and my brother every saturday or sunday morning. Music was such an important part of the weekends. It was quite literally what ringed in the end of the week for me. And it was such a pleasure to hear those songs and watch the videos.

VH1 had most of these artists, at least as they were at the top of the charts. Bruno Mars, Ke$ha, Train, Maroon Five, Usher, Taio Cruz, Gwen Stefani, Kieza, This was the golden age of music, and especially music videos. There are so much more, and if it was on VH1, then you could assume we loved the song.

Then I started devouring albums like mainstream emo Jimmy Eat World, and on my own: Bright Eyes.

Two Door Cinema Club holds a special place in my heart,

I kept exploring, and I became entranced in EDM

Some Electronic

Of course there was Skrillex. Introduced by my best friend at the time who I used to play hockey and soccer with. He also introduced me to this deepend remix of something else. He kept me on top of the trends of songs that were really good among some very specific types of people.

Then there was a hugeeeeee Odesza phase. I mean how can you not. It's some of the best music to fucking tap in!

There was a big Flume era too of course, And so many independent tracks. I got into Sjowgren, Tennyson, Baths and FKJ on the chill jazz end.

Then out of no where I got really into some new shit. And I mean avant garde before it was avant garde. I was listening to SOPHIE, Spazzkid, Kero Kero Bonito and so many more.

Second coming of grunge

Of course every now and then I realize, I actually go through phases and constantly revisit grunge and other forms of rock.

This time it struck hard. with The Smashing Pumpkins and The Pixies

all the while intermixed with some of that electronic from earlier.

I would be listening to AREA 21, Far East Movement, Calvin Harris and far more than I'd like to admit of David Guetta.

deadmau5, kiiara and Jai Wolf.

All of a sudden back to the alt phase.

When A Moon Shaped Pool came out, I began to explore everything I missed about Radiohead.

Then as things I guess slowed and diversified I discovered an amazing artist who I still absolutely love and would kill to see live any time ever. Courtney Barnett. UGH History Eraser, Avant Gardener, she CANNOT release a bad song I swear to god.

Anyways, there was an obsession with Fight Like Apes which I still stand by. and then an introduction into probably the most embarassing music genre I am into... KPOP...

With groups, and only the girl groups had bops, like Girls Generation, Red Velvet, EXID, and AOA... how could you go wrong. Not to mention Twice (a concert I got to see with my dad where we were both insanely high the entire duration fuck yeah...) and everything of course.

back to Fight Like Apes, The xx and Lorde! of course. god I love Lorde so much.