Everyone is into music. I doubt I know a single person who does not listen to music. Everyone has their own tastes, whether it be whatever is in the charts (I'm not judging, there's some catchy stuff out there), mellow singer-songwriters, hardcore metal, relentless house or drum n bass, or x-rated rap or RnB. Music means something different to every individual person.
For me, music is everything. It's something you cannot deny; it's infectious. It can change your mood, it can set a scene. Think what film and tv would be like without music! Even outside the context of a film or tv, I find that the music you listen to a lot becomes the soundtrack to your life at the time.
I feel very lucky that I grew up in a family with impeccable music tastes. There was no "Wheels on the Bus" in my house. As a very young child I was subjected to (joking) Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim and Groove Armada by my mum, and Pink Floyd, The Verve and Radiohead by my dad. When I think back to my life at the age of 2, I feel like the soundtrack to my life was "The Bends" by Radiohead, which is really weird when I analyse the album now. This music holds such a place in my heart because it reminds me of that fuzzy feeling of being a happy kid. I sang tracks from "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" to my nursery teachers, and regularly requested "The Bird Is Lonely" in the car with my dad (that's "Scar Tissue" by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, the lyrics actually being "With the birds I'll share this lonely view"). Good music was all around me as my tastes were shaped.
My favourite artists over the last few years include Friendly Fires, The 1975, Catfish & The Bottlemen, White Lies, Jungle, and Tame Impala, who, according to iTunes, come under the genre umbrellas of Alternative and Indie Rock. Most of these bands have been introduced to me by Radio 1, by people such as Annie Mac, Zane Lowe and Huw Stevens. Sadly I haven't seen any of these artists play live (which I have only just realised. Why haven't I? I've seen Jason Derulo, but not my favourite bands of my favourite genres. There's my goal for 2019.)
I like to blank out my music tastes from around 1999-2009, when my favourite artists included S Club 7, Busted (no regrets), and Rihanna (also no regrets, she's a queen), and anything from the Now That What I Call Music compilation albums. At home I still listened to my dad's music, like Keane, Athlete and Snow Patrol, but would never dare share this at school, as knowing the latest pop and rap music is the only way to be cool between the ages of 10 and 14. Does anyone remember on MSN Messenger, it used to show what song you were playing on iTunes next to your name? I used to go through the iTunes chart and listen to the 20 second snippet just so people would think I was cool because I was listening to the latest chart music.
The artist that really introduced me to less mainstream music, and to genres other than pop were Friendly Fires, who I first listened to in 2008. I remember hearing "Paris" and just absolutely loving it from the word go. I don't know what it was about it I loved so much, whether it was the electronic element, or how different Ed McFarlane's voice sounded to every pop vocal I'd ever heard, but I just adored it. It was the first time I had something of my own I hadn't heard on a chart show, or from a member of my family. It was mine, and I loved it. No one at school knew Friendly Fires, and suddenly I felt cool in a different way: I knew about music other people didn't. Friendly Fires are still my favourite band of all time, their music is so happy and so individual, and I am so unbelievably happy that they're back from their hiatus. I'm sure there's more in this for another blog post about my favourite artists & albums.
My love of indie/alternative, rock and electronic music continued to grow with artists like Bombay Bicycle Club, Two Door Cinema Club, Florence & The Machine, and Kasabian. I certainly didn't condemn pop music at the time; I was obsessed with X Factor until maybe 2011 or 12, falling deeply in love with Harry Styles in 2010 (still am, I'm not even ashamed, he's an extremely talented guy). I loved Lady Gaga and The Saturdays (definitely some regrets there). I still don't condemn pop music. Some of it is fucking dreadful and should not be allowed, ("The Middle" by Zedd, "Solo" by Clean Bandit featuring Demi Lovato, I'm looking at you.) Some is so bad I turn the radio off and refuse to listen, or leave the shop it's playing in. However, I do not mind a lot of it. For example Ariana Grande's comeback single earlier this year "No Tears Left to Cry" I am sure is going to be in my top 10 most play songs this year on Spotify, as well as "Lost in Japan" by Shawn Mendes. I'm not even scared to say that I think One Direction's last two albums are absolutely gems (minus a couple of tracks, don't knock them.) I don't think anyone should be shamed for the music they listen to (as long as it's not "Solo" by Clean Bandit, you should be ashamed, it sounds like Old MacDonald had a farm, are you 4 years old, come on!)
Music is something I really cannot imagine my life without, it's such a huge part of culture! If someone asked me what was culture in the 1960s, I think I would say the Beatles before anything to do with the Swinging Sixties, miniskirts, flower power and Woodstock. Whatever music means to the individual, there's no denying its importance. While it doesn't save lives like doctors do, it sure helps.
I hope you've enjoyed this post, stay tuned for more like this, new music posts, album reviews and gig reviews.
Stay safe and stay tuned
(and head on over to https://www.instagram.com/tuesday_sounds/)
G