When the Music Takes Over

This post will be about some of my favourite albums and musicians. When I was a youngster typical pop music was my preferred noise of choice, with Britney, Christina, Nsync and S Club 7 tapes littering my bedroom floor. Inoffensive manufactured music was the peak of my childhood years, with my older brother trying in vain - and failing miserably - to get me to listen to anything else. He even took me to my first Radiohead concert when I was about fourteen to convince me that his type of music was more appealing and interesting than mine, however, I recall spending the entire concert looking bored and painting my nails with a little light up compact mirror I had in my bag. I just didn't get it, the way today I have some friends who still don't get this style of music.



My how things have changed since my naive youngster years. I now have Google updates attached to any Radiohead website I can find, hoping that I'm the first to hear if they add a concert date to their current tour that is close to where I live, one that isn't sold out in minutes. I now get it, I now understand how awful the modern manufactured Radio 1 chart music actually is and now have a much more matured taste in music, with rock and indie-alternitive types of genre being my favourite. Of course I still like my Britney, its now just reserved for when I'm out dancing with my friends who like nightclubs. I love live music and going to gigs, I've seen many over the years with Arctic Monkeys and Muse being particular favourites of mine. I must just be a rock chick at heart and appreciate experimental music such as any Sigur Ros album or Radiohead's OK Computer much more than basic guitar bands, who only play the same few chords over and over again. I'm not a fan of the poor man's Liam Gallagher wannabe bands and scummy frontmen I see so much of now, it gets a bit tedious after a while. Actually, speaking of Oasis, I was fortunate enough to see them in their last ever concert before that inevitable split and was majorly impressed.

If you were to ask me who my favourite band was, I would keep you waiting for a long time. I could not just have one favourite band, how could anyone just pick one when there are so many awesome acts out there? A few of my favourites would include The Strokes, Radiohead, Bob Dylan, The White Stripes, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Libertines, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Pink Floyd. I love the classic rock and roll music from the sixties Beatles heyday onwards to the Joy Division anthems of the eighties. Music is like a close friend to many of us, it's always there when you need it for any particular occasion or mood. Great empathises is bestowed upon the band members just as much as the actual band, with the frontmen leading such extravagant lifestyles only few of us will ever get to witness first hand, unless you are a groupie or roadie of course. I wonder though, does this focus on persons take away from the music at all? I feel at times band members' try far too hard to be an egmatic, larger than life persona who cares a little bit too much on ending up on the pages of NME's Cool list than the billboard top 100. It seems in life, perceptions of beauty and aesthetics will always take charge. 

(images via GoogleImages and humfink)