I'm in a rut.
Not in a rut, rut - more like a musical rut.
I've felt for some time now that I've been listening to the same stuff for years...and years...AND YEARS! Yeah, I buy the occasional CD and download the occasional stuff from iTunes, but I'm feeling the need for a big change. I think the main reason for my musical rut is that we no longer have a car, so I don't really get a chance to listen to the radio as often as I used to and hear "what the kids are listening to" on a regular basis.
So...what to do? What TO DO? Here's what I did: I decided to turn to my year-end issues of Blender and Rolling Stone for some guidance; pages and pages of "Best Albums of 2008" and "Singles Of The Year"!
I went to iTunes and listened to some albums; things I've never heard before - TV On The Radio, My Morning Jacket, Vampire Weekend, etc. I have to admit: none of it really got me that excited. Am I getting old? It all sounded the same to me and nothing really stood out from the pack. I ended up downloading the new Kanye West CD and "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne (cue: Mrs. TBF rolling her eyes up into her head), but that was it.
Then it hit me. Maybe albums aren't the answer. Yes, that's it! Singles!!!
I turned to the list of top-100 2008 singles in Blender and listened to a few of them. I'd never heard most of them before, but that's no surprise. I've never even heard "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry, for God's sake! Needless to say, I'm feeling really, REALLY out of touch. Time for drastic action...
I'm thinking of downloading ALL of Blender's "Singles Of The Year"...no exceptions. And I mean NO exceptions. I'll even download "viva la vida" by Coldplay (#9) despite the affiliation with Gwyneth Paltrow which, in my opinion, makes them a chick-band and should immediately disqualify them from a spot on my play list. Others on the list include: MGMT (is it M-G-M-T, or management?), Blitzen Trapper, Lykke Li, Conor Oberst, Jonas Brothers, Cat Power, Sigur Rós, M.I.A., The Ting Tings, Ra Ra Riot, The Knux...
Wow! Wouldn't I just be the coolest ever???
Should I?
Yes...I should!
I will!
Thanks for your help!
Updated later: I did!
10 comments:
Correction please - didn't I listen to the Kanye West download with you last night and didn't I say I thought it was very listenable? Not sure I'm ready for lil Wayne yet though. I guess I am admitting to being old.
I have an additional suggestion - why don't you put on one of the radio channels on our satellite to hear what the kids are listening to when you're at home, not that I object to you downloading the singles.
I only meant that you rolled your eyes up at Lil Wayne. Also, since I rarely go into our TV room during the day, it never really crosses my mind to turn on the stereo - good idea!
I like the radio suggestion by mrs TBF! But as you write about all of those singles, I don't know half of them either and I listen to the radio more than you... So... It's not saying that much... Maybe we are both just older and becoming out of touch of TEENS... lol
You haven't heard "I kissed a girl" you need to watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS5RFlAJXh4
MGMT is cool, as is Sigur Ros, MIA and the Ting Tings, you're all up on the hot stuff now TBF!
I think you need to buy ever song on this album:
http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Rhythms-Your-Cocktail-Hour/dp/B0000001AJ/ref=pd_bbs_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1231379720&sr=8-6
I just bought the CD, and it's absolutely fantastic. Music that screams for a Martini.
You should get a last.fm account.
Radio in Chicago sucks nowadays. There is no great station anymore...including XRT. Thank gawd I have a sister who has a young daughter to keep us up to date.
Would you consider yourself 'musically dead'?
I wouldn't consider myself musically dead at all. However, I began to lose touch a little bit this last year. Not having a car was one issue, but I also didn't watch music videos as much as I have in the past. I have subscriptions to Rolling Stone and Blender, so I'm at least familiar with the artists and song titles even if I haven't heard them. This year, I'm going to stay more on top of things.
I agree with The Sour Kraut...Chicago radio, even WXRT sucks. However, we just bought a new Acura and it came with satellite radio. I am really enjoying the variety of music on that.
Stay away from Coldplay...best comment I read about them from a reviewer was that they are "Music for Bed-Wetters". I totally agree!
CB - Yeah...I noticed the last time I was in Chicago that WXRT was different. I just figured that they had been bought by some big company that ended up changing their format and playlist.
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