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music as milestone
August 16th, 2019
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Passing through major change makes itself manifest in a number of
ways. For me, one of the most notable is a musical genre shift.
At the end of a long and tumultuous relationship I set out on
a thirteen hour drive home, newly single, skipping through
stations at 5am in search of something to capture the hole I felt
inside. I caught the beginning of Mountain Stage on NPR (National
Public Radio) as a trio was just starting out. The band, The Be
Good Tanyas [0], are a folk/Americana band from Canada. They
started out their set with a cover of the gospel song, "In My Time
of Dying", most famously performed by Led Zeppelin & Blind Willie
Johnson [1].
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There it was, the resonating echo of my inner self. I was hooked
and would go on to binge the bluegrassy/folk/Americana
scene--especially the likes of Jolie Holland--to great depths over
the next few years. It was a music for the time.
Years earlier I experienced something similar with Enya that you
can all thank for my multi-hour "All Enya" streams on tilderadio.
Joining the Navy took me on a wild ride of electronica and
euro-vocal-trance. My time in Alaska introduced me to the depths
of Nordic electronic minimalism.
And so, with the move to Iceland I expected something to develop.
I know that my tastes would shift. I already adore so many
Icelandic bands, would that grow and encompass a major part of my
life? Would I slide deeper into the fediverse's obsession with
vaporwave? Apparently the answer is no.
Somehow--illogically--I've found myself listening to Reggae [2,3].
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I'm not sure if I can say definitively that this is my new jam,
but it sure is happening a lot. I guess it proves that you can't
predict what the future will hold.
What are your signs of change? Do you change tastes in music like
me, or is it something else? Change nicknames? Take up new
hobbies? |