From choir to classical to indie, I am a music lover through and through. People never agree on what is "good" music. I don't care. This is what I like.
From choir to classical to indie, I am a music lover through and through. People never agree on what is "good" music. I don't care. This is what I like. |
|
|
Nick DrakeThis boy is something of a god to me. An unbelievable virtuoso on the guitar; a chromatic, haunting voice; and effortlessly poetic lyrics all contribute to this infatuation. He is the only person of whom I can say that I own absolutely everything he ever recorded. The only one. I was introduced to his music as a senior in college (late 2000). His hook song (there is always a single song that catches my interest ... but the artist's corpus must maintain it) for me was "Way to Blue," which seems to be one of the more recognized ones. Secondly only to "Pink Moon," which appeared in a Volkswagen commercial at some point, although I cannot recall ever having seen such an ad. I do not have the vocabulary or the poetic nature necessary to express in words what it does to me to listen to Nick Drake. I wish that I could. So I will have to be a little bit technical. His talent on the guitar stems from what is obviously extreme comfort (he is in his element) and an apparently hyperactive right hand. Whereas a lot of guitarists seem to think that the onus of expression sits squarely on the left hand and its ability to wiggle, Nick's right was unbelievable. Listen to any song from his last album. They are all just his voice and his lonely guitar. I swear it's like there are two of them. His talent was such that he has convinced me on many occasions that he is more than one guitarist. But at bottom, there is just something about that voice. There is a pain that surges through it, a deeply felt emotion that has to do with something unknown yet familiar. I do not always know what he is talking about, but I think I almost always know what he is singing about. Here are a couple of my favorites, more or less in order:
|
|
My Morning JacketRight, so like I said, I do also love me some Indie. And these are the guys who started it for me. I am particularly proud of them because I did not "discover" them with a bunch of peers. I was looking around on AudioGalaxy, back when that meant something, and I just happened upon them. I "discovered them by myself," as I am apt to say. My affection for this group of boys stems primarily from their adeptitude at creating an overall musical mood -- "ambience" might be a better word for what I'm getting at. Much like Nick Drake, they are able to create in me the feeling of understanding, but with a very stylistically distinct way of doing it. The mood they create depends on the song and varies greatly in terms of quality from song to song. But they are possessed of certain moments of subtle genius, weaving together different sounds with astonishing results.
|
|
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart"Yes, of course," you will be saying. "How could he not say Mozart?" "Exactly," I say unabashedly. "How could I not?" Mozart is the one-man embodiment of the heart of music "in itself," if I may be so bold as to borrow a term from philosophy. Music, very much like visual art and philosophy and other "intellectual pursuits," has drifted far from what I naively believe to be the original and more perfect aims of these practices. Namely, composition and painting and philosophizing have become more like competitions to see who can make something different instead of something more beautiful. Hence Philip Glass. Hence Jackson Pollock. Hence all henchman of originality at the price of beauty. Mozart was original almost to a defect. He was recognized in his time, surely. He was recognized as an above-average composer. One of a very many of equivalent talent, more or less. His genius, just like Nietzsche's, was only vaguely felt during his own time. It was only until somewhat after his death that the perfection inherent in his composition was felt. Some say he was slightly repetitive. And it's probably true. Indeed, if I could add 10 productive years to any composer, it would certainly be Beethoven over Mozart. Nonetheless, for unflaggingly creating music-for-its-own-sake, for putting forth various pieces of such complex and subtle beauty, for taking risks and carrying the listener to wonderfully new places, for more beautiful and memorable moments than I can or care to count, Mozart is my favorite classical composer. Deal with it. I have gone ahead and listed a couple of favorites, but these were more or less chosen from a hat. I like way too much to list it all.
|
|
Pink FloydIt is somewhat unfortunate that this band is so good, since their phenomenalness came at the same time as (whether or not being caused by) their drug use. I once listened to a very early album of theirs and was completely overwhelmed by the lack of any hints of their genius-to-be. In their later albums, however, they came into their own and created original, complex, and fundamentally beautiful pieces of music. It is a bit druggy, yes, but I guess we must simply make the realization that not all beautiful things are apt to come about in exactly the same ways. Here, again, are just a couple of my favorites:
|
|
|
