whole lotta love

For a long time, I didn't like using my personal music player. The main reason was because the bud earphones hurt my ears, but I also resented the way the music invaded my head. It was right in there, intrusive, relentless and demanding.

Now, however, I have a pair of headphones that hook round behind my ears, and although they're uncomfortable after a while, they're much better than the others. Being able to listen for longer means that I've now found that I like the direct contact I have with the music. It's just the two of us, and although I can still hear external noises, they're distant and can't intervene.

To my surprise, it was the music of Led Zeppelin that finally clinched my new appreciation of this way of listening - albums II and IV. I'd never really listened to them properly before, and dismissed them unfairly.

Now, I've borrowed the boxed set of Zeppelin albums, and I'm working my way through them. I've not discovered anything quite as good as II or IV yet, but I'm enjoying it nevertheless.

the sound of music

We received a large boxful of music CDs at work today. Each one has several versions of compositions that you can use on a soundtrack when producing films. The CDs have titles like 'Ambient in the Heartland 2', 'Planet of the Breaks' and 'Noisekraft'.

Each track is described in fruity terms like (and I quote): "unusal trombone with 'cold' (cough, sneeze and catarrh) SFX".

Unfortunately, that particular track really did have coughs and sneezes used as samples.

I'm not sure if we'll ever actually use any of this, especially since it's not licence-free as we'd been led to believe, but it added to the Friday afternoon atmosphere today.

more on music

I've not felt like posting here for a while. There's nothing wrong - I've written a couple of posts at my other blog - but I just haven't felt like opening up. I really appreciate the comments everyone made in response to my previous post about music. I may well take you up on some of your suggestions about going to a gig or trying new music. I don't want to make this into more than it is, but it feels like a large, important topic, and I want to treat it with due respect.

By coincidence, a new series started on Channel 4 last Saturday about how music works. I recorded it, but haven't watched it yet.

the tracks of my tears

Recently I've been getting a lift into work and home again, but today I walked both ways and I really enjoyed it. It gives me an opportunity to listen to music on my mp3 player and enjoy the cool, fresh autumn days.

It seemed a day for 'Sticky Fingers' by the Rolling Stones (can it really be 35 years since it was released?), followed by the more recent 'Tour de France Soundtracks' by Kraftwerk. I have a poor ear for music, and no musical ability whatsoever, but both albums have clearly distinguished instruments, and I enjoy thinking about how the various parts have been put together (or constructed, in the case of Kraftwerk).

Sometimes it saddens me that I no longer seem to get emotionally involved in music - it's just a pleasant but distant experience. And that's why I hate those ear buds. I resent the intrusion inside my head. But desensitisation is much wider than music, both personally and societally, and a topic I don't feel capable of tackling. Perhaps I'm anxious about what I might conclude about myself?