I have a particular fondness for rorschach tests. (The ink splotches on cards presented with the questions from psychiatrists – “What do you see here? How does this make you feel?”) Lord knows why exactly, I think I enjoy the thought that everyone’s perception is unique.
It goes without saying that different people enjoy different music. But I got to thinking the other day, “What types of ‘feels’ do people take away from different types of music?”
Think of viewing an abstract painting. Everyone sees something different — from the view of the slobbering two-year old to the old man cocking his head to the left. This can be nice in that, theoretically, every channel of the work can be admired — every artist in the musical realm has the potential to be admired — to an extent.
I try my best to keep an open mind to nearly every genre of music — you can even catch me relaxing to some Trace Adkins if you get me in the right southwest mood. Granted, there is a time and a place for every tune imaginable, but to me, and every other musical connoisseur, there are a couple groups that stand out.
These groups are the kind of abstract Jackson Pollock masterpieces our minds can most easily relate to, relax to, reform to.
However, I will say that it frustrates me that people often call out my favorite artists and blatantly jeer on their very existence. So much so, that when I grow up, I want a private listening room, free from the ignorance of the world, that solely plays Fall Out Boy and Bon Iver in order to further my emotional growth.
It’s hard to live with the fact not many people who surround me enjoy the same music. You win some, you lose some I guess, but the fact of the matter is everyone has their own tastes and we all have to get past it. Some people may pick up a philosophical realization in a piece while others can discard it as a piece of trash.
So my advice to bridge the gap is just to go out and give it all a chance. Party to Rihanna and LCD Soundsystem. Relax to Jason Mraz and Fleet Foxes. Get your country fix in Trace Adkins and The Avett Brothers. Return to your middle school year with Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco.
Go through every decade and trace how we got to where we’re at musically. From The Velvet Underground to Boston, Dire Straits to Brittany Spears, and everything in between. Hell, throw in some Rick Astley for good measure.
If you’ve got any questions, comments, concerns, or bands for me to check out be sure to send them my way at [email protected] out tweet at me @thehippestcat.
