The Gift

In a stroke of good fortune, a good number of my favorite bands have put out new albums in the past few weeks. This is a remarkable circumstance given the fact that I tend towards overproduced, melodramatic, progressive/virtuoso music, and the bands that produce this type can't be bothered to put out new material until they've finished patting themselves on the back for their previous releases. As a result, my favorite bands put out albums only once every 2-3 years or so. This year has simply witnessed a convergence of these intervals.

As human beings we naturally define ourselves in large part by the things we like - hence why we love to do things like compare favorite movies or place certain books in prominent positions on our shelves. For me, this means of self-actualization comes through music. The right musical performance can make you sense the world in a way that nothing else can. Perhaps because we live in a world of chronic desensitization, this experience has become even more of a premium.

I often notice that the best indicator for whether I will get along with someone is how closely our musical tastes align. I believe this to be the case for me especially because I listen to some pretty obscure bands, and quite frankly there aren't many people in this country who share my musical preferences. Unfortunately, this means I'm caught in the awkward position of trying to find like-minded fans - and by extension, new friends - while seeking to avoid sounding like an arrogant snob.

Similarly, my open disdain for today's Top 40 hits precedes me. I have always found it astounding that so many people accept what is presented to them as the best of all possible options. I am equally surprised to see how unwilling they are to listen to something different. After all, I listen to their music nearly every day of my life: in stores and restaurants, in bars and clubs, in movies and on television, from cars racing down the street and from ringtones. And you know what? It sounds terrible every time. I hope those people realize that doing the same thing over and over won't change the outcome. That, as Einstein said, is the true definition of insanity.

All of this returns to my main point, namely, that I treasure music so much that it sometimes selects my friends for me; conversely, the music I don't like serves to exclude others from that category. Ironically, while the overall poor quality of today's music makes finding similar souls much more difficult, it acts to strengthen ties by uniting those of us who despise it.

Of course, I also realize that, for the most part, the people who listen to whatever MTV is currently selling aren't really music fans at all. They're fans of trends and pop culture, which is a simillarly undesirable category but one that at least doesn't incriminate music. For these people, being seen doing things that they feel they ought to be doing is their primary mode of expression and social interaction. Such music, though intrinsically devoid of any redeemable characteristics, provides the perfect avenue for people with obsequious personalities and no opinions to associate with others of their ilk and to gain the psychosocial comfort this arrangement offers. This setup also provides society an overall benefit by keeping them away from those of us who actually decide our preferences.

I don't believe that they feel today's pop music is truly good music - that conviction would require lowering my expectations of humanity beyond which I'm prepared to do. Instead, I'm reminded of the classic Candid Camera episode where actors were stationed in an elevator, all of them facing away from the door. In this bit, a test subject would enter the elevator, notice that everyone was facing the wrong way, and in every instance would eventually turn around to the face the same direction as them. This scenario is the only explanation I have for why the billboard charts are dominated by "musicians" who can't sing, write music, or play instruments. The fact that no one seems to mind is the true mystery.

As you can probably tell, I've upset a lot of people - including myself - by arguing over music. But when something is that important to you, you stand to lose so much more by putting up no fight at all.