2008-12-02 00:01:18 by abowman in Ravings of a Lunatic (no comments) permalink
Music can be like archaeology to me. I like to listen to music so I listen to it frequently. Over time my tastes have changed–broadened–and the artists and styles I listen to have changed. As I’ve bought new music and assimilated it, the music has become entwined with the sensations of my life. I can listen to a song and be transported back to a particular time and place that I have associated with it.
I listen to Jack Johnson’s Bubble Toes [itunes] and I’m transported to February a few years ago in the North Georgia mountains. We took a trip with some friends and spent a long weekend in Toccoa. It was relaxing and fun. Bubble Toes was in heavy rotation on my iPod at the time. Now when I listen to it the memories of the weekend come cascading back.
Caramel [itunes] takes me back a decade to my first house. When I listen to it–or any other song on the album–I’m back at my computer in the bedroom working on projects and playing Marathon.
To Live and Die in LA [itunes] takes me back to a summer during college and spending time hanging out with my friend Cal. Death Ship [itunes] takes me back to HSC, listening to music in Jeff’s room. Two Princes [itunes], working at Omega. London Calling [itunes] back to Tech and Bill and Rod and the others in Freeman-Montag on west campus. What Have You Got To Say, Jeeves [amazon], #28, Lennox Circle, London for Christmas in 199?. Sussidio [itunes], working as a life guard at Amber Heights pool–man they played that song a lot. Money for Nothing [itunes], watching MTV.
Tonight I’ve been playing with the Genius playlist feature in iTunes. You select a song and click on the Genius button and it pulls songs from your collection that it calculates will go well together. While it’s not perfect, it makes a pretty good playlist. Part of the charm is that it pulls some old songs from my collection (9 days, 2 hours, 41 minutes and 15 seconds of music) into the play list. So I’ve been taking random trips through my memory this evening. It’s been quite refreshing.