While I know more than one “cool” person that is very deserving of kudos and accolades I am singling one out here. (nope, I won’t call them out.)
As this story goes, I am a music fan and I can be picky to put it softly. Now that is not saying I am snobish or have a limited scope. I just want to hear what I want when I am in the mood for “it”. I like DJ sets but not all by far. Remixes of 80’s tracks can be good. Newer/ish ‘pick your genre’ can be nice as well. The real test is how does it fit with me right now? If my mood and the tone, lyrics (if any), tempo and general gist match where I am on an emotional point, well, it is probably what I am listening to. Like art “Art is to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” It is an emotional experience not simply enjoying something pretty and nice. Let’s get in your face, make or push you think and question what you think you know. Push some damn boundaries and Punk IT! but please be human when you are not in a mosh-pit and stay away from Ambulance, EMT’s, Firefighters, {Do I have to say it, err…deep breath} Police and ER’s. You get the idea I assume or guess and at least hope so.
I am fortunate to have a set of nice headphones and I did find an excellent pair of used KEF LS50’s to hook up to my Bel Canto AMP/DAC (older model) to fill my small apartment with a full balanced sound that can massage my emotional ears or push them to bleeding if I chose, though it might be from my neighbors that the most blood comes from in the form of WTF anger. I do limit sharing good music with neighbors without a proper warning anyway.
As I have been listening to some sets from my fav’ DJs like La Fleur, Nina Karviz or Peggy Gou I mix it up often. I recently discovered Banks after my short stay in LA not far from Tarzana where her bio claims she is from. But I am heading towards a rabbit hole.
A touch of Folk but I can be extra picky here as the lyrical nature often does not fit well or look good in any way on my mood. Downbeat or downtempo have my thumbs up. Some I am not sure or can be bothered to look up where they sit in the genre tree, like Emily Wells or TOKiMONSTA, which are both worth seeing and hearing live! Post-Punk or Synthwave can be just what I need at that moment. and the playtime has been increasing recently after the one this post eludes to mentioned a playlist with a few photos stapled to an email. I realized what had already been happening.
I realized my recent Post-Punk tendencies on my second cup of coffee when a track came up in the queue I thought ‘I need to ask them about this one’. So, what about The Cure “Plastic Passion”? Oh, whatcha think of Psychedelic Furs? I have a love / hate / leave me alone I am feeling depressed attachment.
I tend to not listen to much rock as I do not gravitate to guitar driven sounds, and I would be remiss if I said I had any understanding of hip-hop / rap, etc.
As a queer person I do need some Garbage in my ears from time to time.
So, smash your TV, get some nice add-free, hopefully lossless beauty making perfect energy for you in that moment for your ears to pass into mind and on to spirit and soul.
So just ’cause I am that mood a few images I, well borrowed from out there. (I might have changed some part of something, this or that.)
Calmness, peace, love, find balance, have fun, look good doing it if only to you, don’t piss people off too badly (if you must do so with style and NOT fashion) and share what you know.
Empress Em 
I’d like to believe that I’m egalitarian when it comes to music — if it’s good, it’s good — but country and rap are still genres I’m not keen on. Having said that, however, Johnny Cash is a god amongst men, ‘Sixteen tons’ by Tennessee Ernie Ford is an epic saga told across two minutes thirty seven seconds, ‘Bust a move’ by Young MC is a fun timeless classic that I know most of the words to, and Wu-Tang is for the children.
Sometimes it takes an artist I enjoy to open my aural eyes (we call them ‘ears’) to artists or genres I’d never have previously paid attention to. Before getting into Current93, I could’ve lived my whole life not listening to folk, but David Tibet’s cover of ‘The sound of Silence’ reveals that it’s actually a rather dark and insidious song. And I never paid attention to Electric Light Orchestra until, upon listening to AIR’s debut album Moon safari, that ELO is baked into their genetic code.
I think what draws me to the artists and genres that I’m into is a combination of how they sound, how they make said sound, and their general approach to performance and/or existence. I got into New wave and Synthpop due to the way the performers looked and the sounds they made, and Punk cos of the approach to musicianship and the approach to living (we’re talking first-wave punk here, of course). Industrial drew me due to its themes of alienation and the artistry that could come of it. I’d latched onto Post-punk cos I love me some minor chords, really. Noise and Power-electronics attracted me as they were more intense than Industrial, both sonically and artistically, and Yé-yé caught my attention cos even though I despise the shallow and disposable nature of contemporary pop music, I will listen to nearly anything recorded during the Sixties that’s sung by a French lass.
I could go on! But I won’t. But I could.
And ooof, that XKCD comic about kerning… I felt that intrinsically. 🙂
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