Weekend: 12.21.08

How often do we genuinely love the music we listen to?

I think, more often than we realize, the music we listen to is simply a social tool used to meet arbitrary standards set by our peers. If we were all free from judgment from our "tastemaker" friends--the friends who wear plaid skirts, watch Dexter and listen to Ghostland Observatory--wouldn't we all listen to the processed crap we hear on the radio without hesitation?

I'm sure others have debated this exact point in more concise terms than I, but once again, a fantastic article on Hipster Runoff got me thinking. I mean, why is so many great pop songs (Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone") shunned by the cool kids while Rihanna's "Umbrella" is embraced? Almost as if Rihanna won some hipster lottery, enabling her to be accepted by all music lovers. How stupid.

All people want to feel good. Human nature has programmed us this way. Pop music, on the whole, makes people feel good. It's shiny and electric, filled with hooks and musical connections that send out reinforcing pulses in our brains--the same pulses that one feels upon the completion of a puzzle or a book. (We won't get complicated, but a good musical hook is like a puzzle being solved by the mind over and over again. When the song sounds synchronous and beautiful, our brains feel accomplished.) Basically, I'm saying human beings would likely listen to pop music above other types of music because it's so accessible and can make us feel good easier.

Personally, I've noticed that no matter which song or artist I'm listening to--50 Cent, Sheryl Crow, MGMT, Of Montreal--it's just pop. I don't listen to MGMT's psychodelia. I don't about Crow's country recordings. I pick and choose the songs that most fit this unfortunate "pop" recess in my music library.

Case-in-point: I drunkenly downloaded two Shania Twain albums a few weeks ago (the total truth--long, long story), and the only songs I genuinely listen to are the poppiest of the bunch. I avoid the heartier stuff.

So what is this "thing" about pop music? Is it just me? Do we listen to music that makes us feel good?

(I know plenty of people that listen to gloomy music to make them feel worse--a sad kind of spiral.)

Conclusion to be added when I think of something.

A few things, 2nd edition

1. Ghostland Observatory put on an amazing show last night. Their opening act, I think named DJ Boothe, was actually amazing as well, something I didn't expect. He totally transformed Stubb's from a BBQ rock venue into what I image a rave in Buenos Aires would be like, complete with glowsticks and diet coke with a little "extra."

2. My new boots. They will kick your ass.

3ish. Old, old picture. I took an old sweater and cut it in half to form a deconstructed cardigan. This photo also demonstrates two other design details I've taken on; wearing dark blues with black and voting pins. The voting pin thing, eh, it ended on November 4th. But I thought it was kitcshy and of the moment, and the tilted, thrown-together look was perfect for the summer-to-fall transition.


4. My favorite detail. I no longer tie around shoes. Not my boots, not my Lacostes, nor my cons. I tie around the lip in a circle or around my ankle. It freshens up what I consider a waaaay overplayed shoe. Really, Converse is not an attractive shoe. Especially the black and white versions, essentially substitutions for "style" when people have none. This elevates the look a bit and catches the viewer off guard. I certainly don't think this would be for everyone, but with shorts or long jeans (where you tie outside the pant), try it out.

5. The Great Magazine Die-Off needs to end. Now. Two of my favorite reads--including Men's Vogue--have been canceled by Conde-Nast. Clearly, I subscribe to a few magazines, ranging from TIME to Entertainment Weekly to Bon Appetit. Reading magazines is simply the easiest way to read, and the layouts and designs of some inspire me in my advertising work.

Dear internet,

Don't kill the magazines.

Love,

The H.A.