In Every Voice, I Hear You Speak

What Makes Music Good, part 2

"I adore extravagance but I abhor waste." - Vincent Persichetti

      Last time on The TL;DR Blog, I talked about how proper use of guitars, bass, drums and auxiliary instruments makes (some) popular music worth listening.  Today we examine use of the Voice as an instrument.

     When Beethoven's Ninth Symphony premiered in May of 1824, and his monstrous orchestra took the stage, nobody knew what the hell the four solo vocalists and the (probably inappropriately sized) choir was doing standing there with them; until that time, a choir had never been used in a symphony.  It seems odd to us today to even think about music that does not include a voice, much less to imagine that there was a time when using a voice just made "Crazy 'ole Ludie" seem all the more crazy.

     And look how far we've come.

    I've attempted to write the following paragraph, and everything after, somewhere in the realm of 1200 times; I am having a bit (read: shit-ton) of trouble putting my thoughts into words.  This happens quite a bit to me, but even so, I am completely in awe that I cannot listen to music and succinctly put into words why I like it.  The problem is this: the only (only) song that I have listened to straight through without skipping for an entire month is Queens of the Stone Age's This Lullaby.  This has occurred for a very tangible reason (I love singing the first verse,) but has intangibly made me fucking illiterate when it comes to talking about singers.  I know the things that are not reasons this is happening.  It's not because Mark Lanegan is the best singer ever (obviously) or because This Lullaby is the best song ever written (clearly) or even because the song is short enough that I can actually get through it before I start looking at birds out the window (right on the cusp.)  Beyond that, I honestly have no clue why I cannot say what it is I want to say, and I am 79% sure it is a fault of that song.

     I know that this will make no sense to anyone, anywhere.  There are three very specific things that this song has that make me listen to it over and over: Lanegan's Range, which is somewhere between Baritone and Bass; Josh Homme's Lyrics, which are nothing short of awesome (despite their simplicity); and the line "And sure as days come from moments...," something I like to call A Fun Musical Moment (Number One.) 

     Herein lies the problem.  I would love nothing more to sit here and write about all of the singers that have Unique and Interesting voices (Julian Casablancas, Thom Yorke, Josh Homme,) or all of the guys that have Soothing Voices (Dave Grohl when he wants to, John McCrea, David Gilmore,) or the guys that have Voices With a Certain Facet That I Think Is Cool (Isaac Brock and his lisp, Nick Hexum and his one-octave range,) or even the guys who have A Really Annoying Voice That Almost Ruins Their Band's Music For Me (James Hetfield post-1993, Zach de la Rocha and Billy Corgan pre-2010,) but that would seriously take a long time.  I know that I want to talk about those guys, but I honestly have no idea where they fit, or what the hell I'm trying to fit it into.

     So I'm basically just going to take the three things about This Lullaby that make me happy (Range, Lyrical Content, Fun Musical Moments) and use them as a skeleton for talking about voices in popular music.  At this point, I honestly do not expect any of it to make sense.  But I'll try anyways. 

   Range.  I love singing This Lullaby because it is in a comfortable range for me.  No, that's wrong.  It actually fall below my comfort range, which makes it Extra Comfortable/Awesome.  That's it.  But range is a big issue when it comes to a lot of guys, because theirs is so huge.  Matt Bellamy (Muse) has a great natural voice, and his falsetto is Off The Chart Awesome.  Both of those voices are fantastic, but the in-between is nothing to get excited about.  Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) has a smaller range, but has some crazy ability to sing with 17 different voices, all of which sound the same.  This a direct result his strength within the realm of his range, and not just at opposite ends of the spectrum.  On the other hand, Nick Hexum (311) has a very small range (and somehow still doesn't know that changing pitches makes for more interesting vocal lines) but that range is quite comfortable for me to sing in.  Also, his Rap-Speak shit that he used to do, that's fun, requires no talent, and I firmly believe that he pioneered that technique to mainstream success.  I'm going to quit this useless and directionless discussion while I'm ahead ("You're not that far ahead, Ted.") 

See Also:

 Robert Plant - Led Zeppelin, Solo.  High range, but full of soul.

John McCrea - CAKE.  Low range, interesting cadence.

Adrien Hulet - Oso Closo.  His voice sounds like leaves falling to the ground in Autumn.  I love it.

   Lyrical Content.  There are basically four types of lyrical content: there are Happy Lyrics, Sad Lyrics, Angry Lyrics, and Interesting Lyrics.  Sure, there is some in between, and most every song has a theme or a subject, yes.  But I'm really talking about how those lyrics are fun to use outside of the context of the song.  If you use a happy lyric as an away message or Facebook status, people will ask what you're so happy about.  If you use a sad lyric, people will ask what happened.  If you use a nonsensical lyric, people will ask wtf you're talking about.  It's a game, we all play it. 

• Happy Lyrics.  These are usually songs about being in love or reading a sweet book or something.  Some lyrics are just about a positive subject.  Sometimes you just gotta compare your woman to car parts, you know what I'm saying?  Notable EXAMPLES: 

• Led Zeppelin - Trampled Under Foot.

• 311 - everything post 2001, except "Don't Tread on Me," and Hostile Apostle. 

• CAKE - Love You Madly. 

• Muse - Feeling Good.

• The White Stripes - We're Going To Be Friends.

• Queens of the Stone Age - In My Head.

• Modest Mouse - Float On, The Ocean Breathes Salty.

• Sad Lyrics.  These are lyrics that make a sad face.  These are fun use to make old girlfriends mad, or they're fun to whistle really loud at work, because more often than not they have a great melody.  Interestingly, most of these songs fall into my comfortable range, which makes them extra fun to sing really loudly in the car.

• The Wrens - Happy. Ironic, I know.

• CAKE - Friend is a Four Letter Word. 

• Foo Fighters - Home. 

• Pink Floyd - Everything except Money.

• The Beatles - Hey Jude.

•  Oso Closo - Everything on "Rest," notably Sheila.

• Angry lyrics.  These are lyrics that... let people know that you're angry.  Isaac Brock has mostly angry lyrics, as does Hetfield (Metallica.)  There's really no one else to talk about, except Megadeath and Slipknot.  The aforementioned Happy starts real sad, and gets real angry.  I like that song. 

• Interesting lyrics.  There is really no way to further categorize "Interesting" lyrics based on any subject matter.  These are basically just lyrics that make you sound smart when you say them out of context, amirite?  I'll list them by artist to be easiest.

• Josh Homme - You cannot say that "Just drool in the dark as you stare at the lights," is not super fun to sing, and that telling someone to "Clamp me in irons, come on Caligulove me," does not have the potential to be the greatest pick-up line ever.  "Them Crooked Vultures" is full of lyrics like this.  I wouldn't know how to categorize his lyrics if I tried, other than "One part weird, one part clever, two parts awesome."  Listen to any of The Dessert Sessions to see what happens when he's pressed for time to come up with good lyrics, it's awesome.  (See also No One Loves Me and Neither Do I, Better Living Through Chemistry, Suture Up Your Future, and everything else Queens of the Stone Age has ever recorded.)

• Modest Mouse (Isaac Brock) - Despite is apparent anger towards EVERYthing, most of Brock's lyrics are really interesting and some are just smart. "If it takes shit to make bliss then I feel pretty blissfully."  How awesome is that?   Also worth noting is his lisp, and the fact that this motherfucker named a song Satellite Skin.  Ballzy.  Anyways.  Some of his stuff is just weird (Wild Pack of Family Dogs) and still other stuff is just... Brockian.  "You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste death"?  You ever think of life and death that way?  Me neither.  Listen to Modest Mouse, and I promise you will have a new-found appreciation for good lyrics.  (See also Arctic Monkeys and The White Stripes.)

• Muse (Matt Bellamy) - I'm hesitant to use Muse here, because most of the time I can't understand a goddamn word Bellamy is saying.  But.  Plug In Baby is badass, so I have to.

• Oso Closo (Adrien Hulet) - I'm only listing one song here, Photograph, from their sophomore album "Today Is Beauty's Birthday."  That sad and happy at the same time.  That's weird.

• Beck - everything he's ever written.  The end.

    
     Fun Musical Moments.  There are all kinds of fun musical moments.  Yelling "Leonard Bernstein" in the middle of It's the End of the World (And I Feel Fine) is great fun, and you know it.  The epic modulation in the middle of Livin' on a Prayer, while completely useless, is nonetheless awesome.  I'm not about to name any of these, so I'll just number them in the order that I think of them.

• Fun Musical Moment (FMM) Number One: When there is one lyric in the song you know or like and you sing it really loudly when it happens, then skip to the next song.  It's the End of the World... is the most perfect example, because not even Michael Stipe knows what the hell he's saying.  There are others for me, for reasons I cannot fathom.  NOTABLE EXAMPLES INCLUDE:

• Queens of the Stone Age - Misfit Love.  "Give 'em a taste of my misfit love."  Love.  Also Leg of Lamb, "Bloody April, leg of lamb."  I will listen to both of those songs until those moments, and then skip, almost every time.  

•  Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here.  I can't listen beyond the chorus/second verse.  Don't really need to, either.  Oh, and The Nile Song, opening line ("I was standing by the Nile.")

• Tenacious D - Friendship.  "Cuz it's ra-a-a-a-are to be... Tenacious D."  Next song!

• Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker.  The chorus always reminds me of Chris singing it out of nowhere the first time we played it on Guitar Hero, and I can't help but smile. 

• FMM Number Two: The chorus changes.  It's not really a chorus if it's different, but it happens.

• Modest Mouse - Ocean Breathes Salty.  When the second chorus is finished, and then the song (lyrically) goes to another identical chorus, but (musically) it is completely different... chills.  "You missed when time and life shook hands and said goodbye."  LOVE that part.  Love it, love it, like the Statue of Liberty.

• Oso Closo - Shelia.  The entirety of this song is about some chick named Sheila, and the chorus is her name, over and over.  Every time it is descending.  Then, right at the end, Adrian takes it up.  It's so fucking good.  Even right now, I'm almost tearing up thinking about it.  If you've heard it, you know what I'm talking about.  If you don't, tell me, and I'll send it to you.

• Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer.  I mentioned this, but the awkwardness/outrageousness bears repeating, and the fact that it's awesome just makes it worth it.  I heard UMass' pep band play it.  Their basketball team is good, but that modulation clearly takes the band to a "hard key."  It's hilarious.

• 311 - Golden Sunlight.  The second and third time through the chorus add kind of a tag.  I'm still not sure why it's not in the first chorus.  Also, Freeze Time, the addition of "Nick Chorus" after the second and fourth "SA Chorus" is badass.  I'm glad it's like that.

• Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris.  The last chorus is on "ah" over and over, rather than the lyrics.  Epic.

• FMM Number Three: Backup vocals.  These never get old, sorta like an epic string section.

• Oso Closo - Sheila again.  The whole song.  Kthx.  Also, Photograph.  Also, every Oso Closo song.

• Sufjan Stevens - They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!  I call them back-ups because it's not Sufjan.  Either way, it's creepy as hell.

• Muse - Supermassive Black Hole.  Badass riff aside, the backup vocals on this song are superb.

• FMM Number Four: Something awesome happens.  Miscellaneous.  

• Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven.  Shout chorus.  No justification needed, unless you are a retard.

• Foo Fighters - Let it Die.  This is more of a musical thing, but right before The David starts the screaming, the one bar tag... epic.  That to the end, look it in a marching band show one day soon. 

• 311 - Sun Come Through.  The guitar solo to the end.  The lyrics/music/everything here is just feckin' aweome.  Look for it to end a marching band show never soon.

• Coheed and Cambria - Welcome Home.  The lead-in to the guitar is fun as shit to scream in the car, it gives me chills, and it reminds me of Blood.  Holla.

     And I wish that was it.  It's not, but it's all I can come up with right now.  I cannot put into words how difficult this post was for me.  Ugh.

     One thing has become painfully clear, though: I need to listen to more (different) music.  It's nice to have a favorite band or whatever, but DAMN I only listen to the same stuff.  So, uh, if you read this far, and care to suggest some stuff to me, read what I like, and suggest some stuff.

     Next time on The TL;DR Blog, I'll talk about songs as a whole for about 14 sentences, and then talk about how it's annoying when most bands write the same shit over and over for years, and nobody notices.  Somewhere in there I'll talk about bands doing covers, and how sometimes it's awesome (Muse, Feeling Good), sometimes it's bad (311, Reggae Got Soul), and sometimes it's called "a ripoff" (Finger Eleven, Paralyzer.)  Stay tuned, bitches!

You Say Bigger's Better, But Bigger's Bigger

What Makes Music Good, Part 1

"I don't know whether I like it, but it's what I meant."

~ Ralph Vaughan Williams 

(For the purposes of this post, and for the remainder of this blog, song titles will appear in italics, album titles will appear in quotations, and artists are mentioned by name, obv. Also, sorry about the length - ED.)

What makes music good?

As a "musician" and "person with terrible taste in music," this question is posed to me almost never.  It is an interesting question, however futile it is to answer.  The most frustrating part of answering this question is the inherent unfairness that comes with it; of late, an artist's talent or ability is based on their popularity.  This is not always the case, but the vast majority of an audience will, more often-than-not, keep with a mob mentality.  If 1200 people go to see Blues Traveler, but Blues Traveler waits until the very end of their set to play Run-Around, only 12 people will actually see it.  If 600 people go and see a performance of Mahler's Fifth Symphony, 600 people will be on their feet at the symphony's conclusion.  

On the surface, this is a comically ironic logical fallacy, but at its core, this logical fallacy is deeply tragic.  Johann Sebastian Bach is known today for his musical composition; there is a period of music history that ends the day he died.  But, when he moved to Leipzig in 1723, he was hired as an organist, because his playing was "quite good," equivalent to today's "killer."  It was not until the heart of the Classical era of music that people realized the true genius of his music.  But when he was playing it, he was just another dude on a piano (even though it was an organ,) not unlike Ben Folds.  It's the same reason that Megadeath is always second-tier to Metallica, neither come close to Mastadon, and bands like Slipknot and Disturbed make more money than I will ever see in my life.  If that is not tragic, I don't know what is.

So, I pose the question again, what makes music good?  I could spend all day about how certain contours of a melody, certain rhythmic attributes, certain performance qualities (I almost just spelled that qualitys - ED) and certain all kinds of other shit makes for aesthetically pleasing music, but it would be far too long, and you would tl;dr the hell out of it.

Simply put: all music is good, it just depends on who is listening.  

When I listen to music, there are certain things that I find pleasing to my ear, and that is what I will discuss.  For now, I will speak strictly about "Popular" Music.  I do not mean "Pop" music, as that is a sub-genre of Popular Music.  When I say "Popular," I am referring (of course) to any and all music that you would not consider "Classical." I am referring to bands that write and perform their own music, using any combination of guitar, bass, drum kit, vocals, and any auxiliary instruments (keyboards, etc.)  You know, rock and roll, indie, alternative, metal, funk, fusion... all that shit.

So, let's get to it.  What does the music teacher thinks qualifies as good music?

Use of the instrument.  I'm talking about the main instruments, guitar, bass, drums, vocals and auxiliary. I use those because that is all Zeppelin and The Beatles had, and they did all right.

• Guitar - There are, in general, three types of guitar playing that catch my attention: riffs/hooks, accompaniment, and solos.

• A good riff or hook is one that catches the ear, and makes me want to keep listening.  These can be further qualified into 

• "Classic" (Everything Led Zeppelin, Purple Haze, Smells Like Teen Spirit, etc.) 

• "Badass" (Muse - Newborn, QOTSA - 3's and 7's, Them Crooked Vultures - Gunman, etc.) 

• "Catchy" (311 - Lucky, The Black Keys - Tighten Up, Modest Mouse - Float On, etc.) 

• "Epic" (Metallica - Battery, Muse - Knights of Cydonia, Boston - [Foreplay]/Long Time, Coheed and Cambria - Welcome Home, etc.)

• "Sorta Sad" (CAKE - Friend is a Four Letter Word, The Wrens - Happy, Oso Closo - Reverend, etc.)

• "Creepy" (Ramstein - Du Hast, Rob Zombie - Dragula, etc)

• "Weirder'n Shit/Awesome" (Radiohead, TCV - Elephants)

• "Inexplicably Marvelous" (Joan Jett and Pat Benatar)

• Accompaniment is what the guitarist does while the rest of the band is doing more important shit.  This occurs during verses, choruses, and lead guitar solos.  Often they are just a continuation of the riff or hook, but this is not universal.  Unfortunately, most good accompaniments go mostly unheard, so they are difficult to describe.  See QOTSA - Sick, Sick Sick and TCV - Caligulove

• Good solos are just good solos.  If it sounds like it would be fun to play on Guitar Hero, or is awesome as hell to sing really loud in the car, it's pretty good.  Also, if you've never heard Photograph by Oso Closo, you have no what a good solo is.  (Stairway to Heaven, 3's and 7's, Stevie Ray Vaughan, every guitar solo ever.)

• Bass - Good use of the bass makes me happy.  Muse uses Christopher Wolstenholme like he's playing a guitar, and that's awesome.  Metallica turns Rob Trujillo's amp all the way down (despite the fact that he can outplay all of the other members with one hand) and I guess it works for them.  Led Zeppelin had and Them Crooked Vultures has John Paul Jones.  It basically stops there.  But a good player can also add lots of rhythmic and melodic variation (Pink Floyd, Oso Closo, Foo Fighters), interest to an otherwise boring progression (311, Nirvana),  and/or depth to a unique/perpetual guitar sound (Rage Against the Machine, Queens of the Stone Age).  All other reasons that may apply to guitar also apply to bass.

•  Drums - Drums are great, or GTFO.  In my experience, most average listeners of music look for technique and musicality in a band's drums.  I look for what I like to call What The Drums Bring To The Table.  The reason for this is simple.  Take a bad band and add a halfway decent drummer, you still have a bad band.  But if you take a mediocre band, and add a smart drummer, you have a sweet band.  The following are the aspects of what sweet drummers Bring To The Table:

•  Sound.  Drums that sound like ass make bad music seem worse than it is.  See "St. Anger" for any questions about a bad drum sound.  To the contrary, a good drum sound can make OK music seem really good ("Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,") and a fanfuckingtastic drum sound makes for a fanfuckingtastic album, regardless of anything else.  See "Transistor" for any questions about a fanfuckingtastic drum sound.

• Subtlety.  Subtlety occurs when a drummer does something that is on one hand expected, but is on the other hand unexpectedly awesome.  EXAMPLES: 

• Dave Grohl's turn-arounds in No One Knows are on one hand pretty standard, but are on the other hand awesome.  Just listen, you'll see.  See also Stairway to Heaven.

• Chad Sexton's use of a single motive that changes every time it's played in the aforementioned "Transistor"'s best track, Beautiful Disaster, are the very definition of subtlety; you will not hear it unless you are listening for it. 

• Ryan Jacobi's use of... whatever the hell he wants to call it in The Ruiner (Oso Closo, "Rest") is awesome (yes), expected (not really), and subtle (to the max.)

• Even though it's a b-side, Era Vulgaris (of the album of the same name) has one of the shortest pre-choruses ever known to man (one bar) and, as hard as I try to pound it on my steering wheel every time it comes on my radio, it is impossible.  It's hardly even a pre-chorus, it's more of a hiccup than anything else.  I realize that this is not dependent on the drums, but without the drums it would just be a mistake.  The lead-in to said chorus by the way, is nothing short of awesome.

• There is nothing subtle about anything Tenacious D has ever done.  But listen to how Dave Grohl drums on both of those albums.  

• Sweet drum entrances.  This can make or break a song, especially if it's good.  Band comes in one way, everyone looks, drums come in another way, and everything is awesome.  It's like a Kansas City Shuffle.

• Grohl's entrance on Smells Like Teen Spirit = super fun to air drum.  See also Stairway to Heaven

• Daisy Cutter = straight out of something from a drum corps.

• Float On = the shit.

• Technique.  You cannot not listen to "Songs for the Deaf" and not think that most of the drumming on that would be fun as shit to play.  See also Stairway to Heaven.  The End.

• Vocals - will be getting their own post in the near future.  Unless you are reading this in said future, in which case, proceed to the post about vocals.  It's probably called "Vocals," or something equally clever.

• Auxiliary Instruments - Keyboards, wind instruments, random percussion instruments.  Where would we be without them?

• Keyboards.  Piano, organ, synthesizer, etc.

• John Paul Jones had to have something to do during the making "Presence."  I mean, he sure as hell wasn't playing bass.  He got pretty good use out of his organ (rofl - ED) on Trampled Underfoot, and he's playing the piss out of it nowadays with TCV.

• Foreplay/Long Time is a sweet song on it's own, but the organ solo pretty much makes it worthwhile, amirite?

• Bohemian Rhapsody.  Imagine it without any piano.  Next.

• There's like a xylophone or some shit playing a pretty neat thingy-ma-bobber underneath the chorus of Caligulove.  It's cool.

• Journey sucks, but even I can hear Separate Ways and want to rock the hell out.

• Wind instruments, i.e., the horn section.  CAKE, Mighty Mighty Bostones, and Cherry Poppin' Daddies.  That's all you need to know.

• String section.  Listen to Genesis by Oso Closo ("Rest") and tell me there is no better use of a string section.  Smashing Pumpkins do OK with them, too.

• Random percussion instruments.  Where would Will Ferrel be without the cowbell?

That's, uh, pretty much it, for now.  Stay tuned for part 2, a discussion on Vocals.  Part 3 will be on Originality of Compositions and Ability to Not Write The Same Shit Over and Over.  I don't know if there will be a part 4 yet.

Got No Big Plans But a Good Idea

Welcome to My Blog


"If they cut off both my hands, 
I will compose anyway with the pen in my mouth."

~ Dmitri Shostakovich

My big-assed, respectably sized diploma says, "Bachelor of Music."

I am very well aware that this does not make me an expert on the subject of music.  It could quite possibly mean that I have a knowledge base well beyond that of the average music enthusiast, but even that might be a stretch.  Let us simply say that I value music, and that I love to talk about it.

This is a blog about music.  I have nothing planned for this blog, except that every entry will be about music.  So, let's just get the annoying stuff out of the way.  I present, in their entirety, The "Rules for Reading My Blog," in no particular order, except the order in which they are numbered.

Rule for Reading My Blog Number One: There is a difference between opinion and fact; know it.  This will be the most difficult rule for you to follow, I promise you.  But there is a distinction between the two, and it is important that you know what it is, because I will not make it for you, ever.  This is the breakdown: facts can be supported, opinions (that differ from mine) are (probably) wrong.  EXAMPLE: Fact: Led Zeppelin was a rock and roll band.  Opinion: Led Zeppelin is the greatest rock and roll band (ever.)  Fact: Johann Sebastian Bach was a musical genius.  Opinion: JS Bach's music sucks.  Fact: The first CD that I ever bought was Tragic Kingdom.  Fact: Gwen Stefani can bite my dick.  Got it?  Good.

Rule for Reading My Blog Number Two: I know a little bit about a lot of things, and I know a lot of things about a little bit; be prepared.  I will discuss things with which I am familiar, and those with which I am not, I will either feign a factual knowledge, or ignore completely.  Topics likely to fall into the latter category include, and are limited to, "Hip Hop" and "Jazz."  See Rule for Reading My Blog Number One with any questions.

Rule for Reading My Blog Number Three: Do not judge me on my unhealthy ability to talk about marching band or drum corps without end.  This is something you will just have to get over, and is not up for debate.

Rule for Reading My Blog Number Four: Do not expect me to rate or categorize music based on any scale.  I categorize music by genre, not by its merit, and that's it.  This in no way shape or form is meant to a) detract from the many unique ways that many (CK, MSBFS, et al.) have come up with to rate music; or b) detract from the music itself.  Everything in life is based on a 50/50 chance; it either will happen, or it will not.  Music is the same way, in that I either like it, or I do not, regardless of whether others classify it as "good" or "bad." EXAMPLE: CAKE's cover of I Will Survive is good (opinion,) but I do not like it (fact.)  Forrest Gump is a good movie (opinion/debatable,) but I do not like it (fact/non-debatable.) I do the same with music, either like it... or don't.  Sorry (fact/not-true.)

Rule for Reading My Blog Number Five: Do not ask me or expect any reference to a favorite band, artist, composer, etc.  Because I don't have one.  It's as simple as that.  I had a favorite band, but they all got married, and now write really shitty music.  I have a few artists that I would listen to before listening to other artists, and one or two that I would pay to see live, but that's it.  Beyond that, I'm an equal-opportunity music-enjoyer.  The band I'm listening to at any given time is my favorite band for that period of time, because it's very difficult to listen to more than one band at the same time.  NOTE: If I say that a band, or a song or album by a band, is "amazing," "incredible," "fucking awesome," or "FML-good," this does not mean that they are my all-time favorite band/the best band ever.

Rule for Reading My Blog Number Six: Be aware that I studied music for a long time.  I may or may not say things that will mean precisely *dick* to you, and that's OK.  This is not a fault of yours, and is not some lame way to try to make you feel like a ritard.  (DUCWIDT?)

Rule for Reading My Blog Number Seven: Do not ask me what my acronyms mean.  Figure them out for yourself.

Rule for Reading My Blog Number Eight: Enjoy any and all of my obscure (or lame) references.  They are included for a reason, enjoy them.  Take them home, chew them.  Love them.

And that, as they say, covers that.

So, what is the purpose of this blog?  I don't really know, yet.  I just like to talk about music, how it affects me, and what I think about it, I guess.  "All music is good, it just depends on who is listening."  It also depends on how you listen.  This blog will cover everything about music that I wish to talk about, from what to listen to, to how to listen to it, and, yes, what I think about it.  I don't necessarily need you to think about music a different way, based on something you read here, but if that happens, great.  If not, I hope you get something out of it. 

Otherwise, what is the point of music even existing?