Earlier this week, I finally gave in and downloaded The National's new album, High Violet, after hearing much about it from various credible sources. Suffice to say, I haven't really listened to anything else all week. It also made me re-discover how great the song Slow Show is, after I watched the following series of videos. If you are a fan, you should watch the whole set. Obvious favourites on the new album are Bloodbuzz Ohio, the first single, Sorrow and Everyone's Ghost. I also am quite fond of Conversation 16.
I also wanted to mention downloading music. When I was 15, I saved up money to buy CDs, and stayed up all night downloading 2 songs on Kazaa (sup, dial up speed). But I remember how special music felt to me then, because it was so hard to obtain and you cherished it when you found it. Currently, I don't buy CDs, and my large collection of CDs are sitting at my parents house gathering dust. I used to buy records, but haven't in a long time. It is far easier for me to download music, usually from a livejournal community called indie_exchange, or if I can't find it there I might ask Sam to find it on one of those torrent sites that I can't be bothered with. I think that this takes a lot of joy out of music for me, the fact that I can obtain it so easily. I've forgotten that the fun is in the chase. I don't feel morally corrupt because I download music, the way I see it, I listen to bands who don't care about money and just want their music to be heard. How do you folks feel about downloading music?
Most of my CDs are now stolen by the little sister and lie unloved around her bedroom like sad plastic donuts. I don't even download much these days because our internet is really shit at the moment. Sometimes if I've never bought a band's CD before but I have heaps of their music in my itunes I know it's time to make a purchase. But I only buy cheap ones from JB Hi-Fi, like those ones that have the sticker on that say "buy me, I'm cheap" because that's really the level of poverty I'm at right now.
ReplyDeleteBut as for the chase (and I was thinking about this a month or so ago) for the large part, my music tastes have stemmed or offshooted from mixed CDs that I've been given. A lot from you, McStace, but other people as well. Or slight recommendations from people I respect or whose music taste is sound (PUNNNNNN). But despite this, I still go to concerts alone.
Aw, surely you have friends with the same music taste as you though?
ReplyDeleteKinda.. Zoe usually is my gig friend for local stuff. But I had to see Mountain Goats alone, same with Okkervil River, Laura Marling (even though Shu Shu loves her) and I'm going to see Stephen Fry alone. Independent women part three
ReplyDeleteI don't have the inner resources to go to gigs by myself, so you are far superior to me. Luckily, if Sam doesn't want to go to a gig with me, Xinia will usually want to come. This year I've been to Neko Case and Jens Lekman with here and next month we are seeing Band of Horses. I would totes come to all the gigs with you if I could m'colleague.
ReplyDeleteI've kinda resigned myself to this fate. And it's not like I would forgo seeing Mr Darnielle just because I had to see him alone. Plus it's easier to move around in crowds when you're going solo =p
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