07 May, 2007

I want the real thing, not tokens

There's an odd kink to my love life (and no, I'm not talking anything obvious, shush). This particular one is music adoption. And it's always been a trait of mine, as annoying as it can be at times.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

My half-dragon brought me arena rock, and a brief phase again of listening to the big boys, the venue-packing giants--Van Hagar, Van Halen, Rush, Aerosmith--I was already a fan, but now, it was as if listening to Aerosmith brought me closer to understanding the once-fiance, once-pet, once-love...even after we parted, I'd still request Aerosmith tunes while dancing.

He also gave me the guilty pleasure of liking country music again--surprisingly slow sweet pieces that I still, on occasion, sneak off and listen to, remembering dancing with him to slow strains on bluegrass guitars.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

The vampire princeling was specific--Deftones, and even more specific, My Own Summer (Shove It). Discovering the Deftones through him also made me realize one of my favorite songs, Change (In the House of Flies), was a Deftones thing. I still occasionally listen to Deftones songs, and watch new videos when they come out.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

My neko lad reacquainted me with trance, dance trance, electronica and ambient--and specifically, Goa, a style of trance that is predominantly deep tones, random repetitions, percussive elements, linked together by ambient sounds, droning, electronic skitters--my neko says it's very hard to listen to, if you're not a fan. Well, I wouldn't call myself a fan, but I've developed an appreciation, and now I like the style. Still can't name any Goa-derivative bands barring Infected Mushroom, but I like listening, discovering what passes me by, what I like, what I can't stand.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

The incubus brought me VNV Nation, and in particular, their song Standing. Still makes me ache, hearing it--and I hear it nearly every Friday, at the Steelhead dances--but it's no longer the sharp twisting pain of loss. I guess that's something. I still listen to a lot of VNV Nation, in particular Epicentre and Rubicon, and through them discovered Assemblage 23, and their evocative piece Disappoint.

Both bands are dark, rich, laced with thick ribbons of loss and betrayal, pain and resignation. I still find myself very drawn to their music.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

My Raven brought back my high-school adoration for punk music, thrashing, vital, angry, raging at the machinery of existence. When he's not running around the woods threatening random strangers, he wears a human skin, plaid zipper pants and a mohawk, and I'm quite amused. But it's made me dig up a lot of old favorites, like Flipper, Dead Kennedys, the Dickies, and my all-time joy, FEAR, in particular my favorite punk song EVER, Let's Have a War.

I'm still trying to find the FEAR: More Beer album on CD...

Which brings us to...

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

...the statue. And I haven't asked him yet. But if I follow true to pattern, whatever he likes, I'm at least going to listen to, and if I like it too, it's going to become a part of my daily musical routine. It's just something in my brain that adopts from those I love--commonly-used expressions, style of dress, music, literature--whatever I can hang off my brain as points of understanding, I suppose.

Should be interesting, but it does point out something that should have been staggeringly obvious--I haven't asked him a lot of "those questions", to date. You know the ones I mean--favorite food; favorite color; favorite book, or style of book; favorite music or artist. Favorite...anything.

And I know he's asked me at least one of "those questions", as he made me a Key last night. And he made it from gleaming steel and purple-anodized metal, because I told him, when he asked, my favorite color--apart from black--is purple.

He listens. I know this. Now I need to, I think. And I need to start with, what he listens to...

...though I already know he likes ambient trance. Hmm...

[Late edit: Red Hot Chili Peppers. Which is no actual surprise. I think I knew this, based on the Toga Formal, among others...]

4 comments:

Fuzzball Ortega said...

Understand, now, that "Standing" will no longer be played in Steelhead when I'm sick of hearing it. Personally, I like listening to it. 'course it doesn't remind me of any pain from the past....maybe it's because I have no heart......Oh well.

(Sorry if it does cause pain. Like I said, I like the song. DJ's perogative....or something like that)

Emilly Orr said...

DJ's perogative, I'm willing to go with. And hey, here's the thing--you like it, Lunar likes it, a lot of other residents like it--and apart from my personal little dramas with it, it's a good song--one of their best. Plus it's a Friday tradition. Who am I to mess with tradition?

And I'm not lying about that...it does hurt less. Give me six months and it'll be, oh, yeah, funny story about this song...I'll be fine.

Maybe a year.

::sighs::

Amber_Palowakski said...

*giggles* Funny, I follow the same pattern of adoption. And also funny, I haven't yet asked my beau those questions either.

Emilly Orr said...

It's always a fun question.

Today, it led us on an exploration of Ayreon, a Netherlands fantasy metal artist the statue favors, and my offering up my secret pleasure, Vitas, he of the incredibly high pure voice.

Plus other bands, offered and received. Spent a lot of time tossing YouTube links back and forth. :)

hide away, they say, 'cos we don't want your broken parts

Yeah, so...remember that thing I was recovering from? You know, last year ? Yeah. I did it again. So this is Em Faw Down Go Boom part ...