Music: an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color. A media form that has spanned across oceans, borders, every type of human being under the sun, and is impossible to hide from; music is everywhere. What I hope to explore in this blog is the phenomena behind music. How it can bring the most different of people together in one common space. How it evokes emotions through timing of chords and lyrics. How it triggers memory, such as me remembering all the words to an N’Sync track I loved in fifth grade. The realm of music is so incredibly vast it’s nearly impossible to wrap my brain around, but the thought of something so powerful and yet so enjoyable leaves me with one question; what is it about music?
In comes Spin Magazine: Music for Life. A media outlet filled with reviews of new albums, interviews with artists, exposes on where the industry is headed, highlights of concerts and upcoming tours, the list has no end. I was first introduced to Spin nearly a year ago and immediately became enthralled with the culture and lifestyle surrounding the music industry. The information as well as opinions found in Spin offers new, innovative ways of interpreting and listening to music. For the niche of it’s devoted subscribers, music never has and never will be “background” noise. It is an expression, a mood, a feeling that can have an extreme impact on people’s lives and aspects on life. Whether it is the new Kings of Leon track to Jay-Z’s collaboration with Kanye West, the magazine touches on each genre in breadth and depth of exploration into each respective world. Spin, however, is just the tip of the iceberg in the vast outlets of music discussion and representation. From online forums to the classics of Rolling Stone Magazine, to Filter Magazine, the music industry appears to have that “it” quality that has not only myself pondering the magic that lies in music.
When I was in high school I subscribed to Spin magazine, and I am pleasantly surprised to see others who enjoy it as well. While it is not the most popular music print media outlet (as is Rolling Stones), I have found it to be very up to date on the rock scene. Maybe it is because I grew up on an island smack in the middle of the largest ocean in the world, but living in Hawaii I always felt so disconnected from the rest of the rock world, and things like Spin helped to keep me posted. Even my favorite Indie bands would get covered sometimes, and I will never forget how I got to see Robbers on High Street on my birthday in Los Angeles during my first year at USC at the Echo Plex because of it. It’s funny how people think of things as “mainstream” or not, because to me good music is good music. I was shocked when one of my other favorite bands, Straylight Run, came to play at Ground Zero on campus, and hardly anyone knew who they were despite the success of their one hit, Existentialism on Prom Night. It is so odd how people can dislike bands for having success more often than for playing bad music.
ReplyDeleteTo comment on the culture of music, I very much agree that it is universal and reaches across borders. When I traveled to the Yucatan in Mexico over spring break this year, our ferry to Isla Mujeres from Cancun had a musician performing for us on the top level for the duration of the ride. He sang some traditional Mexican songs like La Bamba, but he also sang songs like Wonderwall by Oasis. It was nice to know other cultures have similar tastes in music. On Isla Mujeres, I had the opportunity to visit a Brazilian reggae lounge/bar where my friends and I chilled out, enjoyed the music, and danced for a while. Despite the language barrier between myself and the musicians, their music made me homesick for Hawaii for the very first time because their reggae songs reminded me of the island jams we have at home. I used to date a drummer of a band, and ever since then I have had such a great appreciation for reggae and for the intricate nature of the drummer in any band as well. To hear the same kind of passion for music and the same styles abroad on another island definitely speaks to the universal passion and culture of music throughout the world.