Vertical Hold

There was a time when I was the "music guy." People would come to me when they wanted to find new music because they knew that 1) I listened to a lot of music and 2) I would be able to give them something that they liked based on what I knew about them. I am no longer that guy.

Music used to be about buying physical objects, be it tapes, vinyl, or CDs. The radio never really came into it because the radio always played crap. I never really got into the Napster scene. Sure, I would try and find out of print or live stuff, but if it was available for sale I wanted to buy it. Not because I felt obligated to give the RIAA money, but because I wanted the best possible source for the music I wanted to listen to. I was like an audiophile without the expensive equipment.

But now, when there are so many ways to get music I've stopped buying. Not completely of course. I have hundreds of tracks that I bought through iTunes. CDs are just outrageously priced and I buy very few of them these days. Only for bands that mean something to me, like the Pixies for instance -- who are selling live concert discs themselves!

But enough about them, this post was about me and how out of touch I am. What amazes me the most is that my separation from music came from many of the same reasons as the generations before me. Specifically, technology. This bothers me because I've kept up with technology better than my mom did. But just understanding the technology didn't keep me in touch with the music, which is sad because there are a lot of really good bands out there today.

Which brings me to a small list of bands that you're probably already heard that I'm only now discovering.

• Blogc Party - When I hear this band I think this is where I wanted Blur to go after Parklife. Amazing stuff. Melodic. Rocking. Thickly accented. It's got it all.
• The Bravery - a less annoying version of The Killers
• Franz Ferdinand - Yes, I'm just now getting to them. Shut up.
• Ladytron - 'Destroy Everything You Touch' constantly intrudes on my daily thoughts.

Another reason that I've become detached from music is that I have an aversion to hype. It's not that I wont like something because it's popular, I just tend to not like things that get popular. And by "popular" I do mean top 40/TRL material. I need to find me from ten years ago and ask for new music.