"HELP! I went totally digital... I don't actually 'listen' to music anymore... and I miss it!"
HELP!
I went totally digital ~ I don't actually 'listen' to music anymore ~ and I miss it!
At the moment, a lot of conversations we have with people revolve around music listening habits and music culture. What really stands out for us is that there are many people out there realising that they have actually stopped listening to music, and they are telling us that they really really miss it!
Working with computers has become the new norm in the 21st century... digital libraries are full to the brim with 1000s of 'collected' tracks. However people are regretfully saying to us that their digital music 'collections' are not necessarily connected to the 'art' of an album, the album artwork, or even the band/musicians that created the music. Many have commented that they feel overwhelmed with the amount of new music that is out there and that some kind of void has occurred, where they have stopped following bands, tracking the art of music albums and even stopped listening to music for fun.
Listening to music has become a background activity to all other acts of living. Music permeates our surroundings - it is everywhere, and can be heard most of the time, however, time invested into the experience of music for the music alone - has disappeared from the lives of many. It is these people that are telling us they want to embrace music like they used to... that is, listen to music in a physical format, so that they are actively engaged ~ listen to music for the sole purpose of listening.
Some things just feel better if they are done with full focus...
If you enjoy the experience of listening to music, there are solid reasons why you feel like something is missing with digital music...
- Listening to music via a device such as a computer will (more often than not) distract you into doing something else while you are listening. This is called passive listening.
- Selecting an album, putting the CD or LP into a device and pushing play takes action - a lot more action than selecting random play on a computer, iPod or iPad. Action will more likely result in active listening.
- The act of listening to music through a device with only one purpose, makes your music listening purposeful, and encourages you to engage with the music product.You engage with both the album & the artist, you can visually check out the album artwork and there is also the potential to be intrigued enough to want to learn more about the band because of the info in the CD or LP covers.
- Playing physical music is a tactile experience - you get to engage with the music using another sense, which can lead to an even more powerful experience of the music.
Our NEW ARRIVAL Recommendations
So for those of you that are feeling overwhelmed and out of sync with the music that is out there at the moment...
Or if you're just keen to hear about the music we've been checking out...
Here are a few stand out CDs & LPs that have appeared in RELICS in the last month...
SOUTHERN ROCK – Rich Robinson: Ceaseless Sight
(Black Crowes guitarist)
NEW FOLK - First Aid Kit: Stay Gold
AMERICAN ROOTS – Mary Gauthier: Trouble & Love
(Like Eva Cassidy? Def check Mary's music out!)
NEO SOUL – Lee Fields: Emma Jean
BLUES – John Mayall: A Special Life
OLD SKOOL HIP HOP – Eric B & Rakim: Paid In Full
JAZZ – Ella Fitzgerald: Great American Songbook 5cd Boxset
CLASSICAL – Milos Karadaglic: Aranjuez
COUNTRY – Toby Keith: Bullets In The Gun
REGGAE – Lee Scratch Perry: Back On The Controls
METAL – Killer Be Killed: Killer Be Killed
(Max Cavalera from Sepultura, Troy Sanders from Mastodon...)
ALTERNATIVE – Swans: To Be Kind
NZ MUSIC
Check out our KIWI MADE NZ MUSIC blog and our NZ collection for reminders of NZ classics and to learn about new NZ bands…
There is heaps of info for you!
