So I thought maybe it was time to branch out a little in the subject matter area and talk about something else I love, which is music. Though if you find the particular music I'm choosing to discuss isn't your taste, tough cookies! Be happy I'm branching out at all. You'll read what I write....SO THERE.
OK, enough silliness. Let's talk music! I will freely admit, I like lots of different kinds of music and am open to checking out pretty much anything at least once. However, when it comes to buying music, I tend to gravitate towards the same kind of thing over and over. Singer-songwriter (John Mayer, Sara Bareilles, Sheryl Crow, Dave Barnes). Often acoustic (see singer-songwriter listings). Pop-dance-diva stuff (Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Madonna). Ballady, lovelorn, sometimes over-wrought scholck (Barry Manilow...yes, I am a HUGE fan. "Could This Be The Magic" WILL be played at my wedding).
I also don't normally buy a CD on the strength of one single. I prefer to get a bigger feel for the artist, and while every one of their songs may not be a hit in my brain, if I appreciate the general oeuvre I can justify spending my hard earned money knowing most of it will be my taste. But occasionally, something different will grab me and not let go. The latest band that grabbed me is Kings of Leon.
"Use Somebody," the Kings huge hit single, is all over pop radio, which is how it started seeping into my brain. Then a while ago, a read a great feature article on them in Rolling Stone and was intrigued. When the story lead reads like this, how are you NOT intrigued:
"Sixteen years ago, they were preacher’s sons living under a strict religious mandate that prohibited music other than church songs, movies and short pants. Today, they’re the hottest band in America, bringing their dirty brand of Southern rock & roll to sold-out arenas around the world while traveling in luxury planes and running up $10,000 bar tabs."
So I bought the album on a random shopping trip to Target, popped it in the car CD player, and let it roll. Over, and over, and over. This is my normal method for getting acquainted with music. When I'm sitting in traffic, I have nothing else to do, so I can concentrate on what I'm hearing. And the repetition helps me get a feel for the flow and sequencing of the album, and the mood of each song. Some tracks caught me instantly (the haunting guitar chirps of "Closer" an the rolling bass line of "Crawl") and some took longer but became my absolute favorites ("Manhattan" and "Revelry"). But the one song I immediately liked, and still think is the strongest single on the album, is "Sex on Fire."
As coincidence would have it, I was traveling to Carlsbad, CA this week with my co-worker Tammy Good, who shares my love of music. We got talking about this album, and she turned me on to a great cover of "Sex on Fire" by the band Sugarland, from their CD "Live on the Inside." Jennifer Nettles has one of my favorite voices in all of music right now, and she more than does the song justice, turning it from a rocking anthem into slow-burning, acoustic guitar-piano jam. It's a small musical world we live in.
Of course, I also love reading lyrics and liner notes, a very positive habit I picked up from an old boyfriend with impeccable musical taste. The song titles are easy enough to see, but where are the lyrics, and what is all that white space?
Peer closer, and you can see there are actual lyrics in the white-on-white typeface. So you guys want to tell me what you're singing ("Just know it was you all along that had a hold of my heart/But the demon and me we were best friends from the start"), but you want me to work for it. I think I love and hate you in equal parts for that.
I haven't had the patience (or proper lighting) to go through these yet, so I guess that will be the next stage of my journey getting to know Kings of Leon. And I think I like this branching out process. Music may become a regular blog feature, but hockey will NEVER go away...
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