Thanks for this fantastic piece Steve, lots to love here! As a lifelong music lover I’m grateful (if not sometimes overwhelmed) by the vast trove of music discovery sources out there. I’m still managing to listen to a few hundred new albums a year but am also digging in to dozens (hundreds?) of older albums every year. From artists I’ve …
Thanks for this fantastic piece Steve, lots to love here! As a lifelong music lover I’m grateful (if not sometimes overwhelmed) by the vast trove of music discovery sources out there. I’m still managing to listen to a few hundred new albums a year but am also digging in to dozens (hundreds?) of older albums every year. From artists I’ve never heard, or musical genres I never knew existed, to bands I’ve kind of always known about but never really spent much time with.
Now Substack has become another compelling source for musical discovery and my last few months here have been thrilling in that regard.
I think back to friendships in my childhood and early adulthood that seemed so tightly interwoven with a mutual love of music and musical discovery. And I’m surprised and saddened when I reconnect with one of those folks only to discover that they stopped listening to new music when they finished college in the mid-90s. I guess I always assumed that the people that loved music as much as I did back in the day would always love it.
I’ve been enjoying the Jungle album and accompanying videos this year. The Steven Wilson song is fantastic and the video is entrancing to watch. I’m looking forward to exploring his solo work and the work of Porcupine Tree, another one of those bands I’m familiar with but never really listened to. Any recommendations on where to start?
Wow - thanks, Mark! It was great to be reminded of both of those videos. I remember seeing that Public Service Broadcasting video a few years ago and had to show it to my wife immediately -- she is a roller-skater. I should compile a YT playlist of my favorite dancing videos. They never fail to cheer me up to watch them. Natural mood boosters!
And yes, it is surprising and a bit sad that so many friends aren't interested in discovering new music (my wife is one of them). I guess to each their own. I have many friends who pursue/obsess over new music so I don't feel a lack of community. And here on Substack that community has exploded! Like you say, it can be overwhelming to even attempt to keep up! There's so much great stuff out there -- and treasures from the past to discover...It requires some amount of discipline to parcel out the time so things like eating, working and sleeping don't fall by the wayside! Thankfully many of those activities allow for music to co-exist....
Thanks for this fantastic piece Steve, lots to love here! As a lifelong music lover I’m grateful (if not sometimes overwhelmed) by the vast trove of music discovery sources out there. I’m still managing to listen to a few hundred new albums a year but am also digging in to dozens (hundreds?) of older albums every year. From artists I’ve never heard, or musical genres I never knew existed, to bands I’ve kind of always known about but never really spent much time with.
Now Substack has become another compelling source for musical discovery and my last few months here have been thrilling in that regard.
I think back to friendships in my childhood and early adulthood that seemed so tightly interwoven with a mutual love of music and musical discovery. And I’m surprised and saddened when I reconnect with one of those folks only to discover that they stopped listening to new music when they finished college in the mid-90s. I guess I always assumed that the people that loved music as much as I did back in the day would always love it.
I’ve been enjoying the Jungle album and accompanying videos this year. The Steven Wilson song is fantastic and the video is entrancing to watch. I’m looking forward to exploring his solo work and the work of Porcupine Tree, another one of those bands I’m familiar with but never really listened to. Any recommendations on where to start?
A couple “dance” videos came to mind for me:
Daft Punk’s Around the World
https://youtu.be/K0HSD_i2DvA?si=Jxxn5R32ms8S1ycp
and Public Service Broadcasting’s People Let’s Dance
https://youtu.be/T0MTqhf9xPo?si=WgTW2_-JY7Flj0Hg
Wow - thanks, Mark! It was great to be reminded of both of those videos. I remember seeing that Public Service Broadcasting video a few years ago and had to show it to my wife immediately -- she is a roller-skater. I should compile a YT playlist of my favorite dancing videos. They never fail to cheer me up to watch them. Natural mood boosters!
And yes, it is surprising and a bit sad that so many friends aren't interested in discovering new music (my wife is one of them). I guess to each their own. I have many friends who pursue/obsess over new music so I don't feel a lack of community. And here on Substack that community has exploded! Like you say, it can be overwhelming to even attempt to keep up! There's so much great stuff out there -- and treasures from the past to discover...It requires some amount of discipline to parcel out the time so things like eating, working and sleeping don't fall by the wayside! Thankfully many of those activities allow for music to co-exist....
Thanks for reading!