Now that You Asked: Emotion?

Now that You Asked: Emotion?

I’m sure I’ve said it somewhere before, but I am a very emotional music listener. Good days will provoke simpler bands such as Rise Against, Billy Talent, and Northstar, while bad days cause me to listen to heavier bands like Poison the Well, Alexisonfire, and Thursday. My girlfriend makes me want to listen to The Beautiful Mistake, The Beloved and Funeral For a Friend. Whatever emotion I’m experiencing, I have a band that I like to listen to. It even goes beyond emotions; it even comes down to what I’m doing. Sleeping, eating, studying, even waking up. Each of these actions has its own playlist.

I have a problem (Zack, Allison, Stephen- don’t even respond to that statement). I can’t sleep without music on. What is even stranger? I like to fall asleep to hardcore. Not just “hardcore” like Saosin or Thursday but bands like Norma Jean and Century- bands that make my friends cringe when they hear them and give pop-punk fans nightmares. It’s odd because this is the same music that makes me want to dance around like a madman during the day.

Now this month has been finals review month, so I haven’t had as much time to focus on new music. Ok, I haven’t listened to anything new this month- but I’ve listened to a lot of my favorites from the past (See my Top 5 of the month). I’ve always enjoyed studying to these albums because they provide a stable background sound that allows me to focus. Now that finals are almost over I can go back to enjoying the new bands that I find every month.

Music is an emotional experience. I believe the best way to enjoy music is to listen to an emotionally charged album that really hits home with your feelings of the moment, then lay down and let it wash over you. When you think about it emotion is really what creates music. Right?

-Scott Landis

redbassist66@comcast.net