How I use music for time-travel (Re: Music Questions Challenge)
Re: https://takenvaullt.bearblog.dev/music-questions-challenge/
It isn't a very good time for me to participate in something like this at the moment. I'm currently going through one of those periods where I don't possess much motivation to listen to music and make new discoveries. But I've still decided to have a go at answering these questions because it's an interesting situation to be in, and I would certainly like to look back at these times some time in the future.
What are five of your favorite albums?
I don't usually listen to full albums -- either just a few songs by one artist, or all songs from a single artist without condition. If I had to pick a few favorites from memory with a high chance of recency bias, I might go for these.
- Hello, World (K-391)
- Different World (Alan Walker)
- WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? (Billie Eilish)
- 1989 (Taylor Swift)
What are five of your favorite songs?
I find it hard to choose multiple favorites because my taste changes all the time. I'll be expanding a bit more on this in the later questions. If you want to know my favorite song, skip to question 9 ("What's your favorite song of all time?").
Favorite instrument(s)?
The sounds of a piano never fail to enchant me. It can be classics, covers, purely instrumental remixes, background music or even lo-fi.
What song or album are you currently listening to?
At the moment? Anything and everything from Billie Eilish, on repeat.
Do you listen to the radio? If so, how often?
I do sometimes turn on the radio during a long commute to keep up with local news and occasionally get a sense of what the latest pop music is like. With the advent of Tiktokification or whatever other engagement-driven incentives that is reshaping pop music these days, I generally try not to get my hopes up in fresh discoveries through the radio. (also see question 7 regarding discovery)
How often do you listen to music?
Not as much as I used to. Nowadays there are very few situations where I would listen to music on my own.
If I'm not using music for productivity or to treat and reflect on emotions, I use music as a tool for creating time capsules. I take advantage of my frequent changes in taste by listening to a different list of songs from different artists each year. Then, I can wrap them up in dated playlists which I can revisit years later to get a quick and easy portal towards reminiscence and seeking comfort at my worst of times through nostalgia.
How often do you discover music? And how do you discover music?
Movies, shows, and all the media I consume. I highly suspect that an emotional or cinematic scene matched with the best speakers plays the biggest role in getting me to notice the music underneath. It's great, though, isn't it? Intros and credit scenes are often better visualisers than official MVs.
What's a song or album that you enjoy that you wish had more recognition?
I can't think of one at the moment.
What's your favorite song of all time?
Call me cliche, but I'm going for Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.
Has your taste in music evolved over the years?
It certainly has. At some point I was into EDM (Electronic Dance Music), then latin pop, jazz, acoustic pop covers, piano covers of theme music from games, melancholic themes...
It helps with reflecting on past events and determining the milestones between major events in my life. (also see: question 6)
I've never articulated and actively reflected on how I listen to music before. This was much more refreshing and enjoyable than I anticipated. I wonder how long these answers remain relevant and how they will change if I were to revisit them a few months from now. It reminds me of that feeling when you know you will wake up the next day and you wonder when and how you might fall asleep today.