A ramble on music

(ROCKWALL, TX – Jan. 27, 2017) Does anyone alive still listen to CDs?

It’s interesting, with all the apps out there like Spotify and Apple Music and Pandora I still run across people who say they don’t use those apps and will only listen to actual CDs. I myself stopped buying albums once I discovered Spotify’s existence, but I’ll admit there are times when I miss the feeling of dropping by the store to pick up the latest from one of my favorite bands.

The more I thought about it the more I realized that it’s rare that I’ll end up liking an album in its entirety. A lot of the time I would just skip through the CD and find the four or five really good songs on it. In hindsight, was it worth the $10-15 just to have those handful of songs? Probably not. Then Spotify came along and I was grateful to have all this music at my disposal for a mere $10 a month (if you go Premium and skip the ads between songs). Spotify also made it easier to organize my music. I could simply download and dump all my favorite tunes into one giant playlist if I wanted, or make playlists for my specific moods, or themed playlists. Basically it allowed me to become a “DJ” of sorts – one of my favorite pastimes.

One of the joys in my life is creating an awesome playlist that not only I can enjoy but others can jam to as well. It’s tough work though. Everyone has such specific tastes in what kind of music they like and it’s hard to please everyone with any one playlist. But just like writing, the fun is all in the challenge. Plus, it’s always interesting to me to find out what music people are listening to and what they like about that music.

I recently asked my love to make a list of her favorite songs so I could add them to my music library. She made a very specific list, using asterisks to differentiate songs she simply liked from songs she loved; Three asterisks next to a song meant it was one of her absolute favorites. Then I started pondering something – if I made a list like that what would be on it? What songs would I put three asterisks next to as opposed to only one or two? It’s a pickle I tell you! It’s also a challenge I’m very much looking forward to overcoming.

I don’t know about any of you out there but my taste in music seems to fluctuate from week to week. Lately I’ve really been enjoying Bastille’s latest album, “Wild World”. And only recently in the car I found myself jamming to Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape”. I tend to like music that makes me want to get up and dance. I also like the softer stuff, songs on the acoustic, and beautiful piano melodies. I’m a huge Coldplay fan because their music just warms my heart. I often imagine myself picking up a guitar or sitting at a piano and being able to perform any one of their songs. Maybe someday I’ll actually take lessons so I can do just that.

  Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News, editor’s note, music