Let's Talk Music....

I’ve been doing a lot of random music listening lately, sitting in front of my monitor with headphones strapped to my head, blasting sweet melodies into my ears while I bash away at essays. I’ve been told that listening to music while writing or reading or something that requires focus and concentration, since it effects your output. I don’t know if I agree however since I often listen to something while typing. Though sometimes some subject matter requires silence for it to be absorbed, and some songs just aren’t good music to be mentally active to.

This post has turned out to be longer than I thought it would, but all interrelated which is why this ramble drags on. I kinda got a bit self indulgent and started to analyse my own musical taste evolution and what's stuck with me, maybe theres a trend. Anyway, it's a good idea to try yourself if you're bored enough and have time to waste! So' scuse all the reading, but thats what a month without writing will do to you!

Lately, since I’ve been home more than traveling with my mp3 player, I’ve gotten myself a lovely playlist that I’m happy with so instead of writing about 10 songs I’m just going to give you a bunch and let you venture for yourselves! Think of it as a lucky dip or a surprise party bag of music delights. The list below is comprised of a mix of dub, reggae, classics, female singers, classical, world, dark ambient, electronic, trip hop, downtempo, new wave, tango, Cuban orchestra, new york rock, cabaret, latin… ah you get the idea. I'll even divide it into band genre to make it easier to find what you like .

Enjoy!

Blackberry Moose’s Playlist Surprise Party Bag of Music Delights.

New Wave, Indie New Wave & Post Punk Revival
New Order – Ceremony*
Talking Heads – Once in a Lifetime
The Police – Walking on the Moon*
The Radio Dept. – Pulling Our Weight
Windsor For Derby – The Melody of a Fallen Tree
She Wants Revenge – Tear You Apart

Rock - Indie, Brit, American, Underground, Post Punk
The Strokes – What Ever Happened?
The Strokes – I Can’t Win*
The Futureheads – Decent Days and Nights
The Smashing Pumpkins – Luna
The Smashing Pumpkins – Soma
The Velvet Underground – Venus in Furs
The Velvet Underground – Stephanie Says
Radiohead – There, There
Radiohead – Sail to the Moon*
Radiohead – You and Whose Army?
Radiohead – Everything in its Right Place
The Cardigans – I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to be Nicer.
The Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #1(Tunnels)
The Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #3(Power Out)
Interpol – Obstacle 1*
Interpol – NYC
Interpol – PDA
Weezer – Say it Ain’t So*
Weezer – Across The Sea*
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Black Tongue*
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Y Control
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Pin
The Shins – New Slang

Australian Artists
Architechture in Helsinki – Souvenirs
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – As I Sat Sadly By Her Side
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – 15 Ft of Pure White Snow*

Reggae & Dub
Toots and the Maytals – 54-46
Sublime - Doin' Time*
Sublime - Santeria*

Chill - Downtempo, Trip Hop, Hip Hop, Jazz, Deep House, Electronica, Dreampop
Aim - The Girl Who Fell Through The Ice*
Swayzak - Make Up Your Mind*
Blue States – Season Song
Outkast/Andre 3000 – Prototype
Portishead – Only You
Portishead - Cowboys*
Portishead – Mourning Air
Beck – Jack Ass
Erykah Badu – Didn’t Cha Know*

Cocktail - Lounge, Mondo, Cabaret, Bossa Nova, Latin, Jazz
Pepe and the Bottle Blondes - Cuentame Que Te Paso
Pink Martini – Lily*
Pink Martini – Le Soledad
Nouvelle Vague – Ever Fallen in Love*
Nouvelle Vague – Too Drunk Too Fuck
Monsieur Camembert – Dance Me to the End of Love

Dark Ambient & World
Lisa Gerrard + Pieter Bourke - The Human Game
Lisa Gerrard + Pieter Bourke – Nadir(synchronicity)
Lisa Gerrard – Hymn For The Fallen*
Lisa Gerrard – Space Weaver*
Dead Can Dance – Rakim*

Chick Songstresses
Nellie McKay – Ding Dong
Cat Power – Cross Bones Style
Nico – These Days
Fiona Apple – Carrion
Fiona Apple – Sullen Girl
Fiona Apple – Get Gone*
Fiona Apple – I Know
Alice Russell – High Up on the Hook*
Cibelle - Waiting

Manly Voices
Cody ChesnuTT – Serve This Royalty
John Mayer – Stop This Train
Emitt Rhodes – Lullaby
Elliot Smith – Needle in the Hay
Jose Gonzalez – Heartbeats*
Bright Eyes – Lua

* = songs I highly recommend, or particularly like more than the others.

Hopefully some of you will find some new music gems there to add to your collection. Part of the beauty of music is that there is such an extensive amount available that its almost impossible to tire and get bored of music. There's always something to listen to, and somewhere to listen to it. Always a song for any mood, any emotion, any situation, moment, memory. There's always an artist, or artists, that will remind you of a certain point in your life, a certain stage in your timeline.

Music is eternal, though tastes change.
On the bus today I was thinking about how my own music tastes have changed over the last decade. What I regard as my favourites now aren't entirely what fueled me through my adolesence. Have I gone from an angsty teenager that no one understood to a chilled out adult that couldn't care less? I guess so. I thought it'd be interesting to write down and see what was playing on my stereo when I was 14 to 17, then when I was around 17 to 21 and now at neering 25 and compare the evolution of my own tastes. Might give you an idea to try yourself!

The Music Evolution of Blackberry Moose: Favourite Artists

Phase 1 - Ages 14 to about 17
Deftones, Marilyn Manson, Ben Folds Five, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tori Amos, Bjork,Something For Kate, Stabbing Westward, Weezer, Fiona Apple, Lisa Loeb, Sublime, Radiohead, Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, Blink 182, Superjesus, Hole, Nirvana

All Time Favouites (as said at 17)
Deftones, Tori Amos, Ben Folds Five, Tori Amos, Sublime, Marilyn Manson

Phase 2 - Ages 17 to about 21
Bjork, Ben Folds Five/Ben Folds, Incubus, Something For Kate, Tori Amos, Massive Attack, Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris, The Hippos, LTJ Bukem, Portishead, Pj Harvey, Ben Harper, Erykah Badu, John Butler Trio, Jeff Buckley, Diana Krall, Kruder and Dorfmeister, Muse, Sigur Ros, Weezer

All Time Fabvourites (as said at 21)
Incubus, Something For Kate, Tori Amos, LTJ Bukem, Erykah Badu

Phrase 3 - Ages 21 to now (24)
Fiona Apple, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Zero 7, Lisa Gerrard, Pink Martini, Bjork, John Mayer, LTJ Bukem, Gilles Peterson (DJ), Portishead, Erykah Badu, Mr Scruff, Peaches, Kings of Convenience, George, Hird, Cornelius, Weezer, Common, Dead Can Dance, Madeleine Peyroux, The Polyphonic Spree, Taraf De Haidouks

All Time Favourites (as said at 24)
Fiona Apple, Bjork, Radiohead, Weezer, Lisa Gerrard, Pink Martini, Zero 7, Massive Attack, Portishead, John Mayer, LTJ Bukem, Erykah Badu, Taraf De Haidouks, Mr Scruff

So there you have it! If someone asks me what music do I like, I'll just send them here from now on. Maybe it's something you'll want to try in your procrastination time, mapping out where you started with music and where you are now. It's interesting, I'll give you that. Or maybe I just find these small things interesting.

For now though, I think that's plenty of music talked abouthere. I have many more music blog plans, quirky and whatnot. Maybe this will end up being a psuedo-music-move blog more than aimless rambles. Well... rambles still but not so aimless.

Until next time, toodles!

<3 Blackberry Moose

P.S If my spelling gets off towards the end blame my spellchecker. It just packed it in half way though this post.