Never fear, friends.
The world is in a whirlwind. There’s no food on supermarket shelves. There’s no gigs. There’s no sport. I can’t wipe my bum. We can’t even shake hands.
Not to worry, because there’s one universal antidote that will always keep spirits high. People revert to it during break-ups, when they’ve lost their job, when they’re devilishly hungover or when the post-festival funk gets a bit much.
What I’m talking about isn’t something you haven’t heard of, in fact, it’s arguably the most ubiquitous thing in life. It’s music, and much of the reason it was created was to bring joy to life.
The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines music as “the art of combining vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion”.
Preach.
Music is malleable, transferable, transcendental and reliable. It’s ambitious, persistent and generous. To be honest, it’s really anything you want it to be and that’s what makes it so valuable during this time of crisis.
I’m not even going to mention the c-word as you don’t need to hear it, but what you do need to hear is Caribou’s new album or Moses Sumney’s 2020 adventure. Check out Destroyer’s Have We Met and you’ve discovered one of the eeriest but intriguing records this year.
At some stages over the next six months, you’re going to find yourself with some time on your hands, so take yourself on an excursion. Bandcamp is your best friend for finding fresh, new talent. You can search by genre to ensure you don’t find yourself in the wrong neighbourhood and they’ll sling you a few free listens so you can get comfortable.
If time becomes plentiful tuck into a new genre. What have you got to lose? I’ve never really resonated with hip hop but that’s because I haven’t really been there. Many people say they don’t like a certain genre but is it because they don’t like it or is it because they ignore the salad from their parma and chips?
There are going to be times over the next few months where you will be looking at the wall like the paint is still drying. It isn’t, you just need to find something else to do. So, wire yourself in – there’s no better medium to lift your spirits and catapult you out of boredom than this phenomenon I’ve been preaching. Even if you just need to transition from one activity to the next, music will be there.
Seriously, whoever laid the first foundations of music knew exactly what they were doing and now we’re all wanting and needy like a piglet to its mother. The indomitable business model hey?
So, by the time this is all said and done, if you’ve given it enough time, you’ll be an expert in your field or another field. If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that you’ll have learnt something. Something to take to your next dinner party, or family catch-up; maybe you’ll pick up a few tricks to take on your next date.
What are you waiting for? Let the adventure begin.
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