So my current financial woes have kept me from buying too many albums this year. Before tonight the only 2008 album I purchased was Magnetic Fields. But tonight I scrounged around in my sock drawer and under the seats of my car and found enough change to go buy me a new album...
But what to buy? My first choice was Black Mountain. They didn't have it. So I was stuck with this decision...Vampire Weekend or Drive-by Truckers? And this presented me with a philosophical dilemma. Vampire Weekend is the new, hip thing. Drive-by Truckers are an older, kick-ass band. I had listened to two or three Vampire Weekend songs previously and they didn't blow me away...but they sounded like songs I could grow to really enjoy. Still, my inclination is to go with the Drive-by Truckers because they are a band I've previously bought albums by and REALLY like them.
So why would I possibly buy the Vampire Weekend album? Because if I were to choose the Drive-by Truckers album it would make me feel old. That sounds kind of silly. It's not like Drive-by Truckers, or most other bands I listen to, are OLD people's music. The problem is this...it seems that more often than not lately, when I go to the store to purchase music, I end up going with an album by an artist I have previously bought music by. Nine of my top ten albums of 2007 were by artists who I had been a fan of before 2007. This isn't really a problem at the moment since all of these artists remain somewhat relevant. My fear is that as I grow older my list will continue to be composed of those same artists and I'll lose touch with what is new.
Of course I'm exaggerating all of this. I actually keep up with new music better than most people I know. Just something to think about. In the end my choice was easier due to the fact that the Vampire Weekend was three dollars cheaper than the Drive-by Truckers album. And on first listen I actually really like it. And eventually I will buy the Truckers album anyway. So what I'm getting at is...I've been rambling about nothing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I do not like Vampire weekend at all, a fellow Ween fan introduced me to that band months ago and they did not catch my attention one bit. But that's irrelevant, you make such a great point, with being updated and trying to discover and research and enjoy things (Not only music but also literature, movies, etc) that are recent. But... I guess that it's even more important to dig back and find some treasures that one has taken for granted or did not know (Ed Askew, for me, was a miracle to find). Okay, I am not making much sense anymore but yeah... I agree with you, we need to update ourselves, not trust anyone over 30 and all of that. Sonic youth and Imperial teen and Poster children are all so old now. Makes me smile.
Post a Comment