Out of Tune[s]

There once was a time when I was heavily interested in music. One summer I spent in excess of $350 towards building my collection. And while music remains very important to me, I have recently lost touch with it. I no longer scan band websites for gossip, upcoming releases. I no longer take suggestions for bands that I should check out. I just listen to what I have, and only some of it at that. The only time I listen to the radio is when my alarm goes off in the morning, but it's tuned to CJSR and the program at 6:00 am is the BBC World Service news. Off the top of my head, I cannot remember the last album I bought.

I miss music.

I was raised on rock and roll. The Good Stuff. Then, when I moved to B.C. at the tender age of 7, my teenage cousins introduced me to pop, dance, R&B, and the like. And yes, I went through the Boy Band Phase. Then I started to explore a little, and added some indie rock and electronica to my repertoire. Lately I have been getting into genre moods. I have passed through a rap mood - a little Kanye here, Hova there; a Mötley mood - trüe to the red, white, and Crüe; a Coldplay mood - one of my favourites. But none of these binges are satisfying my longing for music. I enjoy them, but listening to them is like being hungry and merely looking at a feast set before you.

I don't really know why I have grown away from music. Maybe I just stopped listening. Maybe I became slightly disgruntled by the fact that I was close to being one of those people that look for little-known and sometimes weird music for the sake of looking for little-known and sometimes weird music.... to be cool and, er, hip. You know the type of which I speak. Why not stick to what you like for at least a while? It seems almost traitorous just moving on for the sake of being hip. [Sarcastic interlude]I mean, heaven forbid I should like the music that millions of other people may like! How embarrassing! [/interlude]

I need to reconnect. I have been trying to think of some potential music purchases. Maybe....the new RHCP? The Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack (it stuck out in my mind as quite nice as I watched the movie, which is usually a sign that I should acquire it. There are many a'soundtracks to which I have become attached)? Gnarls Barkley? I'm a little torn on whether or not I should get the newest of Keane and Snow Patrol. I like their older stuff, but the new stuff sounds different. Basement Jaxx just released a new album - quite tantalizing. k-os is coming out with something new soon. I'm a little curious about this new Bob Dylan stuff, too.

I am also torn on the issue of purchasing. While I like buying CDs for the sake of having a tangible collection (to maybe even pass on to my descendants one day when the CD is completely obsolete), I am also quite drawn to the efficiency and reduced prices of buying albums on iTunes. Oh, what a pickle.

So, I don't really know what I wanted to accomplish with this post. Maybe you, my dearest readers, can provide some insight on how to go about getting back to music. Maybe you can suggest an artist for me to check out, an album for me to consider, a song that might change my life. Maybe you can help me sort through the pros and cons of iTunes purchases. Maybe you can read this post and not leave a comment, now knowing that blog comments are what make my world go round.