Changes in Setting vs. Changes in Music Taste

Yet another thread where I over-analyze music taste. Watmm seems to be made for this kind of banter though.

I've noticed some pretty heavy changes in my music taste over the past several years, and while I am obviously changing/growing as a person blah blah blah, I feel the setting in which I have been able to listen to music in has largely been dictating what I listen to.

When I lived with my Mom and brothers, I listened to IDM, Noise, and harder stuff, and whenever I visit them I still find myself listening to harder stuff like Gabber, Digital Hardcore, and Black Metal. This is largely because I have the privacy/comfort of being able to rock back and forth on the couch and listen to music loud on my headphones (*checks score in aspergers thread*).

I've been living in houses with shared living spaces and such, so I've had to listen to music a lot quieter than in the past, and I ain't gonna go sperg out on our living room couch (It's a terrible couch anyway). So, I'm pretty much limited to my bed, so I've been liking Rock, Psychedelic, Downtempo, Drone, Bossa Nova, and other chill stuff a lot more than I used to.

tl;dr: So anyway, I'm just curious, How/Where do you generally listen to music? Do you listen to music differently than you did in the past? Have your tastes changed, and do you see any correlation?

musical preference is as elastic as goatse's bum but like a mormon missionary I normally choose not to stick any grapefruit in it. If I wasn't apathetic and bored by searching for loads of new music then I would probably have country and smooth jazz on my mp3 player and I would probably listen to it washing doing dishes.

my music taste has been pretty staple for a good 5 years now, a fierce passion for good techno and classical piano music, a healthy respect for jazz, less rigidly groove-locked electronic music, and ambient, and a smattering of bands who i think are cool but rarely actually listen to. i listen to alot of new music of all types but i just hate most of it.

all of my friends love disco, funk, old electro, and rap based hip-hop, and i pretty much hate it all.

  On 5/7/2013 at 4:13 AM, messiaen said:

my music taste has been pretty staple for a good 5 years now

And have your listening settings remained largely stable, or is there no correlation?

my listening enviroment has been the same since i was 13, minus upgrades in sound quality, a hifi in my room, earphones and an mp3 player, and when i hit 18, clubs.

I listen to Captain Beefheart when I'm out in the country.

As of now:

Commute and driving: local radio - lot of decent indie rock and county on the local NPR affliate (they have a second all music FM station!) and on a station shared by UT and a community cooperative station. I literally know the shows M-F based on my schedules. Get to hear a lot of electronic, old prog and folk music, world pop music and decent amount of reggae and lounge music. There was even a black metal show that aired from 3pm-4:30pm on Thursday afternoons for awhile.

Home - not much lately, but usually radio downstairs, stuff posted on WATMM or my cassettes. Listen to a lot of new ambient and drone cassette releases. Also listen to oddity tapes I find and old favorites I found on cassette tapes from thrift stores.

At work: changes a lot. I usually listen to a lot of downtempo beat scene stuff, techno, house, old IDM, etc. If I'm distracted it's mostly youtube and watmm links or browsing pfork and other blogs. If I'm focused it's DJ mixes (FACT especially) or streaming albums. Now how and what I listen to varies a lot. (see spoiler below) Right now I can't listen to music much - I'm on the TX Senate floor entering legislative data. Beyond those 5 months every two years I scan and digitize documents.

I'd like to think my tastes are pretty much stable now. I've literally tried listening to everything - it's liberating because with few exceptions I feel like I've heard or previewed all the kinds of music that have ever been made. So now I don't seek out "new music" or genres or styles it's more about refining my tastes and finding more of what I really like. Also feel more truly motivated to make music myself than I've even been in the past.

I don't know if my environment "changes" my music tastes, but I think scenery certainly can influence my choices.

It's funny. I've actually been thinking about this quite a bit lately. I've thought about posting a thread about how certain songs/artists can get you through tough times, but my tough time, in mind, is directly related to where I am currently located.

I've always been more inclined to be very invested in a handful of artists that I can go back and re-visit in a new lights from new places of my life.

I feel that a few albums/artists have played a big part in helping me through tough times, as of late. I wonder if the impact of their music has been enhanced, due to my surroundings. LA is always warm and sunny, with mountains off in the distance, palm trees and strip malls. There are also lots of trashy assholes with plastic surgery, dressed badly and driving flashy cars. Poor Mexican people. Gritty sidewalks, streets, bridges and alleys.

It all kinda gets me down.

My first year here, I listened to practically nothing but Elliot Smith.

I also went through a black metal period at the end of last year. It was bleak. Darkness on top of darkness. Something about this town lends itself well to nihilism. Death Grips was in there too. So was Ministry's first LP.

Luckily, My Bloody Valentine put out their new one. There was a similar sadness, depth and intensity to it, but in a much more uplifting and ecstatic way. I credit that album with contributing to help me come out of a deep fog. I feel that one would sound good anywhere though.

Similarly, I credit Ceephax with being perfect music for where I'm at.

I've also been listening to a lot of Giorgio Moroder. His sound seems to fit in well with LA.

If I go out to the desert, like in Joshua Tree, I like listening to Popol Vuh, Enya and Graham Parsons.

I've also been going on a bit of a Bowie binge lately. He's definitely an artist you can come back to and find new lights in. He's the best.

I can listen to jungle anywhere, anytime. Danzig, too.

I can't really listen to Guns N Roses anymore.

*Haters gonna hate*

I used to be a huge fan until moving here. Then I heard some really shitty, first-hand stories of some of their touring antics. Being in LA, where they started, fills in the picture a little too well for me. Kinda sad.

It's also weird being in LA and knowing now what so many influential artists have experienced, during theirs times here. I was just thinking about that with Frank Black today. That sort of thing pops up a lot more than you'd imagine.

I've noticed that my taste in music changes with the seasons. For example

Winter: Autechre. Droney dark ambient. Cold music in general. Makes sense I guess.

Spring: Older Aphex. Brian Eno's paino stuff. Clark. Ceephax. Acid music in general.

Summer: Poppy stuff. Bibio, BOC, Analords, Gas. Lots of Squarepusher too. Drukqs and Tuss.

Fall: Emo toimes...lots of Burial and ambient music.

Yea... it's been like that for s few years now.

  On 5/7/2013 at 6:10 AM, joshuatx said:

I'd like to think my tastes are pretty much stable now. I've literally tried listening to everything - it's liberating because with few exceptions I feel like I've heard or previewed all the kinds of music that have ever been made. So now I don't seek out "new music" or genres or styles it's more about refining my tastes and finding more of what I really like. Also feel more truly motivated to make music myself than I've even been in the past.

I feel like where you're currently at music-listening-wise is where I'm trying to move myself. For a while I was caught up in trying to make myself like the big or new Warp and Bleep names, but there's so much other music out there that I've given up on that. Plus, the new electronic scene really doesn't jive with me. So, I've been trying to get into non-western music (a lot of thanks goes to posts in the Albums Recently Listened thread) which has been a nice experience. Some day I hope to be able to just focus on honing my taste.

While streaming and spotify seems to work well for a lot of people, my major issue with it is that I feel so much of the listening experience gets lost in it. When you listen to an album over and over you start picking up on every little detail, and you form an intimate relationship of sorts with the music, not to mention you get to experience the flow of the album as a whole. For example, I listened to Neil Young's "Like an Inca" yesterday, and I just noticed how cool the ending guitar solo is. I've listened to that album (Trans) so many times in my life, but I'm still noticing details.

Then again, maybe I'm just slow.

Also, lol at your Hard drive crashing, and then you going off and exploring a bunch of new music. Sounds like a "material possessions holding you back" kind of thing.

Jeferoo: Agreed in regards to Bowie. I'll probably be able to find new things in his music until I die.

Foil: Yea, same here. Poppier stuff in the summer and darker stuff in the winter. Probably because winter depresses me, so that makes sense.

I wish last.fm had a chart where you could see how your musical tastes change by the season.

  On 5/7/2013 at 7:43 AM, usagi said:

all I know is that when I'm out and about, especially on weekdays to, at and from work, I listen to more aggro stuff than when I'm at home or in other relaxed environments. I don't know why it is but it probably has something to do with hating being at work and dealing with co-workers.

 

when I'm at home and adding stuff to my ipod to listen to on the go, I think "hmm, that Can album will do nicely, love me some Can. oh, why haven't I listened to Dirty Three in so long! maybe throw in some Eno too". but then the next day when I'm on the commute I can't bring myself to listen to any of it and rummage irritatedly through the ipod trying to find to find something like British Murder Boys or Genghis Tron to put on instead.

 

not a happy chappy lately.

lol this is me.

i basically only listen to music at home now. full albums on a stereo, loud. my ipod is strictly a commute thing but i suffer from the above so i'll often browse through loads of ambient drone trying to find hellnation or some black metal, then end up just turning on sports radio and not listening to music at all.

overall i don't listen to music very often, maybe forty minutes a day, or an album a day, but i find that's more than enough. a lot of my own personal "canon" of artists don't get listened to because i find the act kind of arbitrary. like, i can't imagine listening to ok computer ever again, even though i love it. i just know every note.

I think environment, especially time of day, does play a part in what music i put on. For instance, during the nighttime im most likely going to put on some Burial or Clubroot. On a cloudy day, im most likely going to listen to some Black Metal or metal in general. Sunny day, boards of canada/more upbeat stuff. I feel like IDM can be played just about anywhere/anytime

  On 5/8/2013 at 2:14 AM, Danny O Flannagin said:

IDM can be played just about anywhere/anytime

  On 5/8/2013 at 2:14 AM, Danny O Flannagin said:

I think environment, especially time of day, does play a part in what music i put on. For instance, during the nighttime im most likely going to put on some Burial or Clubroot. On a cloudy day, im most likely going to listen to some Black Metal or metal in general. Sunny day, boards of canada/more upbeat stuff. I feel like IDM can be played just about anywhere/anytime

  On 5/7/2013 at 10:18 AM, Friendly Foil said:

I've noticed that my taste in music changes with the seasons. For example

 

Winter: Autechre. Droney dark ambient. Cold music in general. Makes sense I guess.

 

Spring: Older Aphex. Brian Eno's paino stuff. Clark. Ceephax. Acid music in general.

 

Summer: Poppy stuff. Bibio, BOC, Analords, Gas. Lots of Squarepusher too. Drukqs and Tuss.

 

Fall: Emo toimes...lots of Burial and ambient music.

 

Yea... it's been like that for s few years now.

  On 5/7/2013 at 9:59 AM, jefferoo said:

I don't know if my environment "changes" my music tastes, but I think scenery certainly can influence my choices.

 

It's funny. I've actually been thinking about this quite a bit lately. I've thought about posting a thread about how certain songs/artists can get you through tough times, but my tough time, in mind, is directly related to where I am currently located.

I've always been more inclined to be very invested in a handful of artists that I can go back and re-visit in a new lights from new places of my life.

I feel that a few albums/artists have played a big part in helping me through tough times, as of late. I wonder if the impact of their music has been enhanced, due to my surroundings. LA is always warm and sunny, with mountains off in the distance, palm trees and strip malls. There are also lots of trashy assholes with plastic surgery, dressed badly and driving flashy cars. Poor Mexican people. Gritty sidewalks, streets, bridges and alleys.

It all kinda gets me down.

My first year here, I listened to practically nothing but Elliot Smith.

I also went through a black metal period at the end of last year. It was bleak. Darkness on top of darkness. Something about this town lends itself well to nihilism. Death Grips was in there too. So was Ministry's first LP.

 

Luckily, My Bloody Valentine put out their new one. There was a similar sadness, depth and intensity to it, but in a much more uplifting and ecstatic way. I credit that album with contributing to help me come out of a deep fog. I feel that one would sound good anywhere though.

 

Similarly, I credit Ceephax with being perfect music for where I'm at.

I've also been listening to a lot of Giorgio Moroder. His sound seems to fit in well with LA.

 

If I go out to the desert, like in Joshua Tree, I like listening to Popol Vuh, Enya and Graham Parsons.

 

I've also been going on a bit of a Bowie binge lately. He's definitely an artist you can come back to and find new lights in. He's the best.

 

I can listen to jungle anywhere, anytime. Danzig, too.

 

I can't really listen to Guns N Roses anymore.

*Haters gonna hate*

I used to be a huge fan until moving here. Then I heard some really shitty, first-hand stories of some of their touring antics. Being in LA, where they started, fills in the picture a little too well for me. Kinda sad.

 

It's also weird being in LA and knowing now what so many influential artists have experienced, during theirs times here. I was just thinking about that with Frank Black today. That sort of thing pops up a lot more than you'd imagine.

I completely forgot about seasons and time. For instance I can't listen to Amnesiac in late spring or summer - it's a purely late fall and winter album. I can't listen to Interpol's first two albums during the day. and likewise lounge, tropicalia and dub is impossible to enjoy when it's not sunny or hot (or one of those summer nights when you're buzzed and sitting outdoors and it's still in the 80s outside).

Place and memory is a very odd factor. In the last year I realized that with few exceptions I no longer would have nostalgic rushes from any music I'd listen to that I had discovered or heard from say, 2008 onward. On the other extreme there are songs and albums and soundtrack cues (even commercial jingles and toy sound effects) that will trigger specific memories of places, people, even smells from my childhood. Up through my college years there are still songs, even ones I never listened to on purpose, that will trigger nostalgic highs. This just doesn't happen much anymore and it's kind of become dulled overall. I think all the instantly available content is part of it, so is maybe, as Simon Reynolds has observed, the fact that present day pop music is almost completely post-modern and retro or revival sounding. There's no "quintessential" 2010, 2011, 2012, or 2013 "sound" or widely accepted trend.

The most brilliant artists are ones that manage to transcend historical and geographical context and still have a universal resonance with audiences. Burial is a good example - he sound evokes rain, alleyways, urban bleakness, London, etc. I remember the first time I heard Ghost Hardware I got flashbacks to going into an Underground rail station for the first time when I was a kid. I suppose that's why I find hauntological music so fascinating (when done right) and also why I'm so drawn to electronic music. It trigger memories and feelings you can't quite put a finger on.