Music

It's a typical Thursday. My 251 homework is due at midnight. I'm furiously typing up the lengthy and possibly horrendously inefficient solutions that I've worked long and hard on. The keyboard clicks, and my computer hums. It's running Chrome, Firefox, Foxit Reader, TexicCenter, and Pidgin. Oh, and iTunes.

Unless I'm watching StarCraft or Smash VODs, iTunes is constantly running. It's true that I'm not always listening to it, but the fact that it's playing is comforting.

I recently took part in a study where we were asked to learn Chinese characters. We were given 4 sets of 10 characters, a minute and a half to memorize each set, and then asked to complete simple matching exercises. The study was based around how music affected our learning habits. There was English music, Chinese music, instrumental music, and finally no music at all. According to the results of this study (small sample size warning, as my favorite baseball blog would say), any type of music actually has a positive impact on how I learn.

That was good to hear, because I've been playing music in the background for years now. It actually would've been kind of unfortunate if the reverse had been true. Maybe I wouldn't have failed all those Gov tests ... but I digress.

Nashoba was the first person to perk my interest in music, and he also pointed out one of my favorite things about it. Music has a way of bonding with emotions. When he made the move from Connecticut to Virginia, a song he really liked came up on the radio. From then on he always associated the song with leaving, or sadness, or nostalgia. Indeed, sometimes when I'm thinking about what has happened to me, a song title is what comes to mind first, rather than 'first quarter sophomore year.' Oftentimes the lyrics are totally irrelevant to the feelings they evoke ... it's just the melody that I've come to associate with my emotions of the time.

That's not to say I don't value lyrics. Songwriters are brilliant people. Sometimes they're just out to seem catchy, but they also have cool and interesting messages. I used to roll my eyes at the people who would have song lyrics in their statuses (or I suppose in those days, away messages were the only way to post stuff). And well, obviously now I have no objection. I do the exact same thing because I'm frequently amazed at how accurate and insightful the words are.

There's a lot of talk about "guilty pleasure music." I guess guys aren't supposed to be listening to Michelle Branch, or High School Musical (actually I don't think anyone above the age of 13 is allowed to listen to this). A friend recently went through my library and noted that my entire collection is "guilty pleasure music." It's kind of true. I've never really shared what I listen to with anyone so for the most part it's been removed from social stigma and judgement. And that's just another thing I like about it. There aren't many things you can do completely free of that. So whenever people ask me what I listen to, I always respond with a half-hearted "whatever" and do my best not to let it get beyond that. If they're persistent I might admit that my favorite band is Mae, but that's my absolute limit. I guess people see music as a way to bond or to enjoy something to talk about, but I've always used it for a completely different purpose. I'll probably keep it that way.

I've been trying to expand my musical horizons, though, and not communicating with others makes that a bit difficult. So, give me a list or something. Let me know what your favorite bands or songs are. I know I've asked this before, but asking in my IM status gave me too much material to wade through. I'd like to start again here, with a much smaller group of people. It's for my benefit as well as other people's. And to be fair, I'll post my 10 most listened-to songs over the last few months here.

Soundtrack for Our Movie - Mae

Strange and Beautiful - Aqualung

Breakeven - The Script

Nine in the Afternoon - Panic at the Disco

Brighter - Jake

Work - Jimmy Eat World

Your Guardian Angel - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Stolen - Dashboard Confessional

What You Want - Ingram Hill

When I'm With You - Faber Drive

Okay, your turn. Let's hear it.