Music

I was sitting at the computer last week reorganizing the music in my iPhone. Going over my music folder with a fine toothed comb, I took out stuff that I rarely listened to and replaced it with selections I haven't heard in a while. I added a bunch of classical music, the complete master tracks of Billie Holiday, Esquivel and OK Computer by Radiohead.

Growing up in a very conservative, very Christian home, we weren't allowed to listen to "secular" music until I was in high school. There wasn't an age limit for "such music," that's just when I decided to tell religion to fuck off. But in my formative years, the only music I had exposure to was the very linear, very predictable, very repetitive genre of Christian rock. Regardless of the actual sound, I discovered it all to be extremely formulaic and in a word, boring. The saving grace for me was piano, which opened my world to classical music and the understanding of music in general. At least I'm able to appreciate good music regardless of the message.

That said, when I came of musical age and started listening to popular music, I was dismayed to find that it was complete shit. Keep in mind that during this "secular awakening," the popular music to which I am referring are such timeless groups as Bush, TLC, The Spice Girls and most importantly, Chumbawamba. However, since I didn't have a history with "secular music," I didn't know where to turn. Through the years, I have lazily picked up music from people who recommended it to me.

To me, Radiohead was always, "that band that did Creep." I wasn't particularly turned on by that song, so I wasn't particularly interested in buying their music. Oh, and they were British and I try to buy American whenever possible. The Jeep Patriot that I totally own is a testament to my heartland values. Actually, when I put OK Computer on my iPhone, it was a sort of lame attempt to culture myself in new and different music. I was certain that I would only like a song or two and be done with it.

The opening measures of "Airbag" didn't just have me hooked - something inside me exploded and for once, it wasn't my liver. Because of my training on the piano, I rarely listen to the words of a song before the music. One of the main reasons I am turned off by modern musical groups is the simple fact that their music leaves nothing to be digested and their lyrics even less. They find their hook, repeat it several times, layer the hell out of it, and I'm left taking out my earbuds half way through the song. In the case of OK Computer, I found myself on the bus covering my ears to drown out the ambient noise. I wanted every drop, every eighth note, every reverberation to be mine.

There were complex rhythm sections, influences of eastern and African music, and everything fit perfectly. Thom Yorke's voice by itself could sound a bit whiny but with their music, Radiohead was unlike anything I had ever heard. Every song powerfully conveyed its message. It was readily apparent that these were incredibly talented musicians and writers doing an album that made them happy; screw you if you don't like it, but hopefully you do.

I haven't spent my birthday money yet, but you can rest assured that Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief and In Rainbows will be on my iPhone before you can say "Thom Yorke."