Slouching Toward Nostalgia
When you’re young, pop music is your life’s soundtrack: It manages, connects, and gives form to your life’s little dramas. At its best, pop music actually achieves something similar to what Hallmark cards are supposed to do — it perfectly expresses how you feel. As you get older, pop music becomes primarily nostalgic in nature. You flip through old songs and remember what you did — and who you were — when you first heard them. Your MP3 (or CD or record) collection becomes less of a curated personal soundtrack and more of a photo album.
All of which is to say I saw the original members of Sunny Day Real Estate play an astounding reunion show in D.C. tonight, and I realized, mostly happily, that these days, my musical interests tend a lot more toward the latter than the former.
Also, Jeremy Enigk has an amazing singing voice. But when he talks, he sounds like a Jim Henson creature.
When you’re done with nostalgia, you can move on to the good stuff – reminiscing.
— Tony Comstock · Oct 1, 11:21 AM · #
At its best, pop music actually achieves something that Hallmark cards are supposed to do …. Your … colection becomes less of a curated personal soundtrack and more of a photo album.
I rest my case, Tony: the market sucks at providing art.
— Sanjay · Oct 1, 12:34 PM · #
“As you get older, pop music becomes primarily nostalgic in nature.”
Do most people feel that way? It hasn’t functioned that way for me. Winter afternoons right now, at age 51, I sit with my wife in front of the fire and listen to “Harvest.” And listening to Taylor Swift connects me to my 15-year-old daughter right now, not to my 15-year-old self.
— y81 · Oct 1, 01:07 PM · #
Now if only you’d posted this a few days ago I would not currently be desperately searching for tickets to Saturday’s Atlanta show because I had no idea one of my favorite acts ever is on a reunion tour.
On topic, SDRE’s body of work is art, not pop. I’ll feel like you say about my Stone Temple Pilots albums as time moves on, though.
— Plinko · Oct 1, 06:37 PM · #