I don't like The 1975

 

I want to be clear from the off that I have nothing against the band members of The 1975, I think they are very talented musicians that do something not many bands can do, Originality, when you hear The 1975, you know what you are listening to, haunting vocals and an other worldly instrumental arrangement that can transport the listener to another place.

But still I will skip them on spotify if they are in a playlist, so what is the problem? In a nutshell its me, I am the problem, you see when you listen to music, no mater if it's Vivaldi's Four seasons, Even flow by Pearl Jam, or the Chronic by Dr Dre, great music is not about technical ability, great writing or any of that stuff, what makes a great piece of music is the way it makes you feel.

The music we listen to is a part of who we are, because its n expression of our emotions, When I have a bad day, and I have the anger building up in me, a little slipknot is the pressure valve, I can go nuts for a few minuets, and release that pent up aggression, and I'm fine, I don't take it all out on anyone else, I don't break anything, not even a crossed word with anyone or anything.

Music can change your mood, it can lift you when you feel down, it can commiserate when you go through a break up, it can show you deserve the happiness your feeling, but it can also hold a mirror up to you, you see The 1975 isn't of my generation, its new its fresh, and I don't properly understand it, see, My experience with music started before the internet, magazines, radio and TV shows maybe if your lucky there was a guy down at your local independent record shop that could hook you up with some new music.

But pretty much everything we listened to came recommended by the media, and If you wanted to hear something with a bit of edge, you would go to gigs, the great gig sweaty hybrid of night out, and standing in a record shop for hours on a Saturday morning, but they were the best times, seeing bands you haven't heard of, along side bands you love, pogoing for next to some kid you've never met before, or being in the mosh pit with your mates, even a bad gig was better than anything else.

My point is that when I hear a certain type of music, I'm reminded that those days are gone now, the record shop went long ago, the venues are owned by hedge funds and the lads in the mosh pit now more fire pit and patio furniture, than mosh pit and breaking furniture, so my poor ego, would rather not listen to The 1975, it hates to feel that I'm not part of music any more, there are youngsters out there enjoying music their way, and I'm not on the inside of that anymore, a midlife crisis is nothing more than that, it's a transition, were passing the torch, and although I'm passing it into remarkably capable hands, I have to let go, I have to stop fantasizing that music lovers were better in my day because we had it a lot harder, we have both had challenges to overcome, were playing the same game but on a different pitch, and that goes for life outside of music, my generation is probably the last to buy a house, and that puts it all into perspective.

And before you ask, no, it hasn't escaped my attention, that when you boil down this blog post, I am saying “I don't get this music these kids listen to today”

you're right, but the least you can do is let an old man, no longer cool, have this one vain shred of dignity, before I'm shipped of to a nursing home where we will sit around in a circle on a Sunday, and sing along to some oldies, and personally I look forward to Garry losing his false teeth as he attempts Godzilla by Eminem or Big Shaz breaking her hip while attempting to twerk to Doncha by the pussycat dolls.

Photo by Josh Sorenson from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-in-concert-154147/