It'll be Alright.

Here’s some music I’ve been listening to lately in their playlists.  I’ve been using Grooveshark for a while now as my music source, coupled with Last.fm.  I use Last.fm to intentionally find music I want to listen to, and Grooveshark to get new stuff based off of their radio.  

A little snippet:

I do this thing where I pick a song I like, turn on Grooveshark radio mode, and listen to the songs that follow, killing the songs I don’t like.  Then I’ll save it as a play list and hone down to the ones I like and listen to them over and over.  This is the latest one from ‘You’ by TV on the Radio:

I muse a bit after this about music in my life.  It may be kinda boring, so I’m ‘read more’-ing it.  

Approach to music is weird lately.  In high school, it was a big deal to find new bands, music that really attuned with you, etc.  It was hard to find stuff you’d like, and when you found bands, and other people listened to them too, it created a bond between you because of music commonality.  In high school, I mainly hung out with the art crowd, music crowd, and Christian crowd, and who overlapped were my better friends.  

I wonder how the process has changed for kids today.  It is easier to fin music that you attune with?  Do you find less identity today with music than before, because it’s easier to jump on to?  Back in high school, people would where their music taste like a badge of status.  You’d find common friendships, or the kid who learned all the cool new bands was really cool in comparison.  Now, it seems as easy as listening to Last.fm scrobbled music for a while, seeing what fits, streaming it on Grooveshark, and you’ve suddently got 300 new bands to get into.  

If I listen to a band once, does that mean I ‘listen’ to them?  How into a band do you have to be to be ‘in’ to them?  Is the landscape changing?  Will my generation be out of touch with the next because we’ll ask them who they’re ‘in’ to, with them replying, “No one, I just listen to songs I like.”?  Does none of this matter to other 20-somethings?  

In my role as a missionary, I almost feel guilty being into music.  I feel like there’s a perception that I shouldn’t have enough time to, and should instead be “ministering” (which is, I guess, some ethereal term for saving souls or something, because I mean, really, when are we not “ministering” something?).  I want to rationalize it by saying that my investment into music will eventually lead me to more effectively spread the Gospel of Christ, but if I’m really honest, should it matter?  I think at the end of the day, if that’s what I’m concentrated on, I lose all legitimacy with any crowds that I’d be able to effect because of it.  So, I suppose the way I see it, music is important to me just as much as music is important to any human being.  It draws lines to form groups, brings people together, gives us something to relate ourselves to and express things that can’t be expressed through words alone.  As a missionary, I feel me being into music is important to ministry, because it’s important to people, and people are important, and God loves people and wants to see them healed and whole.  So, I suppose what I should say is, I’m not guilty of being into music, I’m just always afraid I’m going to be judged for being so into music.  And at the end of the day, do not judge, lest ye be judged.