The Liner Notes: why a Music Blog?

I love Music

Most of my friends can't stand my choice in music.

"What the Fuck is this?"

A slow monotonous song drones through the car stereo speakers, drab, bleak, repetitive. Almost as if someone had started the drum track but then forgot the rest leaving audio filler spilling across the airwaves.

"Triple J" i sigh searching for some way to back up how this music is good. It's not. Triple J has let me down again.

I reach forward stabbing at a random number on the dash, knowing full well what i am about to hear, and this radio station doesn't let me down... catchy...pop...country...crap. Taylor Swift.

Sweet sappy lyrical nonsense floats through the speakers, something about romeo and Juliet and some sort of fairytale surrounding, i lean foreword to select another number in the hopes of something better...

"Good Song!" my now suspiciously heterosexual friend says moments away from the button push, his voice with an air of certainty, he knows what he likes and this is it. I slump back into my seat. Car rules, driver has final say.

Eyes foreword... look at the road.... I can sense him looking at me, he wants approval, he wants me to turn to him and tell him how amazing this song is... i can't even lie to him... i keep my mouth shut. The song will be over soon and i can try Triple J again... i can't let go that easily.

The song end, i switch the station... the drone is still going... "What is this crap?"

There is a LOT of music these days... and a lot of genres being created to fit these songs....

"And now here's the latest in bohemian sub-pop trance metal!"

and anyone can become a musician... all you need is a computer and a social network and you already have what constitutes a basic record label.

While this is great for struggling musicians to get their stuff out there it soon becomes a double edged sword as people begin to stop looking.

The Ratio goes like this: for every one decent artist there will be 5 shit ones beside it.

The good songwriters/singers/bands are getting lost in a world of wanky art students who have just perfected their 20 minute ode to the sound of rain, distorted in such a way that it does significant earlobe damage but breaks social barriers nonetheless.... it is depressing to turn on the radio and continually stay vigilant as song after song of pure annoyance plays out of the speakers, the one thing looping in your mind... "it's OK... the next song will be good".

And so commercial radio comes along to save the day... they have the answer... THEY will pick for you. All you have to do is tune in and trust in them that this is the best the music industry have to offer.

"Pink is awesome... nothing better than pink... she's the hottest artist right now! whats that? this kid rock song does sound awfully like "Sweet home Alabama" meets "werewolves of London" but who cares about those songs, we don't play those songs..."

No longer do people have to think for themselves, if its catchy and talks about sex its good!

People have given up caring about music, they no longer listen to music and then judge, but the other way round! They will love the song before they have even heard it, and why? Because some jerk off shock jock told them to.

I will only briefly add here that most of the actually good tracks that seem to be played on these stations have mostly been played to death on triple J beforehand.

And so what is to happen to this music industry of ours... will a database of wannabe artists like Triple J's unearthed stay alive whilst most of the population tune over to hear about what shit Kyle Sandilands has to say next?

I most certainly hope not.

I will still listen to Triple J because when that droning half hour set of drum machine finishes and a purely amazing song plays... it will be magical!


Through this Blog i hope to introduce you to band thats i find and like, you may not like them, you may downright hate them... but somewhere along the way you might find a band that you really connect with, and trust me when i tell you that there is nothing better than that.




Now to switch back to Triple J and see whats on...