The Joy of Music

I get my A-Level results tomorrow, and I am absolutely terrified. My body is doing weird things, that are mostly outside of my control, and my quality of sleep has been really poor. I want to go to university SO much it hurts. I'm going to be inconsolable if I don't get in.

To distract myself, I'm having fun being an uber-vinyl geek. I'm listening to my iPod, plugged into my hi-fi, as I type because it saves me having to get up to turn a record over, but I've been having great fun listening to the b-sides of all my Beatles singles this morning. When I listen to the Beatles, it feels like Christmas. It's better than Christmas, because these days Christmas is a bit rubbish. If I need cheering up, sitting cross-legged on the floor like a little girl opening her presents and placing the needle on the plastic grooves is one of the best things I can do (short of baking: the most therapeutic activity in the world). I am in total awe of them. I just don't know how they are so damn GOOD after nearly fifty years. I want to hug them.

I'm listening to an overdose of 80s electro and New Romantic right now, because I'm loving all my classic rock and pop as I find it much more comforting that even my most beloved modern music when I'm not on top of the world. I guess it's probably because I've always been into it, I grew up with it, and it's always there like an old friend. And it's still bloody amazing. I don't know why 80s electro is so damn good... if anything, it's a little bit shitty, with all the fake instruments and lack of decent lyrics. I guess maybe it's the beat. I love the bass-line on Chant No. 1 by Spandau Ballet and the way Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark make their synths sound beautiful and varied, like a landscape.

Synthpop originated as a mainstream movement in the late 70s, even though bands had begun using synthesisers in the 60s (Beatles!). Once again, we have David Bowie to thank for his pioneering musical experimentation. After he'd abandoned his glam rock and plastic soul, he branched out into androgynous art-rock, and his use of synthesisers on Low and Heroes led to the huge influx of synthpop bands such as The Human League, Depeche Mode and Eurythmics, and New Romantic bands like Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Adam & the Ants. In fact, Bowie seemed a little bit annoyed that so many bands had taken his style and dumbed it down (his song Teenage Wildlife can be interpreted as a dig at all the young synth groups around), but I think inspiring such a golden form of pop is something to be proud of. 80s electro is still big today, and new artists are looking back thirty years for inspiration.

My geekiness went to new levels this morning when I started to sort through my vinyl and make a spreadsheet of it all... I've always been a bit of a freak in terms of organising my vinyl and CDs alphabetically, and then within each artist organising it chronologically from first album to be released to most recent. But actually using Excel to catalogue it all... I deserve to be shot. Still, I will go to extreme lengths to distract myself!

Also, both my parents are now into EA: Dad came into my room last night and asked me if I could put Enchant on his iPod. It seems my good taste in music is genetic.. ;)

xxx