Do you have a "What are you listening to" middle-age music problem?

DainBramaged · Dec 6, 2024

I was reading an article in Vanity Fair about the shame of being asked "What are you listening to," and not having an answer. The author chalked it up to this and that and middle age and this too.

I'm sorry, but--and I know music is my passion/career--I feel I'll never be accused of "not having some new band on the mind" by anybody. Whether it's a "hip" or "fashionable" band, I don't know. But I'm **always** listening to something; I'm more often than not listening to something new.

Speaking of which, I'm really appreciating HEALTH'S new drop; however, THAT SAID, I still really dig their 2022 drop DISCO4:: PART II. Shit, they have NIN and Lamb of God; they've (even!!) got The (Freaking!) Neighborhood. Omg, that song's good. Plus, they've got themselves, when they play the final track: THESE DAYS 2.0.2.1. Omg.

Alright, this old (non-musically challenged) man is going to bed. Love you all, sexually or otherwise!!

<3

DainBramaged · Dec 6, 2024

Just for the record, I can't think of any of you for which it'd be sexually.*

*You know who you are.

IronWing · Dec 6, 2024

I think I’m good, sexually and music-wise.

biostud · Dec 7, 2024

Still finding new metal, so I'm good.

I just learned about Electric Callboy a couple of months ago and been listening non stop since.

BoomerD · Dec 7, 2024

DainBramaged said:
Just for the record, I can't think of any of you for which it'd be sexually.*

*You know who you are.

😍😍😍

Mr.IncrediblyBored · Dec 7, 2024

Why not and otherwise.

jmagg · Dec 7, 2024

Had some friends over last night and got going with "Playing for Change" covers, which are all incredible.

lxskllr · Dec 7, 2024

Lately, I couldn't answer with specificity. I'm listening mostly to ambient/chillout/space... etc, jazz, and classical. They all blend together. Rock bores the shit out of me, and I probably don't want to hear vocals. Last thing I bought was Psychedelic Source Records from bandcamp that IronWing turned me on to. That was back in July. Otherwise, lots of somafm and radio.

psychedelic source records

The Hungarian psychedelic rock collective

psychedelicsourcerecords.bandcamp.com

edit:
Oh, and I blew past "middle age" awhile ago, but rock's been boring for a loooong time.

sdifox · Dec 7, 2024

Jesus, why should I care what others think of what I listen to?

biostud · Dec 7, 2024

sdifox said:
Jesus, why should I care what others think of what I listen to?

I don't think it is so much about caring, but rather if you at a certain point in life stop finding new music you like and keep listening to the good old ones.

sdifox · Dec 7, 2024

biostud said:
I don't think it is so much about caring, but rather if you at a certain point in life stop finding new music you like and keep listening to the good old ones.

I never looked for new music

IronWing · Dec 7, 2024

biostud said:
I don't think it is so much about caring, but rather if you at a certain point in life stop finding new music you like and keep listening to the good old ones.

Flipping through the local radio stations in my fair city, we don't have a single commercial station left that plays new pop/rock/r&b. The community radio station has folks who will play new music but that's it. One station is playing non-stop early 80s crap in heavy rotation. It's just like radio was back then, the same twenty songs over and over. I can't imagine wanting to listen to only the music I heard in high school for the rest of my life but I guess some folks do. We used to laugh at the Boomers for being locked into music from 1963-72 but I guess it happens to all generations.

biostud · Dec 7, 2024

IronWing said:
Flipping through the local radio stations in my fair city, we don't have a single commercial station left that plays new pop/rock/r&b. The community radio station has folks who will play new music but that's it. One station is playing non-stop early 80s crap in heavy rotation. It's just like radio was back then, the same twenty songs over and over. I can't imagine wanting to listen to only the music I heard in high school for the rest of my life but I guess some folks do. We used to laugh at the Boomers for being locked into music from 1963-72 but I guess it happens to all generations.

I'm a metal head, so I never listen to music radio, but have some podcasts I listen to for inspiration.

Stopsignhank · Dec 7, 2024

The joke in our family is that I am going backwards. I listen to the Blues and 1940s music. I will venture off this path every once in a while, but always return to it. When we are at my daughter's and they have music on, I just think - No. Then if anyone gives me a hard time I just ask them if they know the words to "Too Many Dirty Dishes"

Chaotic42 · Dec 7, 2024

Eh, I try to keep it fresh, but more often than not I find myself stopping around 2000 for music. I totally missed out on all of the early 2000s emo/whatever stuff that's popular with my generation. My gf is a little younger than I am and she listens to newer stuff, so I hear some of it through her.

I just don't care for EDM, autotune, and whatever the heck is going on with Latin music these days, which cuts out a lot of the more popular stuff. I've been on a streak of finding older stuff that I've liked, jazz like 3rd World Electric, and such. Check out a new band called Homestead Groove if you like 3WE, Weather Report, and the like. For lo-fi, I've been into Ramses B while reading or just relaxing.

There's so much good music out there in the backlog that I don't feel a *need* to search for newer stuff, but I'm always happy when I come across it.

DainBramaged · Dec 7, 2024

BoomerD said:
😍😍😍

I wasn't gonna call you out by name, but shit, you opened that door...

BurnItDwn · Dec 8, 2024

biostud said:
I'm a metal head, so I never listen to music radio, but have some podcasts I listen to for inspiration.

Used to listen to "rebel radio" in the 1990s here. They played tons of heavy metal, death metal, doom metal, etc. Found a LOT of bands there. Radio station was started up by the drummer of the band "Stonehenge."

The Hardest Station in the Freakin' Nation! Chicago, IL USA | Rebel Radio

Rebel Radio plays all of your favorite heavy metal music, including classics, new stuff, local bands ("Homegrown"), punk, and everything in between!

rebelradio.com

IBMJunkman · Dec 8, 2024

What does it say about me that when I listen to radio it is in my car on SiriusXM channel 26, Classic Vinyl?

IronWing · Dec 8, 2024

IBMJunkman said:
What does it say about me that when I listen to radio it is in my car on SiriusXM channel 26, Classic Vinyl?

It says that either you figured out how to use Sirius or that you haven’t figured out how to cancel it.

BurnItDwn · Dec 8, 2024

IronWing said:
It says that either you figured out how to use Sirius or that you haven’t figured out how to cancel it.

Those Sirius guys are frickin annoying.
I bought a car from a ford dealer some years ago for my wife. Ford has a deal with Sirius. Sirius kept calling me daily, weekly, then monthy for like 2 years after I bought the car to keep trying to activate the free "trial" after I explicitly told them I was not going to ever sign up for it and to leave me alone. Blocked every number they called from, but they kept trying over and over again. Even if i wanted to listen one of their stations, I would never sign up for them in principal due to how annoying their marketing is.

Chaotic42 · Dec 8, 2024

BurnItDwn said:
Those Sirius guys are frickin annoying.
I bought a car from a ford dealer some years ago for my wife. Ford has a deal with Sirius. Sirius kept calling me daily, weekly, then monthy for like 2 years after I bought the car to keep trying to activate the free "trial" after I explicitly told them I was not going to ever sign up for it and to leave me alone. Blocked every number they called from, but they kept trying over and over again. Even if i wanted to listen one of their stations, I would never sign up for them in principal due to how annoying their marketing is.

Subaru makes a big deal about not using the touch screen while the car is in motion, refusing to do even simple things if you're moving... Unless it's popping up a huge SiriusXM ad that you have to touch to cancel. That's fine.

repoman0 · Dec 8, 2024

lxskllr said:
Lately, I couldn't answer with specificity. I'm listening mostly to ambient/chillout/space... etc, jazz, and classical. They all blend together. Rock bores the shit out of me, and I probably don't want to hear vocals. Last thing I bought was Psychedelic Source Records from bandcamp that IronWing turned me on to. That was back in July. Otherwise, lots of somafm and radio.

psychedelic source records

The Hungarian psychedelic rock collective

psychedelicsourcerecords.bandcamp.com

edit:
Oh, and I blew past "middle age" awhile ago, but rock's been boring for a loooong time.

Respect as a fellow classical listener and player, but “rock” doesn’t have to be boring lot of groups out there both old and new with fresh ideas and compositions, jazz influences etc.

Anyway I’ve been finding lots of new music lately but I’m hopefully not quite middle aged yet. King Gizzard and the lizard wizard, Gaupa (out of Sweden), even Opeth who have been at it for 30 years just put out a bad ass new record.

IBMJunkman · Dec 8, 2024

IronWing said:
It says that either you figured out how to use Sirius or that you haven’t figured out how to cancel it.

No problem using it. It came on my Ford and after the 6 months I liked it so I kept it. I was doing a lot of driving from the high desert to Las Vegas moving house. Got to know Earle Baily well. I liked not having to search for stations on the 3 hour drive.

The only thing I don’t like is the annual huge bill and the phone call where they manage to find an available ‘deal.’

Charmonium · Dec 9, 2024

I don't see why anything should be specific to middle-age. I have to say though that growing up, I do recall it being something of an accurate stereo type.

One middle-aged (at the time, mid 80's) lawyer I did some work for was still into doowop. I guess it's like white kids and rap - something "you like" not so much because you really like it but because it's popular. I'm sure some, maybe even most, do actually like it but I suspect a lot of them have just re-programmed their musical tastes. One of the many downsides of adolescence.

Personally, there are precious few genres that I genuinely despise. Opera is one. I have no idea why. Lately I've been listening to a NYC classical station and nothing has me reaching for the tuning knob faster than their playing some opera. Gregorian Chant on the other hand I think is uniquely soothing.

lxskllr · Dec 9, 2024

Opera sucks. So does pipe organ. I tune out as soon as either start.

Do you have a "What are you listening to" middle-age music problem?

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