Mike Comite a happy birthday today, he returned the well-wishes with a gift for me.
"Ever listen to superdrag?"
I hadn't, but like all of Mike's recommendations, I looked them up. He suggested Head Trip In Every Key as my starting point.
Instead of opening Rdio like I should have, I opened my mobile browser and keyed "best Superdrag songs" into my search bar and tapped "Go." Just as the page loaded, a thought occurred and I tapped for home and went to Rdio.
I don't need a fan-made list of a band's best songs to how me the best way to enjoy them. The notion that finding out what a stranger likes most about a particular group is completely silly. I can make up my own mind, thanks. Still, I went for it and I can't help but ponder why.
In 2004, there were these immensely popular magazines on news stands that contained nothing but cheat codes. Every quarter, a new one would come out with the same codes and tricks (give or take a few additions). These made playing games both more and less entertaining. Jumping checkpoints or landing impossible tricks was totally awesome in the moments after I returned home with a notepad full of codes (I was cheap and crafty as a teen), but those codes ultimately ruined games for me. It stripped the fun away from learning the game. Looking up opinions about bands is no different.
I stopped writing album reviews a few years ago. I've done one or two since, for print and pay, but I've mostly given it up. I just don't care what people think about what I think when it comes to music. That is to say, I don't care to read reviews about records so why should I contribute? I'm down to hold a conversation about a record. I do that all the time. What I'm not so keen on anymore is writing up 500+ words on an album I may or may not be attracted to. Particularly the latter. I have a huge aversion to penning hate these days. It's not worth the negative vibes or my time.
If I love a record, I'll probably share about it in some way. If I feel a strong connection personally to an album, it's totally possible I'll write about why. Writing something just to have a public opinion on something is the line I refuse to cross. That goes for reading that shit too.
For the record, I enjoy Superdrag. I've listened to the album Mike thought I would like and hey... I do. They have all of the 90s/00s pop-punk and emo tones I dig with a killer Mersey Beat mentality driving their structure and melodies. But hey, that's some bozo's opinion. Get your own.