Random: Music

Musical taste plays a part in one's own identity. It's a reflection of your desired disposition and feelings. Each song tells a story; usually personal experiences or feelings expressed by the writer. It's one of the truest forms of self-expression by the artist, which the audience consumes and interprets from their own perspective. 

Progressive Rock / Metal

During my teen years and early 20s, I was something of a music snob. I only listened to non-mainstream progressive rock/metal bands, like Dream Theater, Ayreon, and Devin Townsend. As an amateur musician, I was amazed by the mechanical skill, complex time signatures, and long instrumentals from the artists. From my perspective then, the harder the song was to play, the better it sounded!

When I needed to focus on homework, I'd listen to a familiar album; one that I've listened to dozens of times. Being so familiar with the songs almost makes them like white-noise. I could keep track of the time just by which song was being played in the album. However, many types of rock and metal genres can be quite distracting. Songs with vocals are also quite distracting compared to instrumentals; it's almost like overhearing a conversion. 

With this in mind, I trended towards more ambient music. A nice transition was Porcupine Tree, which was a progressive band known for atmospheric textures and melodies. I especially enjoyed the earliest albums Voyage 34 and Moonloop, which were mostly improvised jam sessions spanning an hour each. These are better categorized as "space rock", "psychedelic rock", or "psytrance". It's the type of music designed for music for stoned, drunk, or otherwise drugged people to chill out to. For me, it was perfect music for late night studying and chilling, since the simple, comforting loops would let me concentrate for great lengths of time. From Porcupine Tree, I discovered Steven Wilson's diverse spread of projects, such as Blackfield and Bass Communion; the former being a pop rock band and the latter being pure ambient landscapes.

Japanese Musicians

The music to anime openings (OPs) are very special to the fans. The music itself is good, but it's also accompanied by awesome visuals that condense the essence of the anime's characters, story, and action. They're designed to pump up the audience and celebrate the series. My favorite anime OPs are from the early Naruto seasons; these songs were mostly Japanese rock. Very exciting music for watching ninjas fight. I also enjoy the intros to Yu Yu Hakusho and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. YouTube comments for these videos are often about the nostalgia of the early 2000s and the childhood memories associated with watching these shows. 

One series that has consistently good music is Berserk. The author Kentaro Miura reportedly listened to the work of progressive / electronic musician Susumu Hirasawa frequently while drawing the manga. The Berserk manga has a distinct aesthetic, so the impact of Hirasawa's music is evident. Hirasawa produced the soundtrack for the 1997 anime adaptation, which is still regarded as the most faithful adaption of the series. He wrote the iconic Forces and the sorrowful Guts' Theme. Hirasawa returned to write songs for various Berserk movies, games, and the later 2016 anime adaptation. These songs have a mysterious, otherworldly feeling to them, which fit the manga's dark fantasy theme. 

From Hirasawa's work on Berserk, I branched out to listening to his other albums. The film Paprika featured two songs from his Byakkokya album: the song Girl in Byakkoya and Parade. These are bizarre songs that are both chaotic and beautiful, which was again very fitting for the film. I've listened to them both hundreds of times and it never gets old. From liking the songs, I watched the film Paprika and other work's from the film's director: the late Satoshi Kon. Although his films were in an anime artstyle, his stories were far more surreal and cerebral. The scenes were typically nonlinear, and would often blur reality and fantasy. I found them strange, but I appreciate the detail and ambition to portray the complexities of human nature. 

Nujabes / Lo-Fi

In the early 2000s, Adult Swim on Cartoon Network would have bumpers to advertise their eclectic spread of adult-oriented cartoons. They'd show random industrial backgrounds with relaxed hip-hop or jazz music. Despite being images of buildings or train stations, they'd usually be void of people. While watching this late at night alone, this gave a nostalgic, sentimental vibe. This may have planted the seed for the Vaporwave aesthetic years later. 

One of the bumpers was for the anime Samurai Champloo, which was set in feudal Japan yet had a hip-hop soundtrack. The hip-hop artist Nujabes had produced the iconic soundtracks for the anime. Nujabes is considered a progenitor of the "lo-fi, chill-hop" genre of music. His music had slow tempos, relaxed melodies, and a fusion of hip-hop and jazz textures. His studio albums were collaborations with rappers, who would vocalize over his music. The original songs with rap vocals are very distracting when trying to work, however his music was meditative. 

Thus, YouTubers edit his tracks and release 1-hour "Homework Edits" to create instrumental loops of his music. This concept emerged in popularity with the "lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to" YouTube radio stream. For the mainstream, it's the perfect natural antidote to the noisy pop songs that are designed to distract. The lo-fi music are simple loops of simple, slow melodies and steady percussion. It becomes very predictable, yet never repetitive. It helps to drown out surrounding noise or deafening silence to allow for pure focus. Many students and workers find this musical genre helpful for their productivity and mental state. I myself have listened to "Arurian Dance" for hundreds of hours, which helped me through a lot of work. It's the top of my "S-Tier Work Music".  

Vaporwave 

A recent trend is the Vaporwave aesthetic, which is both a style of music and art. This movement is associated with nostalgia of 80's and 90's media; this is likely from the new generation of artists going up around that age. Exposure to this media is associated with childhood memories, which generate a sentimental feeling. I watched a couple of videos about this movement, and there was some influence from the movies Drive and Bladerunner. The former had a contemporary setting, but an 80's electronic soundtrack with scenes depicting solitude and loneliness in a city. 

It seems like a contradiction, but it's common to feel lonely within a metropolitan city. Staring at the neon city lights glowing up the sky, yet not seeing a single soul. It gives a dystopian feeling: technology has advanced, but humans have declined. The dystopian aesthetic from Bladerunner has inspired the modern cyberpunk or Outrun aesthetic. The utopian Vaporwave is an optimistic, yet vague memory of the 90's. A random YouTube eloquently summarized it as follows:

• Outrun is the idealization of the future from the past 
• Vaporwave is the idealization of the past from the future

Vaporwave music is similar to the lo-fi genre; they're both relaxed instrumental intended as background music. Some artists create tracks by "chopping and screwing" 80's pop songs, or generic muzak or lounge music you'd hear in elevators or waiting rooms. They turn a catchy pop song into a haunting, distorted version of itself. This leans into the retro aesthetic; like playing an old tape cassette damaged from time. These are often accompanied by glitchy, poor quality VHS recordings of 90's commercials. It's the same nostalgia as going through old video games or tape cassettes. As a kid growing up with them, they felt like special worlds that were forgotten by time. Indeed, they captured a more optimistic time when things were simpler.  

The Vaporwave visual aesthetic also features crude 3D graphics, neon lights, and themes of consumerism. The aesthetic also includes Japanese characters and commercials, from their economic rise during time. This gives the imagery a strange, alien aspect. Images of empty malls and buildings are also a popular image, typically accompanied by generic elevator "muzak". It's a strange feeling seeing these areas void of people, when they were once thriving with activity. It's like visiting a school or workplace late at night after everyone is gone. 

I guess to summarize is that the Vaporwave aesthetic gives a distinct feeling of loneliness. I think it's the perfect music for staying up late at night alone. Maybe while writing something out or just feeling sentimental. 

Conclusion

Everyone likes music for their own reasons, such as for partying or for studying. They are suited for different moods and personalities.  I'm not too interested in live music or theater, since it's meant to be captivating experience with dedicated focus. I'm more utilitarian with music as a means for productivity, and prefer more engaging types of entertainment.