Staff Writer Brendan Shanahan is journaling his life through the medium of Phonomancy. Follow his magic with every track released under The Phonogram EP.
So I’ll be honest, I’ve slightly cheated here. I’m putting two songs into one track, but it’s my EP so my rules right? Either way, I thought it was the best way for me to illustrate how my music taste (and myself) has changed over the years.
I thought this was important to write about. I’ve found along the way a staggering amount of people who’s tastes don’t change as they get older. I know some people who seem to be deeply mining the seam of alternative rock, pop, trap music and others. To the point where I’m wondering if I’m the odd one out.
The first half of track 4’s medley is one that has always been one of my favourites – ‘I’m Only Sleeping’ by the Beatles from Revolver.
In my teens I was a massive Beatles nerd. To the point where I was downloading rips of Bootleg LPs, sifting through the hours of Nagra reels, and on a mission to collect every Beatle breath that had been captured by a microphone.
Revolver was one of the first CDs I bought with my own money. I would play on repeat on my small CD player in my bedroom. I like this track because of how sing-able it is, and that there’s a little bit of weirdness here. You can enjoy some backwards guitar riffs and an oddly menacing bass line.
At the time, the Beatles were the beginning and end of music for me – no one would be greater or more important. Their music was simply better than everyone else.
But as I started to listen to more music (thanks to the acquisition of a Spotify subscription), I learned that this was quite a limiting worldview.
This brings us nicely to the second part of the medley, ‘The Divine Chord’ by the Avalanches.
This track I think best sums up where I’ve come to in my music journey. The Avalanches are now right up there with the Beatles in terms of my favourite bands. The inclusion of MGMT and Johnny Marr (ex Smiths guitarist) make a point that it didn’t matter about the status or perceived importance of an artist towards music.
Much like the rest of the album, this track has an ethereal quality to it. Marr’s vocal seems to echo in space, as MGMT.
If the track is good, it’s a good track – regardless of who made it. Most people seem to guard their personal favourites as sacred. That they could never be wrong, disagreed with, or abandoned if something new comes along.
But keeping an open mind and experiencing the music for yourself opens you up to all sorts of great new experiences and music. You’ll never know that you’re missing out on your new favourite band or song.
Next Time, Track 5: A Song That You Heard Long Ago, But Now Makes Sense
