It's been a while since I've written anything on here, and I'd like to explain that.
For a few years now, I’ve noticed that when I listen to metal for a long period of time, it suddenly doesn't do anything for me anymore. Suddenly the magic was gone, I couldn't enjoy the music. So what did I do? At first, I forced myself to listen to metal, thinking "this is what I like to listen to, how could it not be?!" That didn't work and it only made me more stressed. Every post or article on my social media was associated with metal. And I had to keep tabs on everything and listen to everything because I assumed I had to form an opinion about it all. It drove me crazy and almost manic. So a few years ago, I decided that when I feel something like this is coming up, I had to stop listening to metal and not read any news about it.
Until recently, I was a bit ashamed of that. I was scared to post stuff on social media. I was afraid that the metal community would drop me because I was listening to a funk or jazz record. But then I thought, am I listening to music for myself or for others?
Exactly.
Besides metal, I like other music too, and lately, I've been listening to a lot of music from the '70s. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Johnson Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, you name them. I bought some second-hand Pink Floyd records just before Holland went in lockdown, I bought Wish You Were Here, Meddle, Atom Heart Mother and Dark Side Of The Moon. And just listening to those records in the evening made me feel happy and peaceful.
Besides the old legends, bassist Thundercat is one of the legends of the new jazz/r&b/funk generation. His albums sound like old soul, proggy bass jazz and smooth funk with a modern touch by electronic musician Flying Lotus. Besides the fact that he is, like me, born in 1984, he is just totally himself. His albums sound like old soul, proggy bass jazz and smooth funk with a modern touch by electronic musician Flying Lotus. His love for cats, Japan, anime and music just oozes out of him and he just doesn't give a.....:
Electronic music is also a rabbit hole that I often dive into. Aphex Twin, Autechre, Burial, Venetian Snares, Squarepusher, from dreamy ambient soundscapes to inhuman breakbeats, I let it all willingly damage my hearing.
But this doesn't mean I'm not going to write any more articles about underground metal. I've been listening to it since I was fourteen and it has kept me alive. It comforted me when my parents were going through a divorce, it strengthened me when I moved to a foreign city. But the most important thing, it didn't let my darkness escape into the real world. What I mean by that is that I have not given in to suicidal thoughts or addiction to drugs. You can say that music/metal is my drug, as cliche as that may sound. I feel that is the truth.
So don't worry, I always come back to metal. When that moment arrives, you'll know.
For now, I want to thank you for reading.
See you soon.