Episode #219: I Found A Little Music Walking Under An Eclipse

The locally famous plateau on Cedar Mountain, looking across the town towards New Britain CT.

I had a most enjoyable walk during the solar eclipse of 2024. It was a gorgeously sunny day with temps in the high 60's/lo 70's, and I came across a multitude of people that I hadn't seen since year one of the pandemic (the mountain was an extremely popular site to practice socialized distancing w/o feeling guilty).

Apparently, this plateau, plus an area in front of the Hartford Regional Center was deemed to be above average places to watch the solar event of the year. As I walked by, I wished everyone good luck and much success with their viewing and (hopefully) their photography.

As for me, the only effect that I got from the eclipse was becoming very cold while walking through the shadow of the eclipse. However, there was a small positive to be had during that very long walk: music.

I came across a recycling bin that was not picked up by the recyclers (odd that they would want to enforce their rules about what you can recycle. :/s), that had a bunch of DVDs and CDs left behind. Being the enterprise older lad that I was, I perused the remains and made a selection of almost one dozen c.d.s of various genres to take home with me.

I would like to point out that, as I've gotten older, I've been exposed to more genres of music than I ever was in my youth. In my youth it was 70's pop, 60's/70's country, 60's folk and 50's doowop/rock. As a teen, I completely missed what is now disgustingly called "classic rock" and instead concentrated on the aforementioned genres. I really didn't come out of my shell until I was introduced to the world of college radio in the mid 90's during my time as a state worker drone.

Humorous aside: I once made a request of an AOR station (album oriented rock) to hear an Eddie Rabbit song. I'm sure I was the butt of jokes for quite a while at the station.

So after bringing my haul home and having to dispose of four empty cases, I was left with seven very intriguing c.d.s to listen to at my leisure. Fortunately for me, I was hip deep in transcribing three chapters, so I really needed something to keep me occupied.

Ultimately, I managed to listen to four in their entirety. What follows is my opinion on those four, along with my observations on the other three. 

1. Fun.: They were a pop/rock band out of NYC from the very early 2010's. They produced two very well received c.d.'s, of which Aim And Fire is the one that came into my possession, before going on "hiatus" to do other projects. The c.d. had that power/pop vibe going for it, and I really found myself grooving to it.
2. David Guetta: Is a French producer/DJ who is very well known and successful on the club scene circuit. This particular c.d., called Listen, was very enjoyable to listen to, as it featured guest vocalists such as Sia, John Legend and Nicki Minaj.
3. Lindsay Stirling: An accomplished violinist, who apparently has fantastic stage shows featuring all kinds of dance, while playing. The music absolutely blew me away (being that I've had long time exposure to classical music, I can really appreciate the tonal quality of the instruments used) and for those who are fascinated by intriguing musical pairings, the title song, Shatter Me, features Lizzy Hale of Halestorm on vocals.
4. Of Monsters And Men: Icelandic folk/pop/rock band that theoretically burst onto the alternative scene with their c.d. My Head Is An Animal, which spawned two radio friendly hits, Mountain Sound and Little Talks, I was able to listen to about half of this c.d., which created a very good personal vibe for me. Tightly crafted and the lead singers have the kind of voices that never quite match up with the actual image of the singer as opposed to the image you've created while listening. Highly recommend.
5. Red Hot Chili Peppers: No real need to point out the obvious, but this particular c.d., Californication, in my personal opinion, is where the band really peaked creatively and commercially. Three monster radio hits, plus other assorted tracks that flew under the radar. It's a decent c.d. that is now...GASP!....25 years old.
6. Capital Cities: I have not listened to In A Tidal Wave Mystery yet. The best I can tell is that they're a pop duo that has released exactly two full c.d.s and two e.p.s since 2011. On a personal note, I have always been leery of listening to modern pop music, since to me, it basically sounds the same, no matter what kind of tweaks you make to the music. But, I am willing to keep an open mind about this (someday I will tell you about the absolute worst dollars spent on a c.d.).
7. Neon Trees: I haven't listened to Pop Psychology yet. The best I can tell is that they're a combo of new wave/synth pop/dance/rock. Like the previous entry, I will keep an open mind about this one as well.

In general, I think I made a good haul with these c.d.s., as I'm always on the look out to expand my musical horizons. I'm always of the mindset that buying used c.d.s is the best way to explore different genres, because honestly, I'm not a fan of buying a c.d. just for one song that I've heard on the radio somewhere. I have made exceptions to that rule over the years, and for the most part, I haven't been disappointed in my expensive ($15-$25) choices. There have been misses over the years, but have been few and far between.

Have a fantastic week everyone, and if you want to explore your musical horizons, check out college radio. You'll be happy that you did.

{c} 2024 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved