I know I’ve said it before, but I wish I could do anything as well as Blu DeTiger plays bass. She just makes it a completely different instrument than it is in the hands of mere mortals.

Most overrated musical artist: Bob Dylan

Most underrated musical artist: Kitten

The less said about Dylan the better. Kitten, though, has a fantastic ever-changing lineup, years of great songs, and Chloe et. al have songwrting chops like mad. I’ve yet to meet a single person who has heard of them but they are wonderful.

Of new music, I now listen to more songs in non-English than English. There’s just more good music in Spanish, French, German and other languages than there is in English.

The signs of decline are exhibiting everywhere.

Country music can capture a set of feelings that no other genre can: that of abject existential regret and soul-deep anguish. That’s when it’s at its very best and why I love it.

This morning I listened to all or part of 296 new (to me) songs. Of those, I liked 10.

This took about an hour and a half. And this is how you find all that good new music that many people claim does not exist.

Why do nearly all songs recorded in the 1970s sound so much worse than many songs recorded in the 1960s? I can’t understand it. Did recording tech go backwards? I can’t find any evidence of that (and I know quite a lot about that) but otherwise it’s difficult to explain.

It must be just stylistic, then, but why? Why was it important to people that their music sound murky and the drums be so far back in the mix they sounded like a chipmunk banging on some styrofoam cups with a toilet brush? I find most 1970s songs intolerable not just because they are vapid but because the recording is so atrocious and unlistenable.

Even though I grew up with a lot of those 1970s songs I am not at all nostalgic for any of them as they all sound so horrible.

People react oddly to how I consume music. One reason is because I have no set playlists. Every single playlist I make is unique and ephemeral. I never save them. I also don’t use Spotify, which seems de rigeur now in people’s minds. I also don’t listen to albums (generally hate them) and rarely listen to much that is beyond 10 years old.

A friend wanted me to share my playlists with her and was incredulous when I said I didn’t have any. But I do not.

This works for me but as with many areas of life, I recognize that I am puzzlingly unusual.

I can recognize if it’s Blu DeTiger playing bass after like 3-4 notes.

And that’s something.

I listened to all or part of 352 new (to me) songs this morning.

Of those, I liked 17. This took about two hours. And to those who says there is no good new music: Of course there is. You just have to make the effort to hear it.

Tonight, I listened to all or part of 213 new (to me) songs.

Of those, I liked 11. This took about 1.25 hours.

I listened to all or part of 392 new (to me) songs tonight/this morning.

Of those, I liked 16. This took approximately two hours.

I listened to all or part of 409 new (to me) songs this morning.

Of those, I liked 20.