Often my brother, dad and I will text and email each other with the latest musical gems we have found and occasionally when finances allow it I will send over a copy of a CD that has so moved me, so they can appreciate it straight away. We have all found some great music in this way.
A lot of my early music listening came from my brother, dad and step-dad and it gave me a solid grounding in classic rock and classical music that has stood me in good stead to this day. But, there is a certain special feeling when you start to discover music for yourself and you’re able to return the favour and pass the music back.
A friend of mine used to introduce me to new music on a regular basis and he was part of that time I have written about before (‘Getting Hooked on Audioslave’) where my work colleagues and I shared music a lot. I remember he was very conscious never to hand hold me exactly to a particular track or album and he’d often lend me an album and say afterwards ‘did you like any song in particular’ and then delight when I was as moved by one specific track over all the others.
One time he did this was with the Alice in Chains EP ‘Jar of Flies’. I borrowed the album and listened to it a few times as I worked and one song in particular hit me full force. The second track ‘Nutshell’ is an example of stunning song writing and brooding melancholy that I just love sometimes. I recall it was early autumn when I first heard it and it was perfect for the change in seasons and feel in the air.
Afterwards my friend asked his usual question of which song I liked most and when I told him it was Nutshell he was so happy that I had ‘chosen’ the same song that moves him the most too. We spoke about it for ages and how much impact it has on first listen and he told me it only gets better with repeated playing. Needless to say I went and bought the EP that lunch time and I have to say he was right, that particular song only gets better each time I hear it and I play it frequently throughout the year.
It is great to see that not only do I get great pleasure from sharing powerful, emotive music, but so do other of my friends and family who feel the power of music as much as me. At its most basic it is a form of social bonding to share these emotions and feelings via the shorthand of music and it is a unique gift I am thankful for every day.
