The Sound of Music

I was forced into the music world because of the perceived idea that we had to do an instrument in the first year of high school or join the choir - something that as a young male, was considered rather emasculating and also social suicide. Ever since though i've never looked back.

I don't think i'll ever regret the "choice" to pick guitar and well, mostly sticking to it throughout my adolescence. It has influenced my music taste the most with the bulk of my collection centered on the turn of the millennium and focused on the classic band - guitar, bass, drum and vocals as the driving force. The truth is though, for a long time i had only ever considered music as entertainment, fun and catchy. It was only until i left my home state earlier this year that i truly realised the power of songs - the raw energy, the inspirational riffs, the stories of hardship, pain and adversity synthesised in a form that all can appreciate.

Songs capture the essence of situations, ideas and people. For me, it was never as strong as it is now for so many songs now have associations. The starting bar of a song like "Young Blood" - The Naked and the Famous conjure images of summer, every summer that was every enjoyed but predominantly starting with my 16th summer. This was the time where my friend group started drinking, Strongbows actually, the cider which had the song as its advertisement song. Even such classics such as "What Time is it?" - High School Musical Cast were sung at the conclusion of every school year as we walked to the buses to get out of the prison we called school. It would be the anthem to the beginning of summer, and the clear signal that school was out. Foreign songs even make the list with the likes of "Se Provi a Volare" - Luca Diriso or rather "Breaking Free" in Italian. This duet was frequently sung between me and a friend in high school, but now serve as a reminder that no matter how far apart we may become, the essence of our friendship will always lie in that song. It is rather funny that a lot of my songs come from High School Musical but hey, despite the stigma that its rather Disney superficial crap, i really did enjoy the musical franchise. There are some songs that capture the essence of people like "Beautiful Day" - U2, the essence of making every single day as fantastic as possible simply because you are able to, and also those that capture afternoon band sessions because we "Can't Stop" - Red Hot Chili Peppers, and we won't stop.

I think the most brilliant thing about songs is what my friend stated: that you can make almost any song fit to a situation through interpretation but i think the true beauty lies in the moments you don't force a song, rather it just naturally fits into place - each accentuation in time with the serenity of the moment. Many people may not realise that they hold songs to special moments, people or ideas - it may take a huge dramatic change in life to realise. I am confident though that music captures the human spirit in a way that everyone can appreciate whether classical or electronic. That is why i love music, not only because it can entertain but also recount, express and inspire.

Chilling in-between examinations with music that captured last summer so bye.