Communication according to someone who has no idea what they're talking about

One of the things Strangelove talked about last week in lecture was the internet and piracy. Now I’m not the type of person to get red in the face over pirated media, because generally I feel that people have the ability to make their own decisions. If they want to “steal” music then they should be allowed to do so. Personally however, I do  not support the illegal downloading of music. Not because it is illegal, but more because I feel, despite what Dr. Strangelove says, it still hurts and effects people in the music business.

Sure Justin Bieber will get beyond rich whether you purchase his CD from iTunes or download it from Limewire or the like. But I feel the “small people”, the ones who make average lower-middle class money, the ones you’ve never heard of, when we steal music those are the people affected. For example I cannot remember what the person’s name was, but a girl in class the other day said that her father is in the music business, and his company has recently had to do some downsizing because of the slow business. Music, as strangelove said, is a business where you’re either super rich, or you just don’t survive. Without sounding too Marxist, I feel as though the music business should maybe move towards a system where more than just the band/singer on the front of the disc makes all the money. For example instead of downsizing a music company maybe knock Justin’s earnings down from ridiculous amounts to something a bit more reasonable. I’m not saying he still can’t be rich, but I mean does anyone really need the amount of money some of these people have? Maybe spread the wealth a little? And I understand it’s easy for me to say this now, but as soon as I get discovered on YouTube I might be thinking something completely different, but for now this is how I feel.

Any who, now in a completely new direction I would like to offer five songs, that you can pay for or steal, I don’t really mind, as long as you’re listening to them. This, believe it or not, relates  to the course because Strangelove starts his classes with random, awesome, but still usually really random music. So, because it’s reading week, and I have nothing else to write about, here is my random five song playlist:

5) “Crooked Teeth” by Death Cab For Cutie:

I like this song because it’s a perfect mix of lyrics, vocals, and instrumental. I love Death Cab lyrics, generally they take a little while to fully comprehend, but when they are fully understood it makes the song so much better. Even if you do not ever fully comprehend the lyrics you’ve got to admit the song is pretty catchy.

4) “I Can’t Stay” by The Killers:

Now I know what you’re thinking, and no, this is not going to be a playlist of only American rock/alternative/indie music. It just happens that the first two songs on the list can be classified that way.

I really like “I Can’t Stay” because it is unlike a lot of the typical music it shares a genre with. The Killers have always been a band with great instrumental value. They’re great not so much for their lyrics, (read the “music and lyrics” section) but more for the way their music sounds. The Killers do what musicians should, they make ORIGINAL music, stuff that sounds like no one else. Plus the fact that they use more than the conventional rock instruments in their music is just an added bonus, one that really makes the music much more interesting. I mean when was the last time you heard a horn solo in modern rock music?

3) “La Bomba Explosiva” By Ele Project:

Don’t judge me, we all have that one song… Anyways I have no idea what the lyrics mean, nor do I even really know how I came across this song. But the fact of the matter is that it’s there, and it’s great. The woman singing the song just sounds so intense, and although I do not know what the English lyrics translate into,  I’m sure it’s something I would not want my Grandmother reading.

I particularly love it when songs of this genre (techno? Electronica? I don’t really know) sort of rewind and then start back up, it’s hard to explain listen to the part at 2:10 until 2:20, you think the song is over, but it isn’t, it’s only just beginning…

2) “Sideways” by Dierks Bentley:

If you’re going out to have a good time, preferably with beer, backwards baseball caps, and plaid, you’ve got to be playing this great country hit. It just makes you want to get your cowboy boots over to the tavern and order a brew with some buddies. Now I am very picky about what type of country music I listen to. Everything has to be perfect for it to be on my iPod, and this song is the essence, in my opinion, of what a good country song sounds like.

1) “This Town” By Frank Sinatra:

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of every man in a hundred foot radius of you running to their closets to find their favourite suit. Sinatra is the man, that’s all there is to it. His songs, especially this one, can make anyone feel classy and good about themselves. You cannot help but raise one eyebrow and grin just a little, or the sly bad ass look as I like to call it,  when you first hear Sinatra break into “This Town”.

So those are the random songs I would play if I was Strangelove, or any professor looking to start a lecture with a bit of music. Now obviously it is impossible to touch on every genre in my library (4249 songs, but you know, it’s not the size that counts) so don’t think that I don’t listen to some of the genres not mentioned here. For instance rap or hip hop, and classical (don;t get me started about “Clair De Lune”), I’m a big fan of those genres and many more, there just is not enough time to write about all of them.

For now, those are some songs I feel you might want to give a quick listen to. And whether you choose to buy them or illegally download them is completely up to you, but I personally bought every song on this list. And I feel I helped the “little guy” in doing so.