It Doesn't Change

[humglum]

One of the best things I ever did was buying this album because of the cover when I was about 15 or 16. It was right about the time I was getting into bands like Coil, Swans, Cocteau Twins & This Mortal Coil. Sometimes I miss the wonder and joy of buying an album for the cover and being delighted by new sounds, or only having the radio and the

Comments

[kambriel]

I've thought about that too... nowadays there's no "risk" no element of chance when buying something like music for the first time. You used to have to guess, go on instinct, art, recommendations, song titles...

[humglum]

And it was relatively easy to know what you were getting, within reason. I bought Ministry's "With Sympathy" from the big bin of cheap cassettes at Woolworth when I was in High School and was not disappointed. When I bought Clan of Xymox's "Medusa", I knew that 4AD had some music I liked, and the album art and song titles intrigued me. I bought "Dark Adapted Eye" by Danielle Dax on a whim, and was also pleased. having really wonderful DJs at the college radio station helped introduce me to lots of great stuff. I still remember hearing "Nemesis" by Shriekback in the middle of the night for the first time, in the dark of my room, and being creeped out and intrigued and instantly in love with the song.

Now? Everything is at my fingertips. And it kind of makes me sad... Where is the joy in that? In so many ways, I detest the internet and the ease with which information is instantly just... right there.

[kambriel]

I think overall it's the increasing lack of having any mystery... There's less need to question, to wonder, to problem-solve when everything's so instantaneously accessible.