aviamon:

alliemyers:

Part of Summer of Bravery for me is being decisive, so lately I’ve been trying to distill the amorphous blob of “things I like” into lists and favorites. I figured my Top 5 Albums of All-Time was a good place to start, but in true indecisive fashion, I thought of the first two, couldn’t decide how to order them, debated dividing the lists by genre, then gave up. This morning, I started again.

So far it’s:

1. Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
2. Tapestry - Carole King
with Jeff Buckley’s Grace somewhere in there

I’ll post the complete list when it’s done, but in the meantime: do you think it’s possible to quantify your favorite things? Or, if impossible, is it worthwhile to try?

I’d argue that the idea of the “favorite” is impossible to quantify in a non-vacuum situation. What we like is wholly dependent on an infinite number of constantly shifting intangibles. It’s like one of Plato’s forms - we can come up with a few iterations of favoriteness but never actually a TRUE favorite because honestly, I don’t think it exists. This is ESPECIALLY difficult for people who are fortunate to have had a vast array of experiences (both events and people) which influence tastes and pull them this way and that.

Being “favorite” does imply the notion of superior (though subjective) quality, however, and without diving into a serious Phaedrus-esque discussion, I think this is both visceral and logical. For example, last week I spent several hours (with several people) jamming out to our favorite/most terrible popular songs from our youth. BSB, N*SYNC, Blink182, BBMak, Enrique Iglesias - all that shit. I would never argue that these artists and their songs represent any level of great achievement in the scope of human history, but they DO represent a certain level of quality in terms of my own growth through middle and high school. Especially when taken alongside all the other ‘good’ music I was listening to back then.

But let’s get back to reality music. Is it that these songs and albums have incredible memories or definitive life experiences surrounding them? If there are lyrics, do they have deep personal or socio-political implications? Does a specific chord change produce a gut reaction or is it representative of a shift in music as a whole? Does your connection to the artist transcend the actual songs and performances? It’s all these little and enormous things that help us keep order in our brain.

I like to think of ‘favorites’ rather as a set of preferences we’ll choose if given no other option BUT to choose. ie silly questions like “if you were trapped on a desert island” and/or very serious questions like “would you rather listen to Pet Sounds, Hanson’s first album, or eat a human child.” I know which one I’d pick!

It is a worthwhile endeavor, though, if for no other reason than to revisit the things and corresponding memories that remind us of the way we love and live. One of the most important things I’ve learned is to develop a personal sense of taste, no matter how bizarre or broad. This helps us define ourselves within the context of our lives. Figure out what you like, and go with it - there’s no use pretending otherwise.

So for the sake of funzies, here’s my unordered top 5 album list du-jour du-minute:

1. The Stranger - Billy Joel
2. twentysomething - Jamie Cullum
3. What’s Goin’ On - Marvin Gaye
4. Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys (but I can’t tell if that’s just because you made me think of it, Allie.)
5. Ways Not To Lose - The Wood Brothers

And just as I type that last one, I think I could start all over again because I left out Joni Mitchell and Ray LaMontagne and Oscar Peterson and A Tribe Called Quest and Radiohead and a thousand others…

What do you think?

Albums That Have Essentially Shaped My Being Thusfar (unordered examples of favorite, see avs’ post above, albums that represent periods of growth):

1. The Lemon of Pink - The Books

2. Nickel Creek - Nickel Creek

3. Keep It Together - Guster

4. Graceland - Paul Simon

5. Crash - Dave Matthews Band (I know, I know. I have my reasons, ok?)

(via aviamon)