I’ve talked before about this phenomenon I’ve decided to call the fluctuation of music appreciation. Sometimes, when I listen to a song… or an artist… or even a whole genre I say to myself, “This is not for me.” I may even have a more visceral reaction than that. I may use colorful language or pontificate a little about my reasons. But for whatever reason… not my thing.

Flash forward to some time in the future and I come across either the same song, or the same artist, or something in the same genre. This time, I get it. I seem to be able to hear something that I appreciate that I couldn’t hear before. It’s like discovering a new sibling or favorite uncle you didn’t know you had. I’ve experienced this transformation with some of my favorite music. There is also music that I was once passionately in love with that I can now hardly stand to listen to.

So what changed? Not the music. I guess it was me. I feel like it’s important to remember the evolutionary and sometimes downright fickle nature of our own minds and preferences. I’m sure that everyone can relate to what I’m talking about here when it comes to music. But when it comes to say a historical event or a political ideology, somehow we become more rigid and often more animated. Of course there is a large difference from your favorite Bee Gee’s album and whether or not you support capital punishment. But it’s important to understand that as time goes on opinions can and often do evolve.

I’ll admit that certain people in my life have had an enormous influence on my musical tastes. But their influences rarely came in the form of aggressive or threatening behavior. Most of the time, when someone is aggressively trying to get me to dig a certain kind of music it turns me off. Maybe it’s just me? But when someone I think is interesting or cool brings a piece of music to my attention, I’m much more likely to check it out with an open heart than if they were shouting in my face.

Below is a playlist of songs that have resonated with me in the past month. I hope they bring more joy to your life. Thanks for listening, MMM

Included are songs by: Olivia Rodrigo, Digable Planets, Mdou Moctar, MC Yallah, Debmaster, Sly & The Family Stone, Grateful Dead, Al Green, Angel Olsen, Kurt Vile, A Certain Ratio, Yo-Yo Ma, Angelique Kidjo, Tech N9ine, Stige, Hound Dog Taylor, Madlib, AC/DC

(Subscribe to get a new playlist every 1st Monday of the month. Click on my user link or search: Major Matt’s 1st Monday on Spotify to cruise past playlists and discover more music.)

Follow Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5DC6D1OodByGTmIOn7cIGj?si=08d1408523694fa4