Everyday noise is anything but

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 19:30:00 GMT

By Katy Kallenberger

Ah, the sweet smell of musical discovery. Oh! The euphoria of hearing the bittersweet words that describe life so perfectly trace over some saving grace’s lips. There is no way to explain the wave of emotions that an entity feels as it realizes how wonderful life, through music, can really be. There is so much sound, so much noise, and so much music that is impossible to hear every note or every song. Incredible music is out there. Diligence will find the greatest bands. Inspiration will invoke true love of them. It’s a matter of immediately writing band names down. Listening to every sound that sounds. Some of the greatest bands ever heard are randomly found. Panic! At the Disco, a recent addition to ever long list of hipster bands, was discovered by another band in a garage. Panic! has had an undeniable impact on pop culture and the rise of punk-pop bands. Though they may not be everyone’s idea of a band, let alone tolerable, it seems everyone owns a Panic! t-shirt or oversized hooded sweatshirt with the band’s name messily skewed across the torso in bright letters. Great new bands or singers don’t have to be new to the music scene. For instance, Ben Harper has been around for years. But few people can name one song other than his most famed hit, “Steal My Kisses.” Excellent song, but Harper’s albums are oozing with musical genius and catchy acoustic guitar hooks. Most bands are this same way. They have one famous song and that’s all anyone ever listens to. Think of it this way; very rarely is a CD released with one great tune and thirteen other mediocre songs. It wouldn’t make money, send a singer to fame, or have any reaction other than sitting on a shelf in an abandoned music store. One way to hear all the music you can is to try and find one new band a day. It’s not as hard as it may seem, and it doesn’t mean the old stuff should be forgotten. To find a new band, check Billboard Charts, click around iTunes and see what happens, and for the lazy, turn on MTV. There are sure to be dozens of music never before heard airing between shows and during commercials. Don’t just listen to music, either. Hear it. Listen to the instruments, not just the words. Indeed, in many cases the lyrics to songs are heart-wrenching, life-changing, or just clever, but without the music behind it, there would be no song. The guitars, percussion, pianos, trombones, or any other instrument, are what make up a song, it’s the context behind the words. It makes them flow. Any sound that the human ear can hear is music. A siren, trash cans banging, radiators stirring, it’s all sound and it’s all amazing. It would be surprising to find out how many sounds heard in songs are inspired by everyday noise. Sound is everywhere. So is noise. Therefore, so is music. No one knows, maybe the next time the furnace kicks in, inspiration for a hit song will be found.