What’s your all-time favorite album?

I usually go for older music. I grew up on Snow Patrol (SP), The Fray, The Script, and Newton Faulkner. More recent go-to’s include George Ezra and Ed Sheeran. I love Eyes Open by SP. The whole disc is chock full of sleeper hits. My fave on the album is Open Your Eyes. It reminds me of Let It Be by the Beatles. Chasing Cars has been deemed as the most played song of the naughts. Back when radio was in vogue, it was everywhere.

I have Faulkner’s first two albums. Dream catch me got massive airplay in Australia. Those were the days. Other songs like Tear drop and photograph solidified his effort. Some of the tracks were featured on TV shows.

The Show

I recall going to Enmore Theatre with a friend. The Script had just released their debut album and we headed to their first ever Aussie concert. The place was reasonably packed but not bursting at the seams. The current Aussie Idol opened proceedings. Soon, we heard Danny O’Donaghue belting We Cry, The Man who can’t be Moved, and Breakeven. It finished around twelve. I took the bus home.

Mitty

I saw Walter Mitty with a pal. We both liked the film, though it got mixed reviews. Starring Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig, the picture had gorgeous shots of Iceland. Mitty had Adam Scott as the villain. His recent roles are in Big Little Lies and Severance.

A few years ago, I purchased the soundtrack off eBay. It was sent from the US. This has since become a personal fave. The whole cd is robust. Jose Gonzalez has two songs, Step Out and Stay Alive. Icelandic band, Of Monsters and Men, impress with Dirty Paws. Jack Johnson has the Pina Colada Song. Finally, Rogue Wave delivers with Lake Michigan. The latter represents my pick of the album. It’s invigorating, catchy, and snappy.

So long, CD’s

As you’ve probably heard, I’ve made the move to YouTube Music. I do not buy CD’s anymore. This has been the trend: people subscribing. With these streaming services, you can leave your CD racks at home. Music is mobile.

As it stands, the days of collecting CDs may be gone for good. With the convenience of mobile phones, CDs have become dispensable. Like watching movies, why spend more on one album when music streaming gets you access to a full library?

Vinyl records have made a comeback, but CDs are more unlikely to do so.

Music and Stories

As an author and poet, I can see the similarities between musicians and me. Albums are like books. Each track matters, just as chapters or sections hold weight. They create music and we perfect stories. They have lyrics and we’ve got verses. We both dedicate hours, days, and months to perfecting our projects. We edit our material with a fine-tooth comb. They use guitars, bass, and keyboards. We mobilise MS Word, professional editors, and reversed consonance rhyming.

We end up with inspired pieces, relayed to the world. If singers have concerts, writers have book launches. They’ve got the Billboard Top 100; we’ve got the Times Best Sellers. Being prolific over time gives you a body of work. Consistency is key.

The question is: which player will you pine for? ‘Por que no los dos.’