Let's Discuss! "Nostalgia!" - (Music Edition)

 Let's Discuss!

"Nostalgia!" - (Music Edition)

Hello World! Welcome back, my name is Benjamin! This post will be about the feeling of nostalgia, and more specifically we will focus on music that evokes this wonderful feeling! Actually, I'll also discuss a rather interesting concept about our individual musical tastes and how they may have shaped our adult music tastes....Let's Discuss! 

- Nostalgia? I've heard of that word...does it have something to do with feeling sick? 

I think you may have confused the word "Nausea" for "Nostalgia"! The latter term is defined as "a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past." In fact, it is a rather popular topic for a range of different reasons. One such example is it's application as a rather successful marketing and advertising tool. In other words, nostalgia is like comfort food in the world of advertising. It is a powerful feeling that can in some instances overwhelm people with positive feelings and a lack of worry...for most people it reminds us of a better time in our lives.

For some this may evoke memories of childhood, teenage years or perhaps it may a subtle que that reminds people about loved ones who have passed away. Indeed, nostalgia is a powerful feeling.

- So what does this have to do with music? 

Good question. The reason for making this post in the first place was because I actually experienced a very powerful "hit" of nostalgia when I listened to an album from one of my favourite music artists. The artist in question is called "Toro Y Moi", and I first listened to this artist back when I was 15 years old (2010). I listened to a demo album called "My Touch" and this fuelled my passion to dig deeper into the "Chillwave" genre back in the day. Upon recently listening to the album,  I was actually rather taken a back by the wave of positive feelings and memories that I decided to look into the topic a bit further. I actually found out some very interesting information on my journey. 

"My Touch" - Toro Y Moi (Demo Album from 2009)

- The link between nostalgia and the "peak" of musical taste

Of course, this information will not be relevant to everybody, so it's best to take it with a pinch of salt! That being said, I was quite astonished to find that this information was very accurate for my circumstances. I personally have never really had a particularly fond appreciation of music until I was around 15 years old. Before this age, I would usually listen to my older brother's rap CD's and generally subscribed to "mainstream" music. I actually used to really enjoy listening to ABBA with my Mum in the car on the way to school (haha!).  However, when I turned 15, something changed. I suddenly became overwhelmed with the prospect of exploring music. I began to develop a deep affection for music and "Toro Y Moi" was often at the top of my list. This passion saw me branch into other similar artists and genres and ever since I used this as a platform to develop my unique flavour of music. 

"Music of a Lifetime" - Graph showing "Peak Influence Age" (New York Times. 2018) 

- Wrap-up time!

That's the whole point of this post, I think I have found a link between the feeling of nostalgia and the "peak" of my musical taste discovery. Retrospectively, the early teenage years is s a difficult period of life where you start to find your footing in the world. Music can be a powerful tool to help us find composure and grounding. I suppose the reason for the nostalgic wave that I experienced was because this was the peak age for my music taste development. 

- Homework task - Go and find an artist or song that gives you that feeling of nostalgia! 

On the back of this post, I want you to feel that awesome nostalgic wave! Go ahead, listen to some music that you discovered when you were in your early teenage years...you never know, it might just make your day! I hope you enjoyed this post about "Nostalgia!" See you next time! 

Benjamin Andrew 95!