Massive amounts of music.

Massive amounts of music.

A co-worker came by my desk yesterday looking for some new music. She had asked earlier if I had a few albums she was interested in, so she could give them a listen before buying them, and when she came by to borrow them she was a bit taken aback by the stacks of CDs on the shelves next to me. I bring a lot of music to work to play in the background so I can decide what to give a closer listen to later on, and what isn't really worth writing about.

There's a lot that's not worth writing about, trust me.

I process more music than is probably healthy. This is made even more impressive -- I think -- when you consider the fact that I give just about every single album that comes to me at least once. It's a holdover from when I used to be a talent buyer since I thought any band that took the time out to send me their disc deserved an honest appraisal.

The weird side effect of this is that when someone asks me what I'm listening to, or what's really rocking my boat at any given time, it's hard for me to answer. So much stuff goes through my ears sometimes it's hard for me to recall what exactly I listened to in the car home, even if it's an album I've been playing almost non-stop. I've always sort of had this failing, even in college it was hard for me to name my favorite band of the moment, but I still do have the big touchstones readily available for recall. Bowie, Pavement, The Who, Jane's Addiction, Public Enemy ... and so on.

And, like anyone else, I go through phases. Three months ago I was constantly playing Neon Neon. Two months ago it was Walter Meego and We Are Scientists. Two weeks ago it was lots of Yelle and Lykke Li. Right now it's My Morning Jacket and The Futureheads. As you can see, the stuff I listen to most isn't always the best of what's out there, but I think that's because I attack that stuff more critically, and while I enjoy processing it, it's not necessarily the music I want to play while driving home from work or taking the bus to a DJ gig.

Sometimes I think of my brain as a well-tuned computer adept at processing music. But when the current task is done, and the preview is written, or the show has been reviewed, the album is filed away in a storage server where it can be recalled when needed but is always present to provide context for the next review.

So next time you ask me what I'm listening to, remember that, and don't make fun of me when you see my eyes squinch up and the faint whir of an overworked processor can be faintly heard in the distance as it tries to gather up an answer for you.

Enough of that, here's a track from the Headlights, whose show I preview on Chicagoist today. (If the preceding link doesn't work yet, it's because the preview isn't scheduled to go live until 11:30, so try back around then.)

MP3: Headlights "Cherry Tulips"