A friend recently pointed me to this article, the premise of which is that you stop listening to new music at age 33. My first thought was: bullshit. But with more consideration, there has been some truth to that observation for me. That time frame roughly coincides with when I started seriously pursuing publication, and a lot of the energy that went into finding and listening to new bands started going into seeking out avenues for short stories and novels, and writing. It was also around this time, or shortly before, that I started walking to work rather than driving, so that added to my time crunch.

I suppose I never stopped listening to new music, but I’ve definitely slowed down on seeking it out. I’m fortunate in that I have a lot of friends who are passionate about music and haven’t quite given up the ghost, so when they pass something my way, I do take it seriously. I’m also looking out for old music that I may have missed the first time around. Daft Punk, for instance, is a group that I’m enjoying more now than when I first heard them when they started recording.

Which brings me to this week’s Music Monday.

One of my music procurers brought July Talk to my attention relatively recently. I knew that he’d found me something special when I realized that we’d been listening to the same album on repeat for a couple hours without feeling the need to change it. So maybe there’s hope for me yet.

This ain’t johnny carson
I’ve got thoughts that ain’t my own
I’m talking black souls dressed in red
And things that I never shoulda known

Write on!