Instrumental-only Period#

However, my taste started to narrow down once I got to high school, about 8 years ago. I started to listen only to instrumentals — Chopin, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky for classical, and then Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans for jazz. Apart from them, just random music from random playlists. But it was all pretty much just instrumentals, no vocals.

If you question why, then I’m honestly still puzzled and unsure of the answer myself. However, high school was really the period where I felt quite unhappy with myself, being overwhelmed by burdens and probably loneliness.

So when I came across jazz and classical music, it instantly became my spot for quietness, far from the noise that pop music tends to have. It makes sense to draw this conclusion because that was also the period where I was quite fond of mindfulness. It was all about finding peace of mind for me in this era.

By the end of high school, things started to shift quite significantly. Electronics and ambient music — a more colorful kind of instrumental — started to infect my taste.

I remember quite clearly the first time I came across Aphex Twin. You know that template meme “X core”? That very song from the meme was actually my first introduction to electronic music. It’s crazy to hear that song has become viral nowadays.

This was actually one of my favorite eras of taste. Artists like Aphex Twin, C418, Brian Eno, and Carbon Based Lifeforms filled up my days as I prepared for university entrance exams.

It was a sweet spot of solitude. You know, waking up, meditating, self-care here and there, studying while being accompanied by ambient music. I practically almost became a modern monk — which, to be quite honest, I wouldn’t actually mind being.

Simultaneously, I was also enjoying the happier tunes of Japanese jazz fusion, like Casiopea and Masayoshi Takanaka, alongside the legendary playlists of Xerf Xpec. These artists might not have a lot of story behind them, but they’re an essential part of my taste. I listened to them almost every day.

Experimental Period#

I mentioned Aphex Twin, who happened to be a pioneer of the IDM subgenre — the more experimental kind of music. He was basically my entrance to the experimental world, bringing me to various other artists like Flying Lotus, Squarepusher (Ultravisitor is amazing), and coincidentally, Radiohead.

Actually, it wasn’t mere coincidence that I stumbled upon Radiohead. Unlike Flying Lotus or Squarepusher, whom I purposefully searched for, Radiohead came to my radar via a favorite streamer of mine. It was Vinny Vinesauce around 2021, when he played a game called “Kid A Mnesia Exhibition.” I remember very clearly — the moment I experienced that game, I instantly fell in love with the band.

Kid A Mnesia Exhibition is more like a virtual museum than a game. It’s basically a showcase of the albums “Kid A” and “Amnesiac,” containing bits of music and samples that essentially shaped the albums. You get to hear different parts of different songs, and I imagine for Radiohead fans who spend their days and nights listening to the music, they’d be extremely excited to hear familiar parts in the game.

However, for a guy like me who had practically never heard of Radiohead before, it was something else — a quite surreal and unique experience.

Remember, I was coming from the world of experimentals, filled with strange noises, sometimes ear-hurting whistles, aggressive drums pieced into one song. So the first time I entered that Kid A hallway, I was immediately hooked.

Radiohead Era#

Going around the game, experiencing different songs roughly gave me an idea of what Kid A was about. It’s a mix of instrumental electronics with some rock here and there. Funnily enough, after watching Vinny play the game for a short period, I gave the album a listen myself.

Unexpectedly, I felt a bit mixed. I mean, I loved the electronic instruments, especially the title song “Kid A” and the ambient “Treefingers,” but the vocals that went along with it kind of made it feel like eating vegetables along with my favorite food — I kind of avoided that bit.

But there was just something about it that clicked, which led me to give other albums a chance. Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, OK Computer, The Bends, In Rainbows, The King of Limbs, A Moon Shaped Pool, Pablo Honey — in that exact order.

Ultimately, how Radiohead affected my taste is that they brought me an appreciation of vocals. The way Thom Yorke sang and used his voice on Kid A made me realize there are so many ways to use your voice aside from just merely singing with meaning. “Everything In Its Right Place” was basically filled with gibberish with no collective meaning. Thom said himself that the lyrics he assembled together within that song had no particular reason behind them besides that they sounded good.

This was the breakthrough — realizing that voice could be just another instrument, not necessarily a vehicle for deep meaning but a tool for creating texture and emotion.

But of course, my fondness for Radiohead also made me accept that lyrics can be very powerful too. The songs in OK Computer always feel so subtle yet so relatable; they always hit you in the right place. And in Hail to the Thief, the songs always sound very angry. And perhaps there are the sad ones, the rather happier ones. It’s a combination of good singing and very touching lyrics.

I think 2021 all the way to 2023 was basically a period of obsession with Radiohead. They topped my Spotify Wrapped for three years straight simply because they were almost literally the only band I repeatedly listened to. I did come back to others every so often, but Radiohead somehow always found a way back to my queue.

The Beatles and Pop Culture#

And then there’s 2024. I think we’re all quite familiar with Beatles songs — perhaps “Here Comes the Sun,” “Yesterday,” or “Hey Jude.” However, I tended to avoid these “mainstream” bands just because of their popularity and clichéd reputation.

My view on these mainstream songs really changed when I realized just how much talent and effort it takes to make these catchy songs, let alone one great album. It was from the documentary “Get Back” that I realized just how crazy their talent is.

“Get Back” is The Beatles documentary about how they ended up making the album “Let It Be,” which is basically their penultimate album before splitting. It shows how they built the album from scratch. In a nutshell, it’s a raw documentary — it almost feels like you are there with the band through every step and conflict en route to the making of “Let It Be.”

What I saw through the documentary were great characters, chemistry, and of course talent. For example, how Paul McCartney made the song “Get Back” was shown essentially from ideation all the way to the end product. It was fascinating to see, and I ended up loving and respecting Paul, John, George, and Ringo for their achievements.

When I started to explore their songs like I did with Radiohead, I realized how catchy and fun their songs are. While the early Beatles era has some honorable mentions, I ended up loving the later era Beatles. Albums like Sgt. Pepper’s, Abbey Road, and Rubber Soul were among my favorites.

The main outcome of enjoying The Beatles, however, was not about the band itself, but accepting more mainstream songs. Let me be honest — I was that one guy who thought all pop music was kind of bullshit and was just popular because of marketing, not because of the music.

At some point in the midst of my Beatlemania period, I tried to listen to other music. Starting from listening to the Album of the Year from each year starting from the 1990s, and then listening to current popular music. After all that, I realized I was mistaken.

Not trying to be dramatic or anything, but pop music isn’t bad. Yes, there are some songs that sound very similar to each other, which is annoying. However, artists like Kendrick Lamar with “To Pimp a Butterfly” or Charli XCX with “Brat” really shine in terms of uniqueness. While it’s not entirely “deep” or anything (don’t get offended, Kendrick fans), it’s still different enough to be enjoyable for me.

Going Full Circle#

Again, the old me wouldn’t expect to listen to them, but people can easily change within that short 8-year time span, let alone their taste. What I think happened is not exactly a “paradigm shift” or some overdramatic thing like that, but more like how my taste grew since I was indeed in that age range where you start to get defined as a person. It’s still perhaps growing, and it could change in either direction in the future.

What’s my taste like now? Going from my recent Wrapped, The Beatles and Radiohead are always there. Besides them, I also see rapper Kendrick Lamar, local artists like Ardhito Pramono and Hindia, and jazz musicians like Casiopea and Herbie Hancock are there as well.

But there are many I occasionally drop in to listen to. Good folk artists like Father John Misty and Mount Eerie, ambient musicians like Aphex Twin and Brian Eno are still there, others like JID, Tyler The Creator and many more.

I always have this sense of exploration when it comes to art, so without question, I try to always open-mindedly listen to new music or new genres.

Well, nothing else to say except that I’m looking forward to what I’m about to find in the future. After all, if voice is just another instrument, there’s a whole orchestra out there waiting to be