Ramsayings

2011 was exceptionally quiet for me on the musical front. After keeping tabs loosely through the tail end of 2010, I left the music critic rat race altogether this year, barely bothering to see what even my favorite critics thought about music. Why? Well, it’s an ongoing trend that I disliked from the moment I started getting paid for writing about music: niche sensationalism. When I realized I couldn’t get worked up (or excited about) microgenres like “chillwave,” or that I didn’t feel an urgent desire to have a take on artists ranging from Gaga to Odd Future, I knew my days as a critic were numbered.

Sad to say, I don’t miss it. Yes, it was often fun to shout words of encouragement from the critical sidelines as real critics battled for primacy in online forums of all  kinds, but I had no real stake in it. I didn’t feel that participation was vital to my life in any way. It just seemed silly that adults were making these impassioned, intelligent arguments about artists whose impact was felt by a dwindling number of listeners. How guys like Tom Ewing find the time and energy to write such thoughtful pieces as this recent Poptimist column while balancing work and a young family amazes me. By the way, that piece I linked sums up my feelings on this phenomenon — Tom calls it “nanoculture” — far more eloquently that I can muster. But the sense of world-weariness that I felt when commiserating via chat with Maura and Chris was more than I could bear. There was no sense in pretending that I cared at all about the subject. It was simply time to go.

What did I actually listen to this year? Old stuff and lots of it. I now unashamedly listen to music that I’ve loved for a decade or more. It’s nice to return to old favorites. I’m loving what some of my old favorites are releasing now, too, another sign that the game has passed me by. When you find yourself enraptured with a new J. Mascis album in 2011, chances are you’re too hopelessly nostalgic to be relevant to any audience outside the Magnet Magazine set and that’s someone I never want to be. Befriending Mark made it clear that I simply didn’t have the stamina or endurance to be a critic in the age of Tumblr.

But you know what? The flipside of this is that “discovery,” a term that made me retch as a critic, is something I truly can enjoy now. When you’re not being bombarded by emails offering interviews and tickets to artists you’ve never heard of, it’s much easier to filter out all that noise and just enjoy reading about artists, sampling their music and making choices about what you want to hear. When the pressure of trying to hear everything melts away it’s nice to be selective and really immerse yourself in a recording. It breathes new life into the year end lists I’ve spent the better part of a decade ignoring. I find myself wanting to read about music again in a way I haven’t since blurbs in the margins of Newsweek first caught my attention 15 years ago. It’s exciting!

So tell me what I should check out in 2011? Did I miss anything? Still haven’t listened to that Odd Future record…

I want to hide, more accurately. I’ve run just once since Charlie started sleeping more soundly, but that has to change. Not only do I need to run to blow off stress, I need to do a better job of managing my weight. I can’t do that exclusively through exercise though. Something I need to do a better job of in 2012 is eating smarter. I know I’ll feel better if I eat right.

I need to get to the gym, too. Right now I’ve paid $120 for one gym visit. There’s no good excuse for that. Can’t wait to get my act together in 2012!

Didn’t follow through on any of my resolutions last year. Those CDs? Still in boxes or in the rack that dominates a full wall in our walk-in closet. New goal? Get them out of the house by the end of January. DVDs, too. I’m going to go wild with Handbrake and get all the Criterion Collection titles I never get around to watching onto the new iMac I plan on buying first thing next year.

Upgrading the home stereo, too. Thanks to the Wirecutter, we’re going all in with a Pioneer VSX 1021. I can’t wait to take advantage of Airplay like never before and finally get some good use out of my beautiful Axiom Audio speakers I bought back when. Can’t wait!

Importantly, I need to unplug more. It’s one thing to stream music through the home and another to be glued to my iPhone. Need to cut down on that and spend more time away from glowing screens and nonstop newsfeeds. I’m an info junkie through and through, but I need to give my eyes a break and make time for other things.

What are your personal tech resolutions for 2012? Any big purchases on the horizon? Services you’re planning on optimizing?

You know what makes this blog great? It’s always reminding me of my shortcomings. No, not that I post once a month; that I post resolutions every year and never fulfill them.

This year I planned on ripping all my CDs to my MacBook. Didn’t happen. It’s tedious, there’s never time, the litany of excuses goes on and on. That changes next year.

Why? Because if we’re planning on buying a new home in 2013, I need to shrink my portion of digital goods considerably. There’s no excuse to not have everything loaded onto a computer that can be accessed via home sharing. Flipping content from computer to other devices in the home is really awesome and I’m finally seeing that potential.

What does it mean? I need an iMac. While everyone is going smaller — whether that’s iPads or MacBook Airs — I’m realizing that I need a machine that can comfortably store all the CDs and DVDs I own locally that I can then access on mobile devices. My MacBook just won’t cut it. I want something that can whirr quietly upstairs and be the classic home computer. I think iMac fits the bill.

Wish me luck in 2012 in getting our digital life together! (Do people still even buy used CDs and DVDs?)

Want some insight into how much I want to optimize my iPhone usage? I’m searching desperately for charts showing the workflow differences between Instapaper and Safari Reading List.

But it’s not limited to that! I struggle with all manner apps. It doesn’t matter if it’s food-related or maps or GTD apps; I need someone who can be the Duncan MacLeod of app selection to explain how to get the most out of each app, avoid duplication and optimize the experience on all manner of platforms.

Know someone who’s doing this? Let me know and I’ll sing his or her praises from the rooftops! There can be only one!

I’ll leave you with this relevant Queen video, embedded below.