Opener

This is about the millionth time I've attempted to start a music blog and for someone who hates blogging/bloggers/blogs that's not bad going. I'll see how this goes and if I can't be bothered I might just merge it with my main blog which I've somehow managed to keep going for 7 months now. (Yay, new record!)

Stuck here* in Lisbon as I am, and with already one successful** blog under my wing I thought I would try and repeat the trick with my third biggest passion (after 'My Girlfriend' and 'Whinging About Lisbon') - music.

Now just a bit of background here to set the scene for those who just might accidentally stumble upon this with some kind of expectations (and then scroll down to the first entry!):

For someone who loves music as much as I do I find it incredibly frustrating to write about and discuss. I am typically one of those people who when asked what music they like, typically respond, "erm....bits of everything". It's incredibly cliché to use terms like 'eclectic' but for me I really feel it is the only way to describe what grabs me.

My musical journey started quite late with an introduction to grunge in the mid-90s and whilst my friends at the time were quite happy to keep Nirvana and Pearl Jam on repeat I, in a contrarian style that has persisted, was eager to set myself apart and I went backwards. Whilst they were 'moving forward' to the nu-metal scene (and I will admit a brief flirtation with this) I was in general moving backwards towards punk and post-punk.

I educated myself on the great musical heritage of my own city, Manchester, and bounced from one discovery to another, Buzzcocks to Joy Division to The Fall to The Smiths, on my own, in my bedroom, with a computer and allmusic.com and a few other sites as my only real guide. From these humble beginnings I began to expand my horizons, like many a good post-punk band and over time assimilated bits of electronica, hip-hop, jazz, folk, and many other styles into my collection.

Hopefully I won't have to say much more than this and the blog will be self-explanatory. I just plan to share bits of what I have been listening to lately.

*By this I mean 'exchanging a dead-end existence in the perpetual dreariness and rain of Manchester for an exciting new life in perpetually sunny Lisbon with the woman of my dreams who, for whatever reason, isn't repulsed by my presence and who, simultaneously, fills me with ambition and drive'.

**By this I mean people other than my mum reads it.