The one thing that is constant in this cosy space that is Busybird Publishing – besides the cute labrador Oscar whose fur goes everywhere even if you don’t pet him – is the consistent schedule of lunch, the growing hatred of those fake spiders that sit on the desk behind me (that have most likely been giving me more trauma than actually curing me of my phobia), and Les’ question: “Natasha! Who sings this?”
The music.
That is constant. Never-ending eighties music with a number of songs I know, and many I don’t, so when Les asks me the question, I’ll say “I don’t know” more often than not. I believe he asks when he knows I can’t get the answer just to tease me.
Aside from every now and then when Dad played ‘Ghost of the Navigator’ and ‘Number of the Beast’ by Iron Maiden, I’d listen to pop music like Imagine Dragons and Fall Out Boy. Any song I really enjoyed from choir would also be added to my list of favourites.
It stayed like that until lockdown. Somehow my dad’s musical taste rubbed off on my younger brother, and soon enough Metallica was irritatingly played on repeat most days. Because of that, when I wasn’t doing online classes, watching tv or playing video games, I spent a lot of time in my room playing cards and listening to my music.
Then, one day, that all changed.
My metalhead brother had heard a song by hard rock band Skillet at school, which his classmate had played. That night, my brother came home and put on ‘Monster’ for me. It had a guitar riff that drove the gritty music I usually wouldn’t listen to, but I enjoyed it. I tried out a few of their other songs, however it took me a while to find the courage to dig a little deeper, because I didn’t know if I’d like their other music.
Turns out I did. Pop music simply dissolved from my mind, and in came the exciting, energetic hard rock music I never thought I’d listen to, containing something that made me crave for more. I loved how their heavy, hard-hitting songs like ‘Monster’ and ‘The Resistance’, would pump me up until I couldn’t sit still, bopping my head along with the rhythmic drums. But they also had emotional, stringed pieces like ‘Yours to Hold’ and ‘Fire and Fury’, ballads and power ballads that are emotionally driven and have me feeling every note in my heart. Even if I tried, I couldn’t get away from John’s raspy vocals, nor Jen’s angelic voice.
Over time, I started to enjoy listening to Metallica when my brother put them on. It was a surprise, considering at first I didn’t like being in the same room whenever they were playing. Come the end of 2024 I decided to try a book playlist made for Graevale by Lynette Noni. Each song corresponded with a scene in the book, and that way it became more like a movie, where the music supports the actions of the characters in that moment. I loved how it gave the scenes more emotional impact, such as using ‘Centuries’ by Fall Out Boy during an intense – and important – fight scene.
It was the first time in a while that I was choosing to listen to something other than hard rock.
And somehow, through that book playlist, I found an artist with music I liked: Benson Boone. It was strange to me, but the more I listened to his music the more I enjoyed it. I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself, because after all this time walking away from pop music, I’d fallen back into it again … or a version of it.
And that’s when I finally figured it out.
The music is experimental.
Diverse.
It doesn’t conform to the four chord autotune songs that everyone hears on the radio.
The instrumentation of Benson’s songs and his voice swept me through his music. People compare him to Freddie Mercury, particularly in his demeanor. His high energy and wide vocal range in conjunction with self-written songs and heartfelt lyrics emotionally connect to listeners, and while I can’t personally resonate with all of his songs, I can still feel the emotion that comes through in his voice.
My music taste hadn’t changed too much from here. It was constantly rock and metal; however, every now and then I’d listen to Benson as a little refresher from the intensity of the double kick on drums and the distorted electric guitar.
In September 2024 I went to my first concert to see Iron Maiden. While I had only listened to two of their songs when I was younger, I couldn’t resist going. Watching the band perform made it worth skipping exam practice for a night. Plus, seeing their mascot Eddie – an undead being that dresses up as a mummy, cyborg, samurai and more depending on the album the song comes from – on stage and fighting the band was worth the money.
The next concert I went to was The Amity Affliction’s concert, but solely to see one of their supporting bands: Ice Nine Kills, who are as experimental and diverse as you can get in metalcore.
I didn’t listen to them much then, but I do now, and I am painstakingly waiting for them to headline in Australia. Not only do they write songs based around the horror genre, such as ‘The Shower Scene’ for Psycho, but they add lore to their music videos, which is followed through their albums and provides something extra for fans to enjoy.
On stage the rhythm guitarist and bassist add backing vocals, creating a harmony that seamlessly joins their voices together. Theatrics also play a heavy part in their performances, and I will always remember the day I got to see a woman behind a white sheet get stabbed by the singer as he screams, “You can’t escape the shower scene!”
The last concert I went to was Metallica. Despite how amazing the other two concerts were, this one surpassed them a million times. One of the supporting acts was Evanescence, and going into the concert I only knew of ‘Bring Me to Life’, and had never heard the band play outside of the studio song.
But it was breathtaking to see Amy Lee sing live. She is probably one of very few singers who sounds better live than in the studio. Seeing everyone turn on their phone lights during ‘My Immortal’ was enough for tears to prick my eyes, and by the end of their performance, the only word I could think of was Magical.
Then came the main act. I had heard their music many times before, even their live performances, so I knew this would be good.
Then I was proved wrong, because Metallica was extraordinary.
Somehow James Hetfield’s voice has become better over the years, and the audience loved joining in during the songs. My brother got the song he hoped for, ‘The Memory Remains’, where the live version features Hetfield vocalising, moving his hand up and down with the direction of the note, and essentially conducting the audience through the melody. As the instruments died down to just drums to keep us in time, we became the performers. It’s funny that by having so many people, you manage to get in tune even if a lot of you can’t sing.
I was stunned by how amazing the concert was, from the first (unexpected) burst of pyro so close to us I could feel the heat on my face to the crowd filling in the gaps more than enthusiastically to the final song ‘Enter Sandman’.
I was still unable to process how phenomenal the concert was two weeks later.
It always piques my interest to go back over how my music taste has evolved. It’s fascinating how much I’ve latched onto this type of music, and even now I sometimes find it hard to believe that I’ve come to like it. I still have yet to find someone else who has a similar journey, who shares my strange taste in the experimental, or should I say, avant garde.
While I’ve also played and performed music, listening to it has been more impactful.
I love how it hits you right in the heart, even when you don’t want it to.
In some ways it’s like writing, where it seems to be able to do the impossible.
Natasha
Editing Intern
In this blog post, editing intern Natasha explores her journey with music, and how it’s had an impact on her life.