Marginalia #6 — Syl
Marginalia is a series of short interviews with music lovers from small corners of the internet — bloggers, reviewers, and listeners worth knowing about.
Who are you and what do you do?
I'm Syl, a dog mom, coffee person, and writer. I like being creative, and over the past couple of years I've really enjoyed blogging about my hobbies and the things I love, including music.
How did you get into music? Any highlights in your journey?
When I was a kid, my dad played music constantly and would go around the house singing. I still hold a lot of his favorites as my own, such as Sam Cooke, Ben E. King, and Billy Joel. Of course, I was also into stuff like the Spice Girls and Britney Spears.
I think a major turning point for me was when I discovered Evanescence. I had never heard music like that before, and they opened the door to heavier stuff and the metal genre for me. I'm a pretty big metalhead, and I can trace it all back to Evanescence's first album, Fallen. From there, I got really into bands like Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, Black Sabbath, In Flames, Opeth, etc.
I listen to almost every genre, though, and I can think of other bands that were kind of like gateways for me to certain genres or styles of music. Akira Yamaoka for ambient/instrumental music, Tori Amos for folk/singer-songwriter, Massive Attack for trip-hop, and Lauryn Hill for hip-hop, just to name a few.
What's your current favorite album/artist and why?
Right now it's the album Angel by Unprocessed. They're a German metalcore/progressive metal band that I discovered through the band Jinjer, because they're currently on tour together. Unprocessed has a unique sound. They blend catchy pop, groove metal, technical elements, and heavy riffs all together into something that's really fun and interesting to listen to.
What's an album that you feel holds up to the years and will stand the test of time?
I think The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance is already becoming a classic. I feel lucky to have been around when it came out, and I was able to see them live on their tour for it. I revisit it a lot and am still blown away by the guitar work and just the overall composition of it. All the artwork and production that went into it is amazing too. They're doing an anniversary tour for it at the moment, and it's really nice to see a younger generation loving it just as much now as I did back then.
What's a "guilty pleasure" artist you'll defend to anyone who'll listen?
I’ve been trying to come up with an answer for this one, and I honestly can’t! I think a lot of the bands and artists I like would be considered guilty pleasures by other people, haha. I really don’t mind, though. I think I’ve moved past the point of feeling guilty about any of the music I like. As long as it brings me joy, that’s all that matters, even if other people judge it for any reason.
How do you discover new (or old) music these days?
I follow some people who recommend music on Instagram, such as Metal and Coffee and Lady Mass. I also see what my favorite bands and artists are recommending on Instagram. Finding new music is one of the only reasons I still have an Instagram account!
I visit Tuonela pretty frequently to read their reviews, and I discover a lot of bands that way. They're a small Finnish online magazine covering metal.
Bandcamp is a great way to discover new music. I love their Editorial section, and they have recommendations for similar artists on album pages. I also check out Last.fm's recommendations, which are tailored to the music I listen to.
I listen to the radio as well. I like my local college's station, they play a lot of great songs that I end up adding to my playlists. If I'm listening online, I usually go to Radio Paradise and Q101.
What's an album or artist everyone seems to love that you just couldn't get into?
Metallica. I know that's blasphemy because they're one of the most influential metal bands of all time. I like some of their songs, but their overall style is just not for me.
If you could only listen to one genre for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Metal, for sure. I listen to a wide range of music, but metal is the one genre I couldn't live without. I love that there are so many bands doing different things within the genre and incorporating different sounds. It's always changing, always interesting, and I just love its moodiness and the way it makes me feel when I listen to it.
How do you listen to music i.e. via streaming, vinyl, CDs? What audio gear do you use?
IFor streaming, I use YouTube Music and Bandcamp, and I listen through either my laptop or my phone using a pair of TOZO Bluetooth headphones.
I have a pretty big CD collection, and I'm always collecting more, usually via secondhand shops and discogs.com. I still have my old Magnavox portable CD player and a pair of Retrospekt on-ear headphones that I use for listening to CDs.
I listen to the radio in the car or on my laptop.
Who should I interview next?
I really like MSD's blog, and he makes great music featuring sounds from video game hardware! It'd be cool to get his perspectives on music.
Where can we find you and do you have anything you would like to share?
I blog regularly at the not-so-creatively titled Syl's Blog. You can find all my other links there on my about page. I'm not super active on social media.