I was having a bit of a “gray” day recently. The weather wasn’t exactly pretty, it was cold and dark and damp and my mood pretty much matched that to a T. I wanted out of that funk. I decided what better way, for me, is there to get in a better mood then to listen to some really excellent music.
As you all know, I own nothing but excellent music. No, that isn’t subjective, that isn’t opinion, that is pure unadulterated fact. So I figured, turn on iTunes, select shuffle, turn up speakers, sit in comfy chair (perhaps bring a glass of scotch to said chair [perhaps a 1972 Glenrothes]) and let the better mood being! The first song that comes up is exactly what I don’t want to hear right then. It is a dark a moody cover of Bowie’s Sound & Vision (great tune, just not the right mood). I decide before getting up from my comfy chair to grab the remote I will see what comes up next. Nope, next is no better. It may well have even been darker then the first one.
Remote in hand I begin to flick through the shuffled playlist and find that all of the sudden I hate all my music. iTunes must know I am in a bad mood and be playing only those songs that match it. How frustrating is it to have a significant amount of really good music (again, not subjective) but somehow not be able to play any of it. I take a moment to wonder just how iTunes is doing it, the knowing that is, before I shake off my tin foil hat and get back to the business of changing my mood.
I decide I need to play a larger role in my mood change, grab the bull by the horns as they say (they = same guys as the iTunes mood detectors?). I load up a Genius mix (it is an iTunes thing again, kind of like a Pandora radio for only your own music) inspired by Mo’Horizons (happy latin lounge) and Los Hermanos Latinos (cumbia) and more. It begins to work, my frustrations subside and my mood (enhanced by the scotch?) begins to change. That is, until the Genius mix decides that somehow, electrohouse, with that farty bassline, is supposed to be play after Los Corraleros De Majagual!
Frustrated once again, I see there is no winning against the good folks who monitor my mood. I tink happy tots and sleep.
