Time for toe tapping.

Music has always been a huge part of my life.  Growing up with a dad who is a professional musician has some great perks:  From access to his great record collection, to sitting in the orchestra pit for almost every musical that passed through Vancouver, to always having instruments around so I could make some noise. Nowadays, that love for music has transformed itself into a near obsessive compulsive desire to seek out new music, and to listen to as much as I can. ( The lowest number of playcounts on my 7000+ music library is 4!).
The form that the most influential music to me has taken has shifted over the years, but there was always an underlying theme. This theme, however, was one that I wasn't even aware of, or at least didn't notice, until a couple of years ago.
My first independent musical choice was progressive rock:  Dream Theater, Yes, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Genesis...  I was drawn to it for two main reasons:  their sheer talent for creating musically rich, yet technically crazy songs, and also their ability to throw out the traditional ABABCB song structure, to somehow make it unique. 

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Miles Beyond
Yes - Siberian Khatru

My next big influence, I discovered by accident.  Waaaay back, a friend made me a CD which had the track "The Magnificent Tree" by Hooverphonic on it.  They sampled this amazing acoustic guitar loop that just hooked me. My dad overheard me playing the track one day, and said he recognized the loop, so we put the song on repeat, and searched through his massive record collection.  I was determined to find it.  We narrowed it down to just three records, then found it:  "Guinnevere" by Crosby, Still, and Nash.  My love for folk music, and rich harmonies was born: Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, The Zombies, and Nick Drake took over.

Nick Drake - Time Has Told Me
Crosby, Stills and Nash - Guinnevere

Many moons later I was out for some fizzy adult beverages at a bar with some friends and I met a girl.  Music was an obvious conversation.  The night ended with her writing me a scribbled note written on the back of a soggy beer label:  no, not her phone number, but instead simply "Sufjan Stevens."  My love for indie music was born. Finally, an artist who could make technically complex music, who ignored time signatures, and could write a fantastic folk song. Belle and Sebastian, Patrick Watson, Beirut, and Midlake quickly followed suit.

Patrick Watson - Man Under the Sea
Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche.mp3

In the end, I just really like music.  It has an incredible ability to take a snapshot of a mood, a feeling, an experience, a place, and it it lets you experience it aurally.  I'm always looking for something that makes a song unique, be it a chord progression, an odd time signature, an unusual orchestration, technical prowess, stand-out lyrics, or something that challenges me as a listener... but then again, sometimes a good hook and a bass line is all you need.