Music affecting your IQ

Was out with the membersss today sans Alvin who was out on a drinking mission with his Tamileh buddies. We were at Adam Road Hawker Centre, having supper and shooting the shit (Check the definition in the Urban DIctionary below).

Melvin who is exhibiting strong leftist leanings nowadays mentioned that listening to music actually increases your IQ when you are growing up. Khai asked whether listening to angsty and violent music would actually make someone angsty and violent and would it hamper the development of a kid.

Well, my take on it all is that music is all good, unlike Melvin's point of rap music like Eminem breeds anger in people. It is highly unconducive for creativity in kids. They are not exposed to different types of music and learning what is essentially behind the music, instead just how pissed off the singer/ rapper says in his lyrics.

What I believe is that the kids identify with the singer/ rapper because of certain emotions that they are going through is what they are feeling now. Be it negilent parents or victims of abuse. Of course, like the singers themselves, these negative feelings are usually hyperbolised into something that was pretty minute in the first place. "My daddy didn't get me a PS2. Horrible parent."

I grew up listening to the angsty punk of Nirvana. Hell, I think I even tried to style myself after Cobain. I did pick up the guitar trying to learn how to play Nirvana songs. Perhaps, it's all a phase that we grow out of. I hope. It might not be all out angry music like our generation type of music (define: early 90's; I feel old eh?). I started listening to more melancholic stuff like Portishead which what me mate, Jason Ong has described as funeral music or great music to be either buried or cremated to. Yeah, but hey, some folks I know have described their music to be romantic. It's all up to your personal intrepretation.

I'm a huge fan of funk music. I love stuff like James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Sly and the Family Stone, Marvin Gaye (which is more soul but I don't care that much about genres), etc.

I grew up as an angsty kid which leads to being an angsty adult. But hey, I guess the good thing that came out of it was that I contributed to the musicial instruments industry, buying guitars and equipment. I took what I liked from the early music I liked and went behind the process of how these musicians created them. I learnt how fucked up people can be and how the recording process worked in general. It raised my social and political awareness more than I was as many of these 'angry' bands were into that kinda socio-political thing. So, it was generally good for my well-being.

So, I had to disagree with Melvino da Meano in the aspect that angsty, violent and anti-social music leads to nowhere. It pretty much gave a whole lotta meaning to my miserable life to begin with. To be honestly, I think any parents should worry when their children starts listening to way too much Britney. Don't get me wrong; I like her and I think her music is fucken funny, albeit unintentionally most of the time. However, when was the last time that you heard Britney fans being really affected by issues of Greenpeace? That might be a sweeping statement granted. But if the music/ artists you listen to challenges you intellectually, it's more likely you'd be inclined to react in a more intellectual way. I dunno; learning how to play an instrument, mastering the turntable or taking up a worthy political cause.

Anyway, it's often up to you. What you think actually inspires you would eventually make you tick. Seeing a Led Zeppelin concert makes me feel like whipping out my guitar and wreack havoc on it. I, fo' shizzle my nizzle, would not do the same if I happen to watch/hear the Mandarin pop stuff and English Top 40 songs.