Bah, humbug.

[ecosophia]

 Is it just me, or is the holiday music this year even more vomitous than usual? Every time I go into a store these days, there's some chirpy vocalist (who wouldn't recognize a one-horse open sleigh if it ran her down) simpering about sleigh rides, followed by a choir dipped in sugar syrup caterwauling about an animated snowman in tones that make me dream of blowtorches, followed by -- well, you get the point. Here in Rhode Island, at least, all the older Christmas music seems to have been banished, presumably because its religious content might offend somebody. Um, folks, I'm a Druid, okay? I'd still rather listen to "O Holy Night" and "The First Noel" than to the kind of stickily sweet glurge that's being spattered from the loudspeakers this year. 

Thinking about the difference between the Christmas melodies I appreciate and the ones that make me want to physically tear sound systems apart with my bare hands, I notice a distinct difference in the sound. I may just have to break out my books on Renaissance Pythagorean music theory and see if I can identify a consistent pattern. In the meantime, a merry "Bah, humbug!" to all, and to all composers of holiday glurge, a sound thrashing with one of Krampus' birch rods! 

Comments

[lunchboxbike]

Music is a drug delivery system through the ears. Stores have a few basic motives for which drug they choose, such as calming a mob and rushing shoppers out when they're done spending, but they are limited by what drugs they can get. Music copyright and licensing is big business. The countermeasure I thought of a few minutes ago is loudly singing an antidote. The more common countermeasure is a phone that can play music.

[oakmouse]

I've found that Donner's solo from Das Rheingold is a really effective countermeasure. Gets rid of earworms, too.

Of course, if you belt it out too loudly in the store you might get turfed out, but at this season of the year that's more of a mercy than otherwise.