A detailed description of my music writing background — A Team or Single Person? Despite the royal “we” I use sometimes If Ever Your Listening (IEYL) is a solo venture. All the content is original and written by me. For the longest time I was the only one who published it as well. Even though it is just me and I could have made…

The History of Art Rock — A Work of Art Art-rock brings the world of high art into the realm of rock music. While the two elements appear incompatible their combination sounds natural and fulfilling. The rock subgenre comes about thanks to the musical minds of musicians like Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, and Frank Zappa. In the early 1960’s, rock…

Check Out This List Of Tunes For Your Listening Pleasure — I hope you all had a great weekend! I’ve finally reached one of those distinctive markers of adulthood — the 10 year high school reunion. Invitations were sent out a couple weeks ago and I’m still breath-taken by the milestone. I’ve always viewed those who are old enough to attend…

Hikaru Utada Taps Further Into EDM To Unpack Her Quarrels and History With Love — IEYL’s January 2022 Album of The Month — BAD Mode by Hikaru Utada Background Hikaru Utada is arguably the greatest pop singer Japan has seen in the last 30 years. There’s more than enough evidence to support those who make that assertion. As a child of a singer and music producer, a young Utada had an incredible amount of exposure to the recording studio…

Check Out This List Of Tunes For Your Listening Pleasure — Happy Monday! I know, an oxymoron, right? Well the past weekend has been good to me, so here’s to keeping that positive mindset going into the week. I’ve been purchasing a lot of physical’s lately. My catalogue at home is slowly but surely becoming more robust. The vinyl wall is…

A Review of David Bowie’s album, Station to Station — Background David Bowie lived in several worlds. From his early folk days to the flamboyant glam rocker, Bowie continuously dared viewers and listeners alike. He asked essential questions about our norms through his actions and refused to conform. …

Check Out This List Of Tunes For Your Listening Pleasure — I got the promotion! After over a month of mediocre pay and far too many 7-day work weeks I finally landed a full time position at an intercultural exchange organization in New York. It took me years to finally land safely in my dream field, but I’m finally here. While…

The History and Evolution of the Cover Song — The current trend of elder statesmen mass recruiting artists to cover their music has refocused the attention around covers. The steps taken by legendary artists like Paul McCartney, Beverly Glen-Copeland (posthumously), and Metallica to repackage their music for younger audiences is a fascinating decision. …

Check Out This List Of Tunes For Your Listening Pleasure — When I first arrived in China in August 2018 I had no expectations. I purposefully came in without any because I knew it was going to be hard, and I wanted to be in the right frame of mind. Little did I know… Not only did my co-fellow have to…