Deeply felt phenomena vary from person to person, but one such phenomena I judge rather common, whether we are conscious of it or not, is music. When we are in touch with our emotions, music can change our entire way of seeing the world. I believe that deeply felt music acts as a catalyst – taking a mood or feeling to heights unimagined, or depths unexplored.
Phenomena such as this become something I like to call noumena, a word used by scholars meaning “a thing-in-itself”. These are entities or experiences that live within us as self-contained soundscapes, worlds unto themselves that can speak, persuade us, influence us, change our emotional state, and more.
Because of its link with these powerful capacities, I understand music in two ways:
- Due to its ability to change our state of mind, music is a form of internal alchemy.
- Due to its ability to call to mind metaphors, visions, stories, memories, et cetera, music is a generator of internal worlds.
Personally, when I hear an album with a strong "feel" to it, that feeling becomes a landscape of sound – and when trying to describe that sound to other people, I end up describing the landscape instead! It’s as if I “see” the medium of sound being projected upon a screen.
Fortunately, I'm not alone. I joined a private music forum a little over a year ago, and a post was written on this "different" type of music appreciation; of “felt” music. This particular music forum is based completely around albums; something I'll get to in just a moment. The post was titled, "It feels like...", and it encouraged users to post how specific albums made them feel – very much along the lines of what's been discussed here.
The stories told there were in the form of clever one-liners, but some were incredibly insightful, and many people found they felt the same. A kinship was cultivated, not only to the music itself, but between these users and the worlds that music had put in their heads.
And so, I will try to paint a picture for you of three different albums that I've felt strong connections with. Some I feel on a lighter level, some deeper; some are more sensuous than cerebral. I encourage you to try it out - you'll be surprised at what your imagination can produce!