Radio LBB: Generations of Felt

As the nights get colder and longer, the inevitable judgement day approaches. Spotify Wrapped 'your year in audio' is set to reveal itself as AI mercilessly exposes my listening habits. I’m waiting, slightly panicked, rethinking every song I’ve ever queued. Did I listen to Texas Hold ‘Em one too many times this year? Is Spotify about to crown me a die-hard country fan for all to witness?

Honestly, I think Spotify wrapped was destined to fail me from the start. My obsession with music curation started long before its time - from burning CDs to carefully organising my MP3 player to overthinking my MySpace profile tune - I still find it nearly impossible to define my taste. So please, bear with me...

Our music taste is always moulded by our parents, isn’t it? I was no exception. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting in my mum’s little red Peugeot 205, belting out tunes from The Mamas and the Papas, Fleetwood Mac, Madonna, George Michael, Mary J. Blige, and Kate Bush on our way to school. And of course, no trip was complete without a shameless dose of Robbie Williams and the Spice Girls thrown in for good measure.

Or getting picked up by my dad after another short-lived dance class hyper fixation (two months, max), with Johnny Cash, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, or anything Eric Clapton touches playing as the soundtrack to my latest fleeting hobby.

Eager to curate my own playlist, I’d raid my parents’ CD collection, rip and burn my favourite tracks onto a fresh disc, and design my own album sleeve. 

Then we move on to the most treasured part of every millennial’s musical journey: LimeWire. It’s 2005, and you’ve just hit download on a lineup of absolute bangers, including Missy Elliott’s Lose Control, Sugababes’ Push the Button, and Snoop Dogg’s Signs. Now for a nail-biting wait of 24 hours, praying your downloads don't get interrupted, (or give the family computer a nasty virus), hoping to squeeze about ten tracks onto your tiny MP3 player.

Then came MySpace, adding yet another layer of teenage identity angst. As if the pressure wasn’t already enough, now you had to decide whether Florence and the Machine’s 'Kiss with a Fist' or Ida Maria’s 'Oh My God' would greet visitors to your profile - a choice that felt like it could make or break my entire persona. 

Now, back to the present day - this AI reckoning has stirred up all those familiar feelings of identity angst. In a world where every click is tracked and every song tells a story, I take comfort in knowing that no matter what Spotify’s algorithm spits out, my love for music will always be a delightful mix of nostalgia, discovery, and, let’s be honest, a dash of questionable taste that confuses the algorithm daily. So, here’s to embracing the quirks of our musical journeys - though don’t expect me to reveal my most-played track this year. Let’s just say, some things are better left unwrapped.