Headphones died last night. I don’t often write negative reviews, but— dear Urban Ears, we used to be friends. I believed you were the best pair of headphones I’d ever owned, and you pulled me out of a mini obsession with earbuds (which never seemed to fit me comfortably). However, two pairs of the same headphones going down with the same fault in less than a year? The second pair dying after less time (four months) than the first (six months) and while in transit, to boot? Not cool. We’re pretty much done. Love affair over. I haven’t been listening to music as much as I normally do while I’ve been travelling through Japan. The best way for me to get to know a city is to walk it; walking a new city is best when you’re alive to the experience, both the sights and sounds. In familiar territory, I often use music to construct a barrier or add another emotive layer to wherever I currently am. More often, a soundtrack is a known or familiar quantity, used to control the emotional tenor of the moment. Not so necessary when you’re wandering the streets of a foreign city, camera in hand, and you’re committed to truly being there. Most of my listening has been done at night, heading back to the hotel at the end of a long day of exploring unknown streets. Aesop Rock’s latest album has been on constant rotation, along with that Dimlite/Gaslamp Killer collabo I laid paws on just before I left. A little energy boost. A little injection of swagger. A shift from being a receptive, blank canvas to projection of the self… (Taken with Instagram)
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Headphones died last night. I don’t often write negative reviews, but— dear Urban Ears, we used to be friends. I believed you were the best pair of headphones I’d ever owned, and you pulled me out of a mini obsession with earbuds (which never seemed to fit me comfortably). However, two pairs of the same headphones going down with the same fault in less than a year? The second pair dying after less time (four months) than the first (six months) and while in transit, to boot? Not cool. We’re pretty much done. Love affair over.
I haven’t been listening to music as much as I normally do while I’ve been travelling through Japan. The best way for me to get to know a city is to walk it; walking a new city is best when you’re alive to the experience, both the sights and sounds. In familiar territory, I often use music to construct a barrier or add another emotive layer to wherever I currently am. More often, a soundtrack is a known or familiar quantity, used to control the emotional tenor of the moment. Not so necessary when you’re wandering the streets of a foreign city, camera in hand, and you’re committed to truly being there. Most of my listening has been done at night, heading back to the hotel at the end of a long day of exploring unknown streets. Aesop Rock’s latest album has been on constant rotation, along with that Dimlite/Gaslamp Killer collabo I laid paws on just before I left. A little energy boost. A little injection of swagger. A shift from being a receptive, blank canvas to projection of the self… (Taken with Instagram)

8 Notes/ Hide

  1. llapen said: As a participant in your quest for the best pair of headphones, I’m really sorry to hear your UEs died at such a moving time in your journey. Maybe it’s time for Beats by Dr. Dre?
  2. gasp365 said: There’s a reason for everything. Had the sucky headphones not died, you wouldn’t have written about it and I would’ve gone through life oblivious to the fact that there’s a new Aesop Rock album out. You managed to lift my mood. Mhm. Watch my swag…
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