Music is the way we speak, who we are, where we came from, what we feel, the things we remember, and music often communicates the things we are unable to. I have an extensive group of friends. The biggest difficulty I’ve noticed about this is our music tastes. Riding in the car is often like attending a court hearing over control over the c.d. player. The most common debate is usually rock versus folk.

Rock and folk are two of my preferred music styles. When I’m experiencing an intense emotion, these are my music styles of choice. These two music styles are both very forceful. They both have a heavy effect on the human state of emotion. They are also both be very nude musically due to the expression of intimate topics. They can both strip an orange of it’s skin for you, leaving you to taste it down to the pulp. When listening to Joni Mitchell, a legendary folk singer, I am overcome with emotion. She has such an breathtakingly unforgettable voice. Her lyrics have done noting short of sending chills down my spine. However, Courtney Love, guitarist and vocalist of Hole, is known for stirring up emotion in her music. She is very unobstructed and electric with her music style. She screens nothing when she is onstage. She lets emotion flow.

I’ve noticed in a lot of folk music, the lyrics hold me more than the music itself. It’s nice to hear a light guitar or perhaps a frivolous piano in the distance, but words are generally the core here. When listening to folk music, I usually find myself mellow and very composed. However, when I listen to rock music, I’m usually there for the beat or a remarkable guitar solo. The words are rarely what makes this music forceful for me. On the days I listen to rock music, I’m often hyped or intoxicated about something. I’ve noticed that when I’m provoked I have to have loud music on. Of course, guitarist Ani Difranco does the trick sometimes, but more traditionally, I’m seeking Hole.

It would be nearly impossible for me to tell you which of these music styles is better. I think, like most things in life, it really depends on how you feel as to what you prefer. I think labeling either of these things ‘better’ than the other would be unfair. I’ll leave you with the words of Ani Difranco who is noteworthy of both rock and folk. Here she is telling her audience through lyrics that not everything is able to be understood, rated, or labeled. Which is quite how I felt trying to compare the two varied styles of music.

“ Nobody is lying still the stories don’t add up,

Why must we try to understand of what we’ll never get a hold of,

It’s like trying to put the ocean in a paper cup...”

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