There was an interesting article in The Economist over Christmas about the power of music and attempts that have been made to reconcile our love of it with our evolutionary development. There are several ideas put forward as to why we humans like it so much - it helps us attract mates, it binds us together as a group or it was something we stumbled on by accident but have since shaped and bended to our will. (http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12795510).

It has started me thinking about the role of music in my life. I couldn't imagine a life without it. I can't be in the house without something playing in the background. There are times when I feel breathless with emotion and happiness (Paul Simon - Graceland, Van Morrison - Sweet Thing) at a song but other times when I could scream with frustration (any version of Sweet Home Alabama). What makes me like one song over another and indeed get so frustrated by what I consider 'bad' music? I left a party last night when they put the latter song on for the THIRD time in 2 hours. Why, why, why? Interestingly, sister's boyfriend thinks that we are music snobs in my family.

Going to a concert you realise that in a myriad different ways everyone there has discovered artist X, listened to their albums in a million different places and ways and have all come to the same conclusion about it. I do feel a tremendous and overwhelming joy at belonging to such a group, dancing and sweating and singing in the darkness. Perhaps it is evolution and in an age when the traditional social bonds are weakening, we are finding new ones. I don't know how else to describe it.