Name: Cassandra Emerson
Nickname: Cassie
Program: Psychology
Favourite restaurant on campus: Kenzo Ramen
Favourite RU prof: Doctor Colleen Derkatch
Favourite study spot on campus: Library
I met my friend Cassandra at work. As two nerds with a penchant for gossip, we quickly forged a robust friendship (over melted strawberry fraps). With a sharp wit mingled with sardonic humour, Cassandra has become my go-to whenever I need to complain about life’s woes. However, I knew I’d found my kindred spirit when I learned that she, too, is crazy for jazz. In fact, I am much indebted to her for introducing me to Jill Barber.
Thanks to her forays into different genres, Cassandra’s musical tastes came-of-age as she did. Like many of us, Cassandra’s endured cringe-worthy phases that she’d rather stow away and never retrieve. Still, every now and then she’s accosted by the spectre of High School Cassandra when a particular song comes on shuffle.
For most, music functions as a time capsule. Woven into the lilting vocals and cascading notes are vestiges of the past – some melodic and others dissonant. Perhaps a certain tune conjures up a treasured memory. Alternatively, there might be a song you now detest ‘cause your ex ruined it.
One of my profs, Doctor Jason Boyd, likened memory to a pharmakon. Similar to medicine, we have to negotiate its benefits and side-effects. Specifically, our brains retain events both pleasant and horrific, often without our control. Since many of us use music as a mode of escapism, it’s no surprise that songs immortalize so much of our personal history. Oftentimes, it’s the very nature of the associated memory that decides a song’s meaning over time.
Although Cassandra is known for her winged eyeliner and head-to-toe black attire, her personal soundtrack is not so monochromatic. Having moved numerous times, Cassandra’s nomadic childhood is very much embedded in her eclectic taste in music. So I sat down with my pal, wanting to examine every detail in her kaleidoscope of musical tastes.
Most of us grow up in a musical climate decided by our parents. What did you listen to as a kid?
When I was younger my mother and father both loved a lot of classic rock and new wave music. My first concert was The Eagles at the ACC and my first favourite bands were them and Depeche Mode.
When did you start choosing your own music to listen to?
Once I grew up a bit more I got into more mainstream rock like Green Day and the Foo Fighters, until middle school when I hit my heavy metal phase and got super into Bullet for my Valentine, Children of Bodom, Slipknot, and the like.
What has your evolution of musical taste been like? Can you give a brief timeline?
Throughout high school I got more and more into playing in symphonies and jazz bands for my school’s music program, so that and getting into the more progressive side of metal got me listening to jazz. From there I got into fusion music—romantic and classical—jazz rock, math rock, and anything my Tumblr friends recommended to me (since most of our bonding was over showing each other cool music).
After that I got super into pitchfork-core and finally got around to listening to Animal Collective and Neutral Milk Hotel and unexpectedly fell in love with them. Now I’ve kind of gone through a phase of most kinds of music and just go back through the stuff I’ve listened to over the years and am always on the lookout for more interesting styles.
Do you think life events cause shifts in preferences?
Definitely. Middle school and high school tend to be the most emotionally turbulent times in people’s lives, and I think their music taste is highly reflective of that. A lot of kids who have it relatively well—or even ones who want to forget about the bad things going on in their lives—turn to dance music and EDM to try to feel good.
Others find more catharsis in channeling their negative emotions through heavier and darker music so they can feel like they have people to relate to. It’s no coincidence that era was my Marilyn Manson phase. I think life is a series of highs and lows, and it’s important to explore highs and lows in music as well to find music for whatever mood you may be in at the time. Songs can completely change your mood for better or for worse.
Based on your experience, do you think music is an auxiliary to memory?
For sure. There are few things that invoke nostalgia better than hearing music from an older part of your life and reflecting on how much has changed since the last time you heard it. Music you use to cope during hard times can sometimes be ruined for you because of this too, as it brings back those feelings of anguish. Romantic music that you listen to thinking about someone you love tends to tie itself to that person in your mind pretty deeply as well, which is probably why so many couples have “their song(s)” to remind them of the earliest stages of their relationship.
Is there a song that always cheers you up?
“Sunshine” by The Reign of Kindo. The Reign of Kindo in general have some of the best feel good music out there in my personal opinion. “La Javanaise” off of Jill Barber’s Chansons always cheers me up too. I really, really love upbeat jazzy music when I need a pick-me-up.
Is there a song you can’t listen to anymore because of a bad memory?
“Millstone” by Brand New and “Fear of a Blank Planet” by Porcupine Tree were both songs I listened to pretty constantly during my parents’ divorce, so they both put me in an awful mood when I hear them. I can very rarely listen to either anymore.
Tell me about the music you (and your band Rocket Bomb) make. Are your songs informed by your own musical tastes and/or personal history?
The music I make is really all over the place. Since I listen to a whole bunch of genres I kind of write a lot of shorter stuff in whatever style I’ve been listening to lately. I do most of my writing on guitar but also on bass and piano. My band Rocket Bomb—started by my friend Jagger—is a lot more pop-pinkish. That usually isn’t my style of playing but it’s super fun to play bass for and Jagger and Josh are really great songwriters.
What’s a playlist that would capture your life right now?
“Sunburn” by Muse
“J’attendrai” by Jill Barber
“Romancing a Stranger” by The Reign of Kindo
“Pork Ginger” by Tricot
“La Javanaise” by Jill Barber
“Thrill of the Fall” by The Reign of Kindo
“Feeling Good” by Muse
“Plato’s Tripartite” by Protest the Hero
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears
You can listen to Cassandra’s playlist on Spotify here.