Just under twelve months ago, having just returned from the W.A. Odyssey, I posted a Reflection concerning Hughesy's New Listening Paradigm. It was a time, in these parts at least, when New Paradigms were a topic of interest as Australian politicians worked through the implications of the August 2010 Federal Election, and it's interesting to return to the topicnow because, despite what's happening on the surface, there are deeper undercurrents in operation, largely out of sight.
As far as Australian politics goes, you'd probably be thinking (a) the Gillard government is currently going through its death throes, and you may well be right, and (b) they're having great difficulty getting anything done, which seems to be substantially wide of the mark.
They've actually managed to get a lot of legislation through the Parliament without anyone noticing, largely because everyone seems to have been watching the Abbot/Gillard media circus photo opportunities on the twenty-four hour news cycle.
So, you ask in your relentless quest for knowledge, what does this have to do with either Hughesy's listening habits (we were talking Hughesy's New Listening Paradigm weren't we?) or the world of music in general?
Well, for a start that reference to the twenty-four hour news cycle reminds me that we've undergone a major change in the way we consume/listen to music, and many of us might not exactly be working on a twenty-four hour music cycle, but if we're not it's probably because we have to sleep for a bit (assuming you don't have a speed habit, which means you've got three sleeps before Christmas or are looking to emulate Keith Richards and are looking to get through the decade without a kip).