As we make our way through the semester and brave the storms that are midterms, stacks of homework and papers everyone can’t seem to get away from, it’s important to note that we are more than halfway through the semester!

And at least you aren’t THAT guy. 

Some people take it upon themselves to make it sound as though they have an extremely unique music taste and really know what they’re talking about. Being knowledgeable about music is a good topic of conversation in passing, at small gatherings, dinner parties and other relatively short discussions. 

But some people tell you about their music taste and act as though they’re the most well-versed, most well-read and musically conscious person when really the most unique artist featured on their Spotify Wrapped was Tame Impala. Don’t get me wrong, I love Tame Impala, too, but at least I would never say to someone, “You probably haven’t heard of him, he’s super obscure.”

This semester, that poor guy decided to take a music class because of his (self-renowned) “unique, electric and groovy” music taste. His favorite song is “The Less I Know the Better,” and he also really enjoys listening to Post Malone. But not rap Posty, just the edgy slow stuff. Important distinction. 

He decided to take a music history course and quickly felt intimidated by the amount of musicians in the class rather than business majors. He knew he was in for a ride when his first assignment involved listening to and writing about Gregorian chants, which originated in the early ninth and 10th centuries. I would say this is a little more obscure than Tame Impala. 

“I really thought my Spotify Wrapped had set me up for success. Nobody ever objected to me talking about my music taste, so I totally thought nobody knew who I was talking about. The work has been really difficult, I’m not gonna lie. This class was totally not what I was expecting.”

He later disclosed that he had, in fact, listened to some Cage the Elephant and Arctic Monkeys in order to increase the obscurity of his Spotify Discover Weekly. He said throughout this class, he’s learned so much more about music and he can now truly appreciate his pop favorites and shared that his new sea shanty playlist has grown. 

“At least we have music of all kinds now instead of just Gregorian chants and stuff like Beethoven. I respect them, but they just don’t do it for me. The vibe isn’t quite right.”