Alien Observer

I’m Ryan and this is Alien Observer. I’ve spent a long time trying to overcomplicate this idea and what it should be, but truthfully I’m doing this simply because I have a lot to say and I need somewhere to spill it. I’ve owned this domain for years, but recently I’ve been feeling more of a responsibility to actually start writing for it. I’ve watched some pretty significant names in music and art criticism get their wings clipped by corporate entities who know nothing about the art form, and the streaming landscape seems to be taking a toll on people’s curiosity as more people seem to be discovering music primarily from computer-generated playlists that are incapable of challenging their listeners. It seems like now more than ever, we’re in a time when we could use more blogs from little guys who just like music.

I won’t be trying too hard to be a “good writer” here, which I believe will ultimately make me a better one. This blog will primarily be about music, and it will probably always be about art. At the end of the day I’m sure it will be a lot of album reviews and best-of lists, but I always want to make space for a long-winded philosophical rant if it seems appropriate. There will inevitably be somewhat of a local (Austin, Texas) angle, but ultimately I just want to write about whatever it is that speaks to me for better or worse.