“I’m looking forward to seeing whether this project shifts into something I’m proud of or somehow bursts into flames by the end.” — Me, four months ago
When Casual Cadenza first came out on a bleak Sept. 14 last fall, I honestly had no idea what it was going to be. As someone who had never written a column before, nor written about anything music-related other than a quick story on Harry Styles and a very below average argumentative piece on bad holiday songs, I wasn’t exactly certain what a music column was supposed to encapsulate. Surely any column is expected to pertain to one’s individual tastes, but elaborating on why certain songs or artists are good for 500 words just seemed like a recipe for boredom. Yet, I managed to do so 22 times.
Twenty-two whole entries of awe-inspiring, spirit-lifting, heart-fluttering musical journalism were offered to the world — and I say that in the least truthful way possible. It’s not that I’m entirely disappointed with how my small portfolio turned out. There’s actually a handful of stories that I’m quite happy with (“Guilty pleasures” is probably my favorite), but there are also a handful of ones I feel would’ve been better off unwritten.
From a personal standpoint, most of my best work happened in the fall, which I owe to the very kind and enjoyable nature of online school at the time. Then spring rolled around, plopped me with some mental health pitfalls and saw my content deteriorate — to the point where I considered renaming the project to “Complaining-about-school Cadenza.” I guess I was mostly disheartened by the fact that losing the motivation to write and actively listen to music would prevent me from finishing this column off strong. However, whether this counts as an adequate conclusion is up to you.
Thus, in an effort to conclude in the most appropriate way, I’ve decided to recommend one last track: “Runaway” by Kanye West (featuring Pusha T). I’ll admit I’m pretty late to the Kanye train and I have yet to explore his discography in depth, but this one just seemed fitting for a send-off. It introduces a melancholy piano melody masked by an upbeat instrumental, with West and T delivering a regretful apology to a mistreated lover. I don’t necessarily mean to end on an apologetic note — the song itself just has a conclusive vibe.
Now comes the end of Musical Mondays. I truly can’t imagine how else I’m going to spend my early Sunday afternoons, since spouting off pretentious opinions in a sarcastic and self-deprecating manner has become an ingrained daily ritual for me. As famous philosopher Nelly Furtado once said: “Why do all good things come to an end?”
In all seriousness, there’s no absolute guarantee that Casual Cadenza will be gone forever. Although it has run its course at the moment, two whole years remain for me in this godforsaken institution called college. Perhaps it’ll reappear under a new name, or perhaps it won’t. I guess it’s best to think of this as the start of an indefinite hiatus, similar to One Direction (who have yet to come back, but that’s beside the point). For now, as famous political theorists Harry, Liam, Niall and Louis once said: “Oh, baby, let me love you goodbye.”