Very Mall Christmas

 I know I posted at least one of these last year, but I kind of like them. They are very evocative to those of us who were kids in the 1970s who got dragged to the mall or Kmart with our parents:

this is the motherlode - 8 hours long, and as far as I've listened into it, no announcements or words.

There are the Kmart ones, too, but be aware some have old ads or announcements (there was a "Security to section 3!" announcement that's slightly uncanny if you're not expecting it. I guess Bart tried to abscond with a copy of Bonestorm...)

I dunno. I just kind of like these as background music. During exam week I swapped out the "lofi beats" I often listen to while grading for this. It's much the same thing - unobtrusive, in this case vaguely cheerful, no lyrics that will distract me, just kind of the aural equivalent of "snow" on an old tv - it covers up the silence or other noises without demanding your attention

I know when I was a kid, "easy listening" (as it was called back then) was much reviled and derided. It was geezer music! It was dumb and derivative!

but you know? secretly I kind of liked it. Again, for similar reasons - it was sort of an auditory blur that didn't demand attention but also covered up other noises or anxious thoughts. It occurs to me that the modern "lofi hip hop" is not that far different from it, really, just a slightly different style, and largely electronic rather than whatever instruments were used to produce the 70s "easy listening"

and yes, it does play a role - I find it helps when I'm anxious or when my head feels full of bees to have some friendly noise going to cover up some of the discomfort. And it is a companion when grading or doing some other repetitive task where you don't want to be distracted by lyrics. 

And I know why they used this in stores - it gets loud with a lot of people shuffling around, and cash registers making noise (as they would have, back then) but lyrics would add another layer of confusing noise. So sort of bland instrumentals is what works best, and they're out there on the Internet now for those of us Gen Xers feeling a little homeless or rootless these days....