Best Ever Albums

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

Repo — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:22:44 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 03/28/2019 13:22

Norman Bates wrote:

No, but I'm improving

I have been obsessively listening to music for most of the last 30 years+. God knows I've had all the wrong reasons to do so - to pose, to get into someone's beds, to escape everything and every fucking one even my own flesh and blood in more ways than just one, to drink heavily, to pretend to know something about something I don't know about, to pathetically try and make friends, to fill up too-full-it-becomes-meaninglessly-empty fucking life, to make charts to have at least one thing sorted out and tidied up someplace even virtual, to younameit that's even more sad.

But as I am growing old, starting off anew with somebody-ies elses including another flesh and blood and doing my best to be a better human being as a whole, I have solid reason to believe that I am actually getting better and listening music for the right reasons : I really love it. The music and the listening to it and the discovering new stuff and the listening of stuff I wouldn't listen to but the son or the lady love it. I want to do it.

Thanks for such an honest post. I'm pretty sure you're being (massively) overly hard on yourself. I have elements of this as well. Glad to hear your new beaux is making you a better man! 😄

Personally, I think my major problem is that I listen to too much music. That I'm driven to listen to album after album. I want to (& enjoy) having the knowledge of having listened to everything. I want to consume every great album ever made. And that's not just possible. It's a compulsion. And an unhealthy one. I'm fragile physically so I can feel the effect when I listen to too much music. Especially stuff I don't know. It drains me. Makes me tired. Harsh music especially. So I've been trying to "cut back." Trying to just listen to one new album per day. It's definitely a compulsion for me which isn't a good thing. Silence is needed to to give the body a chance to heal & rest. Plus the whole compulsion of more, more, more is never a good thing especially now that we can literally listen to more, more, more with streaming services. Better to have a great intimate relationship with less.

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

Daydreamer — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 04:29:27 GMT

Author: Daydreamer

Posted: 03/28/2019 08:29

I guess I listen to a relatively big amount of music every day. Probably about 5-10 albums every day, which is a lot considering I have a somewhat busy day job (even though I listen to music there whenever I have a chance). I enjoy most of it, since out of 10 albums, I listen to 2-3 with great attention and others more as a background music (even though I pay attention to it every now and then).
But I have to admit there is a little bit of compulsiveness, in a way that when I don't listen to it as much for a couple of days I start to feel a craving. I don't consider it a bad thing, since I never rejected any social interaction or some other activity because I wanted to listen to music. I know music will be waiting for me.

Quote:

I’m returning to my highest rated albums and giving them a chance to play a larger role in my life. There will always be opportunities to discover something new, but that discovery is fleeting and less meaningful if it only lasts as long as the few listens I usually give to new discoveries.

This is great, I used to be in a period when I wanted to discover so much new music that I started enjoying it less. However, when I started dating my current gf, I started playing her some of my favourites more frequently and then I fell in love with them all over again. Now I think I've found the better balance between old and new, but I guess it could still be improved.

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

travelful — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 21:02:06 GMT

Author: travelful

Posted: 03/28/2019 01:02

Johnnyo wrote:

I'd say not. I'm the same (listen to music whenever I have the opportunity) and for me about constantly discovering something new, even if it's old, and music relaxes so I'd consider it a rather healthy pastime for me anyway.

Is it healthy for my bank balance though? Now that's another question.

yeah music is pretty much my favorite thing (new or old), and it accompanies my other hobbies pretty nicely. I guess it's healthy, although sometimes it distracts me from things I should be doing instead...so many not...idk. lol

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

Johnnyo — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 03:30:49 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 03/27/2019 07:30

travelful wrote:

Im not sure how to answer this poll. If I listen to music almost every waking moment that I have the chance, and am constantly intrigued by whats going on/has happened within the industry, is that unhealthy?

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

RoundTheBend — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 22:47:17 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 03/27/2019 02:47

Also I apologize for not giving a laugh were a laugh was due to Baystate and Hayden.

🤣

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

Tap — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 18:40:38 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 03/26/2019 22:40

PurpleHazel wrote:

Yeah, for most of us, it's a net positive, and therefore not unhealthy -- though there may be room for improvement.

Quote:

So it varies whether a growth mindset is the healthiest one. It could be the reverse.

oh yeah pursuit of growth can have unhealthy stuff to it, I'm really pleased with how things are working out for me in that regard tho

this may be a little tricky to parse (its divided into counts for albums ive listened to once, twice, three times, etc) but basically it shows that theres a little over 100 albums I hadnt heard before in the past few years that I've listened to at least 10 times and have spent a large chunk of my listening time with and have had the time they need to make a big impact on me.

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

TheHutts — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 18:12:57 GMT

Author: TheHutts

Posted: 03/26/2019 22:12

This was in the news today and made me think of this thread:

A 20-year-old woman has admitted murdering a Christchurch woman after an argument over music during a house party.

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

Norman Bates — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 17:51:21 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 03/26/2019 21:51

No, but I'm improving

I have been obsessively listening to music for most of the last 30 years+. God knows I've had all the wrong reasons to do so - to pose, to get into someone's beds, to escape everything and every fucking one even my own flesh and blood in more ways than just one, to drink heavily, to pretend to know something about something I don't know about, to pathetically try and make friends, to fill up too-full-it-becomes-meaninglessly-empty fucking life, to make charts to have at least one thing sorted out and tidied up someplace even virtual, to younameit that's even more sad.

But as I am growing old, starting off anew with somebody-ies elses including another flesh and blood and doing my best to be a better human being as a whole, I have solid reason to believe that I am actually getting better and listening music for the right reasons : I really love it. The music and the listening to it and the discovering new stuff and the listening of stuff I wouldn't listen to but the son or the lady love it. I want to do it.

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

PurpleHazel — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 17:32:50 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 03/26/2019 21:32

TimeLion wrote:

Perhaps then the better question is, how could your relationship with music be healthier? I suspect music plays a net positive role even in the lives of those with calcified tastes, for example, but a growth mindset would be healthier still.

Yeah, for most of us, it's a net positive, and therefore not unhealthy -- though there may be room for improvement.

Quote:

So it varies whether a growth mindset is the healthiest one. It could be the reverse.

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

TimeLion — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 12:17:26 GMT

Author: TimeLion

Posted: 03/26/2019 16:17

Perhaps then the better question is, how could your relationship with music be healthier? I suspect music plays a net positive role even in the lives of those with calcified tastes, for example, but a growth mindset would be healthier still.

I have recently made changes in my listening habits that trend in the opposite direction. While I still favor a growth mindset overall, I found myself growing a library of music I “love” but haven’t listened to in years because of my constant search for something new. So I’m returning to my highest rated albums and giving them a chance to play a larger role in my life. There will always be opportunities to discover something new, but that discovery is fleeting and less meaningful if it only lasts as long as the few listens I usually give to new discoveries.

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

Tap — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 04:07:25 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 03/26/2019 08:07

That's one way of approaching it for sure, but I wanted to leave it open ended because there's also taste calcification, whether your relationship with music is still growing or if it's simply an unchanging stone monument. it's however you want to take it with the question.

I would say yes to having a healthy relationship, but I still pick up on things that I'm doing that I question. Like I'm very susceptible to visibility, I'll drift out of touch with an artist and then, oh what a coincidence, they're releasing something new and I'm checking them out again. I don't think this is inherently a bad thing, but taken with how the vast majority of my music consumption is digital, it can be easy to lose track of things and get swept up in "the conversation"s. and while I really do love the music of the contemporary moment, I think it pushes me to be overly focused on that time, the role of older music increasingly becoming a supplement for the current thing, and I think that could lead to an exhaustion with keeping up that leads to a collapse where I also feel disconnected from all past. so I've been making a point since 2018 of directing myself more towards explorations of older stuff that are disconnected from the current moment and I think you can see a positive impact here

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

PurpleHazel — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 03:36:06 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 03/26/2019 07:36

travelful wrote:

The question is, does it have detrimental consequences to your life? Does it negatively impact work, school (if applicable), relationships etc. If not, you're good.

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

Tap — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 03:29:48 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 03/26/2019 07:29

some great posts in here, but re: Keith's end questions, I actually think the people who are very purpose oriented and listen to those geberic mood playlists can end up having a perfectly healthy relationship with music, that's another thing that's been bothering me. all the recent scaremongering about "fake bands"/contemporary library music has this implication that there's this class of music listeners who are sheep and need to be led to the cool music, but like maybe theyre just more passionate about other stuff and just want something for the background?

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

RoundTheBend — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 00:12:11 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 03/26/2019 04:12

If we are just talking about a behavior change I will say streaming services have turned music into a quick "trick". I won't necissarily say it devalues it as the argument has gone... but what I mean by this is now I can listen to like 975436437437643298476529435723954326745 albums... there are more albums than life and that's created a weird world to live in (akin to what KKS just said... it's just not a natural relationship with Music... it's like this methodical thing... which I like and hate equally).

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

RoundTheBend — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 00:10:07 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 03/26/2019 04:10

Kool Keith Sweat wrote:

...I used to listen to music while doing other things in a variety of environments across a longer period of time until a natural a-ha moment occurred and I really fell in love with a recording. Now I acclimate myself with two to four listens (nearly always in the car) and then sit down with over-the-ears and a notebook and do one or two deep listens, all in the span of a week or a bit less. It feels like I'm thinking more than feeling about music because rather than giving myself time to attach personal baggage I assess it in a short enough time that I approach it closer to as it is (perhaps). It feels like I'm getting "more" out of recordings faster, but I don't revisit them much because the relationship is often more professional than personal. Not to say I don't revisit my tip-top favorites of each year and develop those relationships eventually, or have time for old favorites. Ultimately, I just end up giving more time and weight to recordings I might otherwise have given little time or weight to, to give them a "fair shake"...

...Concerning what other people brought up, I think music is usually a signpost for behavioral issues, but not the issue itself, if there even is an issue...

Can I get an amen (other points you made were solid too, but these really spoke to me).

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 23:03:57 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 03/26/2019 03:03

I don't know. But it's become different in the last few months. The (not overwhelming) majority of my listening is now from the current year, with intent to review. I'm incredibly conflicted about reviewing and rating, and there's a lot of lag time between submission and post and no editor to provide feedback, but I'm sticking with it because what it's done to my listening is interesting. I used to listen to music while doing other things in a variety of environments across a longer period of time until a natural a-ha moment occurred and I really fell in love with a recording. Now I acclimate myself with two to four listens (nearly always in the car) and then sit down with over-the-ears and a notebook and do one or two deep listens, all in the span of a week or a bit less. It feels like I'm thinking more than feeling about music because rather than giving myself time to attach personal baggage I assess it in a short enough time that I approach it closer to as it is (perhaps). It feels like I'm getting "more" out of recordings faster, but I don't revisit them much because the relationship is often more professional than personal. Not to say I don't revisit my tip-top favorites of each year and develop those relationships eventually, or have time for old favorites. Ultimately, I just end up giving more time and weight to recordings I might otherwise have given little time or weight to, to give them a "fair shake". (though the writing part digs into my listening time)

Another development is that my view of recordings is becoming increasingly conflicted. Recordings feel kinda "necessary" because access and convenience and ubiquity but for improvised music they're a tree in a forest otherwise mapped by performance. I feel increasingly underserved by recording technology and now require teleportation to make these shows. (and why am I listening three+ times to a recorded performance for reviews when I would only be able to listen once for a live review before making "a decision"?) Conversely, I can only do recordings for any pop/rock. I caught Jlin and This Heat this past week, both of whom I love on record, but the shows were a chore because they're parroting their recordings (often with shittier sound) and I can't do predictability live anymore.

There's other things and thoughts I'm struggling with in music too, but ultimately I think it's healthy for me to not be too comfortable and to have a little conflict with music. It keeps me on my toes and keeps me growing, not just in listening but elsewhere in life. I just got out of a phase where I wasn't listening to much music but, now that shows have started coming through again, my interest in music is on the up and up again (funny how performance feeds into recordings, until teleportation).

Concerning what other people brought up, I think music is usually a signpost for behavioral issues, but not the issue itself, if there even is an issue. Is skipping tracks in Spotify a symptom of overconnectedness and consequent shorter attention spans in the digital age? Is it a symptom of not being in tune with your psyche (because you live in a society afraid to discuss mental health) and having difficulty finding a suitable recording to match? Or is it a natural, expected response when confronted with choice, like eating a little bit of everything on your plate rather than eating all your peas, all your carrots, and then all your meatloaf? Is it the healthful act of "keeping up with a hobby" or the unhealthful act of being too plugged in to media, swapping from facebook to insta to twitter to wikipedia to google to discogs to RYM to BEA to news to to to to keep up with music? Is it really unhealthy to listen to music "superficially;" are we shaving years off our life in the mall with the ambient muzak? What does it say about your "relationship with music" that you require a monetary exchange for a physical product to enjoy an abstract, free phenomenon? Are you any different than the "muzak-listeners" if you don't question your behaviors and challenge your ears?

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

travelful — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 23:01:39 GMT

Author: travelful

Posted: 03/26/2019 03:01

baystateoftheart wrote:

An example of an unhealthy relationship with music that people haven't mentioned yet is stan culture

kanye west invented music

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

baystateoftheart — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 22:42:23 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 03/26/2019 02:42

Hayden wrote:

Flipping tricks for compact discs amiright.

Unhealthy indeed! Any self-respecting music fan wouldn't do that for less than vinyl.

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

Hayden — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 22:40:21 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 03/26/2019 02:40

sethmadsen wrote:

and selling your body for music (unhealthy).

Flipping tricks for compact discs amiright.

Re: Do you have a healthy relationship with music?

baystateoftheart — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 22:36:30 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 03/26/2019 02:36

An example of an unhealthy relationship with music that people haven't mentioned yet is stan culture