Best Ever Albums

Re: Getting into an album process

revolver94 — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:05:22 GMT

Author: revolver94

Posted: 05/18/2012 23:05

The Poe wrote:

Ehh... I'm not having the confusion others are having. I understood it. I thought it was well said.

Is the word "ambiance" throwing people off? I think revolver94 is describing the overall feel of the music, the atmosphere, not so much the smaller individual details like the notes, song structure, and lyrics. These sort of things are less clear in the early part of listening to a unique album.

I see music as having a lot to do with patterns and adapting to them. Some albums take somewhere between a few to several listens in order to "feel it" because of this.

Yeah, you totally get what I'm saying. If someone understand this and not mine, I basically agree with this.

Re: Getting into an album process

junodog4 — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:02:53 GMT

Author: junodog4

Posted: 05/18/2012 23:02

I find it difficult to sit and listen the first time. I usually put it on while I'm doing something else - see if it will catch my attention. Driving always works.

Re: Getting into an album process

pearljammer13 — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:22:47 GMT

Author: pearljammer13

Posted: 05/18/2012 20:22

First listen is extremely important for me. Usually, I can tell on first listen if I'm going to love an album. With some, i'll listen once and simply know that I'll never be able to like it. With others, I love it instantly on first listen. Typically however those don't end up becoming my favorites over time. The best result of a first listen for me is that I'm unsure about it, but I'm drawn back to it because I need to figure out how I feel. These are usually the albums that I end up loving to death over time. OK Computer is my best example of this. I listened to it, and was totally unsure how I felt about it. But it drew me back and with each listen it grew and became one of my all time favorites.

Re: Getting into an album process

Anonymous — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:06:06 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 05/18/2012 20:06

I think some people relate the word "ambient" or "ambiance" to a specific style of music, so I thought it was relevant to bring it up.

Re: Getting into an album process

Mother Nature's Son — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:57:23 GMT

Author: Mother Nature's Son

Posted: 05/18/2012 19:57

The Poe wrote:

Maybe ¨ambiance¨ did throw me a little off.. If I was a little more patient I would have figured out that ambiance is coming from the same word as ambient!

Re: Getting into an album process

lancashirearab — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:49:39 GMT

Author: lancashirearab

Posted: 05/18/2012 19:49

The ambiance is an important part of an album. How does it make you feel? Albums can make me twitchy and restless. They can relax me after a difficult day. They can make me want to sing along. Each type of album is embraced and sampled in different ways. I didn't get into the Young Marble Giants' album in the same way I got into The Wedding Present.

Re: Getting into an album process

Anonymous — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:34:31 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 05/18/2012 19:34

I don't really read too much into it. I just listen and if I like it, I like it.

Re: Getting into an album process

Anonymous — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:13:16 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 05/18/2012 17:13

Ehh... I'm not having the confusion others are having. I understood it. I thought it was well said.

Is the word "ambiance" throwing people off? I think revolver94 is describing the overall feel of the music, the atmosphere, not so much the smaller individual details like the notes, song structure, and lyrics. These sort of things are less clear in the early part of listening to a unique album.

I see music as having a lot to do with patterns and adapting to them. Some albums take somewhere between a few to several listens in order to "feel it" because of this.

Re: Getting into an album process

Hayden — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:23:56 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 05/18/2012 13:23

....

I just enjoy them. 😐

Science and music in my eyes have always been a bad mix.

I do agree with the part that Mother Nature's Son agrees with also. Very true.

Re: Getting into an album process

Mother Nature's Son — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:59:41 GMT

Author: Mother Nature's Son

Posted: 05/18/2012 12:59

You used many difficult words, but whatever I understood, I agree with you..

And I'm also familiar with this ¨hearing a great album after a long time-ecstacy¨. The longer time you wait to hear an album you know well, the better it will be when you hear it again.

Re: Getting into an album process

Xavygravy — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:56:24 GMT

Author: Xavygravy

Posted: 05/18/2012 08:56

I agree with your theory mostly. 😎

Re: Getting into an album process

Facetious — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:54:33 GMT

Author: Facetious

Posted: 05/18/2012 06:54

Mr. Shankly wrote:

I sorta had that reaction reading your process, revolver. It's very different from mine.

Since currently I'm not in the mood to write it (nor would you be, after a long exam), I would post it later.

But basically, first impressions are important to me. The new discovery sometimes impresses me more than when I've stayed long with something. Even if in the end, it's mostly the latter which tells one how great something really is.

Re: Getting into an album process

Mr. Shankly — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:24:42 GMT

Author: Mr. Shankly

Posted: 05/18/2012 02:24

😕

Getting into an album process

revolver94 — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:12:23 GMT

Author: revolver94

Posted: 05/18/2012 01:12

How do you guys get into albums? Like, what is the process like?
For me, it's something like this.
First, I listen to the album for the first time. Only very rarely do I like an album on my first listen; I'm just not familiar with it yet. As I continue to listen to the album, I start to become more comfortable with a few of the songs, but more noticeably the ambiance. There's this great period with albums when I know none of very few of the songs, but I love the atmosphere it creates. I remember this phase particularly well with Is This It and OK Computer. Then, I start to notice the songs. Assuming its a good album, this means that I start to like the songs more. At this point, my appreciation of the music at the core of the album skyrockets, eventually reaching an epitome where the album causes me to feel overwhelmed with emotions. You know, gives you shivers and makes you want to sing and dance along. Then my reaction starts to calm down a bit, until finally the album levels out at whatever appeal it happens to have to me.

Disregarding the "ambiance" phase, my appreciate of the music looks somewhat like this:

If I don't listen to an album for a while and am in the mood, I can experience that intense emotional state again; this happened to me recently with OK Computer, launching it up to #2 (it was stronger than my original moment). I've actually had that with OK Computer more than once... great album. But you all know that.

Is this whole process just me? What is listening to a new album like for you guys?