[RoundTheBend]

Hey All,

I really am jealous of how some of you can listen to so much new music and not get discouraged. For me it often is A LOT of work sorting the chaff from the wheat, and rarely find really good wheat.

This is a thread to talk about how you find new music you truly love and then actually has staying power... meaning it wasn't just a good find and got your jones' and then moved on next month, but something you found last year and it will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Discuss your methods, your sources, things you do to help getting there, past experiences, etc.

One problem I have had (and I think Mecca and I talked about once) is that just because a band sounds like another band... actually is kind of a deterent for me... it's like I don't need 8 bands that sound like Nirvana... I need a band to have the balls/musical cutting like Nirvana... but I don't want another Nirvana.

Some thing's I've picked up from you beautiful people

1. Listen to an album three times before you say it's not your thing.
I think this is true for many reasons... sometimes the receiver of the music isn't in the right frame of mind to receive it. I also think good music grows on you (not always, but often).

For one of those listens, listen to it in the dark. I learned this from my Jazz teacher. It forces you to give more attention to the music... if you've done this and still can't stand the music... it's probably not your thing.

2. Realize some bands just won't have albums you love. That doesn't mean they aren't good. Queen, for example is a band who I feel has weak albums, but great singles. Before I used to think that if an artist couldn't make something from cover to cover that was amazing, they weren't worth my time. But I'm starting to realize I'm just limiting myself musically from some really good music. Who cares if it is just a single that is really good... I Shall Be Released by The Band is one of the greatest songs ever written... yet I just can't get into that band... and that's ok. On this note... don't be afraid to listen to a best of record just because a purist discounts them... they still are a good method to discover new music. Of course if you like the artist... discover more from that artist. There was a time when I couldn't really listen to a Rolling Stones record all the way through and truly love all of it. It was Hot Rocks or nothing... and then I discovered Exile and Some Girls... it took a few listens, but I now love those records.

Anyway, those are some of my tips I suppose. I feel many of you have better, more insightful tips as many of you are all about new music and less about soaking up the "greats".

[Grzywa]

[meccalecca]

[zdwyatt]

I certainly don't give every album three chances; I'd never get anything done. What I do is listen to the first track in its entirety. I should be able to get a sense of what a band is about from the lead track. In the case of record where the first track is a throwaway (looking at you hip-hop) I often jump straight to the second cut. If the first track grabs me, I will listen to the first 30 seconds of the remaining tracks. Note that this does not require that the songs are necessarily my taste. I try to be somewhat objective and focus on "compelling" rather than "good." If I hear enough interesting things, I add the album to my queue of albums awaiting a full listen.

Each album in that queue earns at least one full play-through, start to finish, no skipping. It gets one fair listen. Sometimes I can tell I am just not in the mood, or that an album deserves something besides a listen at work (e.g. played through headphones or blasted from the home stereo). Those I will come back to later. But I don't labor over albums trying to convince myself I like them. I listened to Aeroplane Over the Sea once and I found absolutely nothing to like. No need to try it again just because it's so popular.

If an album is good, I will just want to revisit it. Almost every day I wake up with some song in my head. It might be an older song (today it was Soul Asylum's "Misery") or it might be something from my new album queue. Either way, that it a sure sign that an album is sticking with me. Even though I make lists of the best 50+ albums each year, very few of those have staying power. Realistically, each year only offers up maybe half a dozen albums that will last for me. Last year there were only three.

[dihansse]

To start with the "Aeroplane over the sea" bashing: I also like it but certainly don't love it. This to say that indeed sometimes you are somewhat forced to love an album just because it is so high in ex the BEA top charts, so a first tip is certainly: you don't have to love what other people love.
I have already mentioned this earlier but I think there are two reasons why albums to me don't have the same impact as they used to have (at least for me) than in the past: first just in getting older, people get pickier and start comparing with what they already know and not finding anything new in maybe very well crafted albums. Second in this digital age there's too much information so it's difficult to find the good albums between all the rest.
So maybe there's this third thing: these days it seems so difficult to make/hear an original and genial album just there were just so many before that: Is Rock Music Dead ?
So maybe in the end you stick to the artists you are already know (and as they're dying a quick tempo these days, the number is descending very quickly), so yes I was awaiting the new Bob Mould album and am awaiting now the new Sophia album and already sensing that it won't be as good as their past albums.
But that is too pessimistic: there's still lots of good new music to discover and we just have to wait for the new killer album from a new killer artist who doesn't care about the current conventions and just does his/her own thing.
For me the main sources still are magazines and some newspapers and I have to admit also Pitchfork which once in a while (and between a lot of misses) points me to good new artists/albums. And now of course this site.

[Allabaster]

In exploring new music, I find the greatest challenge is not in selecting music to listen to or deciding how many times I listen, but rather in choosing when to listen to what I've chosen.

[alelsupreme]

Yeah 3 listens is like a fundamental rule for me, with the exception of albums that really just don't need it (You don't exactly need 3 listens for like an early rock'n'roll LP or something) or ones I simply cannot bear to listen to again (Hello The Wall!). I don't feel anything less is really enough to really formulate a proper opinion on it (I don't say informed cos none of my opinions are informed I don't know shit about shit my guy).

[Tap]

I'd say the most important thing to it is to be ok with not having an opinion on lots of things. If you don't really care about something, then why prolong your apathy? There's a lot of worthwhile music in the world and no one can have an opinion on all of it.

[JOSweetHeart]

For the past six months its been nothing but the late beautiful precious Billy Joe Royal for me. I most definitely don't get discouraged when I listen to him. If I am not smiling, I am bawling because of how long it took me to find him. Sure its better late than never at all, but with him being gone now, its too late for me to tell him what it is that I think of him and I hate it.

God bless you and his family always!!!

Holly

P.S. I don't see myself ever getting tired of hearing him either, I love him so much!!!
_________________
Me & my favorite singer James Otto

Check him out here when you can!

[SuedeSwede]