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Satie
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- #1
- Posted: 05/21/2015 17:52
- Post subject: "Interesting" vs. "Enjoyable"
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This came up in the Skinny Chart Study thanks to a question from sp4cetiger:
| Quote: | | It seems like this distinction between "enjoyable" and "interesting" is one that isn't acknowledged by many of the old guard, or at least the former seems to be systematically undervalued compared to the latter. It might be that "enjoyment" is more dependent on the details of a listener's background (like the fact that you grew up listening to soul music), while interesting and/or unique music will be more universally appreciated. Do you think there's any truth to that notion? When you're putting together a chart, how much weight do you give to how "interesting" the music is? |
and I wanted to open the question for further discussion, as it seems to me that this is kind of a central question in one's music taste (even if it's never answered consciously or considered at length in any conclusive way). I'll ask some specific questions and then share my own views before turning it over to y'all:
Do you see certain genres as having a bigger value placed on "interest" vs. "enjoyment?" For example, some people view jazz or classical as leaning more on the former, while dance music is generally seen as relying more on the latter quality.
Do you think your desire for one or the other is dictated or in some small part directed by extra-musical factors? For example, the punk rock movement early on might have intentionally eschewed being "interesting" (from the narrow viewpoint of interesting as "technical and dense" if you're favorable or "bloated and goofy" if you're not) to reject prog rock more thoroughly. Assuming this was the case, which I more than concede might not be the full picture, have you had experiences with certain music listeners that has made you more or less interested in pursuing certain kinds of music?
Is "interesting" just something to take as musically complex or otherwise approved by some perceived "elite" (for example, PC Music's politics are the topic of endless thinkpieces, making their weird brand of accessible, if somewhat dense, pop music, "interesting" if you follow this logic, or to bring it down even further to basics, The Beatles could be considered "interesting" based on their prestige), or does "interesting" also indicate historical relevance?
These are all big questions and not questions I can tackle, obviously, but I would say that I generally gravitate towards music that I find enjoyable, which I then try to pry apart in the way one might pry apart "interesting" music. That is to say, I notice a lot of popular music fanatics approaching classical music as some monolith that requires research, theoretical understanding, historical context, etc. and thus shy away from the visceral, physical soundwaves. I tend to be attracted to things with cool (and, yes, enjoyable) textures, melodies, (dis-)harmonies, etc., and the best of those I go back and try to understand very fully (Where did this come from? What did it lead to?).
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RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?
Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland
Moderator
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- #2
- Posted: 05/21/2015 17:58
- Post subject:
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I'll go for more "enjoyable" music when I don't really feel like thinking. "Interesting" music, for me, is generally music that requires thought and is complex or different in some way. Then there's music that's not thought-provoking or different in anyway, but is just fun, that's "enjoyable" music. Some catchy indie rock stuff, that's just "enjoyable", it's nothing mind-blowing or groundbreaking, it's just simple and easily accessible.
The sign of an incredible album is when it's both "interesting" and "enjoyable"
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2023 Chart
Early Psychedelic Rock
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meccalecca
Voice of Reason
Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Enchantment
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- #3
- Posted: 05/21/2015 18:42
- Post subject:
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Very good thread topic.
There's definitely a lot of stuff I don't love but find really interesting. And because it's interesting in some way, I'm more likely to come back and give it more listens and see if it clicks.
I've never been a huge fan of Aphex Twin or a lot of that realm of electronic music. It doesn't really hit my music g-spot like some other things, but I do find it to be incredibly interesting. I feel the same way about John Zorn and some other experimental jazz. It makes me think, and can even change my perception of what is music, but I'm not usually gonna put something like that on for pure pleasure.
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http://jonnyleather.com
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Satie
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- #4
- Posted: 05/21/2015 18:50
- Post subject:
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| meccalecca wrote: | | There's definitely a lot of stuff I don't love but find really interesting. And because it's interesting in some way, I'm more likely to come back and give it more listens and see if it clicks. |
I think this is an important dimension, for sure. If I hear an indie pop record, nine times out of ten, I expect something from that genre to scratch the interesting/enjoyable itch about 10/90, so if the first spin is not very enjoyable at all, and nothing catches my ear as interesting, I have no reason to come back and check it out again, because it didn't do what I think the function of that kind of music is - to make me feel a certain kind of way pretty immediately. Do I go back and re-visit indie pop records that turn out to be worth it? Definitely, but it's way rarer than when I feel an album has challenged me and teased me with a lot of ideas and things that I feel I have to unpack.
In other words, an interesting album will stay interesting for a long time, and there is some kind of pleasure that can be derived from confronting it time and time again. With enjoyability, it's such a random occurrence, that it seems silly to continually re-visit a more accessible album with the hope of enjoyability "clicking." Because of that, most of my favorite albums end up being in the "interesting" category (if we can even divide music that cleanly, which I would say we can't but...) because I have longer journeys with those albums almost by default.
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Applerill
Autistic Princess <3
Gender: Female
Age: 30
Location: Chicago
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- #5
- Posted: 05/21/2015 19:02
- Post subject:
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Only uninteresting people are uninterested.
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Dingerbell
Gender: Male
Age: 27
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- #6
- Posted: 05/21/2015 19:07
- Post subject:
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| meccalecca wrote: | | There's definitely a lot of stuff I don't love but find really interesting. And because it's interesting in some way, I'm more likely to come back and give it more listens and see if it clicks. |
I was going to post almost exactly this. Some albums I'll listen to and really hear something interesting, but I won't immediately enjoy it fully, but a few listens down the line I may begin to understand it and "interest" turns to "enjoyment". Sometimes with more complex music (not necessarily, but usually) it just takes longer to take it all in.
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meccalecca
Voice of Reason
Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Enchantment
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- #7
- Posted: 05/21/2015 19:22
- Post subject:
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| Applerill wrote: | | Only uninteresting people are uninterested. |
I believe you have this a little mixed up.
Interesting people can make anything interesting, but that doesn't necessarily make everything interesting by nature.
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Patman360
Serenity Now
Gender: Male
Age: 31
Location: Cork, Ireland
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- #8
- Posted: 05/21/2015 19:28
- Post subject:
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| meccalecca wrote: | | There's definitely a lot of stuff I don't love but find really interesting. And because it's interesting in some way, I'm more likely to come back and give it more listens and see if it clicks. |
I'm relating to this somebit, stuff like Natural Snow Buildings or Burial give off this vibe to me and as result I'm still extremely willing to check out their new releases and go back and relisten to them, etc. And I guess I would find some genres to be same, jazz being the standout one.
I also feel though it can be difficult to distinguish between both though, personally I could see myself referring to all the albums on my overall chart as both interesting and enjoyable, albeit with varying ratios of interest to enjoyment I guess. Enjoyment is the more important of the two to me naturally, but I'll always lean towards an album that can keep me interested as well as being enjoyable at the same time.
_________________
2023
2022
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Applerill
Autistic Princess <3
Gender: Female
Age: 30
Location: Chicago
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- #9
- Posted: 05/21/2015 19:38
- Post subject:
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Actually, I'll really say what I think.
Even though I think you can make almost any kind of music "interesting" and "enjoyable", music is often made with a particular side of this spectrum in mind. Whether we treat them this way or not, some albums were made with the intention of being "broccoli" (in terms of knowledge and insight, not necessarily making you a better person), and some have been made simply to give sensory pleasure.
One thing I worry about is that too often we j(or at least I do  ) judge music purely on the latter; instead of looking for substance in any music we're listening to, we act like mice in that famous experiment with the pleasure button, pressing the button over and over until we die of starvation.
Both of these sides are important in music listening, but I feel like we're doing ourselves a disservice by clinging to much to just one side.
So to answer the question, I try to mix it up with both, and even take "entertainment" albums for analysis and vice versa.
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Happymeal
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- #10
- Posted: 05/21/2015 19:43
- Post subject:
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Not extremely intrigued by the topic, but I will state that those broad descriptions are not as important as elaborating upon why one used them. Essentially, i find these two terms to be irrelevant in any serious discussion or attempt to understand someone's taste.
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