Listening habits - Music - Forums : Best Ever Albums

meccalecca
Voice of Reason

Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Enchantment

Precedent wrote:

I retain information well and things tend to stick with me so one listen is usually enough for me to really appreciate an album.

This seems odd to me. If I really enjoy something, I want to hear it again over and over. And I really think that no matter what, it takes several listens to really get the full effect. The first listen for me is usually just a view of the surface. A general observation of what it sounds like and what it's about. Individual songs tend to stand out less from the whole and there's not a whole lot of focus on lyrics or subtleties. Subsequent listens reveal depth (or lack there of), nuances, lyrical themes, etc. There's definitely albums that sound way more interesting on the first listen because they're all surface value, gimmicks, sound, like a new bright and shiny object, but when you dig further there's nothing inside. There's also records that I didn't care for the first time around simply due to my state of mind at the time of listening. I find it really hard to judge a record from a quick glance.
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RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?

Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland

Moderator

meccalecca wrote:

This seems odd to me. If I really enjoy something, I want to hear it again over and over. And I really think that no matter what, it takes several listens to really get the full effect. The first listen for me is usually just a view of the surface. A general observation of what it sounds like and what it's about. Individual songs tend to stand out less from the whole and there's not a whole lot of focus on lyrics or subtleties. Subsequent listens reveal depth (or lack there of), nuances, lyrical themes, etc. There's definitely albums that sound way more interesting on the first listen because they're all surface value, gimmicks, sound, like a new bright and shiny object, but when you dig further there's nothing inside. There's also records that I didn't care for the first time around simply due to my state of mind at the time of listening. I find it really hard to judge a record from a quick glance.

This is absolutely right, I can completely understand what you're saying. I have found that repeat listens are more often than not very rewarding and help me understand albums better. Often times I'll relisten to an album that I wasn't too fond of and then I'll finally get it.

That being said, I do a lot of new listening for a specific reason. When I hear an album that blows me away for the first time, it's an incredible experience. It's one of those moments where you remember where you were when you first heard it, I'm sure everyone has experienced that. For me, I'm constantly chasing that high. The comparison of music being a like a drug is so old and cliche, but it's kind of true. It's an incredible feeling having some album blow you away, one of those 5/5 perfect albums that you only hear every so often, and I find myself constantly searching for that next perfect album.

Now, this isn't to say I don't value repeated listens, like I said, I very much do, but that, at least for me, is one of the main reasons I listen to new stuff all the time.
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meccalecca
Voice of Reason

Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Enchantment

RockyRaccoon wrote:

That being said, I do a lot of new listening for a specific reason. When I hear an album that blows me away for the first time, it's an incredible experience.

Yeah, don't get me wrong. I listen to a ton of new stuff for similar reasons. Plus everything I return to was a new listen once. And I'd say it makes more sense for the younger listeners to be experiencing the most first listens since it's likely they haven't absorbed quite as much, so less to return to. (of course there's plenty of younger members here who have listened to absurd amounts of music that counters the previous statement).
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sp4cetiger

While I tend to follow mecca's approach, I'll admit that all but three of my top 10 for 2015 were love at first listen.

meccalecca
Voice of Reason

Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Enchantment

sp4cetiger wrote:

While I tend to follow mecca's approach, I'll admit that all but three of my top 10 for 2015 were love at first listen.

Yeah. Definitely not saying that doesn't happen. Happens quite a lot, which only makes me wanna return to it again faster. And I'd imagine you may even love those albums even more after repeated listens.
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sp4cetiger

meccalecca wrote:

Yeah. Definitely not saying that doesn't happen. Happens quite a lot, which only makes me wanna return to it again faster. And I'd imagine you may even love those albums even more after repeated listens.

For sure.

Rocky, when you find those perfect albums, do relisten to them often or do you pass those by after one or two listens as well?

meccalecca
Voice of Reason

Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Enchantment

I'd also like to add that my favorite way to listen to a record is on vinyl, so there's gonna be very very few first listens on vinyl.

I'd imagine those here who devote their time almost entirely to first listens do not purchase music?
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RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?

Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland

Moderator

sp4cetiger wrote:

Rocky, when you find those perfect albums, do relisten to them often or do you pass those by after one or two listens as well?

Ultimately I come back to them, it's just a matter of when. I've listened to Ten Love Songs (my #1 for this year) probably twice so far this year, but I've listened to Carrie & Lowell at least 5-6 times. Now, the reason for that is partially because I have Carrie & Lowell on vinyl and my wife and son both love the album so we put it on a lot. But I listen more and more over time. For example, The Wild Hunt I loved at first listen and I've probably heard that album in full upwards of 20 times, I know just about every lyric on the album.

Sometimes it depends on the situation in which I'm listening to the album. Like, if I have it on at home with my wife and son there, it'll be an album I've heard before, or if I've got friends over, same thing. The only time I listen to new stuff is on my own.
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Precedent

meccalecca wrote:

This seems odd to me. If I really enjoy something, I want to hear it again over and over. And I really think that no matter what, it takes several listens to really get the full effect. The first listen for me is usually just a view of the surface. A general observation of what it sounds like and what it's about. Individual songs tend to stand out less from the whole and there's not a whole lot of focus on lyrics or subtleties. Subsequent listens reveal depth (or lack there of), nuances, lyrical themes, etc. There's definitely albums that sound way more interesting on the first listen because they're all surface value, gimmicks, sound, like a new bright and shiny object, but when you dig further there's nothing inside. There's also records that I didn't care for the first time around simply due to my state of mind at the time of listening. I find it really hard to judge a record from a quick glance.

It's kind of like what Rocky said, I love trying to find the next 10/10 album. Most of what I listen to for pure enjoyment end up being singles, so I don't often feel the need to listen to the albums over and over again. I mean, of course there are albums that I listen to all the time (Take Care, Untrue, The Mantle, Chutes Too Narrow, Three Love Songs, and well, all of OVO's artists' discographies), but listening to every album multiple times makes me feel like I'm living in the past. New albums feel new and that's a feeling that I like to have.

meccalecca wrote:

I'd imagine those here who devote their time almost entirely to first listens do not purchase music?

I definitely purchase music, but I use Spotify/Tidal/Apple Music to stream most of what I listen to. If I really like an album, I'll purchase it on CD or Vinyl. I mean, I try to purchase a few albums a week (mainly my top 200 Very Happy

).

RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?

Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland

Moderator

meccalecca wrote:

I'd imagine those here who devote their time almost entirely to first listens do not purchase music?

I purchase the albums I love on vinyl. Aside from that, I use spotify
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