Getting to know your albums...

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

What is your philosophy on getting to know new bands/albums? Stolen from a thread on another board, but I thought it would be interesting to read how each of us approaches new music and gaining appreciation for it.

Personally, I'm seldom a one-listen-and-I-love-it type. Usually if I like an album on first listen, it doesn't have the staying power over the long haul. Those albums usually end up boring me by about 15-20 listens. In contrast, many of my favorite albums of all time didn't impress me much when I first heard them. It took 5-10 listens before I finally caught on. This is true even for my favorite bands like Savatage and Therion. It takes a few spins before it gets into my psyche.

I try to keep my new additions to about 2-4 new albums per month. Otherwise, some get lost in the shuffle. The problem is time...I just don't have much time to truly "listen" to albums. Most of the time they are simply playing in the background as I work. And although this does gain me a certain "familiarity" with the music, it never gets a fair shake until I can sit down and just listen to the album uninterrupted. That's my favorite way to get into my music.

My truck is my saving grace in this category. I've always got 10-12 of my newer cds stashed in my truck to help speed the familiarization process. It's the one place where I can be guaranteed of hearing the album without interruption. I can focus on the music while I'm driving because I have nothing else to do.

Volume level is also key in my truck. Due to neighbors, I can only go so loud with my home stereo and I'm not a big fan of headphones. I want to FEEL the music, and that means pounding bass. My truck stereo delivers quite nicely there and I don't have to worry about anyone calling the cops when I'm jamming the tunes at 70 mph.

So what is your philosophy to getting to know new albums? Feel free to add new approaches like reading the lyrics, headphones vs speakers, car vs home vs work, genre shifts from album to album, mixing in old classics, etc.

 

[ElectricWiz]

This is a fun thing to talk about!

For me it has changed a lot over the years. As a kid, my money was limited of course, so I was only able to buy a cassette or LP every so often. So I reeeeeally got to know albums like Number of the Beast, because it was one of the few I had. And hearing that one was kind of a mystical experience for me in the corny-est sort of way. I used to just hang out in my room and play it over and over, looking at the cover, or maybe a RIP, Hit Parader, or Circus Magazine. I still remember seeing the NOTB album the first time, that is to say the LP (I had the cassette - which only had the cover art). I actually said out loud, "Whoa!!! This has a picture on the back!!!!" As my collection grew it's true (just like you TSO) that things kind of got lost in the shuffle a bit here and there, but then again not where a GREAT album was concerned. I used to be caught off guard by "growers" too, but these days I seem to have an ear for that, in that I may hear something straight off and know that it's probably gonna be an obsession, but for now it's just too dense to fully take in on one listen.

Anyway, I just plain listen to music a lot. I have an iPod which basically stays with me always (replaced the recently stolen one). That's not such a change for me though, as I got by with a CD walkman before. I've always only had marginal stereo systems/boom boxes at home, so I guess headphones is my main thing. This because my wife is not the biggest metal fan in the world. Ha. I listen to music at work on my breaks, and in the truck when I'm driving. I also set aside time to listen to music at home each week. Sometimes I'll just lie on the bed, or take a hot bath, which is funny because I'm not thinking I need a bath, I just want to listen to the headphones for awhile.

I don't tend to "fondle" the actual albums as much as I used to. Generally I'll look through the cover and art the first couple of days. It's always a little ritual for me to get home with any new CD purchase and sit on the couch or something...open it up, and then just look through, read the notes, and maybe skip through the tracks on the iPod. If I've got time I'll sit and listen to the whole thing while doing this. These days too, while not rich, if I want a CD I can buy it, so there is never too much time where something isn't coming into the house.

Long story short, I just listen, listen, listen. Music is stuck in my brain, mind, system. Often times I'll have a phrase stuck in my head, maybe a chorus or something....and it'll be there for a few hours on and off. This is common with a lot of folks, but I noticed a few years back that for me it's usually because I'm trying to continue a song that I was just listening too. That is to say, I'll listen to, say, Children of the Damned and have the first phrase of the chorus in my head all day.....I'll start the iPod where I stopped it, and that is the phrase playing. NOT because that is where I stopped listening, but because that is right AFTER where I stopped listening, and sub-consciously my mind has been trying to complete that musical phrase all day.
When I walk into any store the first thing I hear is the music, even if it's crappy muzak. My mind just wants to tune in and identify it, and then give it attention if its something I want to hear. This I do while in the middle of conversations.
Even as I'm typing this my break is coming up at work, and I'm kind of thinking over what I might listen to. Has to be something just the right length (I only get 15 minutes)....so I go through this whole quick process...should I listen to two or three short songs? One long song? Something I'm currently obsessed with?

You know, maybe I'm overstating the case, but just like most of you, the easiest answer I can give to this is that it's a lifestyle. It's always present, and I'm always looking for more, more, more.

 

[carnut]

I mostly have a quick listen, and if I hear something I like alot it gets into the car. I spend about 1.5 houre to work and back, so that's about 2 full-CD spins...I mostly have about 10 CD's or so in the car. Unfortunatly I often skip stuff I didn't really like at first and later on it seems I like it alot. Luckely I got my buddy Hawk who mostly points out the good stuff again
When I am home alone (which happens often as I work in shifts) there mostly is metal playing at the background too...I still have to give alot of 2006 CD's a good spin, but already got some 2007 stuff in line

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

As my collection grew it's true (just like you TSO) that things kind of got lost in the shuffle a bit here and there, but then again not where a GREAT album was concerned. I used to be caught off guard by "growers" too, but these days I seem to have an ear for that, in that I may hear something straight off and know that it's probably gonna be an obsession, but for now it's just too dense to fully take in on one listen.

I wholeheartedly agree on GREAT albums. Most of the time, I know a great album when I hear one, even if it doesn't really grab me at first listen. I have become much better in my old age at identifying what I "know" I will polishing a gold pedastal for in the near future. Four out of five times I'm correct, and the other time it's still likely to get a silver pedastal.

It's the silver pedastal albums (4 stars vs 5 stars) that mostly slip through the cracks because they don't grab me immediately and already have taken a back burner to the GREAT albums I've recently added. Again, it's a time issue as I only have a few hours of listening at a time and I like to mix in albums I'm familiar with (and LOVE) along with new releases I'm trying to get familiar with.

I get tired after so many "new" albums in a row. I crave to hear something I can sing along with and break out the air guitar because I know the riffs and solos so well. So it's always a mixture with me.

I also tend to be picky about production, so I play old school albums early in a listening session and then graduate on to modern productions. If I put in Hall of the Mountain King right after listening to Christ 0, it's hard for my ears to adjust to the lack of sound dynamics from old recording to modern day.

 

[Wyvern]

In the old days when there was few bands for me and it was difficult to get albums, I use to listen time and again to music to the point that albums that didn't click in the beginning, start to click afterwards.

Nowdays I usually give a single listen, if it clicks then I purchase otherwise can go the way of the dodo, my patience has grown very thin. On the other hand there are so many bands and possibilities of acquiring music these days that I'm not compelled to check or like many of the stuff that comes out.

Also the fact that when I was living in USA with so much free s&h I was able to get into stuff without much thinking, but now for me each haul has to be thought in advance, well prepared to minimize the monetary impact.

Still there are bands that can be blind purchased and thus that also helps in the process

 

[Hawk]

Luckely I got my buddy Hawk who mostly points out the good stuff again

Thanks buddy. Lucky for me it works both ways. carnut introduced me to Benedictum and Desperadoz two fantastic bands.

I'll write more on this later. For now I am tired and not in the mood.

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Nowdays I usually give a single listen, if it clicks then I purchase otherwise can go the way of the dodo, my patience has grown very thin. On the other hand there are so many bands and possibilities of acquiring music these days that I'm not compelled to check or like many of the stuff that comes out.

I'm amazed that you can determine an album's significance in just one listen. If I took that approach, most of my gold pedastals would be empty. I've never been able to grasp albums at a listen, except for some pop rock/metal.

I will agree that there are so many metal bands these days that it's almost impossible to take in the whole scene. I try because I hate to have a gem slip through the cracks, but let's face it...you can't hear them all. At some point you just gotta say ENOUGH, and start being more selective about which bands you purchase.

Thankfully I'm somewhat close-minded when it comes to my metal. If I was into doom, death, black, etc. I'd be completely overwhelmed. True, prog, and power is about all I can handle with efficiency.

 

[Wyvern]

I'm amazed that you can determine an album's significance in just one listen.

Not really, is a matter of self-training and a sheer knowledge of your own taste.

Put aside growlers and harsh vocals, then skip too sludgy or too gayish, then avoid anything remotely mallcorish or to new sound. After > 20 years of listening to metal you have to know what makes you tick...and what doesn't.

For example I don't need to check Motorhead, Sabaton, Hammerfall, Solitude Aeturnus or Yngwie Malmsteen in advance, I know what they are going to deliver. On the other hand Blind Guardian, Helloween, Angra are not trustworthy at a 100% anymore so a pre-check is in order. Then you have the new Iron Maiden album, I listen to it like 3-4 times and I couldn't find anything that change my mind form the first hearing, and the same happened with most of my top ten 2006. Most albums are in the same place as the first time I listened to them, nothing make them better or worse after several times of playing.

In general terms nowdays what counts in the end for me is if the album is going to make it or not to my collection...and if is going to be good enough to stay in it after some years. I seldom have dispose of albums bought, but seldom is not never

NP: Seventh One - 'Remembrance'

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Not really, is a matter of self-training and a sheer knowledge of your own taste.

You're obviously better at self-training than I am, Wyv! I can't imagine being completely confident in the knowledge of my own taste. I mean, doesn't that close the door to discovering new tastes? I'm not the most open-minded person in the world, but I try to at least leave the door ajar to see if anyone is hefty enough to push it all the way open.

Admittedly, and sadly, the hinges seldom creak.

One example though is TSO. My door on Christmas music was 15 inches of solid oak, and re-inforced with 12-inch planks screwed and bolted into concrete floorings. Then TSO rammed the gates and splintered it to smithereens. They completely changed what used to be a major annoyance in my life. Now, everytime I am forced to hear a lame-ass muzak or pop version of a classic Christmas song, I block it out and replace it with TSO's version!

 

[Narcosynthesys68]

First off I sound like Hawk. I have tons to say but too tired to think...

One example though is TSO. My door on Christmas music was 15 inches of solid oak, and re-inforced with 12-inch planks screwed and bolted into concrete floorings. Then TSO rammed the gates and splintered it to smithereens. They completely changed what used to be a major annoyance in my life. Now, everytime I am forced to hear a lame-ass muzak or pop version of a classic Christmas song, I block it out and replace it with TSO's version!

This comment is HUGE with me for all music. There are so many things in music that become "permanent" in my mind.. and just when I think I am gonna be ill from the same old same old, something pops up that blasts down the doors and gives me faith in creativity again.

I dig your writing and thoughs TSO!

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

I dig your writing and thoughs TSO!

Thanks, man! Nice to see you posting again on UMOS. We don't have the plague or anything so feel free to visit more often.

And this is hopefully a long-running and thoughtful thread, so immediate responses aren't necessary. Organize your feelings, take your time to type them out. Let's discuss over the long haul!

 

[Narcosynthesys68]

Thanks, man! Nice to see you posting again on UMOS. We don't have the plague or anything so feel free to visit more often.

Ha... no plague... now I will sound like a chick... it is not you, it is me. I just have had a shitload on my plate lately...

 

[MURAI]

What is your philosophy on getting to know new bands/albums? Stolen from a thread on another board, but I thought it would be interesting to read how each of us approaches new music and gaining appreciation for it.

Personally, I'm seldom a one-listen-and-I-love-it type. Usually if I like an album on first listen, it doesn't have the staying power over the long haul. Those albums usually end up boring me by about 15-20 listens. In contrast, many of my favorite albums of all time didn't impress me much when I first heard them. It took 5-10 listens before I finally caught on. This is true even for my favorite bands like Savatage and Therion. It takes a few spins before it gets into my psyche.

I try to keep my new additions to about 2-4 new albums per month. Otherwise, some get lost in the shuffle. The problem is time...I just don't have much time to truly "listen" to albums. Most of the time they are simply playing in the background as I work. And although this does gain me a certain "familiarity" with the music, it never gets a fair shake until I can sit down and just listen to the album uninterrupted. That's my favorite way to get into my music.

My truck is my saving grace in this category. I've always got 10-12 of my newer cds stashed in my truck to help speed the familiarization process. It's the one place where I can be guaranteed of hearing the album without interruption. I can focus on the music while I'm driving because I have nothing else to do.

Volume level is also key in my truck. Due to neighbors, I can only go so loud with my home stereo and I'm not a big fan of headphones. I want to FEEL the music, and that means pounding bass. My truck stereo delivers quite nicely there and I don't have to worry about anyone calling the cops when I'm jamming the tunes at 70 mph.

So what is your philosophy to getting to know new albums? Feel free to add new approaches like reading the lyrics, headphones vs speakers, car vs home vs work, genre shifts from album to album, mixing in old classics, etc.

By now, I have an idea of what I like and I stick with it and I do not always feel the need to seek a new band. I collect albums from names I trust and I try to get the classics. Most bands I dig are within the death,thrash, or groove realm. If I like a band unlike you, it usually seems to click with me right away and I obsess over it. Usually if I dont like a band quickly I just forget about them.

When I do try to test a new band I get the name from reading it from album reviews from websites then I seek the mp3s. Another way I get to know new bands are when record companies release sample compilations. I do like to read lyrics before hearing the actual song. Sometimes I write down the lyrics from the songs I like in notebooks.

 

[Priest of Evil]

I'm in a funny place, no time and even less cash so I tend to buy alot of used stuff which in turn has me buying stuff I dont really want. I'm pretty happy with all the bands in my collection now and although I always crave new music and I hope to have a gem fall in my lap, I don't think its gonna happen. But I have picked up a few new favourites but more often it is something I missed in the first place. eg Warlord.

At home I dont get to hear a lot of metal with my family and all but i try and squeeze as much in as possible but its hard to actually pay attention to it. My car is my haven but if traffic is bad then I may as well not even have the stereo on. When traffic is flowing I love that time in my car, I like favourites but i try and squeeze in newer material at logical intervals.

I hate headphones, my ears ring to much these days for Ipods and the like so I need some space when it comes to metal - and beer helps!

 

[rokk]

This is a fun thing to talk about!

For me it has changed a lot over the years. As a kid, my money was limited of course, so I was only able to buy a cassette or LP every so often. So I reeeeeally got to know albums like Number of the Beast, because it was one of the few I had. And hearing that one was kind of a mystical experience for me in the corny-est sort of way. I used to just hang out in my room and play it over and over, looking at the cover, or maybe a RIP, Hit Parader, or Circus Magazine.

I don't tend to "fondle" the actual albums as much as I used to. Generally I'll look through the cover and art the first couple of days. It's always a little ritual for me to get home with any new CD purchase and sit on the couch or something...open it up, and then just look through, read the notes, and maybe skip through the tracks on the iPod. If I've got time I'll sit and listen to the whole thing while doing this. These days too, while not rich, if I want a CD I can buy it, so there is never too much time where something isn't coming into the house.

Long story short, I just listen, listen, listen. Music is stuck in my brain, mind, system. Often times I'll have a phrase stuck in my head, maybe a chorus or something....and it'll be there for a few hours on and off. This is common with a lot of folks, but I noticed a few years back that for me it's usually because I'm trying to continue a song that I was just listening too. That is to say, I'll listen to, say, Children of the Damned and have the first phrase of the chorus in my head all day.....I'll start the iPod where I stopped it, and that is the phrase playing. NOT because that is where I stopped listening, but because that is right AFTER where I stopped listening, and sub-consciously my mind has been trying to complete that musical phrase all day.
When I walk into any store the first thing I hear is the music, even if it's crappy muzak. My mind just wants to tune in and identify it, and then give it attention if its something I want to hear. This I do while in the middle of conversations.
Even as I'm typing this my break is coming up at work, and I'm kind of thinking over what I might listen to. Has to be something just the right length (I only get 15 minutes)....so I go through this whole quick process...should I listen to two or three short songs? One long song? Something I'm currently obsessed with?

You know, maybe I'm overstating the case, but just like most of you, the easiest answer I can give to this is that it's a lifestyle. It's always present, and I'm always looking for more, more, more.

This has changed alot for me over the years as well.... Wiz. Buying a new album used to be an event for me. The planning to make the trip to the record store. Then the hours of flipping through everthing in the record store... Only having enough money for one or two albums making the right choice was critical not knowing when you'd get the chance to come back.

Once arriving home the escape would begin... setting the platter on the turntable dropping the needle in the groove and start studying the albums cover art memorizing every square millimeter. Reading the lyrics (if there was any) along with the song. Reading the liner notes looking for names you'd seen before or bands the band thanked.

For the albums from those days will always be higher on any pedastal for me because of the magic of the whole experience.

Years later.... realizing that I was truly addicted to metal and the rush of buying a new album... for me no different than any chemical addiction.... I'd spend my last dollars to get the fix... every monetary amount I would have would measured in how many albums it could buy. For example when albums were aprox. 10 bucks, if I had 100 bucks I was always thinking... 100 bucks will buy 10 albums... now which ones do I want...

Like you Wiz.... My ears are always picking up music anywhere I hear it automatically trying to identify it. In traffic, at stores, on TV... everywhere.

I don't have the need to flip through everything in the store anymore... partly because of the information age and partly because I just don't have time for that anymore. I have the money to buy more music so its not so critical to make the right purchase. The music isn't the escape it used to be... maybe thats a sign of maturity... I don't know. I do miss the magic of the music and the mystery of the music scene. It seems harder and harder to capture for me. One thing is for sure.. .metal music will always be in my blood. Its my thing.

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

I do like to read lyrics before hearing the actual song. Sometimes I write down the lyrics from the songs I like in notebooks.

I used to be HUGE into lyrics when I was first starting out. I'd copy the lyrics off the vinyl sleeve into a notebook that I could carry around with me, especially in the car. But eventually I found that studying lyrics and the music too much shortened the longevity of the album. Once I knew every nook and cranny, I grew tired of the album. Since discovering that, I pay no attention to lyrics until I've completely digested the music. There comes a point where I just don't crave to hear that album anymore, and that's when I pick up the lyrics. It breathes second life into the album and I get another stretch of enjoyment out of it, reading along and memorizing the words.

I hate headphones, my ears ring to much these days for Ipods and the like so I need some space when it comes to metal - and beer helps!

Oh yeah, beer makes all the difference in the world! I love Sundays because that's my day to start drinking beer early and go for the extended buzz...five or six hours straight of MUSIC! After about a six pack, I'm getting in the zone and I can totally lose myself in the tunes. And the closer to a twelve pack I get, the heavier the soundtrack becomes! I love saving Cage, Wolf, and Benedictum for later in the night because those bands just have so much power and groove to them.

 

[Walter_Langkowski]

In the old days when there was few bands for me and it was difficult to get albums, I use to listen time and again to music to the point that albums that didn't click in the beginning, start to click afterwards.

Nowdays I usually give a single listen, if it clicks then I purchase otherwise can go the way of the dodo, my patience has grown very thin. On the other hand there are so many bands and possibilities of acquiring music these days that I'm not compelled to check or like many of the stuff that comes out.

That's along the lines of the way I do it too. My patience has grown extremely thin with a lot of 'new music' as well. The days of my agreeing with a musician when he says "...our new album is very complex. You have to listen to it 9-10 times to really get into it..." are long over. That's just not going to happen. I'm at the age where I pretty much know what I WANT to hear out of a new CD, and I don't really think that I am going to be surprised by too many groups anymore. On a side note, this is what I feel is the main problem with a lot of the bands booked at the ProgPower fest in Atlanta, that there are too many similar bands with no real identies breaking new ground there anymore. One or two now and then, but not too many and not nearly enough.

And on a similiar topic to putting TOO much time into a new CD...

An old co-worker of mine were talking movies 2 years ago(as we often did. We were both big movie buffs and had seen a lot of flicks in our spare time.) Well, I was telling him about how stubborn I was when I rented a movie, that no matter how bad it was or how little I enjoyed watching it, I always finished watching the movie from start to finish. He asked why I did that and I said that since I was so picky about choosing the movie to watch in the first place, it was almost like defying myself to be wrong about renting it and I wouldn't give myself the satisfaction of shutting it off, no matter how bored I was with it.

After I said that, he told me that he gives a movie 20 minutes, and if he doesn't like it, he shuts it off. Then I asked him why he did that and he just paused, looked at me in the eye and said...

"Man, I'm 38 years old. I ain't got enough time left to be watching no shitty-ass movies anymore."

 

[No-Mercy]

im not a one listen, however if i like it, i usually notice it on the first listen. thats how its been with all but 3 bands i like to me recolection.

eh, strange enough though...those 3 bands are my absolute favorites- go figure. i didnt pay attention to them the first time, and then loved it from the 2nd listen on.

though, there is a way to get me into an album. i cannot stand albums that open with any type of slow or sluggish tempo, or any album that has long slow intros for near every or literally every song. infact, many albums i dont like are because they start off so slow i could never get into it. im all good with an opening/intro for the record, but it has to go into somewhat of a faster pased song, or an upbeat song of some sort.

i also find, in relation to my last comment, i hate the tritone on the first song. i dont mind that "evil" sounding guitar chords/notes, but when its on the first song i am thrown into a shit mood for the entire album.

the way i usually listen is, being i still go to school with my headphones in every morning, that is when i usually listen. of course if i go buy an album on a weekend or something ill listen to it in the car, on my computer, etc. the majority of the time i used to listen to it on the way to/from school. i guess, actually since i have an ipod now- i listen to it as it rips into itunes. im not the kinda person who needs complete privacy or cant be doing something to give a listen though. i can easily be playing video games or what not while giving a listen.

than ill usually listen more on the way to school. but if i really like it or if its something that really hits me, my mind usually picks up on it and i go, "whoa, that was sweet". and i minimize my game to rewind a few ticks and play it again.

i don't think i'm a real fan of listening and buying depending. i will listen to a song or two, a single perhaps, if i havent heard the band before. but if i already have a record i like by a band, ill buy a new one if i want it. i really hate previewing stuff like that.

and i look for everything really. anything can get me. some people like guitar melodies, vocal delivery, lyrics, drumming, speed, whatever it may be. i really dont have a perticular things. of course there are certain aspects which tend to catch my ear more, such as awesome vocal delivry or killer melodies, (blind guardian, ), but generally anything can do me as good as anything else

 

[MURAI]

I used to be HUGE into lyrics when I was first starting out. I'd copy the lyrics off the vinyl sleeve into a notebook that I could carry around with me, especially in the car. But eventually I found that studying lyrics and the music too much shortened the longevity of the album. Once I knew every nook and cranny, I grew tired of the album. Since discovering that, I pay no attention to lyrics until I've completely digested the music. There comes a point where I just don't crave to hear that album anymore, and that's when I pick up the lyrics. It breathes second life into the album and I get another stretch of enjoyment out of it, reading along and memorizing the words.

I find that odd but I'm guessing you get bored of it if you obsess over it by over-studying the music and the lyrics. I did the opposite of what you did, and started recording lyrics later on. I do like the sense of lyrics being a good poem on its own and I browse lyrics from time to time. Also, I find it fun when reading the lyrics before the song, and then anticipating how the song sounds. What's most important to me is how energetic the song sounds and if it captures strong emotions.

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

This has changed alot for me over the years as well.... Wiz. Buying a new album used to be an event for me. The planning to make the trip to the record store. Then the hours of flipping through everthing in the record store... Only having enough money for one or two albums making the right choice was critical not knowing when you'd get the chance to come back.

Fortunately you had good friends who worked with you so we all bought different albums and therefore got to HEAR more albums.

I find that odd but I'm guessing you get bored of it if you obsess over it by over-studying the music and the lyrics.

That is correct. I'm talking back in the early 80s when I was in or just out of high school. I didn't have alot of money to spend on music, so the albums I did have got a lot of airplay. I wore many of them out too soon by over-analyzing the music and lyrics from the get-go.