have you forgotten how to listen to music?

[Necromunchkin]

I was thinking about this a lot recently, largely because of how unimpressed I've been with most releases this year. I was wondering if my tastes had changed dramatically or if, indeed, my ability to listen and assimilate heavy metal was somehow compromised.

I believe neither is the case. I've never had a hard time digesting albums. If I'm not in the right mood for a particular atmosphere or emotional invocation, an album might not sit as well with me as it would in the right mood... but I can still tell it's something I'll appreciate. A lot of albums people seem to have to grow to enjoy, I liked/loved instantly, such as early Darkthrone (when it was coming out), Wolves in the Throne Room, Negura Bunget, Neurosis, etc.

My problem is how cynical I've become. Very little new music sounds genuinely inspired to my ears anymore. I think the full reality of this hit me when I did some basic math:

Money spent since January on albums released in 2007: Approximately $90 dollars or so.
Money spent since Jaunary on albums released prior to 2007: Over $500 dollars (not including Jazz, alternative, punk, etc)

 

[Dev]

I haven't bought a single cd nor listened to any new metal in three months! At the same time I'm digging so much new stuff. And yes, sometimes I'd just spin some Mahavishnu Orchestra and then Bark Psychosis or Brian Eno or Aphex Twin once each. I listen to a series of records mostly, like a playlist that restarts after it's finished but in a different order.

I keep wondering whether to buy cds or not and which. Lately, the feeling that I hadn't focus enough on what I was llistening to came back and my urge to convert mp3 into real albums with it.

The probelm with downloading and buying cds appears to me as double-edged and many posts here come to the same conclusion than mine. It's all about self-regulation and measure. One the one hand, no one can deny the use of computer audio files in filtering, to come the 'essentials'. Because it doesn't matter if you know the album by heart when you receive it. A gem still remains a gem. And the more albums you download or have a slight an interest in even, the more you become picky. The unpleasant taste of that method is when you can't even appreciate, for more than a few spins, a riff-fest such as the last Glorior Belli.

 

[Dev]

I was thinking about this a lot recently, largely because of how unimpressed I've been with most releases this year. I was wondering if my tastes had changed dramatically or if, indeed, my ability to listen and assimilate heavy metal was somehow compromised.

I believe neither is the case. I've never had a hard time digesting albums. If I'm not in the right mood for a particular atmosphere or emotional invocation, an album might not sit as well with me as it would in the right mood... but I can still tell it's something I'll appreciate. A lot of albums people seem to have to grow to enjoy, I liked/loved instantly, such as early Darkthrone (when it was coming out), Wolves in the Throne Room, Negura Bunget, Neurosis, etc.

My problem is how cynical I've become. Very little new music sounds genuinely inspired to my ears anymore. I think the full reality of this hit me when I did some basic math:

Money spent since January on albums released in 2007: Approximately $90 dollars or so.
Money spent since Jaunary on albums released prior to 2007: Over $500 dollars (not including Jazz, alternative, punk, etc)

Yeah I feel the same. I've fallen into some 70's stuff, low-fi and pop/ambiient lately. I feel the metal bands highly uninspired this year. Sometimes I struggle to go through good metal albums. How sad is this?

 

[Hell Mike]

(Nasheim/Angantyr and Lethal namely, and not in a gay way )

You get those for free nigga, the only catch is that I'm a lazy fuck when it comes to sending mail, but Erik is better. So you get more money for snus!

 

[Hell Mike]

IRON MAIDEN AND BERRRRRRRRRRUUUN TOO THE EHIIIIIIIILLS!! RUN FOOOOR YOOOUUUR LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES!!!!11

 

[circus_brimstone]

You get those for free nigga, the only catch is that I'm a lazy fuck when it comes to sending mail, but Erik is better. So you get more money for snus!

Mail me copies of them, plz. I will <3 u.

 

[Hell Mike]

Mail me copies of them, plz. I will <3 u.

Possible, but I don't know how many copies of each I'll get. We should arrange some kind of RC-mailing hub to which I can send all sorts of shit and that dude sends it all over the americaz when it arrives to keep shipping at non-lethal prices.

 

[Reign in Acai]

The Great cdLeap Forward may happen shortly. I was sifting through my collection with a cursory glance and noticed Lacuna Coil's Karmacode amongst my gems. Why do I own this pray tell? I dont even think I can get a fraction of a farthing for something of this sub par caliber.

Up to a whopping 2 purchases to date, down from my blow harding comment in this thread of nigh a 100 in 2007. Id say a reasonable amount of physical purchases that can be absorbed proper at this stage of life to be around 2 a month. Anything less would be uncivilized.


Need to make some room for future few n between purchases, as I have nill desire to expand storage.

 

[Krilons Resa]

Dude, this was 13 years ago. Nowadays, with social media this shit is on fucking steroids and it's so out of hand, imo.

A.D. fuckin' D.

edit: We've spoken about this already in another thread, maybe at the end of last year or so.

 

[NAD]

I was listening to some live traxxx earlier today, and had the sudden realization that Finntroll is pretty much Drunk Amorphis.

 

[Krilons Resa]

Dude, this was 13 years ago. Nowadays, with social media this shit is on fucking steroids and it's so out of hand, imo.

A.D. fuckin' D.

edit: We've spoken about this already in another thread, maybe at the end of last year or so.

Also, I'm not necessarily speaking of myself, although I do get caught up in it from time to time. It's the way our entire world keeps heading with the 'ol throwaway culture.

 

[SonOfNun]

I'm in a weird position because I axed most of my collection all those years ago and then found this whole other world of Christian Metal so that I've been in the discovery phase again since 2018 and buying prodigiously since the beginning of last year. I've rarely slowed down until recently because I've gotten to a really solid place where I have a lot of what I want and have built a strong foundation. So lately I've been doing more consolidation. I've noticed that a lot of the time I have music on while doing something else. So I've really been trying to give more focused listens (with booklet in hand) and actually writing down my thoughts and rating the songs. There are some classics that I'm appreciating more and some albums I wasn't sure about that I now enjoy as a result of this. I guess I'll eventually get to the point where I'm just keeping up with new releases which wouldn't be all bad because...

the amount of music, and books for that matter, that's available is overwhelming.

I've always been a book and music person and at some point I need to relax with the scouring and gathering and really spend time with what I have.

 

[J.]

I was listening to some live traxxx earlier today, and had the sudden realization that Finntroll is pretty much Drunk Amorphis.

And I love em for it.

 

[MFJ]

The first two albums (and most of Nattfodd) are eternal and actual serious art.

 

[NAD]

^^^ Hell yeah to those 2 posts.



I have frequently cited this tune as an example of a Perfect Song.

 

[J.]

Yeah, anything after Nattfodd is just kinda a bonus. Not necessary at all.

But Jaktens Tid.....what a great music

 

[Reign in Acai]

Damn, may have completely scratched this band off as jolly gee willikers folk. Listened to Jaktens Tid for the first time just now, and thoroughly enjoyed the lack of stein smashing horse shit.

 

[J.]

my faves are when they slow down.

 

[einride]

Damn, may have completely scratched this band off as jolly gee willikers folk. Listened to Jaktens Tid for the first time just now, and thoroughly enjoyed the lack of stein smashing horse shit.

finntroll is kind of a ridiculous band and i don't care to listen to them but i will give credit where it's due and admit that they were the originators of whatever the hell it is they're doing

as usual it's all the imitators who really didn't Get It and went too far in some bullshit direction

 

[NAD]

The thing is on first blush you laugh and think "holy shit this is absurd" but you quickly realize how serious they are.

It's like reading The Hobbit and thinking HAHA DWARFS ARE FUNNAY right before they chop your stupid face off.