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ArugulaLime
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2020 1:13 pm
Posts: 13
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:59 pm 
 

What things do you do, intentional or subconscious, that let you really process an album? So that it feels like a significant experience that you retain memories of and feel irresistibly drawn back to? I've been thinking how much I miss the feeling of an album being a super emotionally involved experience, when I was younger. These days it can sometimes feel like sitting through albums to mark off a to-do list. At what point do you give up on an album and just decide you don't like it? How can you tell if you don't like an album or if you just didn't listen with the proper set and setting? What lets an album feel really meaningful to you?

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aloof
avant-gardener

Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2008 1:18 pm
Posts: 3174
Location: never neverland, palm trees by the sea
PostPosted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 8:12 am 
 

if i like it, i listen to it over and over again. there's no gimmick to it. it needs to not suck.
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ZenoMarx
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:38 am
Posts: 853
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:52 am 
 

That's a lot of questions.

mood, as in is this the right day and time
time, as in repeated listens, as in coming back to it at the right time in life to be able to appreciate it
context, as in am I ready at that point in time of my own musical journey to appreciate that album or type of music
enthusiasm, do I want to like that type of music

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dike
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2023 4:15 pm
Posts: 155
PostPosted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 3:15 am 
 

ZenoMarx wrote:
That's a lot of questions.

mood, as in is this the right day and time
time, as in repeated listens, as in coming back to it at the right time in life to be able to appreciate it
context, as in am I ready at that point in time of my own musical journey to appreciate that album or type of music
enthusiasm, do I want to like that type of music


All of this! I'm very dependent on everything being right when I get into an album. Especially if the music is complex or challenging. I'd also add season to the list. Some music is much easier to enjoy in very cold weather, some easier in the autumn months and some in the spring or summertime.

ArugulaLime wrote:
These days it can sometimes feel like sitting through albums to mark off a to-do list. At what point do you give up on an album and just decide you don't like it?


I can see three underlying problems (or two problems and a fact really). It might have to do with (1) a general stress in life. I've felt this in that since everything is so available now we seldom stop and enjoy, or give thing the chance it deserves, like we used to do. Or (2) it might be that you want to keep up with to much stuff which is why you approach it as a to-to thing. This also leads to a less enjoyable listen. Then (3) with age comes maturity and things won't have the same effects us like they used to to.

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jimbies
Noose Springsteen

Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 2:52 pm
Posts: 4145
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:55 am 
 

The best time for me to REALLY get into something brand new is during a quiet walk.

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KrigareTjovane
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 2:06 am
Posts: 545
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 3:29 pm 
 

If I want to absorb and immerse myself in an album, nothing beats listening while reading along with the lyrics, preferably lyrics in a sick-ass booklet with cool art and liner notes and all that stuff. It was pretty much the only way to put visuals to an album back before YouTube (aside from seeing it live or something).

But booklet or no booklet, lyrics are my go-to.

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Bronze Age
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2022 11:55 pm
Posts: 705
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 5:04 pm 
 

To absorb it I need to listen to an album 5-10 times.

Some good comments about mood above, I'll add not letting my expectations get in the way of appreciating the album for what it is.

I don't think I will ever feel the way I felt about music as I did in my teens or early twenties but I have been enjoying music a lot more the last few years after largely ignoring it for a long time.

Regarding 'how do you know if you don't like it'? That is a tough question because with so much music competing for your interest and being able to listen to it without buying or investing in it, it changes things a lot. There are albums that I bought in the past that I did not like but held onto and learned to appreciate them later. If something new ops up and I don't like it after 2-3 listens I probably will not bother with it again.

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FirebathDan
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 2:32 pm
Posts: 1622
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 11:17 am 
 

I somehow do my best absorptive listening in the car.

But noise canceling headphones are working for me lately as well.
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Planetary_Misfortune
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:18 am
Posts: 189
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 11:58 am 
 

I have to sit and focus exclusively on the album. I can't listen to metal (especially black / death) while multi-tasking or as a background noise. If I own the release physically, I can stare at the artwork and dissect it before I play the album to get myself into the frame of mind for it. Reading along with the lyrics is almost essential as well for me to truly "get" an album.
The thing with most metal is the work/reward factor. I find you can't notice and really absorb all of the instrumentation unless you are carefully listening with a stoic resolve to understanding the song. I have listened to countless songs while pre-occupied, and years later discovered intricacies I had no idea even existed, the biggest generally being the basslines.

Going back to my point about owning the record, being able to pull a record out of the sleeve and explore the artwork in its largest capacity feels almost like being given a penalty kick / free throw before the album starts. Having music spoon-fed to us so easily on so many streaming platforms has to be a huge factor in the lack of absorbency and "throw-away" albums that are out there. Music was always intended to be shared from the artist to the listener in the form of having the full package in front of you - lyrics written out, notes and anecdotes from the artists to the fans, and if you're super lucky, Easter eggs and throwbacks hidden within the art that will entertain the die-hards.

Maybe it's simply because this was how music existed in my younger years, but you can not get the same effect from listening to a random song or two on streaming platforms as you can by listening to an album in full while holding the design and complete package in your sweaty grasp.
Especially when it comes to heavier sub-genres where the instrumentation is often condensed under many layers of distortion and requires real active listening to be able to separate and identify each.
You could argue that this is far too much effort for such a day-to-day task, but that's how music was always intended, and for me, it's the only thing that truly works. You don't watch a movie on mute and just read the subtitles, and unless you want to listen to the over-produced stuff in the charts that is so basic you can sing along while doing whatever the fuck you want, you gotta invest with time and commitment.

As metalheads, would we really want it any other way?
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ZenoMarx
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:38 am
Posts: 853
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 1:19 pm 
 

Bronze Age wrote:
To absorb it I need to listen to an album 5-10 times.
I had an English teacher in high school who said something that really stuck in my mind, and I've since lived by it. "You haven't read something once until you've read it twice." As I applied it to my listening to music, I've come to believe, "You haven't heard it once until you've heard it thrice." And obviously, many things require several more times than three. The downside has been that when I was buying music like a ravenous animal, I had boxes and boxes and boxes (literally) of music sitting around, waiting to be filed in the general collection until I gave each that kind of attention. Eventually, it was discouraging, and it cured me of such a consumer appetite. Fucking records weigh a ton and take up too much space.

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Raven_Augustus
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2022 8:30 pm
Posts: 308
PostPosted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 1:51 pm 
 

When I was a teenager I used to spend a lot of time with every album. I would listen a Maiden album 20 times while reading the booklet, lyrics, look up interviews and music videos. Research the topics of the songs.

I'm a lot more strict with my time as an adult, so I can't do that anymore. I usually listen to new albums while taking walks or commuting to and from work. The only "process" these days is if I like an album there is usually one song or even just one riff or melody that hooks me, then come back for more and the rest of the album makes more sense with repeated listens.

The only time listening to albums feels like a chore is if I'm following some list. "top 15 essential underground ambient blackgaze albums" or some nonsense from Reddit, or an album of the year top 10 list from a magazine or a website like this one.

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Metalion_SOS
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2003 11:51 pm
Posts: 169
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 1:31 am 
 

Listening while doing nothing else.
Listening while working out (if it's appropriate).
Memorise the lyrics.
Play the songs out of sequence or even separately.

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Defenestrated
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Nov 19, 2022 1:50 pm
Posts: 300
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 11:42 am 
 

ZenoMarx wrote:
I had an English teacher in high school who said something that really stuck in my mind, and I've since lived by it. "You haven't read something once until you've read it twice."


That's a fine saying. I'll remember that!

English teachers can be great like that...I had one advise the class on how to write our papers more clearly: "Write to me as if I'm the biggest idiot in the world."

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EvergreenSherbert
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:48 pm
Posts: 1271
PostPosted: Tue Apr 04, 2023 10:01 am 
 

Well, if it's good and memorable I remember it. If I really wanna process it I lay down, close my eyes, and focus on just the music and it's individual elements. But I'll only revisit an album if it's good it has a unique mood I can match, as my music listening is very mood-dependent.
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DeadKid
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 8:51 am
Posts: 538
Location: New Zealand
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2023 8:29 am 
 

When we're younger it makes sense to give all sorts of music a try as our taste expands rapidly. Now there's only subtle shifts in my taste and I can tell very quickly if I'm likely to develop an emotional connection to an album I'm checking out. If not, it doesn't seem worth adding yet more 'ok' music to my collection. I'm so selective that I can often skip forward into a song and know within 10 seconds that it's probably not for me. Just searching for particular vocals or production or something to spark interest. There's some I spend longer on of course.

The main thing that helps make albums meaningful for me is ranking my top 10-20 releases from each year. It reminds me to get to know them better. If I really want to get familiar with a particular album, I'll play the songs out of sequence like Metalion_SOS said, or play each track 2-3 times before moving to the next one.

I guess I'd get a 'to-do list' feeling if I decided to go through listening to the releases I've ranked near the bottom of my yearly lists. I can't expect to be super emotionally attached to all of them.
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doomicus
Metalhead

Joined: Wed May 14, 2008 5:58 am
Posts: 1261
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Apr 10, 2023 8:01 pm 
 

I dig listening on my home set up, in a dark room, with a glass of bourbon. Usually will close my eyes.
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elvenefrisian
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2022 7:38 am
Posts: 45
PostPosted: Sun Apr 23, 2023 9:29 am 
 

weed.

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gasmask_colostomy
Metalhead

Joined: Thu May 27, 2010 5:38 am
Posts: 1640
Location: China
PostPosted: Sun Apr 23, 2023 9:54 am 
 

These days, my number 1 music listening compatibility habit is on iPod while cycling somewhere. That's the clearest my mind gets in a music-possible setting. Tends to work better for energetic albums.

Number 2 is reading in a cafe. I'm a slow reader and often stop to think about what I just read, so it lets the music sink in. Works better for moody/slower albums.
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EvergreenSherbert
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:48 pm
Posts: 1271
PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2023 11:39 am 
 

Okay another thing I recently noticed. I try not to focus too much on following along with the lyrics, cause that distracts me from the actual music. Definitely read the lyrics but don't put all your focus on them.
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RainyTheBusinessPerson
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2016 10:50 pm
Posts: 184
Location: Southern Hemisphere
PostPosted: Mon May 01, 2023 5:02 pm 
 

I tend to listen to new albums while doing something else (like making food, or washing dishes), you'd think it would be distracting, but it actually helps me concentrate on a first listen, it just eases me in, I'm not gonna be as critical in that mode, I'll just let it play and if I like it enough, certain moments will stand out more to me, and I may listen to it more and more and find more things I like, and by that point, I'm way more excited and completely into the album (or at least most of it). Like people mentioned, different types of music trigger different types of responses in us, so for me, depending on the current circumstances around me (mood, location, weather and maybe the activity), the stuff I want to listen to will change. In general, more energetic music when I'm on the move or being more active, and more atmospheric and gloomy music when I'm sitting, laying or whatever else (like standing in a bus line, which I do a lot). Usually, music kinda channels my feelings and it feels really impactful when we are connecting (sounds dumb, but hear me out), when I'm in an specific mood or doing a specific action, the music will speak to me a lot and if I'm not in the mood for said music, there will be a disconnect. If I'm feeling cheery or inspired and motivated, I'll want to listen to music with more energy and an intense feel to it (traditional heavy metal, power metal, folk metal and maybe even thrash, death and black metal). The opposite is true when I'm feeling down or depressed, usually I'll settle for a more melancholic and slow sound, ambience and atmosphere, that type of stuff. Although if I'm particularly angry or deep into a mix of every negative emotion imaginable, I'll want very dissonant and distorted stuff, maybe more droney, maybe more abrasive, it varies.

It sounds silly (and maybe it is, I don't know), but there's a lot of stuff like that which make you appreciate the music more or less depending on the situation, it hits you on a different level. I tend to associate music with feelings and images a lot, even when my eyes are closed, there's music that just evoke certain things to me (and this isn't just a me thing, I know it because we obviously can notice with how album art, videos or whatever else can compliment a sound, but also be a detriment if it's not used well, which is a commonly agreed upon thing, it's a discussion in basically every thread with a video or album promo, a usually minor discussion, but a discussion nonetheless). As someone who enjoys to draw, depending on the music I'm listening to, the direction I take with the art will generally follow the music to some extent.

Mind you that this isn't always the case, I have too much of a busy life to be able to have a perfect moment for everything, in fact, the moments I end up listening to new albums the most, is when I'm at the PC doing something else, because I want to make the most out of the little free time I have. But then after I listen to said album on PC, I'll listen to it on the go, and get more acquainted with it, and that's when those factors I mentioned in the previous paragraphs play more into it. I also tend to listen to albums when I'm laying in bed, regardless if I'm going to sleep or not, it works really well too.
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Bronze Age
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2022 11:55 pm
Posts: 705
Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2023 8:12 pm 
 

Headphones, I can't believe I forgot to mention this.

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pyratebastard
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Mar 16, 2019 9:05 pm
Posts: 405
Location: Pacific Northwest US
PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2023 9:37 pm 
 

Time.
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MRmehman
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 1:34 pm
Posts: 789
Location: The Painted World of Ariamis
PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2023 3:34 pm 
 

bus.
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Osore
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2014 9:55 am
Posts: 595
Location: Serbia
PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2023 11:15 am 
 

When I want to check out an album, I always skip the first three tracks and play a minute here and there until the end to find out if there's anything interesting (9/10 times there isn't - I have a specific taste). If I think there is a potential or I'm sure I'm going to like it, then the best way to absorb it is to play it in completely dark room, which sharpens my hearing by helping me focus on sounds. Strangely enough, I gave Paysage d'Hiver's Im Wald a chance to shine in the dark (I disliked it when it came out), and it worked.
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MidnightDistortions
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2013 2:40 pm
Posts: 30
Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2023 5:38 pm 
 

I prefer to lay down on the couch to listen to a new (or unheard) album and just focus on listening to it. If I have my full attention with it then I can absorb it better. Though sometimes it can take more listens to fully appreciate it, or if it's not a good album I try to remember any songs that stood out, if any.

It was easy in the 90s getting a new album you tend to play it a few times to decide if you like it. With digital downloading and streaming, along with the amount of music out there it gets difficult because you could find several new bands and have like more than 4 albums which you want to check them all out, with me it's like getting a fix but when you get overwhelmed along with the 100 other bands you like are releasing new albums it seems like you're never caught up. But since I found out I can put my collection on my phone, it's easier because you're not glued to a computer then.

I still forget some albums I need to be listening to but eventually I'll be catching up. The only thing VLC on Android needs is play counts and have a list of low played albums/artists. Windows Media Player on Windows 7 had that but I never got around to using that.
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In_Zane
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2021 1:33 pm
Posts: 475
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:28 am 
 

aloof wrote:
if i like it, i listen to it over and over again. there's no gimmick to it. it needs to not suck.

This is kind of how I do it.

Put the album on repeat while playing video games.
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deadtome
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2023 10:48 am
Posts: 575
PostPosted: Sat Aug 12, 2023 1:31 pm 
 

I recall when CD's were new and you could just skip to the tracks you really want to hear versus having to constantly FF and stop and FF again to the track you want to hear. My point is tapes were cool because it was easy to just sit back and listen. Painting or drawing always help me kind of zone out and listen to the music. Also working on a Lego project. Walking is nice too.

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