| Monday, April 14, 2008 |
| How many times? |
Perhaps it's my insatiable appetite for novelty, but I don't listen to albums that many times before I kind of feel like I'm done with them. The number of average listens has gone way down in recent years. I always wonder if it's because I have a really good memory for music; to dredge up a random example, I probably haven't listened to Game Theory's song "Don't Entertain Me Twice" for a couple years now, but I remember exactly how it goes, and can almost "play" it all the way through in my head. I listened to Nirvana's Nevermind so often when it came out that I really don't feel the need to ever hear it again. Every song is practically imprinted on my brain. Ditto Roxy Music's Greatest Hits.
One of the interesting things about iTunes is that it keeps track of how many times you play certain songs or albums. I really like Kristin Hersh's Learn to Sing Like A Star, but I've only listened to it about 16 times. That seems kind of low considering how good it is. Most albums tend to fall into the 4-6 plays range, though.
A few weeks ago, I bought Shearwater's album Palo Santo, and ever since, it's quite literally been the only thing I want to listen to. I've played the track "White Waves" 27 times, which is already a new iTunes record. Even though I know every note by heart by now, I still want to hear it again. I'm a little worried that I'll wear it out, but for now, it's the rare track that I just can't get sick of. It's one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The band has a new CD coming out on June 3, and I hope it lives up to the brilliance of Palo Santo. I'm going to see them at the Independent on May 19. The album has such a lush, gorgeous sound, I kind of doubt they can replicate it onstage, but I feel like I need to be there just to pay homage to this band that has become such a part of my life over the past month or so.
I'm curious, how many times do you play an album before you get tired of it or feel that you "know" it? |
posted by 125records @ 8:42 PM  |
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| 6 Comments: |
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Interesting question. I know Rose and I feel very differently about this: in her car, she tends to keep the same five CDs in rotation seemingly forever, whereas I'm restless and cycle through them rapidly. Only part of this is because there keeps being more new music for me to listen to - although that's definitely a factor.
I can't name a number, because I don't listen only in iTunes...but I do tend to have a fairly flat listening curve (you can look at my charts at last.fm for a sample - my name there is 2fs), which suggests I'd rather hear lots of different stuff than the same stuff lots.
That was different when I was younger, and had more time to listen to music: records I knew well then I still know well now, to the extent that I can still tell you, I'm pretty sure, exactly where in my 45 of Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Takin' Care of Business" there was a skip. I listen to music that often rarely nowadays...the advantage being that when I feel compelled to do so, I know I really like the music. There are only a few recordings a year that work that way for me - "few" if I'm lucky, that is.
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I listen to a new album at least twice. Then it's just catch as catch can.
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Many albums and artists fall into the known but not forgotten category for me. All before the mp3 age. I keep them close like clippings in a scrapbook. Must rescue from the fire!
Today, I move from single to single, my attention span shortened in the broadband age. Gems gleam under the surface. Check out Agnes Mind by The Pedaljets and Redeye by Bec Smith. You are one cool chick, Trowbridge. I dig your taste in music.
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I really don't listen to albums-qua-albums much anymore, but having been a member of Emusic I fell into a pattern of downloading a bunch of tunes, making a playlist of them, and listening to them to death for a month. The next month, I move on.
If any song really floats my boat, it gets promoted to my Jogging Playlist, in which case it goes on the iPod Shuffle and could very well be listened to anywhere from once a week to once a day for all eternity!
Very few songs go up to the majors in this fashion, they have to really be great...
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Re Paula's remark: whereas I have this weird notion that since most artists, still, release their music in/as albums, even if digital albums, they've given some thought to the sequencing and context created by the entirety of that album. And I know, both from making mixes and from hearing songs recontextualized by subsequent releases (such as Wire's two Read & Burn EPs followed by the Send full-length), that such context makes a huge difference in my perception of a song.
Not that I don't listen to songs out of album context: hell, since I'm in the midst of uploading my library to an external hard drive, I've been listening to iTunes in shuffle for much of the last month, primarily to listen to stuff I haven't heard for ages. But I can't bring myself to just cherry-pick songs from albums on eMusic (unless I already know the songs/album) - I guess I think I'm likely to miss something that way. Plus, I'm slow to judge: I can't tell from a 30-second sample whether I'll eventually like something (pretty good at telling if I'll hate it though).
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I don't interact with music in the digital realm all that much (itunes, emusic, mp3 programs, etc.) I have a little flash player that stores about 10 or 12 albums at a time, and those are usually the most recent ones. If a new album grabs me right away, i'll listen to it three or four times a day on my little player during my commute for as long as a week or two. I listen to a bunch of other stuff at home and at work. I get to know new stuff pretty damn well!
For the vinyl it's different, of course--I listen to one or two vinyl albums a day, usually, but I don't get to know them as quickly and I buy way too many of them to keep up. There are still times when I just keep flipping a record over, though--it's not unusual for me to listen to an album three or four times in a row. I'm really enjoying the phenomenon of mp3 downloads being included with vinyl--best of both worlds for sure!
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Interesting question. I know Rose and I feel very differently about this: in her car, she tends to keep the same five CDs in rotation seemingly forever, whereas I'm restless and cycle through them rapidly. Only part of this is because there keeps being more new music for me to listen to - although that's definitely a factor.
I can't name a number, because I don't listen only in iTunes...but I do tend to have a fairly flat listening curve (you can look at my charts at last.fm for a sample - my name there is 2fs), which suggests I'd rather hear lots of different stuff than the same stuff lots.
That was different when I was younger, and had more time to listen to music: records I knew well then I still know well now, to the extent that I can still tell you, I'm pretty sure, exactly where in my 45 of Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Takin' Care of Business" there was a skip. I listen to music that often rarely nowadays...the advantage being that when I feel compelled to do so, I know I really like the music. There are only a few recordings a year that work that way for me - "few" if I'm lucky, that is.