Today I am taking a day off from reviewing music. Normally I would spend the day listening to CD's while I work and then when I get home at night, I would review them. Since I have been doing this reviewing thing, I have noticed that listening to music has become a chore of annoying proportions a lot of the time. As many of you know, I am a HUGE music fan. Some have even called me insane.
When I find a CD I like, I can sit there with it playing in the background on repeat for an entire day while I work. I did that with the most recent Iron and Wine CD. I have done it with other CD's like Coheed and Cambria, The Beautiful Mistake, Chop Suey!!! by System of a Down, The Weak's End by Emery and many many more. There is one song on the Emery CD that I have listened to 55 times, by Winamp's count. That doesn't even count the number of times I listened to it at home. If you are interested, the song is called, "By All Accounts (Today was a disaster.)" It is a powerful song.
So the problem is that these CD's that I have sitting here waiting to be reviewed have a very good chance of sucking. If you look at the math, you will realize that the majority of the music out there isn't to your liking. I own well over 1000 cd's now and I like almost all of them. I am sure there are some that I should sell somewhere and I wouldn't miss them. But then if you look at all the releases every year and realize that I own such a small percentage of them, it becomes ridiculous.
Article comments
1 - Vern Halen
Many years ago, the late great scifi writer Theodore Sturgeon was being goaded by a interviewer. "C'mon Ted, "he said, "you gotta admit, 90% of science fiction is crap." To which Sturgeon replied, "90% of EVERYTHING is crap."
2 - Mac Diva
Good entry, Craig.
When I listen to songs on my iPod, I sometimes hear aspects to the music or even parts of the lyrics I miss otherwise. Have you found that 'close' (literally) listening has that effect? I've not mentioned it in anything I've written, but it is one reason I would not go without a good MP3 player now.
3 - Lono
In order to tide y'all over for an album review... I have taken the time review every single album ever. Read here -
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/05/11/045153.php
4 - Craig Lyndall
Mac, I do find new things when I listen to something over and over again, and closer. I have found that I have various stages of listening. The first listen is always the least revealing. It will always be the 2nd and 3rd listening (assuming I can get to those) that I decide whether I really like something or not.
When I listen to something 100 times like I do on occasion with a piece of music it is because I find these little intricacies that I just have to hear over and over. In some cases it will be the way a singer sings something or the way a guitar sounds or how something crescendo's. Sometimes it only lasts a few seconds, thus the repetition.
I can tell you in the song Chop Suey!! by System of a down, I know exactly what it is. I like the whole song, but when they get to the last chorus and the full vocal harmony is realized for about 15 seconds, it just overtakes me. I listened to an MP3 of that song ripped from the radio for an entire day straight at work. One song for probably 7 hours. This is why I am insane.
Incidentally, this is also why I like to take road trips by myself quite frequently. Hours and hours to do what I want with my stereo and I don't have to torture anyone else in the process while I replay and sing along.
5 - Douglas Mays
Craig, I know what you mean about the chore of being a music nut.
For instance, when I am promoting a club. It is my job to listen to many submissions for live performance. I give anything a thumbs up if whoever is performing is putting their heart and soul into whatever (no matter how shitty) they are doing. LET ME MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR that this doesn't mean its anygood, I'll give anyone some points if they are trying. Even if the band is doing their best to be shitty.
But back in the late 70s I took a year off of attending concerts. And I backed off the stereo (a bit). Had to let the ringing in my head go away as well as the accumulated electrical impulses my body and mind have been jolted with over time. Sometimes I wouldn't even turn on the TV. The ion bombardment tube.
Anyway, it feels good and lets the 'pleasure sensors' in your brain to restore themselves.
Anyway,
peaceloveguidance, mon
6 - visualsimplicity
Mac Diva, I'm hearing you on your comment. It's not necessarily just closer or more frequent listening though. I find that listening to music in my car is far different from listening to music through an earphone. My car usually drowns out all the intricacies with bass, while through earphones (usually from a low-bass cd/mp3 player), I can hear those little detailed tunes. Most of the time, they're what draws me into a song.
Oh and Craig, I can listen to one song for days too. I've done 7 hours straight of one song at work before, not to mention how many times I've had my friend's complain about me repeating certain songs over and over in my car. I don't listen to music professionally though, and from what you're describing, I'll consider myself lucky.
7 - Shark
I've found that the Carpenter's Greatest Hits is a good mental floss. It cleans out all the leftover bacteria, food particles, and sound fragments between the ears. Stop the ringing with Karen's singing.
Gargle with the entire CD and then spit.
~ewwww. Sorry.
8 - Craig Lyndall
I grew up being forced to listen to the Carpenters greatest hits. I would be worried that it would unleash something horrible that I might have repressed, so I will have to avoid the Carpenters.
That is an interesting question though. What albums can you use as "mental floss?"
I might say for myself it is Sheryl Crow. She is the most chill, least pissed off thing I might own. Oh, and she doesn't make you want to cry in your beer.
9 - Eric Olsen
The Carpenters and Bread rule - I'm not kidding.
10 - Craig Lyndall
I will admit that I do like "Rainy Days and Mondays."
That is as far as I go.
Who would have thought that I would like the depressing one? :-)
11 - Shark
That is an interesting question though. What albums can you use as "mental floss?"
What's even more interesting is how would one define "mental floss."
(Don't ask me to define it first, despite the fact that I used the phrase.)
Other Musical Mental floss:
Pet Sounds - Beach Boys
Rubber Soul & Revolver - Beatles
Invincible Summer - k. d. lang
Time Out - Dave Brubeck
Joao - Joao Gilberto
Destiny - Gloria Estaban
Vivaldi Cello Concertos - Ofrah Harnoy
Big City - Merle Haggard
12 - Douglas Mays
Hey Shark, actually I don't go to a psychiatrist, I go to a 'mentist'.
13 - Douglas Mays
Oh, Brian Eno is great mental floss also.