General Music Chat

...or a second listen. As I've been listening to Haleamano's album it has occured to me. I don't listen to much music the way I used to. The old way was hear a song, get hooked enough to buy or copy the whole album, listen repeatedly until the album became permanent in my musical mind or it was dismissed in part or in whole. An example would be Matthew Sweets "girlfriend" album. The title track was stellar! I bought the disc, soaked it in for years and it was for a time a perfect album for me. Some songs wore thin after maybe 10 years.

Update 2010 and here I am soaking in Haleamano's album on my Ipod. I am hooked by 1, then 2, then most of the album. Then it occurs to me I haven't done this in forever!! I usually listen to a song from here, youtube, the radio, an email with a recommended mp3. I listen one time. Then I critique it. That in turn makes me think about songs in the past that were immediately hooky and good but that quickly became like too much candy! If you listen to a song like that you might say I love it! But if you listened everyday a few times a day like radio stations on heavy rotation you will "spew it out".

That in turn makes me wonder about the good songs I have listened, deemed "decent" and forgotten!! What treasures have I missed?!!?!

I searched my gmail for every song in it. I found songs I had recorded, emailed and forgotten. I found songs that some had sent me and I had listened to once, deemed decent, and forgotten. I put all of those on my ipod and have rediscovered the way I used to listen. I am giving songs a chance again.

I am just sharing because I am wondering how many of my songs and YOUR songs have been listened to once and dismissed. It makes me want to consider writing a song as a "one listen" only. Simply as an experiment.

This is a song "lost" in my email.
"Roscoe" by midlake. I dig the swoopy melodies, love the rhythm guitars clean tone. And the bizarre lyrics!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDL9bXlwbM4

Moving on, if you will play, listen to my song "I think I love you" 2 more times over 2 days. If you listened once when I posted it a month or so ago listen 2 more times.

Do the same thing with other songs posted here by everybody else for critique!

That's a good idea Paul. Many times I think were just too busy to really absorb music like we used to. I have to admit that my music perusal has become cursory at best. Not like the "old days".

Hopefully I can get my computer to cooperate this week.

As a side note:

When I was checking out my system the other day I put in a CD that was not labeled to see what was on it.

What do you know ... NOTHING BUT WRONG came blaring out of my speakers.

Heck yeah !!

In this age of information maybe the information overload is expanding too much for our slowly evolving brains to handle. Maybe we have a shut-off mechanism that our brains stop inputting at a certain point. Maybe after listening to a certain number of songs we just don't input the information like we used to. Producing a song for one-time consumption is akin to manufacturing throw away products. I would hope there's still some people out there who have the ability and/or desire to get into your tunes the way "you used to."

I understand completely what you're saying Paul.

I *still* listen to music that way though.

When I hear a song I like - be it through radio or Pandora or a friend's suggestion - then I first get that song off iTunes. If I really like it, it goes into heavy rotation on my "On-The-Go" playlist. If I really think it's the artist and not the individual song that is great, then I go get the whole album and start listening to that.

I've never been one to delve too deeply into recoedings, unless it really grabs me. Then I can get downright obsessed for a time, qualifying & quantifying & analyzing & memorizing to a fault.

There isn't a whole lot out there that can get me to do that, though, & as I get older & more jaded, & more educated musically, it's become even rarer.

For one thing, the modern musician doesn't put in all the little sweeteners that they did in the past, & when they do, the formats used to present the music effectively erases them. It's become pretty much bland, with zero surprises, anymore, & you can't grasp the lyric all too often, which was also a huge part of my passion for listening to a lot of music over & over.

I can hear something once, & not feel the need to rehash anything, because it's fairly obvious that there's nothing that could have been missed or glossed over with the first listen, & I've become pretty good with the first listen. There's no "how did they do that" in it anymore, for me. Now it's mostly "why did they do that?"

Great responses all.
Thanks Sans!!

Paul Im totally in agreement with you.

When I was 16 and got a new 8 tracks, yea I said 8 track. I would wear them out listening. The albums I listened to from that era of my life are still my favorites. They are what I grew up with.

These days I dont listen to music like then at all. Ussually its just background noise. The last truck I got had XM radio and I subscribed to it. This has been great cause when Im on the road I dial in different genres to listen too. I still find the more classic rock material to be my favorite, but I listen to all sorts of stuff. I havent been motivated to actually go and buy new music in a long long time.

As far as my own music. When I write a song and record it I tend to put it on the shelf. Occasionally I go back and listen to stuff Ive done and try to remember the frame of mind I was in when I wrote something. Its weird, but those songs are just moments in time for me. Maybe I wrote them at the time just to get the emotions out of my system, and once Im past it, well Im just past it.

Everyone have a Great Day!

8 tracks LOL


Got my nose broken playing junior league baseball one year.
Was double insured ( my folks + the league coverage )
Mom gave me some of the insurance refund and I went and bought me a Pioneer Supertuner with a cassette deck for my car.

Dude, I was the shyt !!

I've been a bit obscure of late, but if someone says listen I do. I've a lot of catching up to do

Important I think, to know which planet you are on any given circumference, or declination.
Good post Paul.

Thoughts Craig?