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how many times to listen to an album


Lemmiwinks

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Many many times I've heard people say stuff like "this sounded horrible on the first few listens but then when I listened to it some more something happened and I found it was great!"

 

So anyone has any coments on just why it is so and how much is the recomended "number of listens" to get it?

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i really absolutely despised the Cities of the Future single by infected. then i sat down in my favorite comfortable arm chair. poured myself a beer, lit a medicinal cigarette and put my earphones on. and i actually dont know why, i must have been in a funny mood, but i sort of liked it. and got into it. i guess you have to accept something for what it is, and not what you expect it to be. then you can really appreciate it.

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My musical tastes are always evolving, things i used to hate i know like.

 

I have bought cds and then listened to them at home and thought "this is crap, why did i buy it?", but then days, weeks or months later i will listen to it and its ok and i wonder why i didnt like it in the first place.

 

I think expectation might have something to do with it. When an album is not what you expect it can be confusing, difficult or frustrating to listen to.

So when you listen back to it later you know what to expect so it is not a shock to the ears.

 

The bottom line i think is somebody ( at least ) likes this album or it would never have been recorded and released so forget about what you like for a second and try to enjoy what other people like. I mean listen to it from a different point of view. Does this make sense?

 

:) Psy Psy

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My musical tastes are always evolving, things i used to hate i know like.

 

I have bought cds and then listened to them at home and thought "this is crap, why did i buy it?", but then days, weeks or months later i will listen to it and its ok and i wonder why i didnt like it in the first place.

I feel the same sometimes, but more with hip-hop albums than with psy. I have some psy albums I should listen to again now because I didn't really liked them after buying. But im too lazy... ;-) Nowadays it's more that I listen to some samples and if I don't like them I don't give the album a new chance. Unleass I would hear the music at a party or at somebody else's home and like it then. Quite small minded and lazy, I know. But I'm allready spending enough money for records, so why buy stuff to grow on me when there is enough stuff that suits me from the beginning.

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"i guess you have to accept something for what it is, and not what you expect it to be. then you can really appreciate it."

 

yeah!  but its just so damn hard to foreget all the prejudges

198482[/snapback]

 

smoking a fat blunt usually makes me forget about preduges. helps me focus entirely on the music alone, without any external influences. in my opinion, thats the only way to make an unbiased personal opinion for yourself. of course some people dont need to smoke. but it helps for me.

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So anyone has any coments on just why it is so and how much is the recomended "number of listens" to get it?

198470[/snapback]

imho its not just the numbers of listens, like others have mentioned, it depends a lot on your mood... and the situation. for example: i tend to like different tunes when im in my car or when listening at home. on the other hand i prefer different songs on the way to work than on my way back home (aahhh that euphoric feeling after a hard day of work when i get into my car and turn the music real LOUD :D )

 

some music is extremly depended on my mood - for example tech trance: one day it sounds just like random noise, the other day it all blends perfectly together. for me smoking pot is indeed a way to get into a "perceptive" mood in which it is easier to appreciate music (infact all sensations).

 

of course it doesnt depend only on your momentary state of mind but on your whole musical background even to some extend on your genes i guess. i find it funny how some people accept their "taste" as something "given": they listen to some new tunes (try something new to eat ...) and immediately judge: "i like it/dont like it!" but they dont ask themselves "why is that so?"

 

forget about what you like for a second and try to enjoy what other people like. I mean listen to it from a different point of view. Does this make sense? 

198481[/snapback]

yes, it makes sense. its a very good point imho. TRY to like it, dont just accept your initial judgment! even if you dont like it after a few couples of listens (in different situations, moods... ;)) you can never know how it will be tomorrow or maybe in 20 years.

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usually the albums that i have to listen to many times before i get them are albums with different styles, that explore new things...

examples are some Infected mushroom albums, always sounds better the more u listen to it... and an other one was shpongle -tales of the inexpressible...

took me a while to get into it, but now i love it...

i think it's because those take a new approach, so it takes a while for our brains to process it, and also many times we tend to expect a particular style from certain artists (at least i do) and so it may take a while to "get it"...

but i think every album is diferent in that sense, and like was said previously it depends on taste and varies from person to person...

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Well, there's some music which I found to be truly great only after dozens of listens!

Mostly with ambient, for example Steve Roach - The Magnificent Void. That one took really long to get used to, to get into.. to see the 'bigger picture'.

Your brain simply needs multiple listenings to discover structure in this music. You will discover new depths at every listen.... Only the few adventurous and patient listeners will eventually be able to listen to it in all its glory. Only they will realize it's not just an endless wave of dark synthnoises/tones/drones.

I now find it one of the best electronic music albums of all time.

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of course it doesnt depend only on your momentary state of mind but on your whole musical background even to some extend on your genes i guess. i find it funny how some people accept their "taste" as something "given": they listen to some new tunes (try something new to eat ...) and  immediately judge: "i like it/dont like it!" but they dont ask themselves "why is that so?"

yes, it makes sense. its a very good point imho. TRY to like it, dont just accept your initial judgment! even if you dont like it after a few couples of listens (in different situations, moods... ;)) you can never know how it will be tomorrow or maybe in 20 years.

198550[/snapback]

To be honest I'm a bit like that. I judge very fast if I like a psy song or not. Sometimes even just after hearing some samples. But I can tell why everytime. The main reason to like or dislike a psy or trance song are the melodies. If the song is to progressive and doesn't have much melodies the chance is high that I don't like it. Or if the melody doesn't suit me I also give the most songs a second chance. On the other hand if I hear a melody that moves me, I fall in love immediately with a song.

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the two albums for me that required the most time/listens were Pleiadians - Faimily Of Light and Psysex - Hardcore Blastoff

 

it really just depends on how far the style of the music is from what you're used to. any truly groundbreaking work will require longer time than some formulaic cheeze.

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i would say a few albums that have gotten better everytime i listen to it are...

 

Infected Mushroom - Classical / BP Empire

Shpongle - (both albums)

Hallucinogen - Twisted, Deranger and In Dub

 

anything really chilled out really doesnt date as quickly as say for instance Skazi or something like that. i could listen to those albums all day long. but as mentioned above, sometimes im in the mood for chilling out, and sometimes im in the mood for "F**k you C**t!!!" Trance, like neuromotor or PPS project or Eksimo or something.something fast and evil. "brainfry beats".,hehe, thats not a bad name for a psytrance record label actually, hehe....

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Many many times I've heard people say stuff like "this sounded horrible on the first few listens but then when I listened to it some more something happened and I found it was great!"

198470[/snapback]

for me that is a big difference between retro goa and morning fullon of today... retro goa often doesn't sounds great in the beginning... but while listening to it you learn to appreciate it...

present fullon is always more like when you hear it the firs time 'wooow this is a killer' but after a while it get's weaker and boring...

retro goa is for eternity...

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for me that is a big difference between retro goa and morning fullon of today... retro goa often doesn't sounds great in the beginning... but while listening to it you learn to appreciate it...

present fullon is always more like when you hear it the firs time 'wooow this is a killer' but after a while it get's weaker and boring...

retro goa is for eternity...

198971[/snapback]

profound and true.

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