____twoism

just thinking aout this on this morning's drive to work. before i go into TH, whats interesting (and i am not the first to mention this) is my appreciation for all things BOC - pre-TH - has gone through the roof. i am now istening very carefully to all the great stuff i have often taken for granted or just popped in to get my bobbing on a long drive. i stopped listening to TH round the clock for a very different reason, however. i havent listened to it in over a week and the last couple of times was only on vinyl. so i was captive, made the time, and got into the feel of the entire album as a composition or a score. just because it does have a soundtrack feel with cues and quick changes and what feels like unfinished bits ... that makes it no less listenable. for instance, i have a about a dozen different bootlegs of the Blade Runner soundtrack (some just music, some with foley/F/X, voiceover, etc) - each one transports me to a different place despite not being complete. the big difference of course is this soundtrack (TH) has not released its film yet!

anyway, i listen to it sparingly but because it is so special. it is easy to pop on any number of previous releases but i feel thats what makes this particular album extraordinary. it demands your undivided attention and will take you on an emotional roller coaster (albeit a broken one moving very slow).

in this world of white wires dangling from everyone ears, it seems like its less about music appreciation and more about music consumption. when i see a kid touching his ipod every 30 seconds i am thinking "what the hell? is there some new musical equivalent to speed-reading?" does anyone even listen to a whole track anymore, let alone a whole album? thing is, i too am often guilty of this very thing ... and FINALLY an album comes along that has reeled me in completely. least of all, for that (one of many reasons) i hold fast: BEST ALBUM EVER.

paul wrote:just thinking aout this on this morning's drive to work. before i go into TH, whats interesting (and i am not the first to mention this) is my appreciation for all things BOC - pre-TH - has gone through the roof. i am now istening very carefully to all the great stuff i have often taken for granted or just popped in to get my bobbing on a long drive. i stopped listening to TH round the clock for a very different reason, however. i havent listened to it in over a week and the last couple of times was only on vinyl. so i was captive, made the time, and got into the feel of the entire album as a composition or a score. just because it does have a soundtrack feel with cues and quick changes and what feels like unfinished bits ... that makes it no less listenable. for instance, i have a about a dozen different bootlegs of the Blade Runner soundtrack (some just music, some with foley/F/X, voiceover, etc) - each one transports me to a different place despite not being complete. the big difference of course is this soundtrack (TH) has not released its film yet!

anyway, i listen to it sparingly but because it is so special. it is easy to pop on any number of previous releases but i feel thats what makes this particular album extraordinary. it demands your undivided attention and will take you on an emotional roller coaster (albeit a broken one moving very slow).

in this world of white wires dangling from everyone ears, it seems like its less about music appreciation and more about music consumption. when i see a kid touching his ipod every 30 seconds i am thinking "what the hell? is there some new musical equivalent to speed-reading?" does anyone even listen to a whole track anymore, let alone a whole album? thing is, i too am often guilty of this very thing ... and FINALLY an album comes along that has reeled me in completely. least of all, for that (one of many reasons) i hold fast: BEST ALBUM EVER.

This. I concur with this whole-heartedly. It breaks my heart when people ask me if I can skip a song when it's BOC. Whereas with a lot of music, you can take their catalog and shake it up and still enjoy it, it is a strength, and perhaps a minor inconvenience that a majority of BOC's catalog must be listened to in order, or at least with songs in the same vein.

That being said, I'd say TH has been their most accessible entry into their discography since TCH. The soundtrack vibe is obviously a large reason behind the lack of smooth transitions and consistent moods/segues; but this also allows first-time listeners to get a sample of each of BOC's moods and feels without forcing them to consume an entire album at a time.

paul wrote:just thinking aout this on this morning's drive to work. before i go into TH, whats interesting (and i am not the first to mention this) is my appreciation for all things BOC - pre-TH - has gone through the roof. i am now istening very carefully to all the great stuff i have often taken for granted or just popped in to get my bobbing on a long drive. i stopped listening to TH round the clock for a very different reason, however. i havent listened to it in over a week and the last couple of times was only on vinyl. so i was captive, made the time, and got into the feel of the entire album as a composition or a score. just because it does have a soundtrack feel with cues and quick changes and what feels like unfinished bits ... that makes it no less listenable. for instance, i have a about a dozen different bootlegs of the Blade Runner soundtrack (some just music, some with foley/F/X, voiceover, etc) - each one transports me to a different place despite not being complete. the big difference of course is this soundtrack (TH) has not released its film yet!

anyway, i listen to it sparingly but because it is so special. it is easy to pop on any number of previous releases but i feel thats what makes this particular album extraordinary. it demands your undivided attention and will take you on an emotional roller coaster (albeit a broken one moving very slow).

in this world of white wires dangling from everyone ears, it seems like its less about music appreciation and more about music consumption. when i see a kid touching his ipod every 30 seconds i am thinking "what the hell? is there some new musical equivalent to speed-reading?" does anyone even listen to a whole track anymore, let alone a whole album? thing is, i too am often guilty of this very thing ... and FINALLY an album comes along that has reeled me in completely. least of all, for that (one of many reasons) i hold fast: BEST ALBUM EVER.

I am loving every comment and this one spear-heads why I made this thread. I'm so interested in getting into other BoCers minds about this.

Saying that music has become too suffocated by new technology is somewhat ludicrous in my mind, because in the history of music if one did not enjoy what he / she was listening to they could ALWAYS turn off the song, track, tape, cd, record (or prior to recording technology simply walk away from the musicians), they were listening to and put something else on.

I understand some music is made with the intent to be listened in its entirety. Unfortunately though, if what you are hearing at first does not grasp you by your collar and make you want to listen more, you WILL NOT continue listening. The only reason you would is if you were indebted to the music (eg: BoC is your favorite group of all time). And even then, why should you ever have to fight to continue listening to something with the multitude of good music out right now?

i would disagree and feel music is being suffocated. historically not everyone could make music for mass-public consumption. even having skills and taking years to learn to read, compose, and play often only resulted in playing for a group of friends. much later - back in the 80's (as an underage dishwasher at IHOP) i bought one brand new cd every two weeks as a personal reward. cost me 20 bucks a pop back then - i purchased with great discretion. today, with one hand i can compose 32 tracks on my iphone then upload it, all while holding a lager and fatty in the other. i have literally hundreds of new tracks i have yet to listen to as well (from office mates who want me to check out new music, etc.).

of course we all have the ability to turn it off, but i find myself having to sort through so much 'new' music just to find out what to turn off. maybe thats what the kids i refer to in my last post are all doing?

we are inundated if not suffocated. but thats really an aside - i think the truth of the matter is the purpose of your post: to gauge the subjective experiences in the spectrum of listeners. where it gets interesting is when we find out the 'why?' in the end, while there are those few gems that one warms up to over time - it often boils down to what you wrote:

Unfortunately though, if what you are hearing at first does not grasp you by your collar and make you want to listen more, you WILL NOT continue listening.

paul wrote: of course we all have the ability to turn it off, but i find myself having to sort through so much 'new' music just to find out what to turn off. maybe thats what the kids i refer to in my last post are all doing?

Your post is sound when it comes to the inundation.

Though, when it comes to the fact there is so much music being thrown at us... That is a blessing in disguise in my opinion. There is genius we would have never have heard of if it wasn't for it being thrown at us at this day in age. Yes everyone and their mother can make a track and upload it, but will I hear it? No. The task at hand then is to learn and understand the correct avenues to find the good new music and let the bad float off into nothingness.

I am indebted to the internet and the music spread forth from it, I would not be the person I am today if I didn't talk to certain people in chat rooms 14 years ago, or have Soulseek back in the day. I feel like it did not just change what I was listening to but it changed my outlook on life subtly.

I was unable to get bored of their catalogue pre-TH. Without question they have the highest ratio of good songs vs. duds of any musician/act/composer I've ever heard. That ratio is about 98-2. The remaining 2% are probably tunes which I simply haven't given the proper attention to.

With TH they just build on that. In fact it's only getting worse. I have TH for close to a month now and haven't taken it out of my car CD player. I'm usually in the car 1-2 hours per day and it's always on. Every single track has grown on me, even #15 which I skip over less and less.

What can I say, they're fucking brilliant and have by far the most staying power of any art I've ever experienced.

lyst wrote:There is genius we would have never have heard of if it wasn't for it being thrown at us at this day in age.

I am indebted to the internet and the music spread forth from it, I would not be the person I am today I feel like it did not just change what I was listening to but it changed my outlook on life subtly.

i cant argue that and would agree. while i am not really a 'half-empty' kind of guy - i tend to think of how much time on the net that i haven't spent making wonderful discoveries ... i guess thats the double-edge to the sword.

i have even been flirting with the idea of a "new-music fast" for 1 year. just shut it down and take pause to appreciate all the great stuff from the different times in my life. i know this sounds silly, but occasionally i hear an oldie and think 'holy crap i gotta listen to that album more' ... then forget to do so. giving a go at listening to all ~30,000 tracks of music i currently have and giving them some love over the course of a year might be fun.

however, i will be prudent and wait a couple more months to make sure there wont be an EP, BOC set, feature length film, etc.!