Should We Only Listen to Full Albums?
Image Courtesy: MusicTech
It’s hard to imagine a world without music. Music surrounds us in restaurants, offices, social gatherings, and in our heads. However, for the past century or so, music has been widely distributed in a very specific format in various compositions into a comprehensive package called an album. Now, in the streaming arena one hundred years later, the concept of the album is more prevalent than ever, with it being customary for artists to attach some sort of visual to the album to represent its content. While this phenomenon isn’t unique to the streaming era, album art is often what listeners see on their screens while listening to music.
The task of creating ten to twenty songs that have a comprehensive theme, having a title that corresponds to all of them, and selecting an image out of millions (or creating your own) is daunting, to say the least. Artists put a lot of work into making albums. They go a step further in creating a concept album, an album that tells a cohesive narrative across the tracklist. So why is it that when most people listen to music, they only listen to a few songs at a time? The obvious answer is time. Most albums range from thirty minutes to over an hour in total, so when you want to listen to some songs on the way to work, you’re likely going to listen to songs you like the most, or songs from different albums to achieve variety inthe short amount of time you have.
Also, to promote their upcoming albums, artists tend to release singles. Singles are tracks released off the upcoming album to generate excitement for the eventual full album. With singles, the context and cohesive thematic elements of the future album are not entirely clear to the listener. Still, the artist consents to this, enthusiastically promoting these singles. This isn’t exclusive to the streaming world either, as smaller versions of vinyl records or CDs would be released specifically formatted for singles. However, when you can go and listen to whatever song you want, whenever you want, the investment of going to the store and buying an entire album isn’t there anymore; therefore, there isn’t as much of a need to get the bang for your buck.
Image Courtesy: Tyler, the Creator
While this is the norm among artists signed to major record labels, not all of them feel this way. When Tyler, the Creator released his much-anticipated 2019 pop record IGOR, he released a statement on his social media to accompany the album. He wrote, “Dont go into this expecting a rap album. Dont go into this expecting any album. Just go, jump into it. I believe the first listen works best all the way through, no skips. Front to back. No distractions either. No checking your phone no watching TV no holding convo, full attn towards the sounds where you can form your own opinions and feelings towards the album. Some go on walks, some drive, some lay in bed and sponge it all up. Whatever it is you choose, fully indulge. With volume.”
Tyler, the Creator’s statement echoed a similar sentiment that the legendary jazz poet, singer, and political activist Gil Scott-Heron wrote of his final album “I’m New Here.” On the back of the physical release, Scott-Heron wrote "There is a proper procedure for taking advantage of any investment. Music, for example. Buying a CD is an investment. To get the maximum you must LISTEN TO IT FOR THE FIRST TIME UNDER OPTIMUM CONDITIONS. Not in your car or on a portable player through a headset. Take it home. Get rid of all distractions, (even her or him). Turn off your cell phone. Turn off everything that rings or beeps or rattles or whistles. Make yourself comfortable. LISTEN all the way through. Think about what you got. Think about who would appreciate this investment. Decide if there is someone to share this with. Turn it on again. Enjoy Yourself. Gil Scott-Heron."
I find it interesting that Scott-Heron chose the word “investment” in his statement. I described the act of going out and buying an album the same way earlier in this article, but “I’m New Here” was released in 2010. While streaming services were not what they are now at that time, it was more likely for music to be listened to digitally on iTunes and YouTube than bought in record stores. I think Gil Scott-Heron knew this when writing that statement. I’d argue that it’s what caused him to write it in the first place.
Image Courtesy: The Vinyl Factory/XL Recordings
We exist for a limited amount of time on this Earth. When we consume art, it should be to move us and take us places we’ve never been before. Music is wonderful in the sense that it takes a special level of craft to create a moving, original piece or a shallow pop song that will get stuck in your head forever like a parasite after one listen. Because reaching a certain level of craft takes effort, it should be the listener’s duty to consider what kind of investment they’re making.
Strike Out,
Writer: Matias Civita
Editor: Lindsey Limbach
Tallahassee