[Mr.Chainsaw]

So I was chatting to my best mate Alex the other day, and I asked him what he was listening to at the minute, to whit he replied Funeral for a Friends new album, best of Creedance Clearwater, Foo Fighters new album, Linkin Parks latest album, etc. Like 5 albums.

When he asked ME what I was listening to, I replied Bon Iver - Skinny Love, Lana Del Ray - Videogames, A.A. Bondy - Black Rain, Sigur Ros - Samskeyti, Keane - Bedshaped.

And then I realised that when he listened to music, he just whacked a whole album on and listened to it all the way through, whilst I listen to 5-6 songs EXCLUSIVELY for a month or so, drinking them in, then slowly changing them for other songs as I came across them.

Don't get me wrong, I've got all the albums with those songs on, I just seem to focus on a few tracks and really take them in.

Anyone else like this?

Or am I just odd?

Actually, don't answer that last one

Peter

[The Corsair]

When I discover a band I kinda like I'll make myself listen to the album in whole at least once and generally twice.

I'm always comfortable leaving my music on shuffle because there's enough that I'll want to listen to and I can always skip songs. Sometimes I do listen to whole albums if I'm in the mood.

The exception to this is concept albums. More often than not (for the first 4-6 months at least) I'll listen to the concept album through if I decide I want to hear a particular song off the album and I always end up enjoying the whole journey again, like a great movie with good re-watch value.

When I get a bunch of new music that is what I'll predominantly listen to for a couple of months though.

[tina m]

i find if i buy 2 albums & i play 1 & i realy like it...& i play the other & i dont quite get it....for some perverse reason i will now stop playing the 1 i realy like & keep playing the 1 dont ...its like im missing something from it & want to find out what it is!
this irks me cos it means listening is often a chore when it should be a pleasure"

[tone]

Peter, you're so odd!!

I tend to do both, but mainly I like to listen to whole albums. But when you're committed to whole albums you have to be much pickier about what you take on than with individual songs. For example, I heard a few Ryan Adams songs online and thought he's a good songwriter, so I bought his album Easy Tiger. To be honest, it's disappointing. A poor album will quickly put me off the song I liked enough to make me buy the album.

I will usually give any album 3 full listens before I pass judgement, so you're not alone tinam!

Peter, I think you should include Del Ray's Born to Die in your playlist. In the same vein as video games, only better in my opinion.

I really don't like having my music on shuffle though - listening for me is very mood dependent. Nice thread this

[The Corsair]

I follow a similar rule there Tone, a bad album will ruin a song for me. However, I don't always let this stop me from buying an album based off one song. The first Enter Shikari song I ever listened to was 'Jonny Sniper'. It was my kind of song through and through, so I bought the whole album. The rest of it was stuff I'd normally hate completely but something about it just blew my mind and worked amazingly. They've since become my favorite band (Finally get the new albu tomorrow!!! Girlish excitement!!)

So in short, I have had good experiences with buying albums based off one song as often as I've had bad ones so I take the risk. At worst, I'm only $20 out of pocket (NZD)

[Schavuitje]

I think I'm like you also Mr Chainsaw.

I do have albums that I loved but as Tone said if your going to listen to a whole album it had better be a good one.

So there are certain bands who I can listen to a whole album of, Like : Pink floyd The Beatles, Zappa, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Elbow, Liquid tension experiment,

Genesis (early stuff) Rush, Captain Beefheart, etc...  I don't do this often at all though.

Most of the time I either search youtube for random artists and have a listen, see what's new, find something I like, and when I do

I have a period where I listen to those songs a lot and then I'll find new stuff. A good example of a song I found purely

by chance is this one and it is brilliant

[tone]

That is a great song, Schavuitje! I would also add that it comes from an excellent album. I forget the name, but it's the one with the devil dancing tango on the cover.

[darreldo]

Certain albums i can listen to all the way through, such as the Stone Roses 1st album and the La's only album.
I have an ipod so i usually have a review of the songs on there every few week and get rid of anything I hardly listen to or don't like.
I cut alot of songs out and go thrpugh individual artists making my own personal "best of" albums.
 The Stone roses, La's, Beatles and Cast are the only bands to escape my cull.
My way of thinking is that I don't have to enjoy every song and album just because i like the band

[Schavuitje]

oooh I'm friends with one of the La's on facebook My friends know him better than I do, I hardly use facebook
as I consider it the root of all evil 

[Mr.Chainsaw]

Ginger is the root of all evil. Trust me, I'm a chef.

Peter

[darreldo]

Facebook is awful. I got rid of mine.

[Schavuitje]

Sprouts are evil!

[The Corsair]

Ginger is the root of all evil. Trust me, I'm a chef.

Peter

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(Checks avatar)

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Anyway, I got myself Enter Shikari's A Flash Flood Of Colour just yesterday and have found myself able to listen to other things, which is unusual in terms of my general habits

[jmacdon]

he replied Funeral for a Friends

Funeral For a Friend by Elton John is one of my all time top 3 tracks.  An awesome production, which has hugely impacted on how I write my own music !!

[Beat Poet]

If I get into a new band (one that has only one or two albums), I play the albums until I know which songs I like, then I stick them in a playlist. With my regular listening, it's just playlists!