A Note on Process
What I listen for when I listen to music
I spend a lot of time listening to music. Every Friday, or often every Thursday after 9pm PST/12am EST, when new releases drop, I begin sifting through several sources to identify which just-released songs and albums that I may enjoy and want to add to my regular rotation or themed playlists. These sources include AllMusic, Bandcamp, Consequence, Stereogum, Pitchfork, NPR, playlists on Spotify and Apple Music, email newsletters, push updates via Inoreader, and more. If their descriptions seem like something I’ll like, I’ve already enjoyed an artist’s previous work, or I’m simply curious, I add these songs to one enormous “New” playlist. Most weeks, New totals 40-50 hours worth of music, sometimes as much as 80 or 90. I do not listen to 180000-324000 seconds of music every week.
While I drink my coffee and have breakfast Friday, I skim through New, listening to a few seconds from near the start, middle, and toward the end of each song, making a mental note of what I like and dislike about them from these brief snippets. I preview singles and EPs first, followed by classical and jazz albums, then unfamiliar artists. Anthologies and reissues are prioritized depending on whether I heard them when they were originally released or if they are old but new to me. Sometimes a deluxe reissue or something only has a few “new” bonus tracks, in which case I will listen to those first, as if they are new singles or EPs. If something is simply reissued or remastered, I pretty much treat it as a like-for-like replacement for the original. Compilations, scores, and soundtracks are infrequent but treated like anthologies or reissues. I listen to any unfamiliar individual songs first, ignore anything I already know, and skim entirely new works like I would an album. I save those artists that I already know and like for last, but sometimes don’t subject their new albums to the cursory skim.
If I screen something that I feel I’ll genuinely enjoy long-term, I leave it in New, except for classical and jazz, which go into respective playlists for classical and jazz new releases. Classical and jazz music is easier for me to listen to as background music while I work, and tends to be more consistently good all the way through, having fewer individual songs or pieces that I don’t care for. Occasionally, especially if something has received a lot of positive buzz or is well-liked by someone whose tastes I know and trust, I’ll move something that didn’t make the best first impression to a Second Chance Pile playlist to revisit later, when I’m in a different mood or have fresh ears. I know myself well enough to be aware that some things I’ve initially rejected for fairly superficial reasons, often having to do with how the singer sounds, end up becoming among my favorite things of all time (e.g. Joy Division, The Smiths, Fugazi, Suede). Listening to music at a higher volume or more intently may give me a more negative or positive opinion.
What’s left in New or the respective classical and jazz playlists will get more focused attention. I listen to every second of these songs start to finish, unless I come across something jarring that I didn’t note in my first pass. I haven’t quantified this volume yet, but last Friday, I managed to whittle New down to less than 5 hours of “popular” music that I cared to listen to all the way through to try to decide how I really feel about it. Jazz was reduced to one, 53:06 album. Unfortunately, Classical was left at an insurmountable 119:43, so I had to subject those to a more rigorous set of filters. That leads me to the main theme of this post.
To help me tune in to what I genuinely enjoy and avoid wasting time and emotional energy listening to things I won’t like or enjoy as much or as often, I’ve identified elements in music that I love or find annoying or abrasive. These criteria form my subjective tastes, or are just an acceptance of odd psychosomatic experiences I sometimes have when listening to music. I set additional guidelines or rules to prioritize my listening. For example, with respect to classical music, I deprioritize new recordings of works I already know. Do I really need to hear another rendition of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations?” I’m also increasingly avoiding trying to convince myself to “like” something just because I’m supposed to for some reason, whether that’s because all the cool kids proclaim to, or its critically acclaimed, novel, or influential.
So what do I look for what I’m reading about music - or listen for when I hear artists, songs, or albums - to decide whether I want to really listen to them, or get the feel for whether I genuinely enjoy them? I’ve been reflecting and taking notes for some time, trying to understand my own subjective tastes. This helps me focus more on the “good” stuff, to give and receive more accurate recommendations, save time and energy, and generally improve my experience and enjoyment of music. In typical fashion, I’m making lists! These are a work in progress, especially as I gain more accurate, sophisticated, specific, and nuanced vocabulary to describe what I hear. For example, there’s a particular guitar effect that has been popular with post-punk bands for the last several years, which is itself a retro sound associated with some earlier post-punk bands, as well as some music in other subgenres. I’m ambivalent about this particular tone - it’s derivative and a little bit goes a long way - and I could best describe it as “springy/sproingy/wiry” without knowing the actual name of the effect. As I learn more, I’ll add to or revise these criteria. I’m also not a musician, so the terminology I use may be vague or even inaccurate if I am mistaken. Please correct me! At this time, here are some things that I generally like to hear in music:
Vocal harmonies, especially boy-girl harmonies
Dynamism, such as chord, key, and time changes
“Jangling” or “chiming” guitars like the Rickenbacker or Telecasters. Think The Byrds, Big Star, The Beatles, Alvvays, The Wedding Present, The Sundays, or REM.
Drummers that are more jazz or funk-influenced, who “swing,” or play the front of their kits - toms and cymbals - more often. Some favorites, who don’t all fit these preferences, are Elvin Jones, Charlie Watts, Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, Mitch Mitchell, Max Roach, Janet Weiss, Steve Shelley, Chris Bear, John McEntire and John Herndon, Clem Burke, Glenn Kotche, Jim White, Greg Saunier, Brendan Canty, Topper Headon, Jon Wurster, John Bonham, Stewart Copeland, Ringo Starr, Danny Carey, Bryan Devandorf, and Tony Williams.
Bassists who play more melodically. Some favorites include James Jamerson, Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, John Paul Jones, Scott LaFaro, Charles Mingus, Andy Rourke, Alex James, Nikolai Fraiture, Kim Deal, Kim Gordon, Carol Kaye, Peter Hook, John Taylor, and Tina Weymouth.
Mid-range instruments like cello, viola, trombone, clarinet, flugelhorn, tenor/baritone saxophone, or marimba.
Lyrics with internal and slant rather than just end rhymes.
Competent, clear, unaffected, and more subtle singing and musicianship. Less is often more for me.
"Angular" guitar sounds associated with math rock, post-rock and post-punk. Examples include Gang of Four, Wire, The Joggers, Television, and Pretty Girls Make Graves.
Glam guitarists like Mick Ronson, Marc Bolan, Johnny Thunders, Richard Oakes, or Bernard Butler.
Fender Jaguar, Jazzmaster, Mustang and Telecaster guitars
Gibson Les Paul standard, SGs, and ES-series guitars
Ride and hi-hat cymbals
Countermelody, counterpoint, and countersubject, including lyrically, as popularized in some emo bands.
Polyrhythms
Shakers
Fuzzy guitar tones
Clavinet - at least in the hands of Stevie Wonder
Incorporating classical or traditional folk instruments into contemporary music. This can range from trumpet and cello in Belle and Sebastian songs, the saz used by Turkish-influenced groups like Altin Gün, Derya Yıldırım’s bağlama, Elephant Stone’s use of sitar, or TEKE::TEKE’s shinbone, shamisen, and koto.
Novel instruments like “The Contraption” Glenn Jones prepared for Cul-de-Sac.
Contralto singers
Baritone singers
“Motorik” beats associated with Krautrock, such as Can, Neu!, Stereolab, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Yo La Tengo.
Viol da Gamba, which I learned about from the soundtrack and film “Tous les Matins du Monde”
Baryton, which I first saw at The Smithsonian and later heard from a series of works that Haydn was commissioned to compose by Prince Nikolaus Esterházy.
Music arranged for ensembles or instruments other than which they were originally intended.
Cover songs that take liberties with the original, as long as they are as good or better than the original. This is like the difference between a cover band and a tribute band. A cover shouldn’t try to sound exactly the same but have the covering artist’s take on it that is more in their style. Examples include Cat Power’s “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, Iron & Wine taking on The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights,” Kit Sebastian covering Stereolab, Frente!’s rendition of New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle,” or Pink Nasty making a country song from Usher’s “Burn.”
Many of these things help explain my affinity for artists like The Byrds, Suede, The New Pornographers, Stereolab, Radiohead, David Bowie, The Smiths, Belle & Sebastian, and The Beatles. I seem pretty fixated on a certain era of sound from the mid to late sixties to 1974 or so. I love a good spacey, warm, fuzzy, jangly, bop.
On the other hand, there are many things that I generally dislike:
Growling, snarling, shrieking, barking, shouting, yelling, hollering, warbling, whining, whimpering, vocals.
Guitar solos
High pitches
Slapping, thudding, or thumping bass
Shredding, squealing, “noodly” guitars
Snappy, poppy, or cracking snare drum sounds
Triangle
Cuíca - they sound like a monkey hyperventilating
Guiro
Cowbell and jam blocks
Flutes (Goat is just one exception and, as Miles Davis supposedly said, Joao Gilberto could make singing the newspaper sound good).
Recorders
Piccolo
Soprano saxophone
Operatic singing. I respect when a singer has a large vocal range. I prefer not to hear it all in one song or run.
Repetitiveness and monotonousness, with many exception for the motorik beats noted above.
End rhymes and over-predictability, especially lyrically. If one line ends with “sky” and I can accurately predict that the next line will end with “fly,” that song can probably fuck right off.
Emphasizing last word or syllable in each line. Beastie Boys get a pass.
Direct rhymes
Dissonance - in isolation. I don’t know what I meant by this when I first noted it. I don’t know what I mean now. Maybe it will come back to me.
Nonsense, filler, words like "yeah,” "baby," or ooohs and aaaaahs.
Sing-speaking, talking, and spoken word pieces, sections, or works. Arab Strap, Pavement, Slint, and Gil Scott-Heron are notable exceptions.
Intros, outros, interludes, and especially skits.
Introducing a song with something like, "Yeah, 1-2. 1-2."
Mentioning rock, rock 'n' roll or rocking.
Telling the listener to do anything, such as putting their hands in the air.
Banjos - Except for Sufjan Stevens, the occasional Bela Fleck tune, and sometimes Julien Baker.
Bagpipes
Accordions, but of course there are exceptions.
Piano-centric rock music, with apologies to Fiona Apple, a shrug to Tori Amos, and wag of the finger to Billy Joel.
Guitar-centric jazz music, aside from some Grant Green, John McLaughlin, Wes Montgomery, Bill Frisell, and others. I understand that the clean tone of much jazz guitar music is used for clarity, to showcase their skill rather than burying their sound under effects. That could be wrong. Anyway, it usually sounds too “smooth” for me.
Horns as the primary instrument in anything except jazz music
“The skank" - the upstroked guitar used in reggae and ska. Incidentally, I dislike the dance too.
Steel guitar
Affected accents, especially the fake drawl from country singers, and the bratty, faux-British or Orange County wine adopted by too many emo and pop punk bands.
The Blues. I’m sorry. I know how important and influential blues music is. I can listen to the blues performed instrumentally by jazz musicians and maybe others. I know all the good ones. I’ve tried. Really, I have. It bores me. It sounds superficially the same, the lyrics are often grating to me, and it has been co-opted by too many gross White men.
Latin music (except much Modern Popular Brazilian, Tropicália, and Bossa Nova). Again, I’ve tried. I keep trying. I appreciate the complexity of some of the rhythms but there’s a degree of monotony or predictability sometimes that I can’t deal with. Sometimes there are horns and other instruments that I don’t care for outside of certain contexts. I also suspect that some accents or tones of voice bother me, when they are too rounded or something? I also wonder if so many words ending in “a” or “o” makes the lyrics rhyme too much for my tastes?
The n-word. I’d never presume to tell Black people they can’t use it within their own community, in context, often with a dropped or soft “r” but I know it’s not for me and I feel uncomfortable hearing it, especially too frequently. Skip.
Repetition
When a band has a female singer with a really pretty, clear, voice, but some dude jumps in croaking, warbling, or shouting and ruins it all like Kyle Fisher in Rainer Maria. The flip side of this for me is Kim Gordon but that doesn't happen as often and it is canceled out on some cosmic scale by Kim Deal.
Whistling when you’re not Andrew Bird.
Bragging and boasting
Shuffling, chugging, train-like rhythms. Yes, this is different than motorik beats. Shut up.
Jamming
Tapped harmonics like Eddie Van Halen. Innovate but often irritating.
Sweep picking. Yeah, I already crapped on “shredding” but this isn’t limited to that and that isn’t limited to this.
Too much vibrato
Very fast tempos
Bombast. This tends to put me off symphonic works, which I enjoy a lot more live but find a bit overwhelming while I’m cooking or something.
Marches
Fiddle. This just isn’t the way I prefer to hear a violin. It’s too often violin abuse.
Autotune. This ruins so much popular music for more. I know that it isn’t aways used because the singer sucks and can’t carry a tune, that’s it’s often just an aesthetic choice, a phase we’re going through because it’s a popular sound. I don’t know how to reconcile this with a lot of affected vocals that I do like, especially in electronic or industrial music like Skinny Puppy. I can’t get into the new Charli XCX because of autotune but I quite a bit of her older music.
Staccato
Melisma
Cliche or trite lyrics. I appreciate that there are some idioms or figures of speech that are common touchstones or reference points. I like a good easter egg, reference, or inside joke. But too often the familiar is predictable, tedious, or played out.
Contemporary references in songs. They don’t age well. They can be hard to avoid though and obsolescence isn’t always predictable. Some people still use pagers?
Remixes
Droning
Bad grammar
That’s a long list of things that I generally dislike in music. I wish, if only for the sake of optics, that my list of things I like was longer. It would make me feel less irritable and snobbish. I’m sure I’ll add more to both lists. I don’t want to yuck anyone else’s yum, so I’ll reiterate that these are my personal preferences. These opinions are not attempts at objective value judgements. I just know what my ears and weird brain respond to, sometimes for the worse. I prefer to keep my posts upbeat but I want to share how I approach music. What are your thoughts? What do you listen for? What do you like and dislike when you listen to music? What would you prefer to hear more or less of? Don’t forget to correct me if I’m wrong.
As a bonus, here’s a playlist including things referenced above.
I share many of your predilections but *love* pedal steel and lap steel guitar. If you like the Byrds and spacey/jangly music then surely a bit of lap steel is in order? 👌
ohhh now i understand how you listen to so much music -- you skim it!!! i always listen to full albums, no skipsies. i feel a little bit better now.
my dad plays accordion professionally (well, as a side gig... not day job). and not what you're used to be, but like... tango, gypsy jazz, brazilian choro. so i'm now on a mission to change your mind about that.
i'm going to have a lot more to say about all of this at some point.