Spirit of the Ages

An interesting question! I think I follow the same process as you, but vocals play an important role as well. If the singing is over-emphatic (as with the Flower Kings, or early Spock's Beard) the band automatically moves down a notch in my appreciation, and if the lyrics are childish or plain "wrong" (same two bands) the same thing applies. If the singing merely annoys (as with the Tangent), ditto.

This is why I was so impressed by the latest Big Big Train album, which I've only just explored. (Thanks to Progarchives.) Not only are the compositions great, and the playing inspired, but the singing is exemplary (if you don't mind the inevitable Phil Collins influence, which I don't), the lyrics are subtle, and the cover art is among the best I've seen.

I just couldn't believe my luck with that album. So far I've only played it twice, but I think it may be the most satisfactory prog album to come out of the English-speaking world in thirty years!

First of all I have to like the recording. It has to have some visual space (drums in the back, guitar in the left front.. etc). The treble/mid/bass has to be good and the recording mustn't be too rough or even worse too polished. The guitars must sound full and the synths mustn't sound 80's like.

Then come the clichés. If I can predict everything that's going to happen the music I dislike the record. Good prog must be original for me. Drums should not be to dominant and I like it when I can hear a clear bass-guitar.

Then comes the technical abilities of the musicians and the compositions themselves. It doesn't matter which instruments are dominant, as long it is done in a way the qualities of the band-members are in place.

After that I will try do listen to lyrics and concepts. I like bands with a vision, bands like King Crimson, VdGG and a lot of Italian bands. Random instrumental and vocal parts without vision are not that interesting.

Conceptual feel of the album. Does the album have a satisfactionary begin and end feel. Does the emotional development of the album feel right? Godbluff is an album with such great a development, as many others.

Well.. that sums it up I think. Important throughout is that I have to hear at least some moments that touch me right away (as in some majestic prog atmospheres).

Being a woman, I usually listen to the whole picture, so to speak. In order to be aware of the various elements that make up a given song or album, I have to sit down and pay attention, which is not always possible - this is what I do when I start work on a review. For me, it is the best way to really 'get' the music. However, I never analyze those elements separately, but  rather as part of a whole. I don't know if it is a clear enough explanation, but this is how things go for me.  

fuxi wrote: ^ I don't see that it makes much of difference being male or female. I'm a bloke, but I also think I "never analyze those elements separately, but rather as part of a whole". For example, silly lyrics are ONLY ever a problem if they are sung overbearingly, as with The Flower Kings. They tend not to bother me if they are sung sweetly, as with Discus (Indonesia's prime prog band, for those who are not yet in the know). So yes, you could say the entire context matters. A lot.

It may not make a lot of difference for you, but generally it is recognized that women tend to see the whole, and men to break things into smaller units. This is the impression I got from some of the posts above mine - it was not meant to be a sexist remark in reverse.

First off, I very much like the line of thinking this thread is exploring.  My thinking is that if I could nail down exactly how I quantify what I think is attractive (or not) about new music, it would be all over for me. What I can tell you is that in the past a good proportion of the artists and albums I have encountered and come to love and cherish, I didn't enjoy upon the first listen. Good examples of such bands are Cardiacs, Gentle Giant, Van Der Graaf Generator, Can and The Mars Volta.

As ever I qualify this as a subjective call but bands that I tend to pass on tend to be high in production gloss and low in actual innovation. Strangely enough it was the exact opposite when I was younger as I sought out ever more convoluted variations on the themes that I loved in the hope that repeating my first great encounter with Prog. As a youngster I loved the primary colours and bright flashing lights of the big stars of the genre and that's fine. Maybe age is also a deciding factor but I think it's usually down to experience and what you choose to do with that experience. No two people are alike, even given identical sets of circumstances.

In short, your experiences, your character and the circumstances in which you encounter the music all play a part in that instant of yes/no.

 






Edited by sigod - February 19 2010 at 12:38

Well, being a woman myself I just listen for something that's  "out there". I used tp accomplish this by looking at album covers back in the seventies. If it was weird and from Germany I'd go for it.

I find that of late (perhaps the past two years or so) my first listen will always be superficial - barely even hearing it - just absorbing the general mood or atmosphere and picking up on odd bits that attract my attention. I think evaluating bands for addition has caused that, on those artists I have to be analytical on the first listen - I have to sort out what they're influences are, what genres they are referencing and whether they fit in Xover or would best suit some other subgenre here - if it is not conclusive on that first listen then I have to go through it all again, which is not that much fun if the band is one that doesn't fit within my pleasure window. (Which is evident by some of my outbursts in the team thread ).

My first listen means little to me,i'm just checking out their style and mood but often not even paying close attention to it.I guess first impressions don't often mean a lot to me. Of course there are exceptions where i can be blown away by what i'm hearing and quickly give it my full attention or the opposit can happen too.

Vibrationbaby wrote: Music before the internet was more intriguing. I remember getting my first Guru Guru album. I had to hunt months until I found  the next one.

That is really interesting to hear and of course I experienced the same deal. However, it just about drove me off the deep end! Where I lived, hardly anyone knew what Krautrock was let alone Guru, Guru. I was around a bunch of yahoos and they couldn't understand why I would save money to buy a Guru, Guru album in Philadelphia as opposed to saving the money for Led Zeppelin tickets. I always wondered if the krautrock bands of the early 70's knew that fans in America had to suffer or struggle by paying high prices, checking underground magazines every week, and travel expenses to reach a record shop that carried their music. I would order Guru, Guru albums from Jem Records in South Plainfield N.J. waiting a total of 2 months to receive them. 

Vibrationbaby wrote: Well, being a woman myself I just listen for something that's  "out there". I used tp accomplish this by looking at album covers back in the seventies. If it was weird and from Germany I'd go for it.

Are you a woman that drops BOMBS?