Five Ways to Get More Out of an Album
Small listening habits that have made music more rewarding for me.
Over the years I have picked up a few simple habits that make listening to music more rewarding. None of them require special equipment. They mostly come down to attention.
1. Listen all the way through, at least once
Before deciding whether I like an album, I try to hear it start to finish without skipping. The songs that do not grab me right away are often the ones I end up loving later. Artists sequence albums for a reason, and the first full listen is the only time you hear it the way they intended without your own preferences getting in the way.
2. Give it a second chance a week later
Some music takes time. I have dismissed albums on the first listen and then had them click on the third. If something did not land, I set it aside and come back a week or two later. My mood, the time of day and even the room can change how something sounds.
3. Read about it
Knowing a little of the story behind a record adds a lot. Who produced it, what the band was going through, where it was recorded. Liner notes and good interviews make me notice things I would have missed, like a particular instrument or a lyric that suddenly makes sense.
4. Follow the credits
One of my favorite ways to find new music is to look at who played on an album I like and then explore their other work. A session drummer or a producer can lead you somewhere completely unexpected. It is a more personal kind of discovery than a recommendation engine, and it tends to stick.
5. Put the phone in another room
This is the hardest one for me and the most effective. When my phone is nearby I end up half listening. When it is out of reach, I hear details I never noticed, and the forty minutes go by quickly. It is a small reset in a week that is usually full of notifications.
Bonus: share it
Some of my favorite listening has happened with friends: someone puts on a record they love and tells you why it matters to them. You hear it through their ears for a while. It is also the best way I know to break out of my own habits and hear something I never would have chosen.
That is the whole list. No rules, no right way. Just a few habits that have helped me enjoy music more, and maybe they will help you find something new in an album you thought you already knew.
Views expressed here are my own and do not represent the views of my employer. Content is for general information only and is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.