The album experience
Live blog for Midmorning on August 11, 2011
-
Hip-hop superstars Jay-Z and Kanye West have billed their new album, Watch the Throne, as an "event record," meant to be listened to from start to finish. But are the days of thorough listening over? Has digital music changed the way we experience an album?
Ann Powers’ picks for albums that must be listened to as a whole:
Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea
Eric Church - Chief
Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Lady Gaga - Born This Way!
Steve Almond’s picks:
Abbey Road by The Beatles
Fuse by Joe Henry
Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan
Paradise Theater by Styx -
-
@KerriMPR @annkpowers The resurgence in vinyl has made listening to the whole album enjoyable again. Warmer sound + big album art = win.by TrazyAnderson via twitter 8/11/2011 12:57:13 PM -
What albums does @annkpowers think must be listened to beginning to end? #LadyGaga's new one and #TheDecemberists. Hear more at 10.by KerriMPR via twitter 8/11/2011 1:24:42 PM -
I work in the recording industry here in Minneapolis and I see the efforts artists put into sequencing albums every day. The option anxiety many feel when choosing what to listen to next on their iPods has pushed us into a world of singles that all sound the same. Getting back to listening to albums as the artists created them will help us to reconnect with the diversity and beauty of the ebb and flow of music - much more like watching a feature film than watching music videos. Vinyl definitely has that going for it. (sorry for posting before the show but I'll be in a mastering session, which will include sequencing an album from start to finnish) -
-
-
-
@KerriMPR @annkpowers The resurgence in vinyl has made listening to the whole album enjoyable again. Warmer sound + big album art = win.by TrazyAnderson via twitter 8/11/2011 2:56:16 PM
-
I see The Decemberists' album The Hazards of Love has been previously mentioned, but I must acknowledge how it was played live. While on tour, the band played the entire album all the way through continuously. It took some coordination as band members had to quickly switch to different instruments, but it made all the difference for us in the audience. This album and the band's talent are truly epic.
-
-
I'd argue that the art of the full-length album is still alive, you just need to look harder for it, and it is rarely involves singles playing on Top 40 radio. Lots of Indie artists are making concept albums or records that demand to be listened in a full sitting. "Tallahassee" by the Mountain Goats is one of my favorites, as is "Southern Rock Opera" by the Drive-By Truckers. Kanye's last album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" is a total full-album experience. Of course, Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" and the Beatles' "Abbey Road" are the quintessential examples. -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Wall of Sound: The iPod has changed the way we listen to music. And the way we respond to it. Via Slate.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Agree with Arcade Fire <<Suburbs>> but would add any Arcade Fire album - also Grizzly Bear. It seems that any album that musicians have put out that have a dedication to what they are getting to in their compositions and not just out to make a buck will pay attention to the album as a whole. So Kanye & Jay-Z want to be seen as "serious" composers of music - great - but the people who listen to it will decide, not them by dictating it to their fan base.
-
-
-
-
-
Sponsor
Sponsor
- Become a Member
- Member Connect Accounts
- Leadership Circle
- Sustaining Members
- Member Discounts
- Become a Sponsor
- Tax Information
- Planned Giving
- Vehicle Donation
- Donate Stock
Minnesota Public Radio ©2013 All rights reserved