Specifically I'd like to talk about concept albums. You may or may not know what that is so let me explain. A concept album is an album released by a single band or singer or musical act that entirely has one theme. It could be love, loss, celebration, fear, or any other combination of or one single emotion or thought provocation.
Some of the more popular concept albums were released over 30 years ago by Pink Floyd or The Beatles. This would suggest that the popularity and frequency of concept albums have declined since then, which is partially true, but I believe this was intentional for several reasons.
Today, concept albums aren't as obvious as previously produced. This may be because a lot of music produced in the last ten years is planned more with singles in mind and the rest as filler. A good album, in my opinion, is solid throughout, all songs on the album are great. It's a shame that this view has changed, but thankfully not all albums have strayed away.
An example? Well there are too many to name all. Given the vast number of genres out there (many of which I do not enjoy), it's hard to say who falls under the "good" and the "not so good" categories.
If I were to give any example, it would be in my narrow view of music. Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie (released 2003) would be one example. This album may not be your preferred type of music, but it is mine.
One important thing that many albums need to stress is song transition. It is my belief that concept albums have nailed this trait pretty well. If you listen to Dark Side of the Moon from start to finish, you often don't know where one song ends, and another begins. So when listening to an album, like Transatlanticism or Dark Side of the Moon, I hear the transitions, and they're somewhat seamless. I'm almost positive any album Lady Gaga has released does not have this characteristic. This is what I mean by having a "greater appreciation" for concept albums.
I guess this all stems from the main purpose of music for me; being able to have background noise for mundane tasks; doing homework, driving, walking to class, sitting in a boring lecture, writing a proposal for research, etc. Sure all of these tasks are important, but not really entertaining. You may argue that not everything has to be entertaining and you'd be right, but the important thing to remember is what's the point of life if not to enjoy your time here?
So as not to move towards a too serious of a discussion, I'll leave with one thought. Music is a great background noise. It's a great foreground noise, but sometimes that's not feasible. Enjoy the things you have to do, and you'll have a greater appreciation for the things you want to enjoy.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
No comments:
Post a Comment