my beautiful skinny twisted hospice kid over the sea

2:42 'DNA' - Kendrick Lamar

But, you do listen to it at least once?

I think Anthony hit the nail on the head with his response, there is no set number of times that you should listen to an album. It really all depends on how you feel in general about the genre of music and how high your expectations are about the said artist. If you don't like rap music and you have no expectations going into an album, chances are you won't be able to form a solid opinion even if it's something that's pleasant to your ears. That's not to say, however, that after more listens and a newly found appreciation for rap music you won't be able to articulate your feelings. Familiarity plays a key role in deciding music judgement and thoroughly explaining one's reasoning requires an in-depth understanding of the artist's intentions.

5 times at least for every album before I trust myself with a real opinion 1st time is a background listen to internalize the album 2nd time a deep dive into the album 3rd time is my favorite listen to almost every album I've listened to 4th time is to really pay attention to lyrics and/or background that I may have missed 5th time to solidify my opinion I try to avoid discussions about or reviews of the album until after the 3rd listen

I want that album cover

32 times to get the feel of the thing, 59 times to know what the artist is trying to convey and 81 times to know if I love it or not. Of course I'd never recommend something before listening to it 151 times.

How many minutes did you waste on Miley Cyrus and her dead pets? As it's 90 minutes. Did you listen to it's in it's entirety more than once? If so, I'm impressed.

0:15 this will be sampled in a death grips song

Came from Lets Argue. STRYAAT AAAHP!

The Antlers, Kanye West, Neutral Milk Hotel and Godspeed You! Black Emperor? Man, that album would make my year. I'd love to see that happen, but it will never happen... .-.

@blackmetalblunt I addressed this in a few videos, watch my favorite albums of 2010 video. :-) We're people, man. Our emotions is what draws us to albums, and our emotions are not static. Some albums grow on me, and others fall out of favor with me.

The difference between your first and second listen is 100x more substantial than any after that. Listen to it more than once.

I'm a big advocate for repetition consumption. I've watched multiple series multiple times, and it's the same with artists. I've listened to TPAB in its entirety around 10 times already since it's came out, and I'm still noticing new things.

if The Antlers Kanye West Animal Collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor Neutral Milk Hotel album did come out it would be incredible.

The first time I listen to an album, I usually just try to let it wash over me. I'll quite often just put it on whilst I am working at my computer so that my brain is mostly concentrated on something else. It's very rare that an album will immediately grab me. It's only on the third or fourth listen that I usually start to identify my favourite tracks and get an idea of whether I like the overall feel of a record.

I didn't like Kid A at all when I first listened to it it took about four listens until I decided it's one of my favorites.

After Forever - Invisible Circles Opeth - Still Life Anathema - A Fine Day To Exit Ulver - Blood Inside Incubus - Morning View The Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction Those are examples of albums I've listened to thousands of times and I'll never be bored of. :)

@jamescracksthesky check my tumblr.

7 Every time.

At first, I was going to post about how you shaved your hair. Then I looked at the upload date and realized you rused me with your posting this on Facebook. Then I listened to the video and agreed with it, but that's hardly as important as your hair.

@crazytvfan815 it's coming out tomorrow. it's a mixtape you'll most likely be able to download on hulkshare.

@raminile My first album review was actually positive. What album review are you talking about?

@AICDTTPT i'm pretty sure i said it. i might have edited it out. what i do know is that i totally forgot to say mbv, that's for sure.

42.

some albums take like 4 or 5 times to get into

@starofcctv94 i guess it depends on the person. me, personally, i get an itch sometimes saying that i should check it out a little more to really get why i don't like it at least.

There's no limit to how much you can listen to an album I don't know why anyone asked that but normally when I hear something I know I am going to like it or not almost always right off the bat and then I listen to it more and more. Eventually it either gets old or doesn't and some that have never gotten old for me are... 1. Tool- every album except Opiate 2. Radiohead- Everything except Pablo Honey 3. BTBAM- Colors, Great Misdirect 4. Intronaut- Habitual Leviations 5. Smashing Pumpkins- Siamese Dream 6. Glassjaw- Worship and Tribute 7. Karnivool- Sound Awake, Asymmetry 8. King Crimson- In the Court of the Crimson King, In the Wake of Poseidon list goes on...

Sometimes hearing an album for the first time is way different for example the fifth time. They can grow on you. I have never thought a Judas Priest was great the first time I heard it, but a lot of them has just kept getting better every time I return them (especially Daimonds and rust). As he says you don't always know what to expect.

Clear grip? More like DEATH GRIP AHAHAHA

Back when Fantano was the internet's only music nerd

FAV TRACKS: /MU/HEMIAN RHAPSODY, 10THONY 10TANO LEAST FAV TRACKS: I LOVE SPEEDIN BULLET 2 HEAVEN FT. CAL CHUCHESTA THE /MU/TANTS - MY LOVELESS SKINNY KID HOSPICE OVER THE PAVILLION/2019/THENEEDLEDROP RECORDS/POST EXPERIMENTAL INDIE RAP ROCK POPGAZE 10/10

The more music I try to listen to in a year, the more efficient I need to be with how much time I can devote to each album. It does vary, however at a minimum I try to give an album 3 listens before I stand behind my critique of it. More complex albums or those more categorically foreign to me, the longer it takes. On average I'd say it takes me 5 listens.

Through my musical journey I found that the songs I least liked from the start usually are the ones that stick with me the most. Usually poppier song that has a nice sudden melody seem to loose their charm fairly quickly and become played out.

@liamoshoro it is!

@spraggon i do?

Unless I really enjoy an album, once. Well, assuming I finish it, but I know I sound shallow so let me explain. The reason I won't finish an album (or sometimes even listen to a few minutes) is because I know I'm not in the mood for that music at the time. The first time I listened to The Doors I actually didn't like them, but then a little while later I found myself singing Riders on the Storm, and when I went back to listen to them I loved them.

theneedledrop I think by asking how many times you listen to an album, people more so want to know how much time you devote to listening to the albums. If you were to listen to an album, do you sit and focus putting in 3-5 hours listening to it, or do you put it down and comeback to it over the span of a few days? I ask this as young aspiring music journalist seeking advice of a professional. If possible would you be able to make a video where you talk about exactly how you break down an album? For example, the first time do you focus on the instrumentals, then the second time do you focus on the lyrical content, delivery...etc. I would thank you in advance for any insight you might offer as a music reviewer. Thanks, Andre Roman

It depends for me as well. I had to listen to Vampire Weekend's newest album tons and tons of times before I could really see what they were doing with it. They've always said they've been influenced by soukous and afropop music, and it wasn't until I listened to some soukous/afropop musicians or bands that I could bring myself to see what they were doing. Once I realized that, I fell in love with every single track on the album.

I really enjoy these think piece videos Anthony has been making lately, really adds a new degree of depth to TND beyond just music reviews, sets him apart from most music reviewers as well. Keep it up Anthony!

I don't feel like this has ever been asked. Why do all your videos have weird stutters and glitches? I'm certain it's deliberate.

For me it also depends. for example, Lets say....Blue Album by Weezer, I only needed to listen to it once to know I loved it. Of course I listened to it more then once (I love it for darns sake) but that first listen made me know for sure I loved it. But for an album like...Boarding House Reach by Jack White. I needed to listen to it at least twice to know I firmly enjoyed it.

As a beginning album reviewer, this helps out alot! What I do is that I listen to an album 2 to 3 times before I take down notes and I listen to it again when I am writing the final draft. Yet, it a much longer process with genres you are not familiar with. I do agree that the more you listen to an album the more you understand the music. Thanks again! You are awesome!

@TheLebowski5 ever have love for an album on the 1st spin, but then you hate it later?

Fugazi! Yeeeeeeeah baby!

I would love to The Needle Drop do a series of 'what is the point of x genre?' videos. Can we have those please?

@LukeCowanMusic when i'm reviewing, i'm sitting there and listening/ thinking of what i'm listening to.

@MzSonicjinn yes, the cc feature on here is definitely not perfect.

42

0:51 fucking /mu/ drone

@facesplosion no, it's very much not real. i said for example, lulz.

You just created the most epic album cover I've ever seen.

Came here because of the new let's argue video

Whether Anthony was trained in rhetorical communication or not, understands the position one must take as a rhetorical critic in order to create meaningful discourse from a piece of art. (If these words sound snooty and elitist, I'm sorry, I'm a communications major and this is how I've been habituated to talk). For me, it's really easy for me to know whether I like an album or not, after I listen to a third of it I will usually say: "this, this is the shit right here". Obviously, only listening to a third of album, I can't provide any meaningful analysis of it, and I would need to at least listen to the piece twice to start the process. The first time with letting my mind wander, and the next concentrating on what the words and sounds mean and why they were put together in the order they were put together in. Then I would need to break down sections of tracks and analyse the lyrics (if there are any) of those tracks and put the pieces together. Ultimately the question I would continue to ask myself is: "what are they trying to communicate," and I think this should be the central focus in examining any piece of art.

@thefl0ck hmmmm, dunno. i have to think about that.

For me, if I listen to an album enough, I grow to like it to a certain degree. For example, Modern Vampires of the City I didn't initially like, but it grew on me. I still enjoy Vampire Weekends previous albums better, but I can appreciate the new approach from their third LP.

MAH GAWD. IF AN CO AND GY!BE COLABED I WOULD DIE.

How much time do you have!?!?!?

@egg1111115 most of the time, sitting there and listening.

I couldn't agree more with Anthony here - of course it comes down to how you feel with the album as a whole. Usually I don't listen to all songs an equal number of times. The way I feel about an album is heavily influenced by the songs that stood out the most to me.

I always find I can’t make a solid opinion on an album on first listen as every idea and sound on the album is completely new to you even if the genre is familiar. On a second listen you have heard these aspects of the album and get the chance to get to grips with what you like and dislike about certain parts. A third listen allows you to get more familiar with each song individually and pick up on more lyrics. They don’t have to be back to back but I’ve not liked albums then come back and loved them the answer is just as many as you need

@bernard424 i don't really know anything about thug motivation?

I'm stunned by how professional this guy is. He reviews like one album every fucking second, in detail, very well, and is funny too. How the fuck, Anthony, how the fuck?

When I started listening to music, I began with The Beatles, Billy Joel, and They Might Be Giants. All of which were pretty accessible artists, as in you pretty much need 1 listen on a record to see if you liked it or not. I did not like TMBG's The Spine when I first heard it, neither did I like The Beatles' White Album. I was unaware those albums took multiple listens, and thought they were just flat-out, bad. However, then I eventually got into Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead. RHCP albums (with the strange exception of BSSM) will take 2 listens to fully understand. Radiohead took a lot longer, besides The Bends (being (imo) their most accessible album), and took more listens than just 2 to understand one of their records. Eventually I learned over time that #1, some records take multiple listens and time to settle in, #2 listening with headphones and being more focused on the music will allow you to understand the music a lot quicker (e.g. Animal Collective's MPP took a while for me to fully understand and love, but their debut (STG,STV) took only 1 listen for me to love because I was more focused and wore headphones), #3 don't over-listen since that can ruin the music for you on a long-term scale (e.g. I listened to TDSotM too much, and it's hard for me to listen without thinking it went by too quickly), #4 if a record doesn't sit with you after multiple repeated and focused listens, your feelings on that album have mostly cemented (I've listened to The Glow Pt. 2 and do appreciate it, but I can't see it being one of my favorites for various reasons), and *#5: Just because it doesn't click the first time, does not mean it's bad.* What Anthony brings up has a lot of truth, that there can't simply be a given number, it depends on the artist, it depends how focused you are, it depends on the listening environment, there are many factors that go into such judgement. But once you have strong feelings about what you just listened to that you feel like you can talk about it, then you have a grasp on what you're dealing with and you can make your reviews more enjoyable through that understanding.

@quax94 you're right.

@TheEmerald92 i do!

You have a good point: if the music is of an artist or genre that I'm familiar and comfortable with, then I'm likelier to get it and to like it from the first or second go. But if it makes a less-than-favourable first impression, I'm likely to never touch it again for a while, haha. I have to admit that it's not the best method, since I've lost count of the number of times I disliked a record at first, then came to love it when, on a whim some months later, I decided to listen to it again.

I'll just say that it took me three years of listening to Sublimes 40oz to Freedom album here and there until I finally started to appreciate the album as a whole instead of just a couple songs. Nowadays, 10 years later that album still sits at my number one favorite album I've ever listened to. That's the great thing about music in general. Sometimes it might take a while, but if it has that quality that hooks you and makes you come back for more than you know you have something really special.

@bruslyman sit down and listen. if i have to get up and get something to eat or go to the bathroom, yeah, but it's not like i get up to start ironing or something. i listen and thin about what i'm listening to, lol.

For me its different with every band. For instance, Pixies was an immediate attraction. Where as modest mouse took me forever to appreciate. I nearly had to force feed it to myself, but now its without a shadow of a doubt my favorite band. Some bands have more charisma i guess and others have something perhaps greater than charisma that takes time to fully appreciate.

I'm reminded of a quote from Roger Ebert. Right after he saw Pulp Fiction at Cannes, Quentin Tarantino came up to him and asked him what he thought about it. Roger said "Well, it's either the best or the worst movie of the year, but I don't know yet." I think this translates to some music. Sometimes you need to listen to an album two, three or more times before you can even form an opinion, one way or another. Other times, the record will just strike you the right way and you'll either be repulsed or impressed before the album is done. There can be no set answer to this question, as it depends on the music and one's personal taste.

@JohnTheFaun one day, yes.

I see what you're getting at. It takes less time to digest a familiar sound. I tend to work through albums over again starting with my favourite songs, then moving onto less familiar ones. Once I've processed them all, then I know how I feel about it. It's also good to put the album aside. What I hate today I might love tomorrow.

I agree, I go with feeling as well. But usually I'd say 3 times at the least. Often when I'll listen to a song and I'll hear something I like, but I won't like the song as a whole. After a few more times I finally "get it" or I just never reach that level where I enjoy it all that much.

@MastroCicio i never learned.

I'm going to rate your answer 10 out of 10, and this will be the one and only time I'll watch it. The reason is that I've seen a lot of your videos, so I'm already quite familiar with your work. Excellent Job! Thanks!

@DarkAngelEU meaning of life?

I agree completely with you, i used to force myself to listen to an album at least twice, before I decide whether i like or not, or whether i will give it another spin, but now i just let the music grow up in me; but that might take some time at least in my case, so i believe people wonder how can you make that so quickly considering the amount of reviews you make, and still consider it a reliable opinion. To which i can only say that it's a matter of perspective and oneself have be the judge of the reasons you presented.

if there was ever a collaboration if those artists ever, it would be just fucking incredible. I would be the happiest gentleman alive

It all depends. Sometimes the music just catches my ear and you get hooked Instantly. When I first heard Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Obscura, Gojira and Gotsu Totsu Kotsu I just couldnt stop listening. Then some times it takes a while to grow on you Wolves in the Throne Room, What Mad Universe, Sun Devoured Sun and The Ocean Collective took a while to grow on me. Sometimes it just not there. Gnaw their Tounges, Little Wayne, Liturgy and Metal-core just dont appeal to me.

@Iburnchurches you got it.

I think about this lot and it really depends on the album. For instance with radiohead if you listen to the bends twice you will fall in love with it whereas listening to kid a the first time makes you want to rip your ears off, it took me about 20 listens at least before I finally got into it, never be too judgemental but be patient instead. The music you love the most is the music which grows on you over time

@kirkom45 i didn't see it in the cover.

Could've just said something like "usually around 2-5 times" though.

@btf34 it's a very curious day.

@nicellisbrown not really an OST guy.

I'd say it depends too. As a critic, I'd say it'd be important to try and find the point that the artist was trying to create. As a casual listener and music lover, I'd say you should make your decision whether you like it or not after at least 3 listens to be fair. Most of the time for me if I'm listening to a new album that's been recommended to be good, I'll listen to it twice to figure out my favorite tracks and only return to it if I want to

@rockomundo hell yeah it did

When i listen to an album for the first time, unless i REALLY love it right off the bat, i usually have to listen to it a few times and then i leave it for a couple weeks and come back and i love it.

@PhantomBunny888 What I hate today I might love tomorrow: Story of my life.

hey melon, i really respect you as a music reviewer. i also write reviews for a magazine and yes I do agree, there isn't a set amount of times you can listen to a music before you decide to hate it or why you like it.

@CringeworthyMark done and done.

@chrissk08 it is.

i've ended up with about 10,000 songs in my mp3/flac library, so i decided to pare it down to just the songs that give me some kind of positive emotion. i've been metalling (started with metallica, megadeth) since i was about 14. i'm 30 now; i still like classic metallica/megadeth/etc albums, but i'm more death metalish these days. so i can easily reject metal i don't like within a few seconds. if it's melodic death metal, incomprehensible black metal, heavily blues influenced, it probably goes in the trash. if it's punchy death metal with unexpected rhythm changes, and guttural vocals with grindhouse lyrics, i'm there dude. i'm slash and burn about my collection right now. i'll know i've gone too far if i deem my library repetitive or my favorite songs get stale.

I agree with Anthony 100% on this every album is different. for me if I drive around in my car and listen to see if the album causes me to skip to the next song.9 times out of 10 if it bores me to death while driving it's not worth listening to again.

Your answer is reassuring. I think the reason people ask you how many times you listen to an album is because they want the assurance that you didn't dismiss something without giving it a chance. I wonder about what effect trying to - or being required to by an editor - churn out a large quantity of reviews has on the quality and fairness of reviews. It doesn't help when I read reviews with factual errors or wrong song titles or lyrics. :/

I listen to it until i can recognize each song without seeing the name and be able to sing/hum along

Heres how it goes for me: Rap: 1-2 Jazz: 1-4 Pop: 1-2 EDM: 2-5 Metal: 1-2 Classical: 1-4 French House: 1-5 Vaporwave: 3-6 All the genres I can think of right now. It's 12:30. I need sleep.

@ROCKXXSTAR1 embrace change.

@SpinalChamp you are?