Next year I’m meant to listen to an album each and every day. When I say listen, I mean really listen, take heed, absorb, LISTEN. I’m practising right now and it’s a right disaster. Last week my holiday packing incorporated headphones and three albums on my iPhone, and being holidays, practising the art of listening proved straightforward, right? Not at all – I failed miserably. The days were busy and for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to concentrate in an antisocial manner.
Why? When I was young, listening to music was like breathing fresh air. Easy as easy could be. Having fallen out of the habit over the last decade (two decades?), it feels alien to listen deeply, absorbedly. I see the same phenomenon with 60s-aged friends who say they can’t read books, so they don’t ever do so, not at all. Put them in a book group, however, force them to read a book a month, and after a year or so, bingo, they become committed readers.
The lesson for me? Practise now and get over this reluctance!
(Photo via Visual Hunt)
so we are now hoping (expecting?) you to nominate your “best track of the week” *and ultimately a related “Top 50 tracks for the year”…
yes, the lazy ones amongst us are happy to let you bring us up to date – thankyou Mr Rock editor!
You listen on our behalf and we can just consume mindlessly ! 🙂
Nothing wrong with enjoying the music we love, even if Andres Kabel criticizes listening stasis. Ron, I do plan eventually (end of next year?) to start a proper reviewing site, hopefully of sufficient quality and breadth to assist the “lazy ones,” as you label them. But this year, I just don’t have the time or energy. I’ll document what I’ve listened to but it’ll be kinda quirky, and may or may not be that useful. I note you went to a heap of concerts last year. This year?