I'm pretty sure I know what Entertainment Weekly's album of the year is going to be.
(This is a little game I play with myself--see if I can peg what pop culture items are going to wind up on year-end lists now that 2012 is already more than half over.)
Unless something unbelievably brilliant comes out between now and December, it would seem that Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel... will take the top spot.
Do I agree that it should? Yes.
Did I listen to it? Yes.
Did I listen to it more than once? No.
When I tell people that I think the best album of the year is one I only listened to once, they shake their heads at me.
"It can't be that good if you only listened to it once."
It occurred to me after I heard this that music is the only art form in which we demand that something have substance AND make us want to experience it over and over again.
I've only seen Gone with the Wind once.
I've only read The Grapes of Wrath once.
I've only ever seen any episode of The Sopranos once.
And when I mention that to people, they seem to think it's totally reasonable. You don't have to experience any of those things more than once to understand their importance.
Yet with music we feel like a great album means one you can't help but listen to over and over.
We say this despite the fact that some music is meant to be intense, uncomfortable, or even disturbing. And that's fine--as long as it's also catchy, otherwise it's no good--right?
In all actuality, I'm a believer that it shouldn't take too many tries for something to make an impression on you. Sure, some stuff is better the second time around, but most things grab you right away.
The Idler Wheel isn't what I'm listening to right now, but I can appreciate the workmanship that went into it. Top Ten and Best of Lists aren't necessarily about what your favorite movie, show, or album is of any particular year, but what you were most impressed by--or maybe I'm wrong.
What do you think?
(This is a little game I play with myself--see if I can peg what pop culture items are going to wind up on year-end lists now that 2012 is already more than half over.)
Unless something unbelievably brilliant comes out between now and December, it would seem that Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel... will take the top spot.
Do I agree that it should? Yes.
Did I listen to it? Yes.
Did I listen to it more than once? No.
When I tell people that I think the best album of the year is one I only listened to once, they shake their heads at me.
"It can't be that good if you only listened to it once."
It occurred to me after I heard this that music is the only art form in which we demand that something have substance AND make us want to experience it over and over again.
I've only seen Gone with the Wind once.
I've only read The Grapes of Wrath once.
I've only ever seen any episode of The Sopranos once.
And when I mention that to people, they seem to think it's totally reasonable. You don't have to experience any of those things more than once to understand their importance.
Yet with music we feel like a great album means one you can't help but listen to over and over.
We say this despite the fact that some music is meant to be intense, uncomfortable, or even disturbing. And that's fine--as long as it's also catchy, otherwise it's no good--right?
In all actuality, I'm a believer that it shouldn't take too many tries for something to make an impression on you. Sure, some stuff is better the second time around, but most things grab you right away.
The Idler Wheel isn't what I'm listening to right now, but I can appreciate the workmanship that went into it. Top Ten and Best of Lists aren't necessarily about what your favorite movie, show, or album is of any particular year, but what you were most impressed by--or maybe I'm wrong.
What do you think?
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