The Gist

So I like to read self-help stuff. So what. 

Well, the 'what' is that these days, I see more and more suggestions for you to have an e-presence, that is, a website or blog or profile on the internet. So here's mine. 

I listen to a ton of music so I knew my e-presence would probably be something related to my infatuation. At the end of 2013 I had a great conversation with a friend who has excellent taste in music and our conversation turned to popular music. For the record, I think 90% of the music on the Billboard charts is crap. It's like chicken fingers: cheap, easy to make, and for the most part everyone likes 'em. Until you have a good steak. Like a really good one. Then you realize just how plain and forgettable the chicken fingers you usually eat are. 

Our conversation was about how some of hip hop's recent releases are basically one or two singles surrounded by a bunch of filler tracks, without substance or content. I mentioned that part of the problem is that most artists aren't interested in making a total record anymore. It's much faster and more lucrative to produce a single every few weeks and then release them on a disc with a bunch of superficial crap to make the album full-length. She agreed, adding that a lot of today's 'rappers' are only rappers in the since that they speak in rhyme over a beat, not really endeavoring to contribute to their culture or art form. 

This conversation got me thinking. Which for the record (ha, get it?) I do a lot. With how easy it is to make a record (all you really need is a MacBook, a decent mic, and Garageband), there has to be plenty of artists out there who are making records. Like real records. Like make you wanna sit down with a nice pair of cans and just listen, top to bottom. Not hear the music while you do the dishes or finish a homework assignment, but just sit and enjoy every single lyric, solo, and nuance the album offers.

So that's what I'm doing. I'll pick an album for every week of 2014 and listen to it all the way through. I'll do my research, don't worry. I'll pick old stuff, new stuff, mainstream, and undiscovered gems from wherever I can and after multiple listens, I'll tell you guys what I think. 

Obviously my impressions will be subjective. That's what an impression is - something that the album impresses upon me. My impressions presumably, will be different than yours. That's a good thing. In any case, I know I'll enjoy it and hopefully you'll get something out of it too.