“All of my favourite albums have this incredible amount of conceptual glue to them, even if they are not telling a story.” – Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance
Albums are a gift to music. For a while they were one of the only ways to listen to music on demand. Now we are free to play whatever songs we want in whatever order we want. That comes with certain benefits, but when we give up the limits of the album, we limit our experience with music.
Good albums create complex arguments and tell epic stories. They strengthen themes and grant context to their songs. Their songs intertwine and weave together a grand image. When we listen to a single song, we see a few colors. When we listen to an album, we see an entire painting. The better the album, the better the picture.
In another way, a good album’s songs are like a group of close friends. Each friend brings out a different side of the other. When you lose one friend, you lose the part of yourself that friend brought out. If you lose a song from an album, you lose the meaning that song brought out in the other songs.
Then there’s the matter of the artist’s intent. Anybody can arrange various songs into a playlist, but listening to albums is listening to music as the artist arranged it to be heard. In a way, we do artists justice by listening to their albums. It’s opening our minds to their whole discussion.
A good album is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a collage of songs that make each other better. It’s the experience an artist has created for her audience.
Good albums make good songs better. Don’t abandon the album.
Let me know what you think. What makes an album good? What are some of your favorite albums? I’m looking forward to your responses!
Thanks for reading!