He just got a pair of RBH speakers, speakers that would let him hear things he’d never heard before. After spending almost 400 bucks, he got them home, plugged them into his amplifier, opened the clear plastic CD case, and inserted the silver disc into the player. He opened the liner notes as a heartbeat began flooding his room forcing him to not only hear it, but to feel it. He listened intently as one song fluidly transitioned to the next, the stereo imaging of his new speakers making him feel as though the band was in front of him, and the footsteps of “On the Run” were just outside the door. He sat in awe as Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon completely engulfed him and took over his mind and body. He didn’t know whether to scream, laugh, or cry, all he knew was that this is how music should be.
In recent years, the art of the album has started to disappear especially in pop music. Albums used to be made as pieces of art containing overwhelming emotion, poetry, and outstanding musicianship. Artists would tirelessly work on their art, almost like they needed to, and meticulously order their music that made for the absolute best experience possible. But nowadays, we’re seeing all of this start to disappear. Nowadays, pop albums are just a random collection of sterile “perfect” songs written by a group of 15 guys just doing it for a paycheck. There’s no more passion, there’s no more art, and there’s no more human element. Every vocal track is completely altered with auto-tune, every drum track is locked perfectly to a grid, and guitars and basses aren’t even plugged into amps anymore. One of the greatest things about music is that raw, human element. Things like guitars feeding back, hearing a subtle voice crack during a painful, emotional scream, and strings sliding softly on the strings during quick chord changes. Bands don’t sound like bands anymore, everything is so overwhelming, overproduced, and sterile.
One of the big contributors to the death of the album experience is streaming services and playlists. Every casual listener these days just presses shuffle on random playlists and always just listens to music in the background. People used to save up all of their money just to go and buy a record or a CD and would sit in front of their stereo and be completely immersed in this album. Albums just weren’t a bunch of singles strewn together in this mess, they were complete pieces of art. Before streaming, playlists, and physical media slowly losing momentum, artists would find art for the liner notes inside the album, enhancing the listeners’ experience.
Have you ever wondered why concerts are so expensive, and artists have the audacity to sell a t-shirt for 40 bucks? It’s because musicians have been forced to, just to make a living. Most income used to be made by record sales. Fans and listeners would pay for records and CDs because it was worth it, lives were changed by albums. Most bands wouldn’t even think about pricing their tickets, or merch over 20 bucks. One of my favorite bands of all time, Fugazi, have never sold a ticket more than 5 dollars, even when they became one of the biggest bands of the 90’s.
All of this isn’t to say music as a whole is going completely downhill forever, great and passionate music is always being released, so listen to it and support it. Try sitting down with your headphones and experience a full length album, not as songs in the background, but as a piece of art that completely consumes you. Go to local shows, meet artists, and buy a t- shirt here and there. This really makes a huge difference to up and coming artists. Try buying a CD for your car and really appreciate the art on the cover, the lyrics in the liner notes, and all the other art in and on the case.
As he took the CD back out of his system and carefully placed it back into the case, he couldn’t help but feel so much appreciation for the music he has the privilege to experience. He stared at all the albums that changed his life over the years and just wished that others could share this same passion.
