Krankenhaus: An Omen?

If the new BSP album next year is an extension of the Krankenhaus? EP, then it will not only be the best of the year, but it could be legendary. This is a good chance to go legendary. Two solid albums in the books, excellent live performances, it just feels like they are ready to launch into the stratosphere. I've been eagerly awaiting anything new from them because of this potential. The Krankenhaus? EP shows it. They're ready. I haven't had such giddy anticipation for an album in years. Really. Think about if you knew that one of your Nine was going to be released in February. That's what I'm feeling right now.

Music Here and There

I don't branch out very much in my music listening. I know that's really jacked up, though, because when I do I always find something I like. i.e. LCD Soundsystem. I'd listened to them before I saw them open for Arcade Fire but I'd written them off quick as lightening. Then I saw them and was impressed. I came home and started listening to them and, hey, what do you know? I really like LCD Soundsystem. Shame on me.

I don't know how music critics do it. The folks at Pitchfork must listen to hundreds of bands a week. Do they get to the point where it's easy to know what is good and what isn't without spending a week or a month on an album? Do they ever write a review that cans an album only to realize a year or two later that they were completely wrong? I mean most of the time it takes me a good five or six listen-throughs of an album to even begin getting a feel for it--let alone if I like it or think it's good. Of course, there are the magic albums where I immediately know I love them (Alligator, Hissing Fauna, Who Will Cut Our Hair, Chutes, Gimme Fiction, ). Usually I have to listen and listen and listen and listen. And I guess, after looking at that last sentence, maybe I just don't put in the time to get to know new music.

I've never listened to more music in my life than I did in 2005. I listened to everything that came out. I listened to everything than anyone would recommend. The fact of the matter is I just don't have the time to live my whole life like that. I was listening nearly every minute at work and maybe an hour or two at home at night. Now I don't listen at work very closely (my music plays in the background--no headphones). And when I get home I want to listen to the stuff I know I like; I don't want to have to work through an album, you know? I just want the release of familiarity.

But what would I be missing out on if I didn't put in the time? Okkervil River. Ted Leo. Spoon. Sufjan. AMFM. Wilco (who I know I'm still missing out on because I haven't put in the necessary listening time). Those are some of my favorite bands. And the ones I've had to work the hardest at getting to know. And the bands I listen to now instead of listening to new music. They've risen to that place. Maybe I've gotten to a point where I know what I like and I don't have to pressure myself to listen to everything like I did in 2005. Maybe I can let the music come to me instead of going out and searching every corner for it. That'd be great. I could put on Islands and not worry about what else I should be listening to instead of Islands.

Recent music I've been listening to

I think I've mentioned I've been trying to go through a lot of music that I have that I don't know to well to see if I really like it or not.

So far:

Like: Rainer Maria, Midlake, Dismemberment Plan. I listened to "Change" the other day and felt this weird excitement. I felt as if I KNEW I was going to like them, but I couldn't until I listened to the album a few more times. But I could just tell that a future listen was going to be awesome, when I finally got it.

Ne feelings: Andrew Bird, Pedro the Lion. Both drifted by. I was most disappointed by Bird ebcause I thought I liked his album last I listened to it. Not so much, I guess.

In other news, I still love Sam's Town