How do you tend to "digest" your favorite music?

[fitear1590 2414]

Something I've been thinking about for a while...

Do you think of your favorite music in terms of bands, albums, songs, or even genres?

For instance, I tend to think about my favorite music in terms of favorite bands.  Though last.fm has kind of helped me to "visualize" this, I can more or less tell you what my favorite bands are.  However, when someone asks me what my favorite albums are, I have trouble since I usually have a more holistic approach to bands.  It's usually a band's entire discography (or however much I've listened to) that helps me determine how much I like them.  Picking a favorite album (particularly when bands have many other types of releases like singles, mini-albums/EPs, etc) almost always means leaving out some favorite song featured on another release.  Only rarely does a band pack almost all of my favorite songs onto one album, so I can undoubtedly say that such and such album is a favorite of mine.

And then others have NO problem listing out tons of albums that they consider their favorites.  

 

Other people, like my brother for instance, seem more genre-oriented.  He seems to like all kinds of metal, though I hardly ever hear him mention particular bands that he likes the best.

So how does everyone here tend to "digest" their favorite music?
By band, album, song, genre, or something else entirely? Or maybe a combination of these?
DISCUSS!

[bukimi_heishi 62]

I am a lot like you fitear!  I think of my favorite music in terms of bands which for me are decided by the amount of music of that band that I like. However, most of the time I can't tell you a favorite album of that band unless there is some other factor besides just thier music. For example I often consider Withering to Death my favorite album of Dir en grey but that is mostly because of the memories I have attached with that album.

[Pandabear 414]

Same, I tend to categorize my music by favorite bands. It's the quality of a work and personal taste of course, which determines which bands end being my favorite. I can easily do the same with albums. Instead of giving out a list of my favorite bands I'll give out a list of my favorite albums by my favorite bands and other bands who I may not favor equally, but who have put out at least one stellar release. I can't stick to something like genres, because I like all types and can equally love music of different styles. 

[saltofstones 136]

I used to have favorite bands and I still do consider a selected few as being my absolute favorites, but lately I tend to think of my favorite music more in terms of albums. I find that it's very hard for a band to consistently release quality material or at least a majority of it (quality as in being to my liking since there's a lot of subjectivity involved in what constitutes a quality release). There are bands that almost always release stuff I absolutely love (ex. The Birthday Massacre, DEG, Ling Tosite Sigure), but there are also bands who have certain releases I really enjoyed, but not necessarily all their stuff is that good in my eyes. I tend to think most bands fall in the last category for me, hence why my favorite music is usually certain albums and less certain bands. When it comes to my favorite bands, yes, I have trouble picking an absolute favorite album since I love them all. As for genres, I like a lot of them, but there's also quite a lot of stuff I don't like in almost all of them so they're not that representative for my music taste. Also there are genres that I usually dislike but there's still one or two bands I find amazing in that particular genre. I use genres as vague indicators for what I might like, but ultimately the sound of that particular band is what matter the most.

[LIDL 692]

I just listen to them.

It grows slowly most of the time.

Unless it is super ear catchy.

But if it isn't then bad luck.

[ronluna 17]

i used to listen to all the tracks in an album of my favorite bands and artists a few years back, but due to my favorites growing in number, releasing new albums and releases, i only transfer songs with music videos (excluding the video clip) on my cellphone and keep the other tracks in my computer. when a song catches an attention, i usually play it many times in youtube and other video and mp3 playing sites and transfer it in my mobile. if i heard another one, i play it also by that method and delete the older one. i play songs more in my mobile than online.

[evilcoconut 109]

More or less the same as OP. I have a super hard time picking favorite albums from favorite bands and I usually categorize my favorite music in terms of favorite artists.  However, I have some exceptions, for example I like trip-hop, but I don't follow particular artists for the most part, I listen to trip-hop radio via the internet and so it's just a sound I'm after.  I generally assume my favorite artists are the ones with the most plays on Last FM lol

[Zeus 7997]

I digest my favorite music much how I digest all music: slowly.

How I feel about any given release depends on my mood, what type of music resonates with me most, and how long it's been since I've last listened to an album. When I get a new release, I clear my mind of any expectations and dive right in. Before forming any opinions, I listen multiple times. The more I listen to a release or song, the more it opens up.

Music is like a good book - when you go back to it you notice things that you didn't see the first time, or maybe you'll interpret a passage differently, or maybe something you once hated you now begin to like. As pretentious as it sounds, we all do it. On one go through I may listen to the song in it's entirety to experience how things gel together - how does the guitar and the drums complement the voice, what is the rhythm like, etc. On subsequent listens I'll listen primarily to the guitar, or the slaps of the bass, or the vocals, or the drums. Once I get an idea of what an instrument is doing, I can see how all the pieces fit together (or maybe fail to fit together) for a certain song.

If I'm not in the mood for a particular genre that day, I'll give it a listen and then in a few days I go back and see if it resonates with me.

Most importantly, I always try more than one release from a band and I never have high expectations. Bands progress; sometimes they get better and sometimes they don't. A good example for me would be Yousei Teikoku. I could not stand Fairy's vocals on GOTHIC LOLITA PROPAGANDA but I remember the arrangements of the songs to be quite good. On their newest release, PAX VESANIA, my main gripe was resolved and I found a solid album. Had I kept my preconceptions of how much the band sucked off of my one and only time listening to them, I would have missed something interesting.

Then again, if I try a few releases and I get the same response more or less, I eventually stop checking out a band because a pattern has formed and I'm not buying what they're selling. But to get to that point, I would have listened to two or three release already with an open mind so my judgement has basis. This does not mean that I will disregard all future releases from said band. If a release is particularly praised I'll pick it up to see if the band has progressed - of course with an open mind ready to accept anything.