To new pastures: the idea behind the album of the week

After having gone through a couple of albums of the week, I thought that it might be useful to cast some light on the idea behind this kind of (for want of a better word) project and how this came about.

To do that, I have to back up to my youth in which I was an ardent muisc listener, diggesting tons of music and always being eager to get to know new bands, new kinds of music, new records, etc. But as time passend on and daily obligations became more, I (without ever conciously deciding to) inevitably settled on the kind of music I listened to and stayed within the realm at which I had arrived. This is not to say that it is bad - in fact, I think it is quite commin and I still absolutely adore the things I usually (listen and) listened to (country, folk, blues with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Leonard Cohen as my personal heroes): I still consider this to be my "musical home."

But at the same time I sensed a kind of (at worst) apathy to discover new music and the idea of even listening to and subjecting yourself to listening to an unknown record instead of just resorting to the well-known (and appreciated) classics started to become amlost a burden.

To break out of the rut and to rediscover the joy of discovering new music, I started the (again for want of a better word) the idea of listening to one new album a week. One album seemed (with regard to time) feasible and the idea of writing at least a quick paragraph about any such album leads to a sort of sustainable listening experience on my part, in which I honestly and attentivly listen to the album and the music just doesn't pass me by without leaving the slightest trace. It is also - if you will - a sort of meditative experience, a conscious moment of slowing down, immersing yourself in something and actually engaging with a record without being endlessly distracted. Ultimately (and this is the icing on the cake), it is of course also a "prextext" for actually writing, which I do enjoy, but rarely do (the horror of the blank page is oh so terrifying ;-)).

The selection for the album of every week is utterly random and can be based on mood or sheer happenstance (e.g. seeing an advert on the tube). Generally the albums can be categorized in 3 categories:

1. a band/artist I've never listend to (not even a song), but which was (in some way: friend, adverts, forums, etc.) recommended to me and caught my fancy
2. a band/artist I know a few songs of, but have never actually listened to a full album 
3. a band/artist of which I know perhaps already a bit/a considerable part of their catalogue, but of which I want to hear more or with which I want to keep up 

Having put that out of the way, let's keep on discovering (hopefully awesome & nourishing) new music!