Everyone has heard the “hit singles” that have been played again and again on the radio. And sometimes it seems as though everyone knows all of the words, but nobody knows who sings it, or even the name of the song itself. Now, as nice as that might be for those who simply want to enjoy their rides home, there is still something missed in hearing singles and singles alone. Artists put large amounts of time and effort into compiling full albums. From soundtracks to simple inter-song transitions to being able to piece together a full story through the song procession, an album is a piece of art in and of itself, and it is not to be underrated.
Somewhere this is easily seen is in soundtracks. For films, listeners can relive the movie through its music. Those that work to compile film soundtracks take painstaking care to most successfully reflect the major themes, tone and characters of the movie. There are, of course, the iconic movie soundtracks, like that of the new version of The Great Gatsby, but the artistry doesn’t stop there.
See, films are unique in that they also sometimes get scores, or instrumental music that is composed specifically for the movie at hand. A good score adds innumerable layers to any movie scene, but a really good score is one that you can listen to on your own and still enjoy. Because honestly, if you say you haven’t jammed out to the Star Wars theme song at least once, you’re probably (definitely) lying to yourself.
However, some albums don’t even need an external plot to tell their own story. For example, Troye Sivan’s Blue Neighbourhood focuses on his hometown and process of growing up and moving away, as shown in the title itself. Other albums, like The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, have been said to create a completely separate narrator so as to make the story flow better. These albums have been deemed “concept albums” because of how all of their songs are interconnected, and they manage to take a bunch of great individual pieces and make them into something even better.
Album-making is a process that is full of questions. How does the artist want to pace it? If there’s a ballad, where does it go? What opens the album? What closes it? And what gets released as a single? Therefore, being able to appreciate a full album and not just all of the songs on their own is a great way to understand the creative process of some of your favorite artists. Be them on vinyl or on iTunes, albums are definitely worth the time to listen through all the way and to get not just into the music, but how it feels as well.
