That's interesting, because it really feels like the exact opposite for me and it actually somehow hasn't even occurred to me before that others feel differently. I listen to a ton of music, and after years of hearing a large and broad selection of things, I feel like almost any and every song sounds basically the same as almost any and every other.
The few times I hear something that I consider genuinely novel and creative, I get very excited. I still listen to dozens of new albums per month, every month, just to chase that dragon of finding something actually original like that.
I don't really have an emotional response to music, generally, or even perceive what I'd think of as an emotional landscape, so that might explain the difference here. I just really enjoy music, and enjoy trying to make it, too.
To me it feels like it's just something that can be intrinsically pleasurable. Like Jackson Pollock - I feel zero emotion from any of his work, but it's extremely intrinsically enjoyable and my favorite visual art that I've seen. My favorite music is exactly like that (and often even shares some structural similarities to Pollock's work and techniques). When I look at a Pollock painting or listen to one of my favorite songs, it just feels like wireheading; it feels kind of like a lot of dopamine activity somewhere in my brain, basically. An appreciation of the pure aesthetics and "good"ness, with zero emotional sentiment or perception about it.
Out of curiosity, how many previously-unheard albums do you generally listen to every year?
>To me it feels like it's just something that can be intrinsically pleasurable. Like Jackson Pollock - I feel zero emotion from any of his work, but it's extremely intrinsically enjoyable and my favorite visual art that I've seen. My favorite music is exactly like that (and often even shares some structural similarities to Pollock's work and techniques). When I look at a Pollock painting or listen to one of my favorite songs, it just feels like wireheading; it feels kind of like a lot of dopamine activity somewhere in my brain, basically. An appreciation of the pure aesthetics and "good"ness, with zero emotional sentiment or perception about it.
I've never heard this put in words but that's broadly how I feel about a range of stimuli that is not limited to art or music. I haven't been able to find a clear rule as to what triggers this response.
>Out of curiosity, how many previously-unheard albums do you generally listen to every year?
I couldn't give you a precise measure but definitely in the 200+ range (although this doesn't imply a thorough listen in 90% of cases). Maybe fewer than 1 in 20 songs give me an immediate compelling landscape where I want to listen to it on repeat, but when they do I instantly recognize it. These songs can be unpredictably varied, from classical to obscure autotuned rap and everything in between. The landscape can be typically unrelated to the meaning or theme of the song, and is far more closely linked to the actual melody or instrumentation. For songs that induce a low level of interest, the landscape is very thin and not enjoyable. Sometimes it is even mentally painful to listen to songs I dislike. When I am tired or stressed, most songs can get irritating to listen to and I get close to the impression that all music is the same.
Additionally, it's possible for a landscape to change the more I listen to a specific song or genre. There are some genres like metal that I used to never listen to, but my relationship with most genres has changed quite a bit over the years. I generally classify songs as sunny or dark, sunny being the wireheading type and dark being the intense landscaping (the name comes from the fact that positive songs tend to be the former and more pensive songs tend to be the latter)
The few times I hear something that I consider genuinely novel and creative, I get very excited. I still listen to dozens of new albums per month, every month, just to chase that dragon of finding something actually original like that.
I don't really have an emotional response to music, generally, or even perceive what I'd think of as an emotional landscape, so that might explain the difference here. I just really enjoy music, and enjoy trying to make it, too.
To me it feels like it's just something that can be intrinsically pleasurable. Like Jackson Pollock - I feel zero emotion from any of his work, but it's extremely intrinsically enjoyable and my favorite visual art that I've seen. My favorite music is exactly like that (and often even shares some structural similarities to Pollock's work and techniques). When I look at a Pollock painting or listen to one of my favorite songs, it just feels like wireheading; it feels kind of like a lot of dopamine activity somewhere in my brain, basically. An appreciation of the pure aesthetics and "good"ness, with zero emotional sentiment or perception about it.
Out of curiosity, how many previously-unheard albums do you generally listen to every year?