There's nothing like the gift of new music from your favorite band. REM has a new album, due for release on October 5th. I've been looking forward to this date for a few months, perhaps years. I can still remember the joy of learning the ins and outs of their 2001 release, Reveal. I spent weeks with that CD on repeat, memorizing every word, every note, every instrumental, every pause. I have precise memories of where I was while reaching epiphanies about certain songs - riding the 71 MUNI westbound on Haight Street (Track 10), leaving my then-boyfriend's apartment down the west slope of Mt. Sutro (Track 1), lounging in my apartment in the dark with S and L (Track 2), sitting at my bench in lab (Track 4). Each listen brought new clarity to the enigmatic lyrics. The fullness and beauty of the songs, the complexity of the instrumental layering, and the thoughtfulness of the musical construction - all unfolded over time. Within weeks, I knew that CD like the back of my fucking hand.
Familiarizing myself with a new CD is a highly anticipated event. I have already made plans to slap down my $17 at the local Amoeba Records precisely at opening time on October 5th. From there, it will be THE CD in my CD player for weeks. But last night a wrench was thrown into my thinking. This entire CD, for which I thought I had to wait 13 more days, is available in full (for free) on myspace.com. What do I do now? Break the anticipation and sink my teeth in? Or wait for the full series of events: cut the cellophane wrapper, open the case, read the insert, marvel at the artwork, remove the CD, place it in my player, and listen. I am perplexed. Modern technology is fucking with my head. I am left......conflicted.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
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5 comments:
A similar thing happened with Wilco's new album - it was leaked, so Wilco put it on their site for free and asked that downloaders make a contribution to Doctors Without Borders.
I feel more and more brotherhood with vinyl grouches as digital music becomes more prevalent. I say wait for the disc.
Yeah, I'd wait. For music that I'm not passionate about I'll download, but for artists I truly adore I get extra benefits from actually having the real CD that will, for you, more than compensate for the extra wait. Besides, you've been waiting since 2001 - what's another couple weeks?
I listened to it this morning. Then read this post. Then felt bad for listening. Although I was not listening very closely, so perhaps I can claim some level of new-album virginhood. I just got the "Garden State" soundtrack, so perhaps I'll turn my attention toward that for the next couple of weeks.
The best thing about Garden State is the soundtrack. There are also some key lessons burried in that film. But on the whole, I was disappoited. The relationship seemed forced.
I'm waiting for official release. For now, I'm listening to Reveal again.
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