How to listen to Violet Hill and Coldplay's new album!

[Saffire]

It occurred to me that the process of evaluating a new song or record should be similar to tasting wine. After all, if connoisseurs of wine go the extra length to maximize their enjoyment of it, why shouldn't music lovers do the same? And just like wine, Coldplay's new album contains many different "tastes" or elements of music:

 

 

Brian Eno, Coldplay (obviously), African strings, and Spanish influences. Maybe we'll spot more as we hear it. Anyway, here are my recommendations for what to do on a first listen:

 

1. Relax, no stress: Make sure you've got all your petty chores and homework out of the way.

2. Make it an experience, not an experiment: Don't sit in a dark room with headphones on when you first listen to Violet Hill. Be doing something fun, like driving to a friend's house or jogging outdoors in this nice spring weather. Your mind will make a more positive association with the music that way.

3. Remember that wine tasters usually hang out with friends and compare thoughts. But our opinions are easily swayed when we are exposed to drama queens (I LOVED IT/I HATED IT crowds)... wait a few hours after hearing it before hitting the Coldplaying forums to see what others think. Coldplay is talking to you as an individual through their music, not to a group of people collectively.

4. Clease the Palate - Don't listen to other Coldplay music for a few days before the track comes out. In fact, listen to stuff in a totally different genre, or lay off music entirely for a short while.

 

If anyone else has other thoughts or ideas along these lines, go ahead and add them in a post below! Tell us what you do to enjoy new music.

[Hotplay007]

well that's cool! great advice, thanks!!:thumbsup:

[Pseudonym]

Well, with Parachutes, my first album, I was playing video games while listening. With the other two albums, I heard them in the car. So that worked out pretty well. Mostly Im planning on just listening to all the songs once through while doing something on the computer or something. But that is some great advice and I will definitaley take some of it to heart.

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

i'm more of a fan of listening to the music for the first time while not doing anything, because if i'm doing something at the time, whatever i'm doing will forever be associated with that song, and sometimes that's not always a good thing! i like to make the associations in my mind based on what the music makes me think of rather than what i'm doing at the time.

 

for violet hill, since it'll be played so early in my timezone, i'll just be sitting on my bed with headphones on, and i plan to not do anything else while the song is playing besides letting it wash over me. i've been waiting for it too long to get screwed up by me being distracted by something else!

 

but great tips! :D i especially agree with the one about waiting a bit before coming on the board to rip it apart and be swayed by other people's opinions.

[TraceOddity]

That's almost EXACTLY what I did with X&Y, only I had insence and real wine to go with it,lol.

 

In an age where we download songs more than albums, it's still a wonderful thrill to get a whole album on hard copy and put it on an treat it like and event!! Nice post, Saffire. That made me soooo happy!:)

[RunForTheHills]

I think the advice you gave in points 1, 3 and 4 are very good, and I'll definitely try to do most of things to maximise the experience. The one thing i can't do though, is listen to music I care about or have been anticipating while doing something else, if its my first listen. Sometimes I think even playing certain music in the car doesn't do it justice. But I'm afraid i think the best way I'll get the most out of this album is by sitting alone in my room in the dark on my bed with headphones on. That way you can listen to the music as it was crafted - with no background noises or distractions. Thats my personal method of enjoying it, but obviously after the first few plays I wouldn't be afraid of playing it loud through the downstairs speakers or whatever, with other people around. As you said, the music was initially made for you to listen to it individually. And i want that first impression to be as good as possible without having other people commenting between tracks or whatever.

And i think headphones are the best way of listening to an album anyway, in its pure form... even on the best of stereos, I can't help but feel that it does the music a bit of disservice. Although once I know the music off by heart, I don't hesitate to play it full blast on the stereo ;)

 

But great advice overall, although I'll find it a bit difficult not to listen to any old Coldplay music for the week leading up to VLV. We'll see how that goes :P

[TraceOddity]

I love listening to my music alone in my room in the dark. I'm glad I'm not the only one because it seemed so...Morrissey,lol.

 

I guess if you want to listen to it as it was crafted, you could go to your nearest recording studio and hear it through the best equipment available...if you know someone with a studio..oh wait...I DO!!:D

[FixYougirl]

Tracie, i've just read Coldplay will give a concert in Quebec in July. I hope you could attend this concert. I don't know where you live in Canada which is a huge country, right ? "

Coldplay To Play 'Summer Festival' In Quebec, 3rd July 2008

Coldplay will be performing on the opening day at the outdoor Summer Festival in Quebec on 3rd July, according to French media. Coldplay are rumoured to be playing at the Plains of Abraham which is the biggest of the open field venues. Other bands playing include Linkin Park and Yes.

[Kacey]

I'm definately going to be tempted to learn all the songs on the piano straight away, but I'll try my best to at least refrain from doing that the first few days.

 

Should have nice weather by June, so I'm going to want to listen to it while taking a walk outside. :)

That always gets me feeling deep...perfect for listening to music.

[bart]

I starved myself before X & Y came out...

then I got it and listened to it many many times thearafterds !

[winigwl]

since i plan on hearing violet hill on the computer for the first time, i will just listen on the computer. The album however, i will listen to in my room with no disruptions. unless i can't wait and start listening in the car

[TraceOddity]

Tracie, i've just read Coldplay will give a concert in Quebec in July. I hope you could attend this concert. I don't know where you live in Canada which is a huge country, right ? "

Coldplay To Play 'Summer Festival' In Quebec, 3rd July 2008

Coldplay will be performing on the opening day at the outdoor Summer Festival in Quebec on 3rd July, according to French media. Coldplay are rumoured to be playing at the Plains of Abraham which is the biggest of the open field venues. Other bands playing include Linkin Park and Yes.

 

THANK YOU! I knew about the festival, but I didn't know the dates, or the url for info. I live about two and a half hours from Montreal, QU, so if I can get tickets I plan to be there unless I'm working.:)

[givelovesolong]

Great advice, dude.

 

I like all the points, but just like some others, I don't think I can stop listening to COLDPLAY in these last couple of days, lol. I've not been able to stop listening to the entire TORONTO LIVE 2006 concert on my iPod/ computer... AMAZING!!

 

This is a weird question -- but clearly only a music (Coldplay) fan would understand -- but does anyone think not listening to Coldplay in these last couple of days actually like, helps make the new stuff seem... better? Or more worth it? Or something?

 

Let me know. ;)

 

Oh, man!

I think this is going to be great.

 

LOVE BREE

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

i figure the first time i listen to VLVOD will be through a leak, so i won't just be able to throw on the hard copy like i wish i could. i think hard copy, especially in vinyl format, is the best, most cool way to have your first listen to an album. it makes it more...romantic (not like mushy romantic :P) in some way. but really i'm imparticular about HOW i'm listening to it (computer/ipod/CD/record) as long as i AM listening to it!

 

there's a very strong chance that the first time i listen to VLVOD, it'll be on my ipod in the car on a 5 hour carride to the beach. it's not the ideal place to hear it for the first time, especially because i'll be packed in with three other people and a week's worth of stuff, but it doesn't matter so much about the aesthetics, as long as i have the music in my ears. however, if i don't get a leak a day or so before or whatver and have to wait till the 17th, then i plan to download the thing at midnight and take my ipod to the beach by myself and listen to it on the boardwalk. i think THAT would be perfect. and i plan on doing that anyway, even if it's not the first listen.

[Saffire]

The beach/boardwalk thing sounds perfect, ApproximatelyInfinite. I'm a bit of an audiophile (I own a pair of 180 dollar Sennheiser headphones and a dedicated amp that receives optical audio input) but i'm more than happy to just load this on my iPod and go for an evening walk with a set of Sonys. Waiting to discover new layers/details in the music is part of the fun of hearing something for the umpteenth time with slightly better tech.

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

i've never been too picky about sound quality unless it's obviously terrible. i really don't notice a difference in sound between MP3 and CD or whatever because i don't have the best hearing in the world to begin with, but i will say that things sound noticeably better through my bose headphones or the bose sound system we have!

 

i'm kind of really looking forward to taking a night walk on the beach this summer while listening to VLVOD. it seems like it could be potentially amazing, as long as it's not too cold.

[RunForTheHills]

i've never been too picky about sound quality unless it's obviously terrible. i really don't notice a difference in sound between MP3 and CD or whatever because i don't have the best hearing in the world to begin with, but i will say that things sound noticeably better through my bose headphones or the bose sound system we have!

i'm kind of really looking forward to taking a night walk on the beach this summer while listening to VLVOD. it seems like it could be potentially amazing, as long as it's not too cold.

That would probably be even better than listening to it on my own on my bed in my room for me. Even without music, those night walks on beaches are amazing. And making massive sandcastles, when I have the patience :P

 

Did anyone here actually ever download that Castles compilation? Very random though, I know.

[julessmith]

I'm going to smoke a massive joint, lie on the ground and blast it through my stereo in the living room accompanied by several beers. It will be glorious.

[Fixed]

Did anyone here actually ever download that Castles compilation? Very random though, I know.

 

Yeah I did, I came across it yesterday amongst a load of b-sides, interviews, videos and random stuff. Can't remember which b-sides are actually on it, but I remember it having quite a pretty album cover. Respect to whoever designed it lol.

[TimeIsOnYourSide]

for me....i must be driving when i hear it for the first time

[cavenow]

you forgot brian eno!!!!

[ricardo]

that's nice! I hope I can apply the 4th tip

[Hotplay007]

Lmao! How to listen to Violet Hill! wow...

[mountainloafers]

Shoot Ill do it just like I have w/all the other albums... Ill listen OVER AND OVER AND OVER.... lol Only to have my friends ask if I am going to listen to anything else ever again. I truely need to seek help. I am so glad this forum is here. It helps me feel like Im not the only obsessed one out there

[mountainloafers]

Did anyone here actually ever download that Castles compilation? Very random though, I know.

 

 

HELL YEAH