What Makes an Album Great

    

     Great albums should leave lasting impressions, not only on those who listen as non-musicians, but also on the realm of music these albums occupy. In other words, a musical project should seek to leave some distinct mark on it's genre, to lay claim to some form of unique personality; this can often come in many forms, ranging from broad sound choices to subtle production techniques. This method for evaluating music seeks to make complacency the enemy, and forward movement the desired goal. This is not to say that all derivative albums are necessarily bad, as of course, outliers will always exist. Rather, the goal of an artist should, intrinsically, be to leave some reflection of their own condition, regardless of how relatable those emotions may or may not be. In music, this can be achieved in multiple ways, however I will focus on three aspects that I find particularly important when listening to music. 

    When considering what makes an album exceptional to me, I envision a triangle with three distinct points: sound, songwriting and production lie at corners of this triangle. I find that albums I enjoy either experiment within or excel in at least two of these points, while albums that fail two or all three are generally unfavorable. It is also important to elaborate on each point:

    Sound: This refers to the tonality, and decisions made in regards to sonic experimentation on a piece. Sound is different from production in that an artist may select a particular sound that would only later be filtered through production and mixing; in a way, sound and production do go hand-in-hand, but if production ruins an otherwise interesting sound, it would rather be the fault of the production choices. This category is the most important to me personally, as the sound style chosen is crucial in accurately representing a desired effect. Experimentation and progress in sound is extremely important. Music is essentially a form of math, every pattern exists with or without human manipulation; this leaves the sounds through which we convey these patterns as the sole avenue for pure creativity. Yes, songwriting is important, yet it is merely a crucial skeletal structure. Sound is the metaphorical meat, and color with which artists paint over the bones of their work. To create an interesting sound, or at least one that accurately represents a desired atmosphere is the most important goal in music to me.

    Songwriting: And of course, the writing behind a musical work is also extremely important. Without a solid structure, any creation would surely topple over. To write interesting works is a complex task and yet it is one that can be enhanced or overshadowed by the other two major aspects discussed here. A song with an extremely simple structure can be lauded simply due to it's unique sound and production (see such examples as Nevermind or In the Aeroplane Over the Sea ). Essentially, an artist should evaluate their goals with a project; if a unique sound and production come to the forefront, perhaps those priorities can inhabit a more simple song structure. However, truly incredible albums should also seek to push boundaries within songwriting, in the hopes of creating a truly fascinating architecture upon which the unique sound and production can elegantly be displayed. While Nevermind Is certainly an important and great album, I'd be more inclined to rate an album like Goat by the Jesus Lizard higher as this album also features interestingly written song structures on top of a fantastic atmosphere and production style. 

    Production: This final point is not to be undercut; production can, and will break an album. Perhaps the best example I could find immediately is Animal Collective's Centipede Hrtz, an album that suffers from a frustratingly quiet mix that chokes the life out of otherwise well-crafted pop tracks. Given, Centipede Hrtz has it's share of duds that also make it fall short of past releases, the main issue is the production style. Stale production can be a serious issue that sterilizes an otherwise electric performance, many modern indie-rock outfits are victims of such heinous techniques. There is value in a crisp production style, however an artist must have an ear for production styles that compliment their specific works as well. A painfully clean production style will only work in certain contexts; we must imagine the production as a coat of paint that covers up the structure we have now built using songwriting and sound. Poor production is often unfortunately a simple case of ignorance amidst whoever ends up mixing the project in question. Production should not only compliment the style of music but also seek to highlight subtle details within the music. Production is always the lens through which otherwise good songs will be presented, so ensuring effort goes into satisfying production is crucial. 

    Great albums will succeed at excelling and experimenting in these three categories. I will refer to Animal Collective once again as an example. Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished is a tremendous work of art largely because it excels in all three of these core tenets. David Portner (a.k.a. Avey Tare) and Noah Lennox (a.k.a. Panda Bear) experiment with sound in an extremely conceptual sense on Spirit, in a way that not only compliments the lyricism but also pioneers new styles within it's genre. Spirit's invigorating blend of noise, piano, intense percussion and synthesized instrumentals allows for an immensely refreshing sonic pallet, one that challenges listeners as deeply as it tantalizes. The songs are expertly crafted as well, with Lennox providing an extremely compelling rhythm section that plays shockingly well to Portner's psychotic piano and vocal meltdowns. The multi-part saga of "Alvin Row" is enough to prove the duo's songwriting chops alone. Finally, the production pushes boundaries in a unique way that explicitly compliments the album's eccentric style. The production purposely masks and obscures certain sounds and elements, such as vocal passages throughout the album; this is done intentionally to create a sense of mystery. Ultimately, Spirit is a legendary album for it's ability to simultaneously excel and push boundaries within all three major categories. 

    These are the core tenets through which I view musical art, and just as a house needs support structures to stand, an album should rely on succeeding in, at the very least, two of these categories. Albums that nail all three typically fall between a 7-10 on a scale where albums that nail only two, for example, typically fall between 4-7 and so on. Of course, outliers may exist as opinions also contain platitudes and exceptions (I am considering gathering a list of albums that I may consider exceptions). However, in most cases I find this structure to prove extremely effective for gauging the appeal of a particular album, and this triangular structure is something that is always taken into account within my reviews.