The arbitrary line

Sometimes XPN and I are on exactly the same page when it comes to albums we love. But sometimes I hear the hype, hear the album, and then wonder if we are hearing the same thing. Such was the case when, by chance, I ended up with a copy of the Dirty Projectors' latest, Bitte Orca.

When I look at the separate parts that make up the sound of this album, it seems like something I would want to listen to. Odd time signatures, impressive guitar playing, tight harmonies, string sections... all things I like. Yet somehow when they're combined here, it's just too much. It doesn't sound like music; it just sounds like noise. (Useful Chamber, in particular, feels like an assault on my ears.) I find it unlistenable, yet it made Featured Album of the Week and found its way onto several Best of 2009 lists. So what's the deal?

Don't worry, this isn't going to be a post devoted to bashing the Dirty Projectors. That would be easier, but it would also be pretty low. There's no point in verbally eviscerating a band just because they're not my cup of tea. But listening to that album got me thinking about what as listeners we look for in artists, what draws us to one and pushes us away from another. For instance, here are some characteristics that are determining factors for me:

-I really admire musicians with technical skill. However, I really hate it when I feel like a musician is doing something just to show off their technical skill.

-If a musician does something unusual instrumentally or vocally, it's cool and innovative. Unless I don't like them, in which case it's just a gimmick.

-The lyrics are the most important thing, except for when the music is the most important thing.

-If someone gets clever with lyrics, it's intelligent and I like it. If someone gets too clever with lyrics, it's pretentious.

-I like music that has genuine feeling behind it, but not so much feeling that it's emo (whatever that is).

...Okay, so that last one was a little bit of a joke, but for the most part these are all true. Is this list arbitrary and contradictory nine ways from Sunday? Yep. But when I look through my iTunes library, which ranges from Simon and Garfunkel to My Chemical Romance, it doesn't seem all that surprising.

What does your list look like?