I spend a lot of time noticing how I’m listening to music throughout the day. I listen actively and passively; I listen with friends and on my own. I listen to music that I don’t want to distract me too much, and music I hope will distract me. And however I’m listening, I try to notice the effect a given listening method has on what I hear.
I thought I’d break down a few of the common ways that I listen to music, in an attempt to better understand the effect each one has. (Triple Click listeners will know that I like a good taxonomy. What can I say.)
I’ll list these in order of how much they require the listener to focus on the music, give or take. It’s not an exact science.
Transcription - or, listening with the intent of learning and documenting the music on the recording. This is how I listen to songs that I’m planning to analyze on Strong Songs. I’m listening actively, but I’m also sitting at the piano and working out what I’m hearing, taking notes and making an outline of the song form, chord progression, interesting melodic and lyrical ideas, etc.
Assisted Active Listening - or, active listening enhanced by someone else helping you direct your attention to new elements of the recording. This is what I’m trying to convey with Strong Songs, and the mental space that I hope listeners can get into during a given episode. But it’s also just how you listen when a friend shows you a new piece of music and points out their favorite parts as you go. (Presumably they say, “Ears On!” right before they press play.)
Active Listening - or, solo listening with the goal of hearing and experiencing as much of the music as possible. A great way to listen to music, and one that I at least never seem to find enough time for. It feels like an indulgence to simply sit and stare at the ceiling/out the window/wherever and devote my full attention to listening, even though spending the same amount of time watching TV feels routine.
Listening In Motion - or, active listening while moving through the world. I do a lot of listening this way, particularly on my morning run or an afternoon walk. Depending on the circumstances, it can also mean listening in the car, or on transit (plane, train, bus, etc.). It’s not quite as focused as stationary active listening, but in some ways I find it more pleasurable. I’m sure you’ve been out walking on a sunny day, earbuds in, and the perfect song comes on… and all at once you’re starring in your own private movie.
Foreground Listening, Social - or, putting on music at a party or other social event where the music is important, but not central. We’re not quite to background music yet, though we’re receding a little. I love a party where the playlist has been assembled with care, and where I can ask the host “damn who is this?” and go home with some new stuff on my to-listen list.
Background Listening, Social - or, music that plays in the background of a social event and isn’t meant to command attention. More of a dinner party, cocktail party kind of thing, and presumably where a lot of those purposefully anonymous Spotify playlists (e.g. “Bossa Nova Dinner”) get most of their juice.
Passive Listening for Study/Work/Meditation/Etc. - or, listening to help you focus (or unfocus) on something else. This is where we put the whole “Lo-Fi Beats to Study/Relax To” set; it generates a ton of streaming hours each day. (I think this is kind of where we start to fade into “hearing” instead of “listening?” -Ed.) For all the distorting effects this type of listening’s outsized popularity has had on the music industry, it’s popular for a reason, and can be an enriching way to experience music.
Background Listening, Professional - or, music played in a workplace or retail setting. Like its cousin lo-fi beats above, this stuff is also intended to increase productivity, but it’s chosen by managers and imposed on employees and customers. See: The history of Muzak, effectively told in this episode of Decoder Ring, with a special guest appearance by yours truly.
There’s a lot that I’m sure I’m leaving out; format, for example, can make a big difference in the effect of a given recording. I also didn’t really get into music as it manifests within other types of media; for example, music in a video game, or music during a film montage. And there’s almost never a clean distinction between categories - sometimes you’re in the car with a group of friends and you’re half-listening but also in motion? But this list feels like a solid starting place. And whatever, it’s my newsletter, I can write about those things later.
I hope that, as you read through those, you found yourself doing an inventory of the types of music listening you do in a given day. What types of listening would you like to have more or less of?
Strong Songs, Now Cooking
Strong Songs is now in the kitchen, cooking up new season seven episodes every two weeks. (Hands!) The season premiere, a U2 double-header on “Where The Streets Have No Name” and “With Or Without You” from The Joshua Tree, is live in the feed now, and episode two will hit next Friday. (If you want to hear that second episode now, and to get the rest of the season two weeks early, go over to the Patreon and join up.)
While I’ve been in the studio making new episodes, my producer/editor/webdev spouse Emily has been at her laptop overhauling the show’s online presence. You can behold her work at the newly redesigned strongsongspodcast.com, which is SUCH a huge improvement over the old janky website I had up that I don’t even know where to begin. Even better is the new Strong Songs Store, with a bunch of new products we came up with in between seasons.
We ordered samples and I’m pretty obsessed with a few of them. The Strong Dog notebook is incredible, as are the holographic stickers and the pins Emily designed. I’ve never owned this much merch from one of my shows before.
Some Music Recs Before We Go
Laurence - Family Business - I’ve known these kids were very good for a while now, but had a good time lately sitting down with this record and letting it go. They’re doing so much, all the time, in a way that is sometimes overwhelming but always fun. “Hip Replacement” is a standout - I see what y’all did there.
HAIM - Women In Music, Pt. III - I shouted this one out on the show, but I’ve been loving this record after a Strong Songs listener picked it in the Discord listening club. Big Sheryl Crow energy, in the best way.
US Army Blues Jazz Ensemble - Things Ain’t What They Used To Be - A few weeks back I played a bit of the new narrative game Expelled! for Triple Click, and was shocked to hear “Festival Time” off of this record as the first piece of background music. For reasons I can scarcely remember, I owned this CD and listened to that tune in paticular a bunch of times back in the aughts. What a strange and specific blast from the past.
Improvement Movement - Slump - A recommendation from my longtime music guide Russ. This Georgia-based band sounds familiar but constantly interesting. This is a hell of a cool rock record.
The Weather Station - Ignorance - The title of this album is accurate, because I was ignorant of this killer Canadian band until someone picked it for the Discord listening club this week. I really dig Tamara Lindeman’s voice, and her songs are great, too. Plus there’s sax solos.
Andrew Gurruwiwi Band - Sing Your Own Song - Another Discord listening club pick, this one from down under. Gurruwiwi is a Yolŋu elder from Australia, and his band mixes a huge variety of styles into something super fun and groovy. Ghanian Highlife guitars, Afro-Carribean rhythms, straight ahead pop rock progressions.. it’s all in there.
Onward
As always, you can find me on Instagram and now on Bluesky, as much of a mess as those two platforms usually are. Less of mess with you all there, I’m sure.
I’ll leave you with this pic of Appa pondering the fact that she has become merch. She says she’s entitled to some percentage of every mug sold, but is willing to settle for dinner.
Take care, and keep listening-
~KH
3/14/2025