Reflections on Listening to Band Discographies Chronologically

For a while now I have been listening to bands by going through all of their studio albums in release order. Now I have not performed this band with every band I think of and sometimes I have stopped indefinitely for no real reason. Though a time investment is required,  this activity streamlines moving through music. This approach to music allows one to appreciate evolution in whatever for that may take. Some bands change every album, such as Dir en grey who encompass punk, nu metal, and some experimental thing. Some bands are consistent for a while, then change, such as Gojira who evolved from traditional death metal to something more unique and heartfelt but also as a result heavier.

Even if the change is not obvious, listening to a discography chronologically can unearth those differences. Many bands simply refuse to keep in a constant (sub-)genre, meaning that any "sampling" of their music performed may simply be wrong. Thus, one album by some bands may not be enough to understand their music. At the same time, the best songs and albums seem to become more readily apparent - at least contenders can be identified more easily. One exception is HIM who basically only has one good album (the one with "Rip out) because everything else is a diluted alternative version.

This approach to listening is also valuable for providing stimulus to contextualize the music with other music, especially music made by other groups and artists. There is an indirect benefit as well: one feels driven to listen through discographies by other musicians and expand one's musical taste. One of my bad listening habits is essentially not finishing albums or focusing only on one album or a few songs after my first listen. Listen through discographies allows me to pay attention to a body of music, not simply bits and pieces.

As a whole, my enjoyment of listening to music has increased because of my greater familiarity with it. I can also jump between genres more fluidly now. Though this approach requires time and effort, it is for the most part worthwhile. Now that I think about it, going from Gojira (death metal) to ClariS (J-pop) was quite the jump but I was not unfazed. (Mainly because I listened to Rilo Kiley (indie rock) in between but even then.)