| There are many "should listen to", or "best albums of XYX" lists out there and (arguably) finding a pretty generic one (like a middle of the road music magazine) is probably a pretty good start. However -- I've always listened to a lot of music. I still probably get through 10 or so new releases a week, a fair amount of older stuff I've never heard, and a lot of 'comfort' records. The problem with top XYZ lists is you have to be 'open' to listening to them, and for some records it definitely helps to have some reference points in the form of 'stuff you know' to frame why they're significant. It took me years to see the genius in some records that later become favourites. Whilst I became much open to exploring genres as I got older, and whilst my tastes are now far more varied, primarily I still listen to a lot of alternative/punk and hip-hop. I'll occasionally listen to more electronic music, but with the rare exception anything too house/techno/etc. just doesn't work for me as much. I also find when exploring back catalogues it helps to hear the song over the production - a punk rock record from 1985 probably sounds like shit - but when you learn to hear the song you see how amazing it was. Definitely something a younger me struggled with (in a world of over produced music!). I guess what I'm saying is personally I feel music is a lot like anything else. The more you surround yourself with it, the more you 'get' it, the more genres bleed into one another. And the more you hear, the better frame of reference you have as to why some of the 'best' records are what they are and sounds like they do. TL;DR: Listen to lots and lots, keep exploring. Spotify is an incredible tool. Pick a genre, listen to what Spotify recommends. See what grabs you. If nothing does, try another genre. Keep trying until something grabs you. Then delve into the genre - you'll find pretty soon that genres start to crossover. Music should be fun. God I love music. |