11. "RE: Picking up where I left off." In response to In response to 0
>I haven’t listened to an entire The Roots since Game >Theory. When I heard that album I had a sense that they had >reached their peak. I wasn’t interested in hearing anything >else from them at this point in their career.
I'm curious about this -- are you saying GT was peak Roots as in top-tier and nowhere else to go, or are you saying you didn't like it and felt they'd burned out? Elsewhere in the thread I'm getting the impression you weren't a fan, which is interesting bc it's generally held in super high regard among Lessonheads (I think), as in near the top of their post-TFA output. It will be interesting to see how you assess post-GT not just album by album but overall.
>It is the >duty of the listener to allow creative space for artists. >Sometimes they are on point and sometimes the miss the mark, >and that’s okay. We sometimes think that we (listeners) >have a right to dictate what an artists should make, who they >work with, etc. Our only job is to receive the music as it is >produced then try and wrap our minds around what they’re >trying to do. We still may reject it, and that’s okay. It >will still reach somebody that is looking for that particular >message.
This is very close to my personal listening philosophy as well, and my approach to art in general. It's often misjudged as suggesting that artists can do no wrong, or as suggesting that listeners can't have their own thoughts -- that you have to take whatever an artist gives you and trust that it's good (or buy their bullshit artistic rationales).
For me, it's more about approaching a record in good faith -- with as few assumptions or immediate expectations about what does or doesn't make something good -- and instead assuming that the artist has a genuine vision for their work, and trying to take on that vision and explore what it has to offer. Let the likes and dislikes come later in the process; at first, try and explore it and appreciate it for what it is. This is especially true for artists who have earned trust via exceptional work.