Musically Speaking
Ever notice that the people who pause for liner notes seem to speak a different language when it comes to music? It's only recently begun to stand out to me now that I don't hear it as often. Here are some things that I notice:
The place where you buy music is a record store. If you are buying music, you are shopping for records. No matter that it's the CDs you end up with, record is a more comforting and descriptive term: records are as delicate items that can be scratched, broken, or scraped. Records, the purists will argue, have a better sound; the recording has more fidelity and range in analog form. When you do check out of the record store with your handful of CDs the haughty clerk will avoid eye contact, disappointed in your choice of media unless you've purchased something from a secret handshake band of their liking.
A secret handshake band is a relatively obscure outfit with a dedicated following. To know of the group is kudos enough; to track their recordings and collect their music puts you in a club of people who, upon seeing evidence of this patronage, open up themselves to intimate fellowship. If you can understand the music, you understand them, after all1.
The latest album is not referred to as a "latest CD". Nay, the term is banal. You purchase the latest effort, recording, or release. Effort implies a deference of what it takes to make something good, recording gives you the mental picture of the group in studio, and release invokes the sense of something building to the moment when it's finally out there. Sound it out: "Do you have the latest Linkin Park CD?" versus "I'm looking for the latest Boards of Canada release." The idea of records comes into play again when recordings are referred to as EPs, or LPs. You will also hear the term full length.
I won't explain what a B-side is, but that common term is a mark of devotion. People who collect B-sides seem to wander towards what one can only describe as obsession.
Neither will I go into the meaning of white label except to say that the owner of a white label may not necessarily be obsessed, but they are special. An annoying habit of these owners is to play the white label for you, knowing fully well that your chances of obtaining a copy are, unequivocally, nil.
While most people think of musical groups in isolation, like J-LO, most purists think in terms of artist-label combinations. For example: Mos Def is on the Rawkus label and most recent effort from The Cure , Faith, was on Rhino/Elektra.
Don't be surprised by terms like "sonic narrative" or "urgent rhythm and catchy melody." It's a descriptive language that is more about interpretation and intuition than precision. Instead of fighting to match the phrases with the sound, focus on hearing the music. Empathize with the writer - what images and sensations are evoked by the words?
On occasion this vocabulary gets out of hand. A few days ago I heard a store owner pitching the latest Beth Orton effort as a "record" while turning the CD over in his hands after showing it to the prospective buyer. It was a bit funny, but he probably listens to people who pause for liner notes on the radio a bit too much, like me.
1Once, I sorely disappointed a girl I met in person after lengthy conversations about The Cure. I may like the music but I look nothing like Robert Smith.
7:58:56 PM 
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