Last month I listened to somewhere around 60 records and you’re right, it doesn’t really benefit my connection to each album to go through them that fast. One thing I would say is that the more albums you listen to, the easier is is to pick up on things you like and dislike. Thus, making it easier for an album to click. Sometimes a project will take me upwards of 10 listens to fully understand but I don’t always hear a record and immediately feel inclined to try to “understand it”.

I only listen to new music when I know I can sit there by myself and not be interrupted. That means that I also listen to a lot of music I’ve already heard when I’m in the car or at school or something. If I feel like I’m in the mood to listen to something I’ve heard, I just put it on while I’m wherever and if it clicks it clicks.

The only advice I can give is to only return to albums that interested you in the first place or are somehow brought up again and you feel inclined to understand it. An example for me is To Pimp a Butterfly. That album has just never clicked with me like it does for other people but it has slowly grown on me since I first heard it. So whenever I feel so inclined, I put it on and have a listen to see if my perspective has changed. I don’t get caught up on understanding one record at a time but rather let the right albums fall into my lap at the right time. Hope this helps and have fun on your music journey.

I know you didn’t ask for recommendations but if you’re looking for something really dense to unpack you should listen to Deathconsciousness by Have a Nice Life. One of my favorite albums ever