Too Much Music...
 

OK... Today, I started feeling really overwhelmed... about music?!?!?!? It's always been my stress relief in life and now it's actually starting to stress me out! Now believe me, the fact that I'm feeling like this amazes me. But I realized something today: I have a list of albums I want to get (from recommendations of people, other albums by artists I really like, stuff I read about in mags, lists made from last.fm recommendations, all those sorts of things) that has thousands of albums in it! We're talking... like... probably around 2500 albums! That's more music than I can listen to and actually enjoy in my entire ****ing life! On top of that, I like finding new music, and going through a bunch of new releases every week... there's just not enough time! I feel compelled to listen to everything or else I'm going to miss something... and this really bothers me for some reason. So I haven't even really been listening to any album I've ever heard before over the past month or so. How the hell am I supposed to enjoy any music if I only ever hear it once? I also don't listen to my favorite albums anymore. And here's a big part of the problem: When I have free time, I listen to some music and look up new bands online. Or read about them in magazines. It's what I do. I think I need to stop this and find another hobby, like posting on musicbanter all the time, so that I don't keep adding to my list of music. But musicbanter makes me want to listen to too much new stuff too! Gah... I'm just really stressed about music for the first time in my entire life... and it sucks... cuz I've always turned to music before...

EDIT: So I looked up stressed out about music on google, and can you guess what I found? More album recommendations to listen to when you're feeling stressed! Everyone just said "Listen to relaxing music like..." This really sucks because it makes me not want to listen to music at all so that I won't care if I miss anything... WHAT DO I DO???

put your library on shuffle.

....sounds like you need therapy j/k

I sometimes feel like that, and when I'm not enjoying sh.it that I use absolutely love like Radiohead and Bright Eyes, I realize I'm just completely stressed out, so in that way you can use it as a good barometer for your stresslevel.

At this point I turn the music off and go meditate.......try that or whatever you do to relax, no offense but if that's what you do to relax, you need more hobbies, man. Good Luck!

Yeah... I just need to listen to some Dino and remember what's great about music :) I've hit a point where I think I need to just say **** it, I'm just going to actually legitimately buy all my music and that way I'll never be overwhelmed by having too much.

i always found it fairly liberating with the knowledge that no matter what i do, i'm not going to be able to listen to every single band imaginable. it leaves me free to focus on music i actually want to listen to rather than listening for a state of accomplishment.

i have been getting entrenched deeper and deeper into older music, though. i check out new releases every once in a while but i feel like i'm always going to have that little lag there, haha.

Heh yeah you're right... I do lots of stuff I just haven't been lately cuz I've been too ****ing busy working 2 jobs... I've had no free time so when I do I try to look up new bands. I just need to quit 1 and start going out more and all.

I get that pretty often too. Just remember its for FUN.

I sort of start hating my former favorite albums pretty often. I guess its because I go through phases with moods, musical preferences, ect. Is it that way with you?

I hear you, brother. I feel the exact same way sometimes. There's just not enough time I too am always exploring and research new-to-me music when I have free time. Hell, I do it even when I don't have the time, that's how bad I am. At work, in the morning when I'm rushing to get ready, at night when it's way past bed time, etc. Music controls my life.

Sometimes I just want to step away from it all, take a break from listening for a week or two. But I've never done that in my entire life (well ok when I'm on vacation maybe). Just not sure I could do it under normal circumstances. But deep down I know it would be one of the most liberating things ever.

I actually go through the exact same thing once in a while. TOday was very much like that. Nothing cures it like pulling out an out a great and trusted album and just giving it your undivided attention.
There will always be gaps in your collection and there will always be new and fantastic albums and artists that you haven't heard yet. Sometimes you just have to resign yourself to that fact and quit obsessing for a little while.
It's like the guy who spends so much time working that he has no time to spend his money. Sit back, relax, put the music search on hold for an hour or two, or even a day or two, and just get completely lost in some of the great music you already have its what its there for.
The great hunt will continue when you're done, but you won't feel so overwhelmed about it.

I completely agree with satch. I decided to go on a music enlightment about six or eight months ago, and I often feel this way. I have over 1300 albums on my mediamonkey right now, and i have a strong urge to listen to every single one. Literally, man, every single one. Entire catalog's of amazing artists that never put out a bad album out of their 30... tons of them. It's insane! Not to mention how instantaneous it is to get it now a days, i could get in two days what some people spent ten years collected as they came out album by album. On top of that your on musicbanter, which is constantly dishing new amazing things toward the community. *sigh*

It's so easy to get over your head, and no, it will never end. Just do what Satch does and throw down a good album and relax, enjoy something that you took the time to let grow on you and just float in it's comfort. It's the very reason I burn Cd's, so I can use a CD player, turn off my computer, and listen to something familiar and great just laying on my bed. Then you start to remember, just in that one albums whoa, what it's all about in the first place.