The Start Of An Album And Its First Impression

Can the start of an album can affect the whole album listen? Yes it can.

The first song also know as the intro of an album represent the path into the artist's mind canal, answering the question "Well how is going to go about this?"  It is like when a painter is given a fresh canvas it shows how the artist will go about creating his masterpiece. 

In no small way even though they are usually the smallest timed of the album collection they are as important as the album itself, it is like a lubricant for your mind.

If you are to eat, you have to drink water first to lubricate your alimentary canal for the food.

Otherwise the stomach ache that follow otherwise, leaves the food unsavory.

Same with music, it is necessary to introduce your music with the perfect "water" something cool, calm and terse, but not overboard so as to not make the listener bored. 

Take David Gilmour starting Rattle that lock with 5am a song which is purely instrumental, Mosdef started with a prayer in Islam and probably made it a hiphop thing to start with the first verse of the Qu'ran as Lupe fiasco also did the same. Showing the affiliation, their faith and how they probably have been influenced by people like Ali, Elijah Mohammed, Malcolm X and others

Kanye and Chance starting with Christian Prayers in TLOP and Coloring Book respectively

The importance of the start of an album,can't be overemphasized, just like every first impression matters a lot  from the first key of the piano eases the mind of your listener to be able to digest whatever message you want to pass across to them in the project. the reason why most album recently start with jazz excerpts, Recently with J Cole K.O.D, and Kendrick's Damn we see how the start of this albums have soothing beginnings to mesmerizing climax and near orgasmic endings elucidating why they are regarded the masters of their craft.

 With the over-saturation of music today also  makes the first song very important, For a new listener who is experimenting, the first song is the grappling hook or reverse back hand of a bat depending on how you start. You can get him hooked or chase him far from your probably more interesting song you have in store once the first song don't hit the listener or get him flowing he might just not continue with it especially if the artist is being listened to from this over bombarded music streaming sites like Spotify, Deezer, Soundcloud et. al, As it will take everything for the listener to be able to continue with the song and the subsequent listen

The album that really spurred this was Omen's Elephant Eyes a very well thought album that talks about addiction to attention, love and lust and love lost, but the first sound on listening to the album sound almost like a gunshot to your head, its loud and cranky, that follows an interview like skit, the album is really good, but when i want to press play on another listen i usually get wary about that opening, and it became for me a major downside in a very good album

So the artist should pay attention to the first song in their album down even to the first sound because they are like the first impression of that album and therefore matter a lot.

by Victor Samuel