I Listened to 36 New Albums in January — Here’s How I Did It
Hey, look at us. Who would have thought?
The first month of the 100 Albums in 2022 challenge was a success. So much so, that I kinda, sorta, maybe listened to over a third of the albums I wanted to listen to in a year in a single month.
Oops?
For anyone new listening, in early January I declared that I was going to listen to 100 new (to me) albums in 2022 to expand my music taste. It worked a little too well, clearly.
I thought it’d be a good idea to write a monthly update. I’ve been writing short-form posts about each album, but I’m not too sure I want to do that anymore. Some of the albums I listened to didn’t warrant any commentary. Also, I don’t necessarily want to give negative feedback.
For me, this challenge isn’t about reviewing each album. It’s about exploration, trying new things. I may write articles about albums that made an impact on me — but that’s it. Monthly (or weekly?) updates feel more my speed anyway.
So, let’s get into how I listened to so many dang albums in one month.
How I made the first month of my 100 albums in 2022 challenge a success
Listened to albums first thing in the morning
Immediately listening to an album after I woke up minimized analysis paralysis.
Wikipedia describes analysis paralysis as: “an individual or group process when overanalyzing or overthinking a situation can cause forward motion or decision-making to become “paralyzed”, meaning that no solution or course of action is decided upon within a natural time frame.”
I’ve suffered from this my entire life, as someone who suffers from *throws glitter* anxiety *throws more glitter*, but only recently have I realized there’s a word for it.
I didn’t give myself the space to overthink this album challenge. I just grabbed my headphones, sleepily scrolled my way to Spotify, and picked something within a few minutes. That’s it.
Focused on short albums/eps
As I’ve made my way through this challenge, I’ve realized that most recent albums are shorter than I thought they’d be.
A significant portion of the albums I listened to in January was 30 minutes or less. Because of that, I ended up focusing a lot of my efforts on albums recorded in the past year.
Even though I got through a lot of projects, there’s not a lot of diversity in the albums I listened to when it comes to the year they were released.
Stopped being mad at myself for not liking certain tracks
This process was a practice in being honest with myself. Some of the albums I listened to were made by people I liked, so I wanted to like every song. A lot of times, I didn’t.
It took time to convince myself that it’s okay to not like everything. And, I learned more about overall elements in songs that I didn’t vibe with. For example, I’m not a fan of songs with long intros, unless it’s Tyler, the Creator’s “Who Dat Boy”.
Things I want to do differently in February
I want to listen to more older albums, like from the 1960s to the 1990s. Those are longer, so I’ll probably end up listening to fewer albums overall.
Also, I want to listen to more lesser-known artists. I’ve only been searching on Spotify, which you have to pay to be on — I think. It’d be great to dive into a more inclusive platform like Soundcloud and see who’s on there.
Please, recommend me an album to listen to
Many of January’s album picks were recommended to me by other people. I’m open to everything, but here are some of my favorite genres: R&B, soul, pop, and jazz.
I would be more open to trying something from an unfamiliar genre, like country, if the album was shorter (less than an hour).
Leave me a comment recommending me some dope music!
Let’s get into all the albums I listened to in January.
What I Listened to in January for my 100 Albums in 2022 Challenge
- Sour — Olivia Rodrigo(2021)
- Table for Two— Lucky Daye (2021)
- If Orange Was a Place— Tems (2021)
- Mama’s Gun — Erykah Badu (2000)
- KOKOROKO — Kokoroko (2019)
- Jubilee — Japanese Breakfast (2021)
- Gorilla Manor — Local Natives (2010)
- The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — Lauryn Hill (1998)
- Four Degrees in Winter — Rachel Chinouriri (2021)
- Dawn FM— The Weeknd (2022)
- blkswn — Smino (2017)
- HOMESICK — Laundry Day (2019)
- 4 New Hit Songs — Doss (2021)
- Happiness Begins — Jonas Brothers (2019)
- Scenic Drive — Khalid (2021)
- Brightside — The Lumineers (2022)
- Juno — Remi Wolf (2021)
- I’m Allergic to Dogs — Remi Wolf (2020)
- Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite — Maxwell (1996)
- Black Pamela — Ocean Kelly (2021)
- Shut The Fuck Up Talking to Me — Zack Fox (2021)
- Saxually Active, Vol 1. — FKAjazz (2022)
- If Words Were Flowers — Curtis Harding (2021)
- TV — Tai Verdes (2021)
- Love Angel Music Baby — Gwen Stefani (2004)
- Virgo Tendencies Pt.1 — Keke Palmer (2020)
- What Could Possibly Go Wrong — Dominic Fike (2020)
- Before We Go — India Shawn (2021)
- lately i feel EVERYTHING — Willow (2021)
- War + Raindrops — EP — iyla (2018)
- to hell with it — PinkPantheress (2021)
- Water & Garri — Tiwa Savage (2021)
- The Kinection — Omarion (2020)
- Pink Moon — Pink Sweat$ (2022)
- Don’t Forget About me, Demos — Dominic Fike (2018)
- N’Sync — N’Sync (1997)
The Best Albums of the Bunch (The BAB for short, of course)
If Orange Was a Place — Tems
KOKOROKO — Kokoroko
Juno — Remi Wolf
TV — Tai Verdes
Four Degrees in Winter — Rachel Chinouriri
Songs I Can’t Get Outta My Head
Photo ID — Remi Wolf (this is by far number one song of the month. I really can’t stop listening to this song it’s so good)
Vibe Out — Tems
CHA — Laundry Day
Shoutout to the homies Kevin Alexander, Rob Janicke, Mary DeVries, and M. Berg for taking on the 100 Albums in 2022 challenge! Go check out their work to see what they’ve been listening to.
If you want to join the challenge, tag me in one of your stories sharing your journey so I can shout you out in a later post.
Nia Simone McLeod writes, creates digital content, and watches a ton of Flavor of Love reruns. Check out her newsletter for her scorching hot takes on writing and pop culture.