thnx ^^
i take it you know the pixies right?

it's like a personal thing but you know how some music artists feel like they have more depth than others?
well it's those kinda artists i like to put on the background until i completely familiarize with them.. this is how i got into david bowie, The misfits, Guided by voices and lots of artists

Yep, Doolittle is a great album!

Hmm, sounds interesting. I might try listening to music in the background sometime, as I usually like to sit down and focus on it.

Personally I listen to music on my iPod mp3 player (Nano 4) and with a decent pair of headphones. I also listen to lots of music and documentaries on YouTube. My computer speakers aren't the greatest but I mainly watch YouTube videos for the visuals.

I shuffle a lot but also go through to my artists list of albums and shuffle through them or pick the songs I want to hear.

A lot of the time I'm just on the internet with headphones on and an album on. Apart from that I listen to either CDs or vinyl through my Hi-Fi system or hook my mp3 player up to it and just chill out, or hook my my player up to my car stereo when I'm driving.

I find listening to music while working, reading or studying distractive so I usually avoid it.

I'm curious, do you feel that you take in the music fully when you listen while surfing the internet?

I don't feel I 100% take in the music fully while browsing, I don't think anyone really does. Unless you are doing absolutely nothing while listening to music and have an excellent attention span I don't think you can fully take in the music because other things are competing for your attention. My attention to the music tends to zone in and out depending on what I'm viewing or interacting with, sometimes it becomes background music and other times I'm paying full attention to it.

It's a good question though and I'm interested in what other people think.

The first time I review a song or album I listen to it on the laptop using earphones, then if I like it I keep it, and if I don't I get rid. I only have rock and metal on my ipod, which I listen to while running/working out.

When I listen to music, I try to remove as much as I can that might compete for my attention. Usually, I turn my phone off, sign out of Skype, and even close my eyes to remove visual distractions. Even with all of that, I do still zone out sometimes, especially during longer albums, or newer albums that I'm not familiar with. Personally, I just don't like putting music on in the background. I'd rather listen closely, and try to take the music apart. I like to ask myself questions while listening: What is the general mood/purpose of the piece? What instruments are present, and how does each contribute to the music overall?

I like to do that too when I throw on a CD or record. I usually just lie back, forget about everything and just take it all in (although switching off your phone seems a bit too excessive but each to their own). However I try not to fall into the trap of over analyzing the technical aspects of music itself. Things like the mood of the music you don't have to try too hard to work out and you can latch onto melodies and rhythms without much effort. It also depends on the type of music you're listening to. If you're listening to classical or jazz then yes you would tend to pay close attention to what the individual instruments are doing and taking the music apart etc as well as enjoying the moods and melodies. If you're doing the same to a Motorhead album then you are completely missing the point of it. I prefer not to over-analyze music and just let my enjoyment of it come naturally.

I see a lot of validity in that. I've always wanted to get into classical and jazz, so I might have to really put some effort into that! I imagine there is a lot more to "take apart" in that style of music, compared to more modern things. Although, I am interested in trying to listen to music in different ways as well, so I may try listen without over-analyzing, and see what happens.

Speaking of classical/jazz, are you familiar with either at all? If so, do you have any recommendations? :D