Cameron
There are two different trains of thought that will go into the first listening session with the Ear 1: to test their technical capabilities and the memory I want to have of it all, like the first destination you choose when you get a new car. The absolute first listen will be dedicated to the latter.
Therefore, it’ll be “Fear Inoculum”, the album Tool [finally] published in 2019. Even if it isn’t their best work, it’s from a band that I deeply care about and, to me, grows in importance the more I listen to it.
More on the “technical side” of things, I’ll listen to “In Rainbows” from Radiohead. Like Tool, it’s from one of my favorite bands and the sounds of this particular album are different from what I traditionally listen to. Genuinely curious to know how “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” sound through the Ear 1.
As a third bonus option, I can go with “Path of Wellness” from Sleater-Kinney. I haven’t listened to it yet, so that would be an absolute premiere during the first listening session. I loved “The Center Won’t Hold” from 2019. Needless to say, the expectations are high.
Or completely change direction and listen to “Inside (The Songs)” from the latest Bo Burnham special. These songs live 53 minutes at a time in my eardrums and the rest of the day in my mind, rent free.
