Music albums: Are they worth listening to any more?

Every Thursday, CBC Music's Jon Siddall stops by On The Coast for Music Talk, his thoughts on the latest trends in the world of music.

This week, Siddal discussed a contentious issue in the era of streaming music and iTunes: full length albums. 

Why listen to them any more when new technology lets you listen to as many or as few of an album's track as you like?

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"I like to do that too, it's fun to be your own DJ," Siddall says of the "post-album world." "But sometimes I just need to listen to complete albums. It's so worthwhile."

In a conversation with guest host Gloria Macarenko, Siddall expanded on why listening to full albums is still worthwhile, and why it's so hard to make a great album.

Just sitting down and not doing anything but listening to that music does seem a rare pastime nowadays.

I know. But really it's no different than curling up with a book. Not that finding time for that is easy any more!

But it is so enjoyable and relaxing to find that time for reading or listening to some music.  So while you're on holiday next week, you're going to listen some albums.  What will you be listening to?

Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark, for one — a classic album. I know the album really well, but I just feel like I need to revisit it. Every song tells a fascinating story. The music is chock full of fantastic melodies, and chord progressions and arrangements that always keep your ears perked. 

If you've ever been to a party where you felt like you didn't fit in and yet you're fascinated by the cast of characters present — this song captures that feeling perfectly.

What great insight into human nature. I just feel so drawn into her world with songs like that.  

What makes for a great album? Lots of albums have a few great songs, but so often you don't feel compelled to listen to the whole album.

Well it does come down most importantly to just that — the quality of all the songs on an album. It sounds trite to say so, but writing great pop songs is incredibly difficult.

There's a certain number of people who write one great song in their lifetime. There's a smaller number of people who over the course of an entire career write several great songs and then there's a very elite group who write a number of great albums.

We're talking about The Beatles, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and U2 to name a few.

Yes. And I'd include Joni Mitchell in that crowd. And there are others too of course. But what makes an album of music truly successful is not even a great collection of songs — it's how those songs work together.

On a great album, each song is like a chapter of a book. And as each song begins, it feels so right. It just feels like no other song would ever feel as natural at that moment.

Do you have another record in mind for listening to on your holidays?

It's very satisfying to revisit a classic album like that Joni Mitchell one. But it's also a lot of fun to discover a new album. There's a new band that recently came to my attention thanks to the editorial team at CBC Music. The band is called Oh Wonder. It's a duo from London, England.  

They will release their first album in September, but if you go their website you can listen to all the songs for free and try it out.

Do you think this English duo, Oh Wonder has a great debut album?

I don't know if it's a great album, but it's quite good. And some albums are best for certain moods. 

This album feels to me like a good choice for listening to on the beach or in a cabin, or in the house when the windows are open and a warm summer breeze is blowing. And you have time just to listen and chill out. 

What's your take on the full-length album? Do you listen to them? Are they a waste of time? Sound off in the comments section, send us a message on Facebook, or tweet @CBCVancouver to let us know where you stand!

This interview has been condensed and edited. To hear the full interview, click the audio labelled: Why aren't we listening to full albums these days?