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+# How I Discover a Band
+
+2024-03-16
+
+I listen to 6 bands. By "listening to" a band, I mean I have at least two
+albums and regularly put them on, at least once a month.
+
+An outline of the process of me discovering a band:
+
+- Listen to one of their songs (usually hit single)
+- Ooh I like it
+- Listen to other songs
+- Hmm some of these are good
+- Listen again
+- Woah most of these are good
+- OK I guess I like the band now
+
+The process can be modeled as a function of E (how much I enjoy <insert
+band name\>) over t (time). E(t) is composed of three stages:
+
+- Linear growth (t0 to t1, 0 to E1)
+- Constant (t1 to t2, E1)
+- Logistic growth (t2 to infinity, E follows an S-curve: it first takes
+  off exponentially but flattens and converges to an asymptote at EM)
+
+![Diagram of said function](img/band_discovery/curve.png)
+
+If EM is greater than a threshold, I decide that I like the band. As
+I discover and/or they release more music, E might grow beyond EM.
+
+In general,
+
+- t0: hit single
+- t1: hit single on repeat
+- t2: I become interested in other songs
+
+Now, we just need to find these parameters for every band.
+
+## twenty one pilots
+
+### t0: July 2016, "Stressed Out"
+
+That was the time when twenty one pilots were as hot as the sun. "Stressed
+Out" and "Heathens" were everywhere. I was on a flight with no headrest
+screen, and the only form of entertainment was a tiny overhead TV (boring)
+and a headphone jack on the armrest. It let you pick a channel, and
+channel 13 was playing Billboard songs which happened to include "Stressed
+Out". I thought it sounded special, like "I'm 14 and this is deep" kind of
+special (I was, in fact, 13, so this is incredibly on brand). Anyway, as
+soon as I landed I streamed it on repeat.
+
+### t1: August 2016, _Blurryface_
+
+Didn't take long to find out that other songs on _Blurryface_ are even
+better. My favorites were "Heavydirtysoul", "Ride", and "Lane Boy".
+"Polarize", "Hometown" and "Goner" are good as well.
+
+I listened to _Blurryface_ every week, but not any other album. Once I put
+on "Implicit Demand For Proof", but the intro was too long for my liking.
+
+### t2: August 2017, _Vessel_
+
+One summer afternoon I was doing dishes. After a year of listening to one
+album, I grew bored. So I put on their 2013 album, _Vessel_.
+
+Completely honest reaction: my jaws dropped at how good "Ode to Sleep"
+was. Then how good "Holding on to You" was. All the way to "Car Radio",
+which to this day remains my favorite song.
+
+"Ode to Sleep" was even special-er. 5:08 long and full of tempo changes,
+it was the closest thing to Bohemian Rhapsody tøp have made. (I at that
+time had never heard of Bohemian Rhapsody, but I would have enjoyed it.)
+
+### Soon after t2
+
+_Vessel_ got me into the rabbit hole. Very soon I put on _Regional at
+Best_, and "Kitchen Sink" became one of my favorites. (Funny because
+I literally discovered _Vessel_ at a kitchen sink.) Then _Twenty One
+Pilots_ (aka Self-Titled), which I obsessively listened to in June 2018,
+even on a trans-Pacific flight.
+
+Unfortunately that was everything they had made. I downloaded their live
+performances, covers, and Tyler Joseph's solo album, _No Phun Intended_.
+They have shaped my teenage years.
+
+### 2018, _Trench_
+
+In July 2018 they left hiatus and announced _Trench_, which is my first
+experience of anticipating an album and discussing the lore. It dropped on
+2018-10-05, a date I will never forget. It remains my favorite record.
+
+Fav tracks (a tough choice): "Morph", "Chlorine", "Nico And The Niners",
+"Bandito"
+
+Trivia: my previous laptop's hostname is bandito; my current one's is
+chlorine.
+
+### 2021, _Scaled And Icy_
+
+One night as I'm about to go to bed, I checked Wikipedia for no reason and
+apparently a few days ago tøp had announced a new album. It was totally
+a coincidence.
+
+Later one Thursday afternoon I took sick leave from school, and when I got
+home I found the music video for "Shy Away" just dropped. Totally another
+coincidence…
+
+_Scaled And Icy_ (2021) was not as soul-wrenching as _Trench_, because as
+Tyler explained, the depressed world does not need yet another depressing
+album. They had an online concert which I watched for like $20, which is
+heck of a performance. There was 10 times more props, visuals and
+choreography than a regular tour. It was flawless (other than Josh
+dropping his drumstick at the end of "Car Radio", but he quickly grabbed
+another one without missing, quite literally, a beat).
+
+### 2024, _Clancy_
+
+And now in 2024 there's another record in the oven. How did I find out?
+Wikipedia! Just need to wait…
+
+"Overcompensate" is an absolute bop.
+
+## I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
+
+### t0: some time in 2018, "Choke"
+
+I discovered the music video for "Choke" and thought wow that sounded
+cool.
+
+### t1: some time in 2019, _1981 EP_
+
+Later I downloaded _1981 EP_. It was the first time I bought music with
+money. I remember the summer when I played this on the bus.
+
+Now, because they were a new band, there wasn't much backlog discog to
+explore.
+
+### t2: October 2020, _Razzmatazz_
+
+It's a really good record and I liked it instantly. In March 2021 I bought
+it as a birthday treat to myself.
+
+Fav tracks: "Leave Me Alone", "Clusterhug", "Razzmatazz"
+
+### December 2023
+
+IDKHOW announced a tour for their upcoming album _GLOOM DIVISION_, and
+I got a ticket. The only downside (pun intended; "DOWNSIDE" is a track
+title) is it's in Detroit. My advisor had once told me not to go to
+Detroit alone. I'm gonna do it anyway hope I don't die lmao
+
+So the album is out now in February 2024. Fav tracks: "DOWNSIDE",
+"INFATUATION", "SIXFT"
+
+## My Chemical Romance
+
+### t0: 2020-ish, "This is How I Disappear"
+
+tøp covered "Cancer", but it doesn't count. My real first exposure to MCR
+is either "Welcome to the Black Parade" or "This is How I Disappear" (I
+probably found this video: [This Is How I Disappear but it’s just Gerard’s
+vocals in a large
+cathedral](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lITNYUmM50g)).
+
+Later I added "Cancer", "Mama", and "Sleep" into the list. These songs got
+me obsessed — for a little while. I almost never listened to them again.
+Until 2021.
+
+### t1: 2021, _The Black Parade_
+
+The summer I graduated high school, I went to a driving school. On my way
+home I put on _The Black Parade_ in its entirety and it was better than
+I remembered. But still, no progress.
+
+### t2: 2022, _Three Cheers_
+
+Forgot why, but I randomly decided to put on _Three Cheers_. I had already
+listened to "Helena" and "The Ghost Of You", but not the rest of the
+album.
+
+It was fire. Even better than _Parade_. Fav: "Helena", "Give 'Em Hell,
+Kid", "It's Not A Fashion Statement, It's A Fucking Deathwish", "I Never
+Told You What I Do For A Living".
+
+### August 2022, _Danger Days_
+
+I can hardly believe this is the same band that made _Three Cheers_, but
+it's fire nevertheless.
+
+The semester began in September with unpleasant memories, and they got
+kinda associated with some of the songs (especially "The Only Hope for Me
+is You"), but it is what it is.
+
+Fav: "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)", "Bulletproof Heart",
+"S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W", "Summertime".
+
+### November-ish 2022, _Bullets_
+
+MCR's debut banger. I listened to it in the final exam weeks. After I came
+back home, I got covid, but once I awoke I would blast _Bullets_. It was
+the record I jammed to when I was learning Haskell.
+
+Fav: "Drowning Lessons", "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville", "Demolition
+Lovers".
+
+### 2023, _Conventional Weapons_
+
+Fav: "Boy Division", "Gun.", "The World Is Ugly".
+
+And thus I have finished MCR's discography. I wrote a review: [Review of
+My Chemical Romance discography](mcr_discog_review.md).
+
+## Green Day
+
+### t0 and t1: December 2022, "21 Guns"
+
+I was preparing for SoulRocker (campus rock show, lots of bands there) and
+saw "21 Guns" on the setlist. This seems to be the only song I had
+a chance of jamming to, because the rest were either older than my parents
+or weeb music. So I checked out Green Day and learned the lyrics to "21
+Guns".
+
+The performance was a bop, everyone was high af, but nobody's throwing up
+their arms into the sky.
+
+### t2: March 2023, _American Idiot_
+
+This is the first time where the hit single did _not_ lure me into its
+album. Instead I listened to this popular choice.
+
+My favorite was "Jesus of Suburbia", which is the Bohemian Rhapsody of
+punk rock. Other favs are "Letterbomb", "Wake Me Up When September Ends",
+and "Whatsername".
+
+### March 2023, _21st Century Breakdown_
+
+This time I got the album "21 Guns" is from. Honestly, it's not as
+consistently good as _Idiot_. I would skip tracks.
+
+Fav: "21st Century Breakdown", "Before the Lobotomy".
+
+I would skip: "Christian's Inferno", "East Jesus Nowhere", and on a bad
+day everything after "Restless Heart Syndrome" except "21 Guns".
+
+### April 2023, _Dookie_ and _Nimrod_
+
+They have not grown on me (yet). If I feel like it, I might listen to them
+again.
+
+## Linkin Park
+
+### t0 and t1: March 2023, "In The End"
+
+u/SorridoSnake (deleted account) on Reddit posted this on r/sbubby:
+[Posting a Sbubby for every lyric of Linkin Park’s “In The End” until
+I complete the whole
+song](https://www.reddit.com/r/sbubby/comments/1184kep/posting_a_sbubby_for_every_lyric_of_linkin_parks/)
+
+and I thought hey why not listen to this song
+
+(I know I am terminally late, I know it's a 2001 song, but this is the
+first time I listened to it seriously, like not from a radio or
+loudspeakers in some supermarket)
+
+Once the song finishes I know I have a new band to check out. (Don't ask
+why it took a month)
+
+### t2: April 2023, _Hybrid Theory_
+
+This is the first band I listened to with two lead vocalists. I like
+Mike's rap lines as much as Chester's screaming. They formed my basic
+understanding of rap rock, and later inspired me to make [This Song Will
+Uncure Your Depression](uncure-your-depression.md).
+
+Fav: "Papercut", "In The End", "My December".
+
+### June 2023, _Meteora_
+
+It's as good as _Hybrid_, but I got distracted and never had a "hey what
+if" moment to listen to more Linkin Park.
+
+## Radiohead
+
+In May 2023, I heard a band cover "Creep" but didn't investigate further,
+mistaking Radiohead with Just Another Band Talking About Girls And Stuff.
+Big nope in hindsight.
+
+### t0: January 2024, "My Iron Lung"
+
+I watched this video titled ["My Iron Lung Looks Just Like Buddy
+Holly"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KGRvIFrF3c). It is incredibly
+stupidly well-made. I will show the transcript:
+
+> 0:00 [Depressed Radiohead sounds] BaawwwhDooDeeDoo  
+> 0:01 [Depressed Radiohead sounds] WawwhDooDeeDoo  
+> 0:02 [Depressed Radiohead sounds] BowDooDiiOhDaaiiiiiaaaaDo  
+> 0:05 [Depressed Radiohead sounds] WohhhOoDeeOo  
+> 0:06 [Depressed Radiohead sounds] HehhOoDeeOo  
+> 0:07 DADOODADEEDIIIIIEEDOODOO  
+> 0:10 OOHWEEOOH AILUKJUHSLAIBUDIHAAALIIIIII  
+> 0:15 OOHWEEOOH AILUKJUHSLAIBUDIHAAALIIIIII BOW  
+> 0:15 OH OH ANYURMERITAILERMOOOOOR
+
+Naturally, the words "Depressed Radiohead sounds" caught my attention and
+naturally I wanted to hear what the whole song sounded like. It absolutely
+rocks.
+
+This is the first time I discovered a band from a silly video.
+
+### t1: January 2024, "The Bends"
+
+Immediately I listened to _The Bends_. Instant favorites are "Planet
+Telex", "(Nice Dream)", and "Street Spirit". Very depressed indeed.
+
+### t2: February 2024, _OK Computer_ and _Kid A_
+
+I tried OK Computer but did not find it as good as either _The Bends_ or
+_Kid A_. "Paranoid Android" is a banger but the rest sounded awkward, like
+early CGI. Especially the synth in "Exit Music" that sounds like it came
+straight from a carpenter's workshop.
+
+_Kid A_ did the trick for me. It's just undisguised EDM and sounds much
+more polished. Favorites: "Everything in its Right Place", "The National
+Anthem", "Idioteque", "Morning Bell". Love the 10/8 and 5/8 signature.
+
+Later in March I revisited _OK Computer_ and admitted I was wrong. The
+tracks are pretty good actually. Favorites: "Airbag", "Paranoid Android",
+"Let Down", "No Surprises".
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 - [Review of My Chemical Romance discography](mcr_discog_review.md)
 - [Playlist to put on on my deathbed](deathbed_playlist.md)
+- [How I Discover a Band](band_discovery.md)