i was listening to bloc party while driving home yesterday, and i noticed that i can't really listen to music on a broad level anymore. what i mean is, ever since i learned guitar, i focus strictly on listening to the guitar parts in a song more than the actual song itself. it gets really annoying. it's hard to explain, but unless i'm trying to learn the song, i'd rather hear the song as a whole than by its individual parts (ie guitar, drums). thats why being drunk is so good, because it makes it harder to focus.

and this might sound weird, but another thing i've come to notice is that a song is not good because it is different. it is good because it is repetitive. a long repetitive chorus builds up the tension in a song to the point where i'm thinking "just move on to the next part already!". then finally when it does, you feel a strange sense of relief. to me, that feeling is better than any crazy riffs or solos. the anticipation and buildup is much more important than the actual climax. try listening to "bloc party - helicopter", and focusing on the bass and guitar parts. hopefully you can hear what i mean.

*edit* hmm maybe thats why trance is so good...