By: Copper Gregg /Copy Editer

 The music industry is an ever changing landscape, fueled by constant technological advancements and means of production. Despite this continuous change, one particular method of releasing music has remained the standard: albums. 

     Years ago, the album model of releasing music just made sense. With music being exclusively physical, albums allowed listeners to purchase one vinyl, compact disc or cassette, giving them access to a good number of songs by their artist of choice.

     It also allowed artists to release a number of songs at once. Releasing one song at a time would likely not go well as people would have to buy a physical copy of each individual song. 

     Now living in a world where music is easily accessible at any time online, it is no longer “necessary” for artists to put out full albums. Musicians in the past have released singles; however, releasing an individual song has never been easier with streaming services.

     This begs the question; why are albums still so important today? 

     Albums allow an artist to go far beyond the creativity of simply releasing individual songs. There’s so much more that goes into an album than a single which lets an artist truly make a large and meaningful work of art.

     The physical aspect of albums is also up for question as many artists to this day still release physical copies of their records. This once again allows for an immense amount of creativity from an artist.

     With modern production methods, the possibilities for unique vinyl records in particular feel nearly endless. Many artists have, and continue to do unique things to the actual disks, like different colors, printed images and patterns, zoetrope effects or different shaped vinyl altogether. The band Glass Animals, for example, released a decagon shaped pressing of  their album “ILYSFM.”

     The other reason why the physical aspect of albums is so special is the simple process of actually listening to it. By using physical media, you add an additional tactile element to the listening experience. With vinyl, there’s something almost ritualistic about putting the record on the turntable, cleaning it and placing the needle in the grooves that makes the listening experience so much more enjoyable.

     Album covers are also a massively important aspect of what makes them so special. The album cover itself can tell a story, and iconic album covers, such as Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon,” or Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors,” often transcend the album itself and become culturally significant independently of the actual songs.

     One specific type of album is the pinnacle of why albums are so important and relevant to this day: concept albums.

    A concept album is when the album as a whole tells a greater story or shared theme, which allows for artists to tell a much larger and more complex story than is possible in one song. 

     Glass Animals’ “How to Be a Human Being,” on its own is a great album that has many catchy and well-made tracks. What makes this record so special is the theming that connects all of the songs. Every song is a story that the band was told while on tour, and each song corresponds to a character displayed on the cover of the album. 

     The album would function completely fine without this added layer of story, but its addition is what makes this album have the emotion and nuance that it has. 

     Other concept albums tell one continuous story that typically follows one or multiple characters. 

     An example of this is My Chemical Romance’s “The Black Parade,” which tells the story of a man dying of cancer, reflecting on his life. 

     There is no one size fits all formula for concept albums, and it’s partially because of this fact that concept albums remain so unique and important. Each one tells its own unique story that is different from all the others. 

     The artistry and creativity facilitated by the idea of albums is justification enough for keeping them around. For musicians who care about their craft and want to express themselves and their artistic strength as much as possible, the album still reigns supreme as the way to do so.