This Is What It Sounds Like

An amazing book of musical knowledge. I had never given any thought to there being any particular reason for the way we react and feel about our music choices. I was blown away by the author’s in depth explanations of what is going on in our brains when we listen to our records. It really made me think about my music choices and the ones which, for years, have hit my ‘sweet spot’ without my understanding that this is what was happening. I’m just so excited by its content but there’s too much about this book to go into in this review. I’d end up writing a book of my own. Take a trip through your music loves; you may even find a way of revisiting music you’re not keen on and hearing it differently. If, like me, you’ve been having a love affair with your record collection for all your life, do yourself a favour and read this treasure of a book. Discover your sweet spot of music all over again.

“Gaining insight into a friend’s musical tastes can be an intimate experience that reveals how they see themselves in relation to the world, the value of aesthetic experiences in their lives, or who they want to be when they grow up (or who they wanted to be).”

Well first of all, this book has changed how I will listen to music forever… (in the best way!)

Second of all, I think every book should now come with an accompanying playlist. It was such a wonderfully immersive and educational experience to be able to hear and understand what was being discussed in the text. The satisfying effect blew my mind, honestly.

I get why this book was called “This is what it sounds like” (the author is a talented female music producer / professor who worked with Prince for years) but it’s more accurately a book that explains technically, physically and scientifically, why we ‘fall in love at first listen’ with certain songs. A recipe that is, of course, unique to us all.

Music taste says so much about us; our incredibly individual lives and experiences shape the kind of listeners we become, but this book dives into the production techniques that helps music pass through our ears and straight into our hearts.

“Every deviation from our rhythmic predictions feels like watching a magician make a card disappear.”

Ooft. Enticing, yes? Music is so intimate. And our expectations can be fulfilled or violated in a split second. Music production really is such an exact science, a specialist skill that I never fully appreciated until reading this book.

I highly recommend delving inside it, too.