I want to talk about the difference between a record I love in the moment and a record that lasts.

I have a strong tendency to over-rate records during the period of initial discovery. The excitement of finding something new inflates my assessment, and I've learned to wait before committing to opinions. The records that hold up after six months are a different subset from the records I was most excited about at the time.

The qualities that predict durability in my experience: compositional surprise that continues to reveal itself over repeated listens; emotional complexity that isn't exhausted by understanding the literal content; production choices that serve the music without dominating it.

The qualities that predict short half-lives: a very strong and specific initial mood that wears out; production that is more interesting than the songs; lyrics that state their content directly rather than working through indirection.