Selecting track order for an album...

[Swordfishtrombone]

Any recommendations for how to decide track listing on an album? I've been writing music for a project that I've been working on, and I almost have enough songs written for an album. What should I consider when deciding what song goes where on an album? Does it really matter that much?

This is the first time I've ever written a decent sized collection of songs that I'm actually proud of, so I don't really know everything about how I should go about doing this. I don't have a problem with writing and I know how I want everything to be when I actually do the proper recordings (only have demos recorded now), but this is something that I've never thought about.

Should I arrange songs so the first letters of song titles spell out a word?
Should I arrange it by peaks (building up to "heaviest" songs, back down to "softer" stuff, then back up again)?
Should I put it in the order of when I wrote them?
Should I decide with the aid of a random number generator?

[D.o.S.]

I don't know about how you usually listen to music, but I grew up listening to records and tapes, so I gravitate towards thinking about sequencing the music I've been a part of making as a pair of self-contained song clusters that flow together really nicely.

Also, I don't know if you toke or drink or whatever, but if you do, coming up with a couple different running orders and then comparing them when you're in the zone can be really helpful. Or not helpful at all, but if you like the music, you get to listen to it two or three times in a row.

[Swordfishtrombone]

I normally listen to full albums, so that's part of why I'm kind of concerned about this. I'll definitely put some thought into how different sub-groups of songs fit together tho.

I normally don't smoke weed and I try to avoid drinking, but I'll definitely create and compare different track orders.

Thanks!

[AxAxSxS]

I like it when albums have a flow to them. Building up to peaks is a good way to think about it. Lead with something that will grab the attention of the listener, follow with something even better, back it off a bit, build back up and then finish with something that puts the listener into a good frame of mind, or not if that's what you are going for

[kbit]

Yeah making different sequences is good idea. Generally I like listening to records all the way through or in chunks of songs so sequencing is something I care about. Having the first song be something of a statement, or catchy in some way is something you'd probably wanna go for. Other than that I'd say just make sure the overall flow and the track to track flow works for your.

I've noticed there are a lot of albums I dig where it seems the band puts their best three songs as tracks 1-3. It definitely makes for a great start, but if there's a sequence that allows things to be dispersed more, I prefer that.

& something Kevin Devine has talked about in interviews before is putting a long/epic track somewhere in the middle of the record rather than the last track like most would expect. If it works within the body of songs you have it can be pretty cool.


& this is all personal preference, YMMV

[dubkitty]

there are lots of wqys to approach this. i've always felt that the most important thing is that a track should make sense/sound "right" with the following track. Loveless is a good example of this. if the track-to-track transitions are good, folks will perceive a good sequence. think of it like a good DJ (EDM or radio)...the music ebbs and flows.

[Swordfishtrombone]

Alright, I'll be thinking about everything that you guys have said. Thanks!