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I have less room for things I've heard before that are only slightly different... I understand that it's fun to play music, even if it's a retread, but I really don't have time for it. I really have to dig for something that grips me. I used to be far more militant. My listening identity (I get douche-chills just saying that) was more about what I caustically rejected than what I embraced. And it still is to a certain extent. I really can't stand tepid indie rock bullshit or P4K crap like Animal Collective, but I've learned to ignore it.
When it comes to new bands, I tend to gravitate towards people who develop their own musical identities over time and diversify/bring something special to the table with each new release. I can hear a song in passing by some halfway decent punk band or something and go "oh, that's nice" but I'm probably not going to rush out to buy a one-off 7" just because it's a momentary hit among some nerds on message boards. But I suppose that's the norm again, like it was at the beginning of rock'n'roll, which seems more like a fruitless enterprise with each passing day. There is such little quality control with the sceptre of "blog rock" and it seems many bands don't really have a gestation period anymore.
Albini once said something about how he views his favorite records as conversations. One listens to a record and walks away feeling like they've had a conversation with the band, an experience that clued them into something they weren't aware of before playing it. There are very few TOTAL PACKAGE bands around like that now.
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