wtf is "relevancy," anyway? 3

back then when you stumbled on music it was so overwhelming that you couldn't imagine what you did before you had it burned into your synapses and in digging around trying to replicate that first-fuck epiphany you'd discover other stuff that, while not as earth-shaking in its impact on your psyche, was still damn good. it seemed like there was no end to the goodness. so when did that change? and why?

maybe around the time when record reviews went from being long-form musings on the zeitgeist to mere consumer guidance, and the listener's attitude went from being one of awestruck wonder to one of jaded apathy: "so what are you going to do to amaze me _this_ time?!?!?"