Domingo 20 Nov 2011, 17:12

Whoa. I was lamenting, earlier, on how I didn't listen to Songs by Regina Spektor (which I bought late October) as much as I should've, because I love Regina Spektor and Songs is actually a really good album. Its time to shine was usurped by the fact that I suddenly, a few days before buying Songs, fell in love with the songs Hermit The Frog and Seventeen, which eventually made me fall in love with The Family Jewels again and it usurped Songs's month. Then, I got to thinking. I bought Songs in October, and it got usurped. Songs is by Regina Spektor. How did I discover Regina Spektor? She herself usurped Taylor Swift last October. I was astonished to find that there's actually a pattern of album usurping in my past when purchasing an album. It appears that any album I buy in February or October is likely to end up underlistened to due to another album usurping it. Let's see:

October '09: Fearless Platinum Edition by Taylor Swift - This was long enough ago that I didn't have last.fm yet and I can't actually remember what album usurped it, but I do remember not really listening to this album as much as I should've.
February '10: In A Perfect World... by Keri Hilson - This, too, was long enough ago that I didn't have last.fm yet. I do remember hating this album, though, and I'm fairly sure a mixture of tracks from Fefe Dobson and Sunday Love by Fefe Dobson usurped it.
October '10: Speak Now by Taylor Swift - Begin To Hope by Regina Spektor
February '11: Far by Regina Spektor - Sunday Love by Fefe Dobson (the whole thing, this time)
October '11: Songs by Regina Spektor - The Family Jewels by Marina & the Diamonds

Interesting things? First of all, I apologize to Taylor Swift and Regina Spektor. You both got usurped twice, which is kind of funny. Regina Spektor especially, considering I discovered her when Taylor Swift got usurped the second time, and even more so when you consider the fact that, after buying Far in February, I decided to buy Regina Spektor albums in four month intervals, which put Songs right in the usurper's line of fire. Second, Fefe Dobson loves to usurp. Third, in 2010, both usurps involved me discovering an artist (Fefe Dobson and Regina Spektor), and in 2011, both usurps involved me rediscovering an old album I hadn't listened to in a while (slight exception with The Family Jewels because I never stopped listening to Guilty) and loving it to bits.

What does this mean? Well, first that I'm incredibly superstitious. I'm sure albums have usurped in other months, right? I'm just picking up on non-existent patterns? Right? Doesn't really matter–I'm having fun. :P Second, in an interesting continuation of a pattern, Marina & the Diamonds's second album, Electra Heart, is set to be released February 2012. Suddenly, I'm wary of buying it the moment it comes out, especially considering the fact that Regina Spektor usurped October '10, and then got usurped herself February '11.

History repeats itself, you know. Musical portents of usurping. It's fun to be superstitious sometimes. Still, I'm probably not going to buy Electra Heart in February, and I'm definitely not going to buy 11:11 in February, which was the original plan (four-month intervals, remember?). :P