The Art Of Album Sequencing

Sequencing is the unsung hero of creating a no-skip album or playlist. It is the artful process of ordering songs o create a harmonious flow, which defines the relationship between each song. Without good sequencing, an album is nothing more than a haphazard collection of tracks. Jay-Z put it best when he said every story has an arc. And albums can definitely count as stories. You can tell the difference between an album that just sounds like a playlist, and an album that was meticulously planned out with each song having a purpose in hitting the story beats and pushing along the theme and motifs. Think of sequencing as writing a novel. Just like in a book, the first chapter should introduce the characters and set the scene, while the final chapter should bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. In the same way, a curated playlist or album should have a beginning, middle, and end, with each song building on the one before it to create a dynamic and captivating story. Many musicians and producers overlook the importance of sequencing, but it is the final opportunity to curate the presentation of your songs before distributing your music. It can make or break an album, as a poorly sequenced release can detract from the impact of individual songs.

Sequencing is one of the most relatable, intuitive, and enjoyable aspects of working on an album. It's a creative endeavor, and there's no one right or wrong way to do it. However, there are some things that stand out from albums that do this well. One of the cardinal sequencing rules is to lead with one of your strongest tracks, so you start strong, set the tone, and build off of it. However, a mistake so many make is that treacherous consecutive stars on Apple Music at the beginning of the album. You know what I’m talking about. An artist decided to frontload their album to “start off with a bang” and then the rest of the album was trash. You can’t just put your best songs at the beginning because not only will you set expectations so high, but you will also lose the listener’s attention. You need to play with the listener’s mood that you want them to feel. You can’t go from a hype song immediately to a slow song, and then another slow song, and then a skit, and then an interlude. Sequencing an album is about movement and dynamism. Lulling the listener to a safe sense of calmness and then using that to explode with energy as you move along the tracks. You want the beginning, middle, and end to all be strong, with a sense of direction and flow between the 3 points. A well-sequenced album can keep the listener engaged from start to finish, even if there is some filler on a track. From start to finish, the best albums showcase a sense of dynamics, detail, and storytelling. With the ease of skipping from one song to another, it's crucial to give listeners a reason to stick around and listen to multiple songs in a row, the way they were intended.

In my opinion, someone who does this really well is Metro Boomin. Not All Heroes Wear Capes and Heroes & Villains show this concept well. You can tell the sequence matter to the story Metro is trying to portray, and who doesn’t love the seamless transitions from one track to another? Whether it’s “On Time” to “Superhero” or “Overdue” to ‘Don’t Come Out the House.” The entire album is seamless and it’s better to play it in order than on shuffle. There are entire playlists dedicated to songs that “fade” into each other, and to me, that’s one of the best effects in music. It’s so satisfying. It’s the DVD logo hitting the corner of the TV screen. Someone else that excels at this is Kanye. He always seems to have some tracks that fade into each other. His albums have also always been known to have themes and elements of storytelling. Kanye being a producer first allows him to do this flawlessly before he even steps foot in the booth. Some transitions to think about or listen to are “Wake Up Mr. West” to “Heard ‘Em Say,” “All of the Lights (Interlude)” into obviously “All of the Lights,” “We Don’t Care” to “Graduation Day,” both parts of “Father Stretch My Hands” and “Jesus Walks” into “Never Let Me Down.” Other good examples of well sequences albums are Travis Scott’s Rodeo and Astroworld which honestly felt like a fun rollercoaster ride with the different vibes each track gave. Frank Ocean’s Blond had a beat drop at exactly 30 minutes into a 60 minute album flipping the entire tone and mood of the album and completely separating the first half from the second half. Tyler the Creator’s Igor starts off with someone falling in love with someone, the middle part is their relationship, and the ending part is them just being friends. Both Dawn FM and After Hours by the Weeknd had top-tier album sequencing. I could continue on for another few hundred words but you get the point by now. Good sequencing is what causes that little voice in the back of your head or that little tug in your gut to go “oh damn I like this.” Bad sequencing is what gets you bored, skipping from track to track so you can find the “single” or “hit” to add to your playlist and call it a day. 

Sequencing is a crucial aspect of creating a cohesive and impactful album. It may take some experimentation and trial and error, but with a thoughtful and deliberate approach, you can craft an album that will keep your listeners captivated from start to finish. Don't underestimate the power of sequencing, let it elevate your music to new heights and leave a lasting impression on your audience. And next time you listen to a new album, try and keep the pacing and story in mind.