Taking Up Your Precious Time cover

Released 20 years ago

Taking Up Your Precious Time

Pretty Lights · 2006

73 min · 15 tracks · electronic music

A vibrant blend of glitchy beats, soulful samples, and immersive soundscapes that define the electronic landscape of the mid-2000s.

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Top tracks — play these first

  • →
    Finally Moving — This track showcases the album's fusion of soulful melodies and hip-hop rhythms, exemplifying Smith's ability to create an emotional connection through dance music.
  • →
    Stay — With its lush instrumentation and reflective lyrics, this song encapsulates the album’s thematic exploration of longing and nostalgia.
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    Happiness (Troubled Faces) — This track stands out for its intricate layering of samples and beats, illustrating Smith's unique approach to crafting a narrative within electronic music.
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    Wrong Platform — The dynamic shifts in tempo and mood throughout this piece highlight Smith's experimental edge while maintaining an infectious groove.

Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

Instrumental
59 /100
Treeline
Higher than 57% of albums we've rated

The album showcases strong production and composition but remains somewhat conventional within its genre.

What we noticed

  • The album features a consistent use of glitchy beats layered with soulful samples, creating a textured soundscape throughout.
  • Many tracks incorporate dynamic tempo changes, with some pieces transitioning from upbeat sections to more ambient passages.
Composition 25% of the score
7/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
8/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
6/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
6/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
7/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 4/10

Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • long, immersive listening sessions
  • dynamic emotional journeys
  • atmospheric background focus
  • gradual builds and payoffs

Where this album fits

Career context
Released in 2006, Taking Up Your Precious Time was Pretty Lights' debut album, establishing Derek Vincent Smith's signature style of combining hip-hop beats with electronic production. At this point, he was emerging from a grassroots following, having previously released tracks online that began to garner attention within the electronic music community.
Stylistic neighbors
Gramatik· Odesza· Bassnectar
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Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 Short Line 2:59
  • 2 Until Tomorrow 4:36
  • 3 Wrong Platform 6:13
  • 4 Finally Moving 4:38
  • 5 Stay 5:07
  • 6 Summer's Thirst 4:22
  • 7 An Empty Station 5:42
  • 8 Switch Up 3:49
  • 9 Waiting for Her 3:00
  • 10 Samso 4:22
  • 11 Down the Line 5:11
  • 12 Happiness (Troubled Faces) 4:44
  • 13 Almost Familiar 4:13
  • 14 The Last Passenger 4:42
  • 15 Try to Remember 9:32

What to play next

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Listen next

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Go back to

Passing by Behind Your Eyes
Full Pretty Lights discography Where to start with Pretty Lights Artists like Pretty Lights

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata