Topic: The Music Thread

Just gonna recommend two new albums here, because I love recommending music and getting recommendations.

If anyone in here is interested in a contemporary and dark take on Irish folk music, listen to Lankum's False Lankum. If you're more into indie folk, then go listen to Boygenius' The Record.

"72 Seasons" by Metallica.
as a big fan, I'm just happy they're still making new stuff.

Ever since they popped up in True Colors and I thought it was Bon Iver, I have been absolutely obsessed with Novo Amor. Of all of their music, this was the track where I was like oh yeah, this is it.

Nice trance song Attitude by Y&Co. from Beatmania IIDX 8th style

@Kidfried Had a listen to almost all of that Lankum album yesterday, I really liked what I heard, thanks for recommending it. The atmosphere they create is magnificent, not heard much music like this for a long while 👍

Something 80's from Innocent Love by Sandra.

This is the one I currently have on repeat.

@AgentCooper Thanks. I am happy the music has found you too. Got any recommendations yourself?

@Kidfried Good question! been a bit all over the place recently, but these two have been a fairly consistent feature the last couple of years…

Surprise Chef - All News is Good News
Mildlife - Phase

Edit: Fever Ray - Radical Romantics is worth a mention, and anything by De Staat, their latest Red Yellow and Blue series of songs are great.

@AgentCooper I still have to listen to that Fever Ray album, good recommendation!

I didn't know Surprise Chef yet, but it's very nice. Thanks.

It's funny toy mention De Staat. They're from my country, and used to really dig them, but I think I saw them a bit too often, so they don't feel that special anymore.
This is not meant like a humble brag or anything, they're just on every music festival and evening you go. On a music festival I'm going this they'll even play three nights in a row (every night a different color).

And I'll try that Midlife album soon! Thanks for the recommendations, always love them.

@Pizzamorg True Colors has a fantastic soundtrack. Kinda didn't notice the Novo Armor, Bon Iver similarity until your post. Really just know Anchor and Haven though, by name anyway... I know I've heard others while listening to Spotify.

@Kidfried speaking of female folk supergroups, I presume you know about I'm With Her? Find that I like about as many songs by them as I do boygenius.

@zupertramp I had never listened to I'm With Her until now. That is an amazing recommendation. I've listened to a bunch of songs now and they are amazing! Thanks.

(Less females, but also a supergroup; Bonny Light Horseman's debut is a nice listen too)

@Kidfried cool. I also really can't recommend Sara Watkins enough. Aoife O'Donovan is also obviously very good but I feel like the former really doesn't get the praise she deserves. Her album Young in All the Wrong Ways is definitely recommended if you haven't heard it.

And I definitely know of Bonny Light Horseman as they seem to come up a lot on any kind of Spotify recommendations playlist but it's more of a passing familiarity as I couldn't name any of their songs. They're kind of on my "I'll get to them" list as any music lover knows there's just so much at any given time you're bound to let some slip through the cracks. Streaming has somehow both compounded and mitigated this.

Anyway also gotta give a shout-out for Joan Shelley for anyone who digs that delightful intersection between indie folk and country. Like literally any album but her eponymous album from a few years ago is a good place to start.

@Jimmer-jammer Also, how are you? Did you ever get round to listening to the Black Saint and the Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus? If so, what were your thoughts? it's easy to find on Youtube I believe.

He even does that like low voice thing Bon Iver does, which is weird.

@Kidfried Oh man, that’s very cool though, they’re such a creative and exciting band to listen to. I can totally understand them starting to lose that special something for you over time; too much of a good thing and all that. Aren’t they like the Beatles in the Netherlands? Glad you liked Surprise Chef, they scratch a very particular satisfying itch for me. Lots of great music coming out of Oz!

I’m not normally a big musicals person but Starlight Express’ original cast recording is simultaneously one of the worst and best things that I’ve ever listened to. Like I guess it would be different when you see the people on roller skates pretending to be trains (????) in real life but it’s just so earnestly bonkers that it’s hard to criticise. They really need to chuck hundreds of millions at it like that rubbish Cats movie.

Listening to Andrew Bird this morning got me reminiscing about how 20 years ago or so I would follow music blogs religiously and some would be a work of love, there’d be a little thumbnail of the album and a little write up and a link to a few tracks or in some cases a megaupload of the full record that would take days to download. I discovered quite a lot of music this way, things like Grizzly Bear, The National and the aforementioned Andrew Bird to name a few. It felt like a nice extension of the physical record buying experience which I was still avidly doing at the time. I kind of miss those days, everything feels distinctly unsentimental these days.

Anywho, have a wonderful day everyone 👍

@AgentCooper I always feel you kinda have to create the magic yourself in this constantly demystifying world. Like how Christmas for me isn't about Santa or the birth of Jesus Christ at all; you could say it's a holiday without a purpose. But with family it's become this celebration of winter and being together as a family, December 25th became a day with our own traditons and rituals.

Decline of religion, this movement from a physical to a more digital world and less tangible world. You're actually touching on a very philosophical topic! One of my favorite essays on art is by Benjamin Walter called 'The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction'. Benjamin calls it the 'aura' of a piece of art, its presence in a specific place and time, which gives it authority. First there were only the live performances of music, music was physical only when performed. Then came vinyl and cds, where music turned in these physical discs. Then music became MP3's, less tangible, but you had to get them to your computer physically before you could listen to them.

And now there's... the cloud. And there's nothing physical anymore about Andrew Bird's recorded music. It's everywhere all at once! And though there's a democratization of art going on, with Bird's music being more easily accessible than ever before, it's definitely losing its 'cult' value.

Anyway, that rambling aside, I think the democratization of art means there's a larger responsibility on us as consumers of art to make it 'magical'. You could do that by making it more of a ritual when you listen to music, write about your experience, listen together with other people, go to live performances, etc. There's many ways in which you can make consuming art a unique experience, but it's up to you!

It's the downside and upside of the time we live in!

(Sorry, if this is almost a lecture or a preach... couldn't help myself)

@AgentCooper I used to write a little blog, mostly about gigs I went to as I went to a LOT while at uni in London.

Now, I find following certain labels really useful for keeping up with some new stuff I might have missed. For instance, Big Scary Monsters in the UK release loads of stuff I seem to like so I’ll often check out their new artists.

I also listen to the Radio 1 Rock Show and the Future Alternative playlist/show too and find loads of new stuff through them.

I’m also signed up for emails from Banquet and Drift record shops and find some stuff through them too.

I don’t stream anything though. I buy most stuff through bandcamp and then have two playlists on my phone; one with the most recent albums I’ve bought (with a one in, one out rule when I get something new) and a second that I rotate albums every week or two for ones I haven’t listened to for a while.