This is where I talk about the music I've liked the most over the past month or two! Most of these will have high scores because...well, I keep listening to them! I have to like them, right?
This is the most recent thing I've listened to on the grid - today, actually! So technically it's a March addition...Anyways, I love the sounds that come out of it. Very cool electronic stuff, reminded me of IDM at times and the textures were giving me an early PC Music vibe. Don't think it'll crack my end of the year lists or anything, but a very cool electronic style! 7/10
I've never been a diehard Brothertiger fan - I mostly fell in love with "Lovers" back when it was released, and never found his take on the 'chillwave' sound that appealing until his 'A Chain Of Islands' EP from a few years back. His self titled from last year improves on that EP on all fronts. The phrase chillwave belongs to blogs from over a decade ago. This self-titled leans into a lush synthpop sound with huge choruses and melodies that peak like mountaintops. Those high notes on "Arizona", the drawn out 'live for the long drive', those synthetic flute sounds - if there's one track that encapsulates the album, it's this. It's still coated in reverb, but it feels like the most distinct Brothertiger has ever sounded. It certainly earns its self-titled status. Mr. Tiger lets some guest vocalists lead on 'Yesterdays' and 'Torn Open', the latter of which is likely to worm its way into your brain with a vengeance. There's also an odd-but-not-terrible stab at rapping on 'Summer Wave '98', playing on the nostalgia the aesthetics of chillwave lend themselves to. There's very few bumps in the road here. I'm happy he's still making music. 8/10
I love this take on pop-rock so much. I'm a little surprised fans are so split on it - yes, it's not the same sound that their earlier stuff covered, but honestly every album from this band is different in its own way. Lost Time leans into hooks and big choruses and power-pop galore. 'The Time Is Right To Be Wrong' seems to be hailed as one of the tracks better left in the studio, but I live for the cheese and this sounds like it belongs in a Disney Channel Original Movie montage. For all the big hooks, Lost Time's lyrics often come off bittersweet. It doesn't make them any less natural to yell along to - TWENTY FOURS AGO FROM RIGHT NOW!!! I WAS THINKIN THAT TWENTY FOUR HOURS AHEAD FROM RIGHT NOW!!! I'LL BE SINGING THAT SAME OLD TWENTY FOUR HOURS AGO FROM RIGHT NOW - that's classic. That's genius. Fake Magic 8 Ball and Boy In The Woods both have their strange groove and charms, Terrible Hands and Accidents Waiting To Happen have a great unpredictable punk energy to them, and yeah, Telephone Holiday outweirds Pinkerton-era Rivers Cuomo, but it's just for the bit, right? There's so much catchy stuff on here - I know a lot of people prefer the bands earlier stuff (Red and Bliss are my second favorites) but I wouldn't object to recommending this to introduce the band. 9/10
Man, I don't even remember how I found this one, but wow is it gorgeous. Great trip-hop beats with a stunning, subtle vocalist who knows when to hold back and when to run away with your attention. What really grabs me about this is the closing pair of tracks - so cinematic out of nowhere. Recommended for chilling, but be ready for a little awe. 8/10
Woah, where did this come from!? This is a single from underrated nu-pop-metal band Cheem, who, if the fates are kind at all, will give their upcoming EP a ton of attention. Fake Fans was good, but WOW, this is GREAT!! From it's twinly Y2K inspired garage-opening beat, the ensuing 90 seconds are filled with so many bells and whistles that NEVER feel extra - they feel like they're rounding out the bands sound in the best way possible. From the chorus' ah-ah-ah's, the dual vocals, the high energy... It's a perfect storm. I love how the one verse lets us sit with that sweet garage beat again! Cheem is really on to something - it's only a matter of time before everyone is on to them.
This is an old favorite of mine that I found the CD of at Savers a few months ago. The weather is verrry slowwwwly inching its way out of winter where I am, and that means I'm looking for any excuse to listen to music with the windows down on the way to and from work. Con Todo El Mundo is gentle-enough psychedelic rock that will let you nod your head in agreement or gaze at the clouds carelessly. 8/10
Really good late 80's post-punk! Calling All Nations has so many sweet riffs and melodies in it. Title track makes me wiggly. The Loved One is a cover, and they sound good doing the blues. 7/10
To say Taxxon's prolific would be understatement. To say I have listened to a majority of her work would be an understatement. That said, from the multiple albums I have heard, Bicycle is by far the best. There have been some real moments of brilliance in Taxxon's work, but in a way this feels like a best of. It feels three-dimensional - there's scope, there's a great variety of texture and sounds, and it's more than just IDM. I unfortunately think the vocals are a sore point, but everything else? Incredible. 8/10