AlbumLove recommendations thread: May 2023
Meta note: this series has been restarted by request.
Choose one album
that you love
that you think deserves more love
Tell us what it is, and why.
Additional Details
What is this?
It's a new post series I'm trying out! Each month people can use the AlbumLove thread to post an album they love and explore those posted by others.
I'm planning to put up a new AlbumLove thread on the first of each month for a few months to see how these go as a trial run. If people like it we can keep it going — if they don’t it’ll fizzle out and I’ll stop.
Why AlbumLove?
In this day and age, algorithmic recommendations for music are easy to come by, and it's trivial to seek out new music that interests you by searching online. AlbumLove offers an opportunity to sift through music loved by others, including those who might have divergent tastes from you. Think of this as an opportunity to listen outside of your comfort zone, with music that you know someone else adores, from a small pool of thoughtful hand-selected options.
What do I post?
Any album that you love and that you feel deserves more appreciation. There are no restrictions on genre, year, or anything else, and nothing is “too popular” or “too niche”. If you think it needs more love — for whatever reason — then it’s welcome in AlbumLove.
Name the artist and the album, and then, most importantly, share what you love about the album. It could be the music itself, but it could also be your associations with it -- maybe the album reminds you of someone you love, or you saw the band live and got a new appreciation for the studio songs.
Also, commenting on others' recommendations is encouraged! If you love something that someone else shared, let them know!
Do I have to listen to what everyone else posts?
Nope. You don't have to listen to anything if you don't want to. This is about creating a menu of options that people can explore as they wish.
Can I post more than one album in a month?
Nope. Limit one! This helps us be more selective about what we choose, as well as preventing the threads from getting flooded with too many contributions to keep track of.
Why albums and not songs/artists?
I like albums. :)
Seriously though, I feel like it's a very different thing to like an album as a whole versus a few songs or just an artist's general vibe. I like the idea of quantizing music for appreciation in the same way we might do with books or movies.
What about EPs?
Fair game!
Dominguinhos, Sivica, & Oswaldinho - Cada um Belisca um Pouco (2004)
I don't really think in terms of albums anymore, but here's the one I recommend for accordion music. Three famous Brazilian accordionists teamed up to play Forró standards, some of which they wrote.
(The title translates to "each one pinches a little" and it's the name of one of the songs.)
The M Machine - Metropolis Pts I and II here's a YouTube link, you'll need it.
In EDM there hasn't been anything like this before or since this two-part EP. It's excellent music made with liner notes that tell the story of the album. These notes had Soundcloud links to the songs, but their site's gone as the group separated a few years ago, so I included a YouTube link. Each page corresponds to the song to listen two that accompanies that part of the story.
I was relatively new to the genre, had only been listening to it for four years, but this is a pair of EPs that exists on a scale that competes with any other well-done concept album. I still feel the same emotions when I listen to it today, and for anybody who listens to similar music who hasn't had this experience, I recommend it.
Man, I love this! It reminds me a lot of Justice's self titled 2007 album.
Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite
Man their past few albums, each is better than the last. This one is just an astonishing blend of brutality and complexity. Just banger after banger. Plus, as usual the political messages are very welcome.
Recommended track: "We Eat Our Young"
Highlighted feature: Travis' vox. Man he has so much range. The melodic highs, the growls, the screams. Fucken rippa
I agree, this is is very new but very good- I am a huge fan of Cattle Decapitation in general and they succeeded yet again.
casio dad - he's not with us anymore
In posting this, there's a big part of me that feels the need to do some lampshade hanging and point out that I'm aware of its flaws, but in the spirit of AlbumLove I'm going to forego all of that and simply say that this EP has some sort of weird magnetism for me. It's messy, frantic, and chaotic, but all in a really good and compelling way. It's earnest and unpretentious. It's catchy as hell in places, and it displays surprising range in such a short time.
The artist later went on to greater success with their band glass beach, but I didn't like their album with that band nearly as much as I liked this little slice of odd, chiptune-adjacent, alternative, thoughtful pop.
So excited it's back! Thanks for putting it together @kfwyre
Air - Moon Safari
For this album I'm reaching back into the linage of another album I've done, Parcels - Parcels. I believe Air and Daft Punk really shaped the European electronic scene, the latter more than the former. And while I could choose from any of Daft Punk's albums, and if you haven't explored their discography I highly suggest it, I really believe that Moon Safari from Air is a perfect album.
The album is etherial, moody, and beautiful. There are a few jarring tracks that take you out of the dreamy landscape, namely Sexy Boy, but even that song is a classic for me. I think dreamy might actually be the best way to explain this album. Falling from scene to scene, dream to dream as you might in a really active sleep cycle. There are a few albums I love listening to with the lights off and headphones on and this album is definitely one of them. It's hard to believe this album is 25 years old.
The opening with La femme d'argent gives such a nice soft opening to the album and really sets the mood for the next hour. Ce matin-la is another big highlight. If you enjoy this record, do yourself a favor and check out The Virgin Suicides. Definitely not their magnum opus, but definitely a great record.