AlbumLove recommendations thread: September 2023
Choose one album
that you love
that you think deserves more love
Tell us what it is, and why.
Additional Details
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!
Meta question:
Do people think these threads would be better if each one was focused on a specific topic, genre, time period, etc.?
Right now they’re very open ended and allow anyone to submit anything. I thought about giving this month a theme of “the 1990s” and seeing how it played out, but I figured I’d ask people’s opinions first. I’m thinking with a little bit more restriction we might get some more traction and interesting results. I could be completely wrong though!
Let me know your thoughts.
Topic or time period could be nice, genre for me not so much. I like these posts because I get suggestions for albums that I would have never stumbled upon and keeping the genre selection as wide as possible is fundamental in my opinion.
I always find recommendations within some sort of restrictions to be more interesting that just free for all. Having some sort of limitation forces people to be a little more creative and also has the benefit of having a recommendation thread that will be great to bookmark since it has a common theme.
I really like a theme or era idea, it will give the listening experience a more continuous vibe when switching from each suggested album. Kind of like our own little cocktail/punk/90s/motown lounge.
Ayreon - The Human Equation
Genre: Progressive Metal
Ayreon is a project created by Arjen Anthony Lucassen in 1995. He's basically a one-man band, he writes and plays every song in his albums, with an ever-changing huge group of guests singers for each record.
Every album in the project's discography is a concept album, most of them connected.
The Human Equation is probably the more approachable (but you should still try to listen to the others!) and is a great showcase of Lucassen talent. Some of the singers in the album are familiar voices for those who listen to metal and all of them put a lot of passion in playing their parts.
As many of Lucassen album, this one talks about a journey, specifically inside the protagonist's mind, exploring his relationships, his joyous moments, his fears and traumas, facing his emotions as if they were actual persons, trying to come to terms with his life.
I remember hearing one of the songs on the radio (Loser) and being immediately captured by the music and the story it was telling, so much that I bought the album as soon as I could and it's been a gateway drug for the rest of Ayreon's work!
Arjen is on my short list for God-tier composers, living or dead. For those who are unfamiliar, this is how an 'average' Ayreon track is made.
I haven't spun Transitus yet, but I know he got Tom Baker as the narrator. :)
Gavin Clark - Beautiful Skeletons
Most often compared to Nick Drake - Gavin Clark died in 2015 never quite finding his breakthrough moment. Gavin Clark's name is often in the same sentence as Shane Meadows - creator of This Is England - as they were close childhood friends and frequent collaborators.
Leaving behind an otherwise slighty awkward and forgotten discography over different bands he was a member, 'Beautiful Skeletons' compiles not only his best work, but arguably his best recordings - giving Clark room to breath away from the other band members.
And sure, I mentioned Nick Drake above because it's the easy comparison (he's a dead British man who played acoustic guitar), but Clark's music does away with the psychedelia, instead lending something that feels unmistakably English. This is childhood stories, late nights, good friends and long drinks (a struggle that would ultimately see his life cut short).
It's one of those albums that brings me right to my childhood, it feels very turn-of-the-century to me, but there's nothing here that could age it. It's a compilation, but is a beast of its own, and no song here is out of place for the full 77 minutes (except maybe the heavier 'Black Blood').
A cosy listen that I feel more people should be enjoying. 'Low Are The Punches' is a highlight.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I loved it immediately on my first listen. Some beautiful music here.
Lo-Pan - In Tensions [EP]
Genre: Stoner Rock
Why?: Because honestly, I know these dudes, and they are great people. The music is good too though, don't get me wrong.
Havukruunu - Kelle Surut Soi
Genre: Black metal
I have been listening to black metal for 20 years but have mostly been stuck with the same bands that came out in the 90s. Havukruunu from Finland is one of the few bands I have been really excited about in recent years. Their record label is Naturmacht that focuses mostly on the atmospheric pagan black metal subgenre with an overall "nature" vibe. Havukruunu has that vibe too, but combines it with some folky melodies to their riffs without it being straight folk metal. It is still fast paced aggressive black metal - just with folk tunes which is a combination I haven't found done better elsewhere.
The 2007 album Synthesizer by Information Society. The original vocalist Kurt Harland was unavailable for this album so he was replaced by Christopher Anton for most of the tracks who just smashed it.
I think it's the best synth-pop album of all time, it has a great mix of light and dark and homages to other synth pop classics. I listened to it in a time when I was going through a lot of changes in my life and it seemed to be about what was happening right then and it still sounds just as relevant:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthesizer_(album)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRuZoeMLoEA&list=OLAK5uy_lQdlEw51kI42w86xIHseXUsWpPYCXKXAI
Big Sugar - Heated
I remember hearing a story on the radio about Big Sugar being a bit of an inside joke within the Canadian rock scene for the quantity of speakers they'd drag from stage to stage. Needless to say, their album Heated is best played loud.
Why do I love it? Besides being an absolute sucker for their guitars crunch, I was able to see them live a half dozen times when they were hot. At that time, I was in college and working part time at a family run pizza shop. I was newly fledged into the world, my parents were a distant memory, and I was drunk on freedom. Basically, they were a big part of my personal soundtrack during a time that's special to me.
They're definitely worth a listen if you're into a heavier blues rock. Also, you will notice a lot of reggae inspired rhythms.
Masana Temples — Kikagaku Moyo (2018)
Missed this thread when it was posted so I'm adding my contribution now. Kikagaku Moyo is a Japanese psychadelic rock band, and you get what you'd expect in this album. Some absolutely killer guitar in here, and fun to listen to some psychadelic rock from an area I had not before.
I was fortunate enough to see them (and learnof them for the first time) during their most recent, and final tour. Electric sitar is something I didn't know I needed in my life!
ZillaKami's Dog Boy album
Genre is a mix of nu metal and trap metal. I love the mix of aggressive and calm songs. There's also something about the style that is reminiscent of 90's grunge style(especially "Hello").
Waltz for Debby - The Bill Evans Trio
Genre: Cool Jazz
Year: 1962
This album was recorded live at The Village Vanguard in New York City, with Bill Evans on piano, Scott LaFaro on bass, and Paul Motian on drums.
I am not incredibly well versed in jazz, so I was lucky enough to be exposed to this album, and Bill Evans as a blind buy at a local record shop.
This album was one of two recordings made at The Village Vanguard around the same time; the other being "Bill Evans Trio - Live At The Village Vanguard". That album is more famous from what I understand, but I prefer this one.
I find this album to be incredibly relaxing, and I put it on particularly on gray rainy days.