AlbumLove recommendations topic: October 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!
Etro Anime — See the Sound (2004)
Etro Anime is an electronic band from New York. I don't think there's a single weak track in this record. The quality and feel are consistent throughout the album, which is why I like listening to it in full. My favorite track is Purest One.
This album is such a groove.
You described them as an electronic band, so I went in expecting instrumental tracks. Instead I got silky smooth vocals. This is great. It also has a nice late 90/early 2000s sound to it that’s distinctive enough to the recognizable but not overdone in a way that would make it sound dated.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mwng
by the Super Furry Animals was recommended to me by another Tildes user. It is all in Welch but I can listen to it over and over again.
Welsh, thank you 😊
https://bosskband.bandcamp.com/album/i-ii-reissue-3
Bossk are the band that got me into long form music. They are post metal/rock. Mostly instrumental but I do love the fact that they use the vocals sparingly. Their first ep's I and II have been reissued so are bundled together on their bandcamp. Their sound changes a fair bit on later albums but they still manage to keep their tone similar to these early tracks. It has that early 2000s MySpace feel to it. Just very comforting stuff for me now.
The Buzzhorn - Disconnected
For any fans of post-grunge, I think it fits the genre nicely. The only reason it might not have completely flown under the radar, and how I found out about it, is a single hit that was on the Need For Speed 2 video game. I think the tempo variances on a straight listen through are pretty well spaced.
Slaughter Beach, Dog - Birdie
https://open.spotify.com/album/7BOqKE9agoJs91LXKd1pNy
I honestly just discovered this album, which may come as a surprise to some of you. I've really enjoyed it so far so I thought I'd pass it along here. Indie Folk is exactly what I needed today after a long day at work - and this album hit I perfectly. Has me longing for the days I used to stay up all night exploring albums on Last.fm.
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/slaughter-beach-dog/birdie/
Sherwood - QU (Bandcamp, Odesli)
This is a pop rock album with very light touches of folk, alternative, and emo. It came out in 2009 and might sound a bit dated by today’s standards, but I’m still genuinely fond of it.
As a primarily pop-oriented listener, I listen to a lot of stuff that’s enjoyable but has a short half-life and tends to decay over time. Meanwhile, this is an album I’ve been coming back to for over a decade now. It has strongly singable melodies, but isn’t reliant on just that catchiness to carry it. There’s enough meat on the bones of the songs to give them staying power.
Many of the tracks are upbeat and positive, giving the album a comfortable, feel-good texture. This also allows the album’s slower, somber, introspective moments to hit hard via contrast.
The closing track, “No Better”, is a quiet, piano-driven meditation on a divorce between parents. In a good example of the understated depth this album has, the chorus has a recurring line that is subtly shifted over the course of the song. It starts out as:
But shifts into:
Writing it out makes the “you” -> “you’re” and “know” -> “no” shift incredibly obvious, but when heard, they hit the ear almost the same. It’s subtle enough that you can miss it entirely, as I did for many listens. After I realized it, it completely changed my appreciation for the song and its meaning.
That kind of thing is smart, thoughtful songwriting, and I see it as indicative of the level of care put into the tracks on this album. I love it from start to finish.