Hey all,

Brand new Tildes user here. In real life, I work full time as an orchestral and opera conductor. I love all kinds of music (outside of classical, I particularly love musical theater, jazz, and hip hop) but classical music is what I know best. How about let's start a thread about classical music? What do you like? What questions do you have? Do you want to know more about how orchestras, opera theaters, and ballet companies work? Shoot me anything and everything!

And to start, I'd like to share with you this concert recording, the only recording of this amazing and little-known work by composer Alice Mary Smith.

There're maybe 2 aspects to the question: what makes you prefer a certain genre over another? and within that genre, what criteria makes you think one piece performs better than another?

I get that this is a very subjective and probably subconscious thing. Just curious to see how everyone would describe their own tastes.

For me I'm not much of a music person, most music I found were just soundtracks from films or videogames. So I guess the music is good if the film/game is good. Listening is a way to put me back into the moods of the scenes it came from.

Edit: I also listen to meme songs a lot so I guess I like them for just being funny, which is not a very musically relevant criteria I suppose

Pop-Up Event: Feelin’ ‘22

Task: Listen to an album featured in any end-of-year music list for 2022 and let us know what you thought of it. Also, tell us what list you got it from, as well as why you chose it.

Time Period: Saturday, November 10 through Sunday, November 18

Help from Our Staff: Need a place to start? Try one of these:

• AOTY’s list of lists for the best albums of 2022
• RateYourMusic’s customizable chart builder
• Tildes’ very own Year in Review for music

I'm not going through anything bad right now, I just feel like listening to some ugly-cry type of breakup albums.

My picks:

• Sharon Van Etten: Are We There

• Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago

• Beck: Sea Change

• The Cinematic Orchestra: Ma fleur

• Lykke Li: I Never Learn

Denmark

Commentary: Quite the variety of styles with this month's Danish NMN contingent. It's definitely Bbybites who has caught the ears though. Rapper Martha Maj Hauptmann brings the attitude with her refreshing mix of pop and hip hop. Track “Whatever“ from her latest EP is on rotation.

Finland

Commentary: IANAI's debut album really does defy genre classification, with its epic soundscapes influenced by folk music from across the globe. The talent found on “Sunir” is nothing to be sniffed at either, with guest appearances from HIM, Sisters of Mercy and Massive Attack to name a few.

Iceland

Commentary: This might become my new obsession. After unexpectedly discovering some Finnish surf rock last month, this month it's the turn of Iceland. Check out the acoustic title track from Fjara – whose name translates to beach/shore – on their brand-new EP “Surfdays”.

Norway

Commentary: Jørn Lande is back with a new studio album, five years since 2017's “Life On Death Road”. Where “Over The Horizon Radar“ lacks in innovation or even boundary pushing, it makes up for in familiar power vocals and eleven solid melodic metal songs.

Sweden

Commentary: It's been thirty-three years since Neneh Cherry's debut album “Raw Like Sushi” released. Her latest album “The Versions” sees a cast of current-day female vocalists give re-workings to tracks from that seminal album and others to admittedly varying degrees of success.

Previous months: March | April | May

Denmark

Commentary: A rock heavy selection coming out of Denmark for this month. So in typical fashion, I'm gonna skip over the generic guitar riffs and angsty lyrics this May and focus instead on the crisp pop voice of Sonic Girl. The track “hackerboy” is worth a listen just for the shoehorning in of antivirus and IP addresses!

Finland

Commentary: Where Denmark failed with rock, Finland might just have delighted this month. The country is synonymous with death metal, so imagine my surprise to find a source of surf rock in the band Mary Ann Hawkins. Their track “Hawkinsmania” is an espresso shot of frenetiscism.

Iceland

Commentary: Iceland is a small place, with 366,000 people and counting, so sometimes pickings are low. But they do say quality over quantity, and that's what we have here. The names behind NEVERNEVER have some real pedigree in the music industry and are led by the strong vocals of Klara Elias.

Norway

Commentary: In April Norway took the crown for the month's biggest and best release with Röyksopp's newest. They've done it again! Sigrid's follow-up to her debut album, “How To Let Go” is a real banger, with stand-out track “Mirror” destined for summer playlists all across the Nordics.

Sweden

Commentary: Four years since the previous album, it's great to have Lykke Li back. “EYEYE” is a brutally melancholic album, with heart-felt lyrics taking centre stage. Margaret Farrell at Pitchfork had this to say: ‘Her music is a companion to sorrow in the same way the sun is a companion to the morning.’

Previous months: March | April

Denmark

Commentary:
Six additional Danish finds this month for our second-ever NMN. Bättre! Astrid Nora is the eponymous name behind Where Did Nora Go. “Under” is their fifth EP, written largely during Covid19 lockdown, with songs crafted to be beacons of hope in a time of fear.

Finland

Commentary:
Ada Aik is a Finnish experimental pop musician. Their debut concept album is imagined around the story of a dollhouse, with each room representing an emotional state such as depression or fear. These themes extend beyond the music into visual media which can be further explored on their website.

Iceland

Commentary:
Indie folk band Seabear hold a special place in the hearts of many Icelanders. Ten years have passed since their previous album, so the cozy and imaginative folk sound of “In Another Life” has been warmly embraced. Their music video to “Parade” was posted to Tildes last week.

Norway

Commentary:
For the big release this April we turn to Norway, where it doesn't get much bigger than Röyksopp. “Profound Mysteries” has been released to stellar reviews, with reference made to a darker, more haunting sound from the band. The visualizer music videos by Jonathan Zawada certainly amplify this feel.

Sweden

Commentary:
We should really be talking about Swedish House Mafia's debut studio album, twelve years after the release of their debut single. But the real gem among the Swedish releases this month is the return of Slowgold. Their song “Väntar” from 2017 still sees regular rotation in our house...

Previous months: March

Denmark

Commentary:
Only two Danish finds for the inaugral NMN post. Förlåt! Andreas's album title probably gives a clue, but it's a Danish language release. Don't be put off by the funny language though, and check out the track “i morgen er der også en dag”, with over 8 million Spotify streams.

Finland

Commentary:
I can get behind Babel's album title and the music there on it. “Eden” is a dream-like opening track from a band compared in the media to the shoegazers Slowdive and also the Cocteau Twins. I hear a little Casey Dienel's “White Hinterland” in there.

Iceland

Commentary:
It's not just album releases covered on NMN, but also beautiful EP's, like Axel Flóvent's. The instrumental title track “Coexist” might not have the obvious popularity of the other tracks, but it carries a melancholic piano very reminiscent of some of Aphex Twin's tracks on “Drukqs”.

Norway

Commentary:
For those of you that missed it, Jenny Hval gave an interview to The Guardian that was posted to Tildes earlier in the month. In it they talk to Rachel Aroesti about their life and how changes in it guided the making of the avant garde musician's new album “Classic Objects”.

Sweden

Commentary:
Being based in Sweden means that this list is inevitably the longer of them. There are some great pop releases in March, especially with Lucky Lo's catchy release “Supercarry” among them. But for international name recognition, they are all overshadowed this month by the first new Ghost LP since 2018.

(Wasn’t sure how to word the title to fit both those who use streaming services and those who purchase music either digitally or physically.)

What are the upsides and drawbacks you’ve found for what you use for music, whether that’s Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, buying from Bandcamp, etc. What’s so good that it’s keeping you on that service instead of other competitors? Meanwhile, what should they change or fix?

So, tonight as I was putting my young kid to bed, they listed every one of the places that they desperately want to go to, but can't. It broke me. This playlist is very much still a work in progress, but if you've been curious how things sound in my head when I'm working through some shit, it's a lot like this.

Videos were selected when possible, and I'm going to warn you: There's a ton of depressing shit in these videos. If you can't handle real videos of violence right now, I'd suggest moving on.

This playlist is best paired with a strong drink, deep feelings of sadness and anger, and a dash of mental instability.

Existential Crisis Playlist

1. Prophets of Rage - Hail to the Chief
2. KMFDM - Paradise
3. WAKRAT - Generation Fucked
4. Straylight Run - Hands in the Sky
5. Alexisonfire - Sharks and Danger
6. A Perfect Circle - So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish
7. Pink Floyd - Mother
8. William Shatner - You'll Have Time
9. Monty Python - Galaxy Song

Hi there, I've started a new public server on Discord for music discussion, recommendations, etc. I've seen a number of these go down in flames or completely lose the appeal for their core audience, so I've borrowed some principles from Tildes, adapted for the somewhat different but related issues this kind of Discord server typically runs into. I thought this may be of interest to some users here, so you're all welcome as long as you play by our rules!

If you'd like to see our rules and goals first, check the paste here. They'll be pretty familiar to anyone here, though they are subject to change depending on our needs. This should go without saying, but to be clear, this server is not officially connected to Tildes, nor is it exclusive to Tildes users. There just might be some overlap in ideas :)

Here's our permanent invite link if you'd like to join: https://discord.gg/kC4sSQq

I always love asking this question because the answers are always so unique to each person.

I love a lot of music, but a lot of my favorite albums or songs often have a few recurring themes or are in a certain genre, and I personally like analyzing my taste and asking myself stuff like "why do I like this so much?" As I've done this, I've noted that my favorites often fall into one or more of these:

Shoegaze and/or Dream Pop
I like warmth in music, and a lot of shoegaze is very good at having a warm atmosphere like in Citrus. Other times I a noisy assault on my ears with an emphasis on wall of sound, and stuff like Grandeur of Hair is perfect for that need. I love the feeling of a wall of sound washing over me and just enveloping me, and sometimes a dream pop edge is also a great addition.

Space
This is mainly space rock, but I love a lot of space-y feeling things and I always have. I have a really big attraction to it, and I can't really explain why, but the idea of a cold vacuum of space just gets to me and makes me go "Wow, this sounds so cool and expansive and distant and I want to be there." Whether it's something sappy like Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, something a little more depressing and slow like Stratosphere, or something infectiously repetitive like Orion Awakes, it never fails to make me happy.

Southern and/or soulful hip-hop
I like vocal harmonies, soulful sounding stuff, and the accent is very familiar to me so it makes some of the rhymes feel a bit closer or special or familiar? Something like that. Anyway, things like Rodeo, Soul Food, and ATLiens fit into this and make me smile with the southern rhymes or the souls-y love.

Plunderphonics/Sound Collage
I LOVE plunderphonics to death. I love the idea of taking little things out of pieces of other stuff and molding it into a totally new project with a new feel and theme and sound. Some of my favorites are Since I Left You (full album wasn't on Youtube) and Wildflower (also not on Youtube), Pharma, and Planetary Natural Love Gas Webbin' 199999.

You don't have to type out some big thing like I did, just tell me some of your favorite things in music!