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January 2020 Listen List - The Ones You Can't Miss

by CFC123

Periodically over the course of the new year, we will produce two lists to highlight a few of each month's new albums. This list spans multiple genres, with each album ordered best to worst – the first list is the former, the second is the latter. Of the 50 albums in both lists, these are the Ones You Can't Miss - - -    🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stellar    Bill Fay – Countless Braches An absolutely gorgeous album, despite the songwriter’s age and distance from his previous work. The music has a unified mood, but each song’s nuance elevates its poetic meaning. Each song has excellent lyrics, plain yet elegant piano/guitar backing music, and melodies so simply perfect that you will be amazed you have never heard them before. A poignant unfolding of Fay’s masterful songwriting, and easily the best album of the new year so far.    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Awesome    Wire – Hive Mind This one is definitely a grower more than anything. The dynamic elements of Wire’s post-punk approach show they are truly at the top of their game. The…
Score: 1.22

January 2020 Listen List - The Ones You Might Want to Avoid

by CFC123

Periodically over the course of the new year, we will produce two lists to highlight a few of each month's new albums. This list spans multiple genres, with each album ordered best to worst – the first list is the former, the second is the latter. Now presenting, with 50 total albums on both lists, the Ones You Might Want to Avoid - - -   ⭐⭐ Pretty Decent / Recommended to Genre Fans Only Alice Boman – Dream On Alice Boman is part of the “melancholic indie singer/songwriter” genre that has blown up in recent years. As a debut, there are enough good worthwhile songs, and the whole thing has a nice lo-fi vibe as well. Fans of the genre will get plenty from the atmospheric, meditative tracks like “The More I Cry” and “Everybody Hurts.”Check this song out: “The More I Cry”     Stabbing Westward – ­Dead and Gone [EP] Definitely one for the fans, since there are only 3 songs and 2 remixes. The single “Dead and Gone” is great, one of their finest sounding songs and the other two are…
Score: 1.22

February 2020 Listen List - Don't Miss These Albums!

by CFC123

Periodically over the course of the year, we will produce two lists to highlight a few of each month's new albums. This list spans multiple genres, with each album ordered best to worst. With about 40 albums in both lists, make sure you Don't Miss These Albums! - - -      ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazing    Katie Gately – Loom      Loom is only Katie Gately’s second release, but she can already craft a deeply moving, complex, and emotional album. Her experimental approach is less written than designed, shaping the sound to match her chaotic yet intentional vision. The middle track “Bracer” is one of the most brilliant avant-garde/electronic pieces I have ever heard, moving through a series of increasingly intense and eerie sonic concoctions – however, this is just one-quarter of an album filled with adventurous and transportive material from start to finish.   Sepultura – Quadra     Now long past losing their original members (and, as some would say, most essential), this Brazilian group finally puts all the pieces…
Score: 1.22

February 2020 Listen List - The Less Good Albums!

by CFC123

Periodically over the course of the year, we will produce two lists to highlight a few of each month's new albums. This list spans multiple genres, with each album ordered best to worst (here’s a link to the best albums of February). With over 40 albums in both lists, here are the Less Good albums of February! - - -        ⭐⭐ Satisfactory    Wrekmeister Harmonies – We Love to Look at the Carnage     This experimental duo has never feared to let the darkness creep into their music, but beauty often shows up as well. We Love to Look at the Carnage is one of the band’s least heavy releases so far, but the brooding atmosphere is still present. The contrast between the darkness and light is not very subtle here, but the results are a complex tapestry of emotions frequently not easy to process.     Khruangbin/Leon Bridges – Texas Sun [EP]     While this is most certainly a one-off compared to their usual output, this four-track EP by Leon Bridges and Texas band Khruangbin is undoubtedly a good listen…
Score: 1.25

The Joys of Music Exploration – Diving into the “New Arrivals” Deep End

by CFC123

As a teenager, discovering music is the best feeling in the world. I think most people transition through their influences the same way I did – first your parents, then your friends, then yourself. Graduating to that last step can be a challenge, but knowing the right sources opens doors to incredible musical possibilities you may never have considered.    With Spotify algorithms and radio services like Pandora, finding music is quicker than ever. Once you select or listen to something you like, recent technology can link you to ten artists you could potentially enjoy. There’s more to it than circling the same genres and music scenes though – the best method, as scary as it sounds, is to jump into something you’d never expect, immersing your tastes in the farthest reaches of musical depths and broadening your horizons in the process.  To illustrate this enjoyment, let’s look through some of the first bands and artists that began my self-discovery journey through the new music of the last few…
Score: 1.01

Feel-Good Songs to Boost Your Immune System

by CFC123

Music has properties that defy human understanding.  Why a collection of notes and sounds can mean so much to people confounds scientists and sociologists to this day. In some incredible studies, music has even exhibited the ability to keep people healthy.       In these articles, we see that the “immune-boosting” properties of music are worth investigating. So without further ado, here is the Immune Booster Playlist, which taps into the various feel-good moods that music can inspire. Listen and help yourself through the tough times – it can only help!     Bruce Springsteen – “Born to Run” (1975)    Since its release, Springsteen’s “Born to Run” has been a signature song for motivating empowerment, an enthusiastic grasp at taking on the world. It’s desperate, life-affirming, and undeniably exhilarating, even after almost five decades and millions of listens. The song instantly bursts with energy, grabbing hold of the listener with its legendary guitar hook and never letting up.    Metronomy –…
Score: 1.22

Best Summer Zoom Hangout Albums

by CFC123

Meet up with friends over Zoom and enjoy some of the best music of the 2000s, for gatherings of any occasion! Find your favorite genres and styles below, match the vibe, and let these great records spin. With a little something for everyone, check out the list below and let your tastes be heard!      I'm all about the classic HIP-HOP sound, both from the old guys and the modern greats. I've heard all the best out there, and I want my rappers to be......brash and cocky   Jay-Z – American Gangster      American Gangster may not be the best Jay-Z album, but it contains that undeniable East Coast "cool" quality that will please anyone worn out on The Blueprint and The Black Album. This record moves briskly with bravado as Shawn Carter raps about the struggle of the New York gangster lifestyle, drifting through a semi-conceptual story of the rise and fall of the American Gangster. Though Jay-Z frequently goes into a confessional mood on this album, he never leaves too much space between his typical…
Score: 1.06