Underground Listmaker

A brief recap of my listening habits in May 2024. Notable trends: more singer/songwriter folk albums, as well as a focus on newly released records. Obscurity ranges from very/mildly obscure to popular. Includes a new addition to my top 50 albums of all time (Katie Jane Garside's Lullabies in a Glass Wilderness). Compared to an average of these posts, there is a (slightly shamefully) low breadth of countries of origin on this list.  Previous monthly updates: January   ||  February 1. Katie Jane Garside -   Lullabies in a Glass Wilderness  ||  Singer-Songwriter, Art Pop, Darkwave, Experimental, Avant-Folk  ||  2006  ||  UK 2. Tom Waits - Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards  ||  Singer-Songwriter, Blues Rock, Folk Rock  ||  2006  ||  USA 3. St. Vincent - All Born Screaming  ||  Art Rock, Neo-Psychedelia  ||  2024  ||  USA 4. Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown...

"Singer/songwriter" is a genre of music that heavily relies on lyrics and songwriting, rather than elaborate accompanying instrumentation. It is closely related to folk music, but they are distinct.  A list about my favorite dark singer/songwriter albums has been on the backburner for a while; it was about time. Dark lyrics and songwriting can be incredibly evocative and visceral, or poetically cathartic. I will first list my favorite dark singer/songwriter albums, followed by a separate list of records of the style which I want to check out. There are many subgenres that can be applied in addition to the style (mostly different kinds of folk); these will be listed when applicable. Dark Singer/Songwriter Favorites 1. Eels - Electro-Shock Blues  ||  Indie Pop, Singer/Songwriter  ||  1998  ||   USA 2. PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love  ||  Alternative Rock, Singer/Songwriter  ||  1995  ||   UK 3. Nick Cave & The...

"'Tis midnight's holy hour, and silence now  Is brooding like a gentle spirit o'er  The still and pulseless world. Hark! on the winds  The bell's deep tones are swelling,—'tis the knell  Of the departed year." George D. Prentice Another year of music. I'm coming close to the end of my college experience, but there's still work to be done...despite, and necessarily because of, this, music has been a refuge and a balm for me. Though it might seem that the rolling of the boulder up the hill is pointless, at least there are things that make it bearable. Below are my 100 top played artists of the year. The format is: #.  Artist    ||  Genres  ||  Top 3 Most Played Songs. As always, this list is important to me to record my musical taste's development and my listening habits, but I also hope that anyone reading can get some good recommendations from it. Be sure to search for your favorite genres! Cheers. Happy Holidays.