Underground Listmaker

Previous posts in this series:  Part 1/5 ,  Part 2/5 , Part 3/5 Some interesting statistics regarding this post:  The  average age  of the albums on this list is  23.74   years.  Country count:  USA - 44, UK - 31, Canada - 8, Germany - 4,  Sweden - 2,  Norway - 2, Japan - 2, Iceland - 2, Australia - 1, Poland - 1, South Korea - 1, France - 1, Bahamas - 1 Most common subgenres:  Singer/Songwriter, Art Rock, Indie Pop, Art Pop, Post-Rock, Conscious Hip Hop, Contemporary Folk Most popular album:  178. Radiohead - Kid A  1 Most obscure album: 1 59. We Never Learned to Live - Silently, I Threw Them Skyward 200. The Jesus and Mary Chain -  Darklands  ||  Alternative Rock  ||  1987  ||  melodic, bittersweet  ||  UK 199. Blood Command - Cult Drugs  ||  Post-Hardcore  ||  2017  ||  aggressive, angry  ||  Norway 198. Elliott...

Previous posts in this series:  Part 1/5 , Part 2/5 Some interesting statistics regarding this post:  The  average age  of the albums on this list is  22.6  years.  Country count: USA - 44, UK - 32, Canada - 5, Ireland - 3, Japan - 2,  Australia - 2, Germany - 1,  Iceland - 1, Norway - 1, Sweden - 1, Venezuela - 1, Austria - 1, Bulgaria - 1, Argentina - 1, Poland - 1, Italy - 1, Brazil - 1, Greece - 1 Most common subgenres:  Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock, Art Pop, Avant-Folk, Experimental Rock, Post-Rock Most popular album:  268. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea  Most obscure album:  213. Denali - The Instinct   300. Daniel Johnston -  Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album  ||  Singer/Songwriter, Avant-Folk  ||  1983  ||  lonely, lo-fi  ||  USA 299. Soap&Skin -  Lovetune for Vacuum  ||  Singer/Songwriter, Art Pop...

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...

This one's for the Aussies.  Music from Australian artists has had a huge impact on my taste. In particular, the punk blues scene which emerged from it was an important gateway into aggressive, catchy, and rebellious music. You will see a lot of albums from this scene on the list. Artists from other genres, of course, are among my favorites of all time. I love you Australia! I'm limiting the list to one album per artist, to keep it readable and not oversaturate it with just a couple of artists (guess which ones). 1. The Drones - I See Seaweed  ||  Punk Blues  ||  2013  ||  angry, poetic     Favorite tracks:  Nine Eyes, I See Seaweed, Why Write a Letter That You'll Never Send 2. The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You  ||  Neo-Psychedelia, Electronic, Trip Hop, House  ||  2020  ||  melancholic, atmospheric     Favorite tracks: We Go On, Song for Barbara Payton, The Divine Chord 3.  Nick Cave ...

"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...