Underground Listmaker

Last year was one of the best for music in the last decade. A lot of awful things happened in the world, and this is, I think, reflected in the sphere of music; so many artists turned inwards with dark thoughts and sentiments. This doesn't mean nothing inspiring came out...quite the opposite, in fact. I feel like darkness can lead to a depth of emotion and nuance in music that is, in and of itself, quite beautiful. Below are my favorite albums from the year 2021. (Scroll to the bottom for a playlist with track picks from each album.) Enjoy! 25. The Joy Formidable - Into the Blue  ||  Indie Rock  ||  melodic, heavy  ||  Favorite track: Sevier  ||  8.5/10 24. Injury Reserve - By the Time I Get to Phoenix  ||  Experimental Hip Hop  ||  avant-garde, futuristic  ||  Favorite track: Superman That  ||  8.5/10 23. PJ Harvey - White Chalk - Demos  ||  Singer/Songwriter  ||  depressive, lonely...

Just a little mixtape to give you a taste of modern experimental music. There are a wide variety of avant-garde and strange musical acts; thus, there are a few genres represented here. I'm thinking of making a bunch of mixtapes for different genres for people to sample; see if you like any of these! Format is: Artist - Song  ||  Release Year  ||  Album it's from  ||  Genres  ||  short descriptors   1. Julia Holter - Turn the Light On  ||  Released 2018  ||  Aviary  ||  Experimental, Progressive Pop  ||  complex, uplifting 2. Björk - Mutual Core  ||  Released 2011  ||  Biophilia  ||  Art Pop, Electronic  ||  poetic, surreal 3. Mamaleek - Diner Coffee  ||  Released 2022  ||  Diner Coffee  ||  Experimental Rock, Avant-Garde Metal  ||  disturbing, dark 4. Xiu Xiu - Pumpkin Attack on Mommy and Daddy  ||  Released 2...

Icelandic singer Björk is one of the most unique and interesting vocalists and songwriters of all time. Mixing artsy pop with experimental tendencies, she has been a driving force in the world of innovation in electronic music production while simultaneously creating catchy and meaningful tracks and albums.  With the recent release of her 11th studio album (I do consider her 2000 album Selmasongs  as an official studio album), I decided to do a ranking of her work.  11. Volta  ||  2007  ||  Art Pop, Glitch Pop  ||  6.5/10 10. Utopia  ||  2017  ||  Art Pop, Ambient Pop, Glitch Pop  ||  7.5/10 9. Biophilia  ||  2011  ||  Art Pop, Progressive Electronic  ||  8/10 8. Medúlla  ||  2004  ||  A Capella, Experimental  ||  8/10 7. Vulnicura  ||  2015  ||  Art Pop, Electronic, Glitch Pop  ||  8/10 6. Selmasongs  ||  200...

My least favorite albums from the last decade. I hate all of these for various reasons; some are "just" excruciatingly boring, others make me want to perforate my eardrums with a screwdriver... Remember, all of these are my opinions and taste. If you like an album I hate, it's ok, I don't think any less of you, and I hope the feeling's mutual. NOTE: There are likely many, many deserving albums that probably could have made it onto this list. However, I generally only listen to things that I may just possibly like, and there are certain artists and albums I avoid like the plague. Since I don't rate anything that I haven't heard at least 2/3rds of, some obvious picks for a list like this are omitted.  15. CHVRCHES - Love Is Dead  ||  Synthpop  ||  2018  ||  Worst track: Really Gone 14. Drake - Views  ||  Pop Rap  ||  2016  ||  Worst track: U With Me? 13. Awolnation -  Here Come the Runts  ||  Pop Rock  ||...

Henry Howard "The soote season, that bud and bloom forth brings  With green hath clad the hill and eke the vale;  The nightingale with feathers new she sings;  And turtle to her make hath told her tale.  Summer is come, for every spray now springs;  The hart hath hung his old head on the pale;  The buck in brake his winter coat he flings;  The fishes flete with new repairèd scale;  The adder all her slough away she slings;  The swift swalllow pursueth the flies small;  The busy bee her honey now she mings;  Winter is worn that was the flowers' bale.  And thus I see among these pleasant things Each care decays, and yet my sorrow springs. " To me, this poem is about observing how life goes on about you, but you still feel stuck; you can see and even appreciate the beauty of the world, but you, yourself, are unable to progress, time passing you by with the same ball-and-chain still weighing you down.  This playlist is not ent...

My favorite film soundtracks of all time! Disclaimer: I'm a huge horror movie buff, and sound design and score in movies is one of the most important parts of the experience to me, so a handful of these are horror-esque.  I'll give some basic info about each soundtrack to help you decide if you should listen to it or not. The format is: Artist/Composer - Album/Movie Name    ||  Film Genre  ||  Music Genre  ||  Release Year. The tacit understanding should be that I enjoy each film attached to each soundtrack.  Scroll to the bottom for a playlist with my favorite song from each soundtrack.  20. John Powell - How to Train Your Dragon   ||  Family / Fantasy  ||  Cinematic Classical  ||  Released 2010 19. The Dust Brothers - Fight Club  ||  Psychological Thriller  ||  Trip Hop  ||  Released 1999 18. John Murphy - 28 Days Later  || Post-Apocalyptic / Horror  ||...

Just some great discoveries I've recently made (albums of the current year).  Hatchie - Giving the World Away  ||  Dream Pop  ||  eclectic, uplifting  ||  Favorite track - This Enchanted  ||  Australia Ethel Cain - Preacher's Daughter  ||  Singer/Songwriter  ||  sombre, existential  ||  Favorite track - Ptolemaea  ||  USA Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy  ||  Jazz Metal  ||  eclectic, atonal  ||  Favorite track - Merkurius Gilded  ||  USA Shrieking Violet - ascii garden  ||  Ambient  ||  atmospheric, soothing  ||  Favorite track - nest seven  ||  USA Messa - Close  ||  Doom Metal  ||  ritualistic, dark  ||  Favorite track - Dark Horse  ||  Italy DOMi & JD Beck - NOT TiGHT  ||  Nu Jazz  ||  playful, mellow  ||  Favorite track - Not Tigh...