What have you been listening to this week?

Suduaya - Loveology - I can't place my finger on why but I'm really ambivalent^* about this. It's full of the usual amazing sound design and sonic creativity you'd expect from Suduaya but the mix and the music both feel off somehow and I'm not sure exactly why. It's definitely too LOUD and it also feels like it's been laden with commercial and pop gimmicks. There's nothing wrong with that - it's just not my cup of tea. Like I said, I can't place exactly why it makes me feel that way but music is inscrutable.

Continuing on from last week's look at modern acid too I discovered the Japanese label AcidWorx. So far Kick.S - Acid 2018 has been my favourite discovery but the whole label looks like a deep, deep musical rabbit hole to me:)

* Simultaneously experiencing or expressing opposing or contradictory feelings, beliefs, or motivations.

I've been listening to Zaz, specifically Je Veux and Prends Garde A Ta Langue. I've been working on learning French and decided that this might be helpful. Also, the music is great.

I discovered a band called Elyose that's a mix of gothic and industrial metal. It makes me so happy that industrial is still a thing. I haven't listened to much in French before so it's unique for me in that way.

Death metal is great for studying :)

http://www.tapmusic.net/lastfm/collage.php?user=Vawien&type=7day&size=3x3&caption=true

I have a few.

I live in Tennessee, and there are a few super-local artists who like to rap about the state. It's super underground music that doesn't have the benefit of the professional recording equipment, but I think some of them have potential.

• Easy Money Music: They just dropped a new album, Bounce, which I haven't listened to yet. But if it's anything like they've done before, it should be good to just put on in the background while getting work done.
• Keneff Sparrow: I'm pretty sure he's part of the above group. But he has the potential to stand on his own. He released a song, Tennessee, which offers a new perspective on the state other than just Elvis and Dolly Parton.

My Spotify end-of-the-year-thing said that Science Fiction by Brand New was my most listened to album, and I believe it. The album is a kind of emo-punk-rock that I haven't heard in a while, and it focuses on spiritualism rather than anything like heartbreak, mental illness, or any other themes in the genre.

I've also been listening to a lot of Book of Bad Decisions by Clutch and, what can I say? They're Clutch, they're their own record-label so they do whatever they want. They're just cerebral-alternative and downright awesome.

Finally, I've been listening to a lot of synth stuff like After the Disco by Broken Bells or Need Your Light by Ra Ra Riot which are both just great albums if you want to feel something without fully understanding what. The lyrics are super-powerful, and the synth is great for helping you focus on studying, working, or really anything. Neither are new albums, but they're still just so good.

Recently it's been a lot of Incubus, new and old, and Coheed. I nostalgia binged Owl City for a bit but at the moment, I'm kinda stuck and can't find any leads on new music. I tried the 90's alternative band Morphine but they didn't really catch my ear. So I'm trying just about every app/website I can find for recs

EDIT: Did some digging, and just found Bear Ghost. Necromancin Dancin fuckin' rocks! These guys seem super weird and I fuckin' love that! Plus, they're from my area, so that's even more reason to back them. Definitely keeping an eye on these guys

Bad Religion's "True North." I backed off of it because I got tired of one minute of song, a solo, and another minute of music, but it's a great album, which is saying something for an original-era hardcore punk band, most of which have broken up or simply kinda washed up.

They just dropped a single, but I haven't listened to it thoroughly yet.

I've been listening to HARBOUR - Heatwave on repeat for the last week for so. It's got a nice Indie rock/pop/folk feel to it. The more I've listened to it, the more I've been surprised by its depth. The lyrics actually make sense, there's a good variation in vibes, and it's hard for me to not sing along at times. I love the last two songs in particular.

I've listened to a lot of albums this year (mostly hip-hop, edm, indie), but this one just stands out to me for some reason. Def my AOTY even though it was released last year. Just wish I'd found this during the summer!

I re-listened to a performance of Sunny by Pat Martino and John Scofield I've found on YouTube some years ago. It's one of the coolest jazz guitar performances I've listened to. Here is the video.