I don’t know if I could ever pick a favorite album, it just depends on the day, but if there is one that I come back to most often it’s Incubus’s S.C.I.E.N.C.E. It’s indulgent in a fun, unserious, sort of manic kind of way. They play like kid’s in a musical candy shop, and when I listen to them the feeling is mutual. Honorable mention to Afungus Amongus.
Definitely a tie between Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? from Harvey Danger, Never Bet The Devil Your Head from Subrosa, and Example from Four Squirrels. They’re currently my favorite CD albums out of the small collection I’ve gotten over the last year.
Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay and it’s not even close.
I’ve been listening to Wolfie’s Just Fine a lot recently
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kD59vK8EVf4t07XFU06YMIl5r1T33GkWw
High mare - dead pirates
Hellmode - Jeff Rosenstock
The only other thing I’m listening to atm. is the Monogatari series openings and endings
The Tragically Hip - Live Between Us
Today/the last week, I have been mostly listening to Instant Rewards by Tides from Nebula, along side their previous album From Voodoo to Zen.
“Enn” by Eivør, simply amazing! Was on a concert a few weeks back, totalt 600 people and it was a blast!
Have a listen: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mfYUyMRk-zYA1V1Z04a7GGB106N2JT5vU&si=m-R3MtJD1CuUTmVV
My wife saw her last week with a band called Heilung. That looked pretty out the gates
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? -Billie Eilish
The Graveyard and Voodoo by King Diamond
Voodoo by D’Angelo is another top tier album
At this moment -
The Boy Bands Have Won by Chumbawumba.
It had been taken off Spotify for a while but it’s back and I can’t get enough.
I love the question! I rarely listen to songs or playlists, and almost never algorithm based streams. Instead I put on albums I like. Even in my 10m-15m drive to work, and do that until I’m tired on an album. So, love the question.
Aesop Rock’s Integrated Tech Solutions. Being a long time fan I thought The Impossible Kid was fantastic. TIK was as creative and ponderous as anything he’d done, but often felt more accessible and personally inviting. While accessibility is not something you generally look for with Aesop, that feeling of being personal really made it pay off. Spirit World Field Guide was good and was interesting, but didn’t work for me as much. Maybe it was a case of enjoying TIK so much, and comparison being the thief of joy? But ITS absolutely feels top notch again. Love it.
Also worth mentioning is Powerman 5000. A year or so ago (while on a kick to my youth) I found out they were still making music and had released an album (The Noble Rot) in 2020. Shortly after I discovered that, they released one in 2024 (Abandon Ship.) They’re not great songs, but they’re all great vibes. The songs feel like they 3/4s to being great to me. Like they kept the dial at a 7 or 8 instead of turning it up to 11. And even when they did turn it up, it was only at the very end. Maybe he’s going for something different, or maybe I’ve changed, but the strength feels off. But damn the vibes are still there.
Kinda wild how when Aesop dropped TIK, it felt like his magnum opus. ITS feels like a continuation. SWFG is at it’s best when I’ve taken some gummies and sink into the couch lol
While I’m reluctant to call anything a magnum opus… You’re bang on about the difference between those two and SWFG.
Treat yourself to Fontaines DC’s new album “Romance”!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kZT0QOARqqnSdN_UcUN0qBfANvv4hvaq0&si=E0LfKskRbRr5vdFG
I played this in my house when it came out because I liked Skinty Fia; my kid immediately said “play that again please, the whole album”. I love it!
