From 1f689fd039533801842ae241671f2437ddbe0044 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Steph Enders Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2024 15:17:29 -0500 Subject: Copy old files and update build.sh to generate it all! This is a huge messy commit but :) sue me. I'm not at work I can do git badly for once! --- posts/music-spotlight-my-top-album-2022.html | 396 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 396 insertions(+) create mode 100644 posts/music-spotlight-my-top-album-2022.html (limited to 'posts/music-spotlight-my-top-album-2022.html') diff --git a/posts/music-spotlight-my-top-album-2022.html b/posts/music-spotlight-my-top-album-2022.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..088e057 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/music-spotlight-my-top-album-2022.html @@ -0,0 +1,396 @@ + +--post-date: 2023-01-03 +--type: blog +
+

Music Spotlight: My Top Album 2022

+

The hype is real. I only recently wrote last years, so I bet your hype + is nonexistent but for me I was writing that knowing full well there were + some bangers waiting to be unleashed in this year end review!

+

If you hadn’t read my previous post for 2021 the link is at the + bottom:

+
+

The winner was “KANGA - You and I Will Never Die”

+
+

The album pool

+

As always the criteria:

+ +

And the albums are…

+ +

2022’s playlist (+ 2 albums from bandcamp not on Spotify):

+ +

The Top 5

+

In alphabetical order:

+ +

Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror

+

Some metal infused synthwave, Carpenter Brut managed to release a + catchy and heavy banger of an album. Featuring a few guest performers, + each of these tracks are unique and catchy in what I would consider a + very “same-y” genre. It’s nice having an infinite supply of retro synth + tracks to drive to, but sometimes it’s hard for one to really break + through into “oh shit yes!”. Typically, Starcadian is the one to do that + for me, as they add an extra layer to their tracks through their music + videos (each track being an “ear movie”).

+

Throughout the year I found myself coming back to a few tracks over + and over - especially when I was showering or doing some other short + activity and I just wanted something upbeat and fun as heck!

+

Some call out featured songs are The Widow Maker featuring Gunship, + Imaginary Fire featuring Greg Puciato, and Lipstick Masquerade featuring + Persha. I looped these three songs quite a bit. But there are quite a few + more to checkout.

+

Favorite Track

+

This is tough, as I looped those three songs quite a bit - each + bringing their own unique energy. So I’ll pick all three - my list my + rules:

+ +

Special Commendation - Non Stop Bangers

+

You throw this album on and it hits you with just banger after banger. + I can’t keep myself from dancing. Even as I listen back as I write this + gemlog I am grooving in my chair! Like Kanga last year, this is just a + series of tracks that just make you dance.

+

Album Link

+

+ [spotify] Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror

+

Elder - Innate Passage

+

I toot’d a bit about this album, a later release in the year, this + took this year end review and flipped it on its head. I thought it was + wrapped up already with a separate release this year, but this makes the + decision so hard.

+

Elder came at us with what feels like a return to form. Having + previously released Omens in 2020 and a collaboration album in 2021, + Innate Passage takes the best parts of those two albums and builds on-top + of more “classic Elder” albums like Lore. Elder has carved out their own + niche in the genre making a blend of psych rock and stoner metal, with + each release leaning harder and harder into psychedelic realms. Innate + Passage has this almost ethereal feeling - especially in their opening + track Catastasis.

+

I think, however, they’ve left the doom and stoner metal behind. Dead + Roots Stirring and Elder (self titled) were certainly “Doomy” and in that + “doom/stoner” metal overlap. Lore, Reflections of a Floating World are + both still very “stoner metal”. But is playing psychedelic-metal with a + big muff automatically stoner metal? I think since Omens they’re + probably, as a band, firmly outside of the stoner metal field - and more + soundly in some psychedelic/prog metal genre?

+

They introduce themselves as such in their website actually!

+
+
+

genre-pushing rock band that melds heavy psychedelic sounds + with progressive elements and evocative soundscapes.

+
+
+ — https://beholdtheelder.com/elder-bio/ +
+
+

“Merged In Dreams - Ne Plus Ultra” is the track that flips this whole + argument on its head and shows that regardless, they’re still very much a + metal band and one that you’ll absolutely be head banging too, horn up + \m/.

+

Favorite Track

+

I think “Merged In Dreams - Ne Plus Ultra”. A nearly 15 minute track + that has everything in it you expect from Elder.

+

Special Commendation - Excellent Vinyl Record Cover

+

I LOVE their record covers when they do the circular inserts. You can + display this vinyl with having 3 separate views through the port, which + while purely aesthetic - it’s very nice!

+

The quality of the vinyl release was great, though I find any + non-black Vinyl has a 33% chance of being slightly warped upon arrival. I + am going to stick to traditional black vinyls from now on sadly. It’s too + freaking often

+

Album Link

+

+ [spotify] Elder - Innate Passage

+

Emma Ruth Rundle - EG2: Dowsing Voice

+

Her second album in her “Electric Guitar” series - Emma Ruth Rundle + (ERR from here on out) has released “Dowsing Voice” a haunting follow-up + to last years Engine of Hell. Holy holy HOLY hell, this album is an + impactful, artistic, just WOW. It’s hard to describe. I was listening to + it for this review and my partner, sitting behind me relaxing, said “What + the hell are you listening too, this is scary!”. And scary, emotional, + and difficult it is. ERR stretches the use of the “electric guitar” + title, as the focus here is the additional layers and voices added on-top + of the main tracks.

+

An experimental release that, at this time is only available on + bandcamp, is one I don’t put on frequently, but when I do am fully + captivated. If you like artistic records - please check this out.

+

Favorite Track

+

Probably: Keening into Ffynnon Llanllawer - I love the guitar(?) part + and the wailing/vocalization. It’s haunting. As a recording is + amazing.

+

Though “In the Cave of The Cailleach’s Death-Birth” is the /best/ + track. Put some headphones on and give this a listen! Just amazing.

+

Special Commendation - Album Art

+

This album, IS ART, but the album art is just… really suiting the + music.

+

Album Link

+

[bandcamp] + Emma Ruth Rundle - EG2: Dowsing Voice

+

Jay Hosking - Celestial spheres (and various other releases)

+

This is an interesting pick. Having released JUST in time for this + year, this is an album I have been engaging with in many, many ways. + Firstly, I am a patron of this performer via Patreon. They make music + videos (audio only performance videos of the songs) that they compile + into albums. Last year’s album is probably my actual favorite and likely + SHOULD’VE snuck into the top 5 because of the final track alone, which + was an emotional and just epic banger of a track (Linked at the bottom of + this review).

+

Celestial spheres is a compilation of 8 synth jams. Jay bills these as + semi-improvisational, and while the YT channel is a synth nerds dream of + these informative performances, the songs stand on their own. This one is + no exception. Using various different pieces of hardware synths, + grooveboxes, drum machines and traditional instruments - each track is + unique while still carrying this /energy/ and style. It’s so easy to hear + Jays tracks and know it’s him.

+

I’ve been following him for years and really enjoy the music he makes, + and the community he’s built up around his music. Due to the disconnected + nature of the singles (releasing effectively as YouTube videos prior to + the album drop) it’s difficult to ultimately rate these in these lists + since I don’t get a chance to really enjoy them /as an album/ until the + end of the year (the past two times happened like this where they came + out around the end of the year). And on my playlist “Future, Tense” is + present as it’s a “2022” album according to Spotify, but was out on + bandcamp in 2021, and that’s when I was gifted it by Jay.

+

So yeah - this whole section is like “disclaimer disclaimer” but if + you like groovy, typically instrumental synth music - check it out.

+

The various other releases

+

This year Jay released a few albums actually which I didn’t want to + include separately. If you enjoy this album (which was mostly comprised + of 2022 music, so was the primary focus) check out the other albums:

+

https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/cinematic-works + https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/away-music-for-a-productive-day + https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/home-music-for-a-productive-day

+

Favorite Track

+

Without out a doubt it’s Nychthemeron. It’s truly a wild track, with + so much happening in it. I suspect it was his favorite too since he made + an actual music video for it:

+

[youtube] Jay + Hosking - Nychthemeron (Official Music video)

+

Special Commendation - Each track has a live performance attached to + it!

+

If you enjoy videos - these each have a corresponding YT video linked + at the bottom of the bandcamp page.

+

Album Link

+

[bandcamp] + Jay Hosking - Celestial spheres

+

Tina Dickow - Bitte Små Ryk

+

Tina Dickow (sometimes credited as Tina Dico, depending on the + release) is a fantastic Danish singer songwriter. Since her first solo + album she’s really found a way to elevate what is just folk indie pop. + Her songwriting, arrangements, and performances are always so rich. She + knows when to strip the song back - like Chefen Skal Ha' Fri - while, + has certainly a lot happening beneath the lyrics - mixes them back a bit + to let the layered vocals cut through as the song builds. Each song has + so much to listen to! Picking out various instruments, layers, yet every + song would work performed just her and her acoustic guitar. I find her + style of pop music to be very engaging for that reason. I don’t often + listen to this style of music, but the production behind each track is so + good it hooks me in. That and her beautiful voice - which drew me in + first.

+

It’s a bit harder to talk about this album given the language barrier + (I do not speak Danish!) Which is a shame, since her lyrics are often + what I love about some of her previous albums. I’ve read the translations + and done my own as a learning exercise, but there is a layer missing + which is a shame given how strong this album is as whole.

+

I’ve spoken about Tina before in two previous gemlogs (Music + Spotlight: Awesome EPs and 5x5 + Playlists (both gemini:// links)) and is one of my absolute favorite + artists of all time. I’ve been slowly collecting her entire discography, + which can be tricky, given a lot of copies are out of print and the + remaining stock/used copies are often in Europe. (And that 5x5 playlist + is very telling given most of those artists have been featured in my top + albums lists and were winners! Is this foreshadowing?!)

+

Favorite Track

+

I shouldn’t have introduced this section - it has been so hard each + time! I think the title track, Bitte Små Ryk. It’s got everything there, + and is representative of the albums sound.

+

Special Commendation - Lovely

+

This whole album is lovely. There is emotion here too, and while I + don’t speak the language its often very clear. But I love Tina and her + music. It’s lovely and hits this spot in me thats just warm.

+

Album Link

+

+ [spotify] Tina Dickow - Bitte Små Ryk

+

My Top Pick

+

This year has been especially hard, since I spent so much time + listening to 2021s releases which are some of my favorite of all time. + And between 2021 and 2022 (and mentioned in my 2021 spotlight) nearly + every one of my favorite artists released an album. So I have been + blessed with a lot to listen to.

+

Anyone following me on mastodon may have seen Tina Dickow just owning + my entire wrapped campaign, but with Elder releasing their album after + the data collection stops for wrapped, that certainly isn’t telling the + whole story.

+

And it wouldn’t be a top album list if I didn’t mention Starcadian + being consistently in the top 10 year after year, just narrowly missing + the top 5 - though technically, this release was in my 2020s list, as it + was available then, but had since been pulled, and was released + “officially” in 2022. Looking at what I can see it’s the same tracklist, + but the “inspired by” credits are entirely gone from the 2022 + release.

+

Elder - Innate Passage

+

Each year picking the winner is hard. Part of the reason I do this is + I don’t really add stuff to the list I don’t like. A LOT of music comes + out each year, and I add what I listen to. I don’t listen to music I + don’t like - so by nature of the process - each album is a “top album” + for me.

+

But the top 5 is usually a mix of “omg obvs” and “yeah turns out I + threw that on way more than I expected” (Carpenter Brut). But its really + always a fight between those “obvs” - this year was Elder and Tina + Dickow. Their releases were seriously top tier and repeat listens.

+

Tina came in with the advantage of releasing in April, and Elder JUST + released theirs at the end of November. But I did some math on my + mastodon breaking down the comparison. Elder came at us with a longer + albums, under half as many tracks, and over 2x the average song length + (about 10min/track).

+

They didn’t waste a single second (neither did Tina) but just being + such an accessible album - just direct pure energy and power - BOOM! It + was great.

+

This should’ve been a tie

+

Honestly, I was ready to call it a tie. I am actually writing this + minutes before posting it, because that’s how undecided I am and how + close this is.

+

Tina Dickow deserves the number one slot any other year, and both her + and Elder’s albums I hope to see more of in the next few years! Both are + classic albums in their discographies (both albums of which I own and + spin regularly). I forced myself to pick, and just knowing me, my tastes, + and all the stuff I said above - I went with Elder. But seriously, listen + to this record - Tina manages to pack so much musicality in carving out a + unique sound and just amazing style. I love her <3 :)

+

And if her music isn’t your jam - check out her guest tracks on the + Zero-7 stuff - angelic voice.

+

Conclusion

+

I am REALLY disappointed I had to choose between Elder and Tina Dickow + this year. Similarly, last year I had Raised by Swans, ERR, and Kanga! + And our winner in 2020 was Bell Witch. These ARE my top six favorite + musical artists currently active.

+

I’ll talk about music trends and my tastes later on. But I just wanted + to emphasize how much of a banger these last 3 years have been musically + and I am grateful I get to share these with you here.

+

I am really excited for 2023!

+

This year’s playlist (2023)

+

+ [spotify] senders' Releases 2023 Playlist

+

Links

+

If you use gemini:// you can check out my previous posts (until/unless + I decided to port those over too)

+ +

Thanks for reading! I don’t always crosspost - I am trying something + out :)

+
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