As I get older, the variety of new music that interests me gets less and less. I don’t use the radio or listen to online radio. I mostly listen to what’s in iTunes or will purchase music from artists I liked growing up.
Coldplay’s Ghost Stories has to be one of my top albums of this year. It’s exceptional and a departure from what I’m used to. the first listen was unexpectedly pleasant and is one of the few new albums this year that I can listen to while writing (as I am now). O and Another’s Arms are both amazing tracks. Worth checking out if you like a lot of piano, some ambient soundscapes, etc.
I’m also listening to a lot of Phoenix, Bon Iver and MGMT this year. My Rap preferences have pretty much been constricted to Jay-Z, Kanye and old-school 90s hip-hop. I also found Snoop Dog’s ‘Blue Carpet’ album that came out a while ago to be really enjoyable for a few listens.
This week, i went through BT’s complete discography again and now I can finally say his first few albums from the 90s are starting to show some age with the track Flaming June being the only exception.A song across wires and These Hopeful Machines are two albums I can play on repeat all day. I hope BT continues to make music for many years to come. The track, “13 Angels On My Broken Windowsill” is exceptional if you haven’t heard it.
Finally, I reconnected with an old friend last month, Sam Pacetti. He’s the protege of Gamble Rogers who is a world famous finger-picking guitar player from northern Florida. Sam is a friend of mine and he’s still actively making records and touring and his music is exceptional. His latest album, Union isn’t available on iTunes but worth a listen and most likely it’s on Spotify or other services like that. You’ll enjoy his music if you love folk music.
I’m having a busy week so not putting any links in this post but use the Google and check out some of these. Great year for music. I did get some AM/FM radio time last week on my Chicago road trip and honestly can’t stand any of the music on the radio. It’s just awful. Top 40 music is like back in the 80s or something with a lot of synths and a bit of roaring 20s trumpet and sax as well. Not a fan. I didn’t care for music of the 20s or 80s (except hair metal) so guess Top 40 is going to pass me by again. that’s okay.