Devin Townsend’s PowerNerd. “I love petting the cat!” 🐱
DEVY HAS A NEW ALBUM?! YEEAAUUURRGH!!!
Edit: I’m a minute in and this fucking rules.
It’s an awesome opening to the album, “oooaaaahhh POWERRRNERRD!”, classic Devin!
Reminds me of the opening of ZILLLLTOIIIID scream THE OM-NI-SCI-ENT
Love Devy so much.
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.
“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
Hellmode - Jeff Rosenstock
The only other thing I’m listening to atm. is the Monogatari series openings and endings
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.
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.
All three Audioslave albums. I just love the fact that they gave Chris Cornell space and didn’t all try and overshadow his vocals.
Was, is, and probably always will be…
Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
I took in this concert back then. It was a really great show.
Division Bell was a big one for me too.
I realize this may be a bit of a stretch for some, but an artist called Lindsheaven Virtual Plaza took the opening track Cluster One and made a sprawling 17-minute piece combining portions of the song with his own ambient additions… It’s a track called “Polydreaming Mall” from their album Transversal Worldwide Shopping… I’ve enjoyed listening to it many times: https://underwater-computing.bandcamp.com/track/polydreaming-mall
The age of consent by Bronski Beat. You can get some preview here: https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/the-age-of-consent-bronski-beat/iiserdbkur9hc
The Graveyard and Voodoo by King Diamond
Voodoo by D’Angelo is another top tier album
The Death Stranding OST
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.
Radiohead - Kid A
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!
“Spirit Of Eden” by Talk Talk.
Like a friend said when I showed it to him - “Damn, that sounds like Radiohead ten years before Radiohead!” Yeah, and even more sublime.
