Pete's Log: 2021 music

Entry #2045, (Music)
(posted when I was 43 years old.)

The year is nearing its end and I'm realizing I haven't posted a music update since last July, so it seems one is due. However, I don't have a whole lot of new music to show, since my stats show that my most played music this past year is the Hackers soundtrack. But I did manage to add a few things to my collection.

  • Sofia Kourtesis - Fresia Magdalena
    My records show I purchased this off Bandcamp on April 9, but then I promptly forgot about it until a week or so ago when I started looking back at my music of the past year. Since rediscovering it, I can't stop listening. Especially the first track "La Perla" is like a warm house music hug.
  • Nick Sena - Hikikomori Lake
    This album was produced by QAA Records, the "Music arm of the QAnon Anonymous Deepstate." I'm always hesitant to admit I listen to the QAnon Anonymous podcast for fear somebody will misinterpret that to mean I'm a follower of QAnon when it's the opposite. Anyway, as a patron, I got a link to download the album for free and so I checked it out and really liked it, so decided to buy it on Bandcamp. There are a lot of just musical tracks and I've found it's great music for coding to. Some of the tracks give me a bit of a New Order vibe, while some feel a bit like video game soundtrack, particularly the Stellaris soundtrack.
  • Weezer - OK Human
    This is Weezer plus an orchestra and the lead track "All My Favorite Songs" gets stuck in my head regularly. We bought this on vinyl and JB is a fan too, regularly requesting it.
  • Idles - Crawler
    Andrew introduced me to Idles during a post-soccer session at Imperial Oak and I've been digging them. High energy angry rock. I recommend their NPR Tiny Desk Concert if you want to get a feel for what they're about. This is their fourth album and was released in November, so I ordered it on vinyl.
  • Ratboys - Happy Birthday, Ratboy
    Their album "Printer's Devil" was probably my favorite album of last year, so I was excited for this release. While I don't dig it as much as I liked Printer's Devil, it's definitely a Ratboys album and it's slowly been growing on me as I listen to it more. They're playing a concert in Chicago in a couple weeks and it's real tempting, but I just can't do it under current circumstances. Some day...

I probably missed something, but it wasn't a big year for music discovery for me. I wasn't really actively trying and the pandemic has cut off any concerts, which has always been a good source of music discovery for me.

What my stats do tell me is that I've really been leaning into the familiar. In addition to the Hackers soundtrack, the Matrix soundtrack has also seen a lot of play, as have other old techno/electronic favorites, such as The KLF, The Chemical Brothers, Propellerheads and Massive Attack.

I did have one other source of old new music (or new old music?). I came across an old CD binder of Jamie's and given my recent preferences, was excited to rip the following 90s CDs:

  • Psychotrance 2
  • Berlin 1992 Tresor Kompilation: Der Klang Der Familie
  • Speed Limit 140 BPM+: The Sounds of London Hardcore Techno
  • Chillout: Phase Two
  • United States of Ambience, Vol. 1
  • Transmissions from the Planet Dog

I haven't found any standout favorite tracks from any of those, but they've been fun to have in the rotation.

The final fun music note of the year is that Jamie has been doing a standout job of picking soundtracks for our dinners off Spotify. It's been fun to match music to our meals. The best one of recent memory is a Japanese Christmas music playlist she found that we've paired with Sushi dinners of late. I'm hoping it becomes a tradition for years to come.