Music I Enjoy

Just like practically everyone else out there I'm a lover of music, I know, who cares right? But whats the point in listening to music if you can't share your opinion? Amirite? I always try to listen to a wide variety of styles and genres, just in case I miss out on something truly great! Below I've compiled a small selection of albums I really dig from a few different genres, enjoy! (Clicking on an albums artist/title takes you to the wiki page.)
(Writing is coming soon).

Jump to:

• Pop!
• Rock
• Electronic
• Hip-Hop
• Metal
• Folk
• Kiwiana

Pop!

Clarence Clarity - No Now (2015)

Clarence Clarity is an all-round ear assulting musician. This album endulges in sonic excess, layers of glitch and coarse electronic textures thrown together in a non-stop frenzied onslaught. At its heart, however, it remains apologetically pop, with the songrwriting catchy, instrumentals bright and plenty of bangers!

Grimes - Art Angels (2015)

Grimes (or, as a result of her lisp, "Grimeth") is a Canadian musician specializing in simply producing phat tunes. I saw her at Laneway a few years back, would see again! Art Angels is probably her most radio-friendly work, and my goodness it is catchy.

Kate Bush - Hounds of Love (1985)

Literally the best album ever. Cloudbusting is the literally the best song ever. Not even figuratively.

Björk - Post (1995)

Most people I assume have heard of the quirky little Icelandic singer. This album may not contain her strangest music, but it does have some of the best bangers she's ever put out. You'll find Björk singing in her fantastically funny voice over beats that sound like they've been taken straight from a 90's rave, paired with intricate electronic textures and sounds. In a way, it's really just Björk at her most Björk.

Rock

Brian Eno - Before and After Science (1977)

Brian Eno is literally a god to me, everything he's ever touched has turned to gold I tell you. Released in his glorious art rock phase, Before and After Science is my favourite of the Eno releases. It's quirky, fun and creative. The toned down second half of the album, however, is where it really shines through for me. Songs like By This River and Spider And I land themselves in some of my favourite songs ever, and demonstrate Eno's talents as being one of the most gifted musicians in recent memory.

Joy Division - Closer (1980)

It's melancholic, it's brooding, it's tragically dark. Released just months after frontman Ian Curtis' suicide, (the remaining band members would then go on to reform as New Order) the albums tone houses a feeling of dread. In the context of Ian's death the music has a totally different impact that I would have imagined otherwise, every lyric concerning darkness or death seems to carry so much more weight, because in hindsight, he obviously meant it. As far as post punk goes, it's one of the masterpieces of the genre. The production sounds cold and desolate, the instrumentation is experimental, and the vocals are haunting. The closing track, Decades, could be the most crushing of them all. Opening with a frigid sounding synth and building to a gloriously arctic new wave crescendo, it's the last we hear from Ian as he sings "Where have they been?" that packs the biggest punch. He would already begin to sound like a ghost.

Talk Talk - Laughing Stock (1991)

Talk Talk is a very funny one eh. There aren't a lot of other bands that have changed their sound this much from the beginning of their careers to the end. Laughing Stock is the final album the band would release, and it's a far cry from their new wave radio hits just less than a decade prior. More than anything, it's an album that shows a lot of restraint, and finds beauty in minimalism. At this point, Talk Talk had been stripped down to two remaining full time members, drummer Lee Harris and frontman Mark Hollis. This is not to say the album lacks depth in musicianship, dozens of outside musicians were brought in to play and improvise sections of many of the songs. As a result, Laughing Stock is a distilled mixture of only the very best recordings from those sessions, as most material was not even used. There is no fat on this record, only the bare essentials, which has a funny effect of adding together to create an album that feels like so much more.

I'd like to say a few words about the song New Grass. Closing in on 10 minutes long, for me it's the crowning jewel of the album, a showcase in gorgeous compositional skills and songwriting. Theres nothing else that sounds quite like it, it's mournful, longing, ethereal, but most of all, it's one of the most beautiful things you'll ever hear. It's a song that would be blown away in a gust of wind too powerful, or crushed by ones own strength if one was clumsy while handling it. Pure.

Pixies - Doolittle (1989)

I mean it's a well known fact this thing is pretty great. Seriously who doesn't like Pixies? Here Comes Your Man, Monkey Gone To Heaven, La La Love You, Hey, so many hits ahhhh! Its an album that certainly doesn't overstay its welcome either, clocking in at just under 40 minutes it deliveres that sweet hard and soft rock mixture you expect from these guys. Not to mention that its catchy af 🔥.

Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom (1974)

This is just some zainy prog-rock. Robert Wyatt composed a lot of the material on here surrounding a life altering accident which would see him drunkenly fall out of a 3rd-floor bathroom window, leaving him paralysed from the waist down for the rest of his life. The music here reflects the sobering maturity Wyatt would gain from the incident, and contains themes of pain, loss and suffering. Many of the tracks here have the typical jazz influenced intrumentation of prog-rock, as well as vivid imagery and comprehensive storytelling found in the lyrics.

The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs (1999)

It's not a figurative title, there really are 69 songs on this album. It's an absolute behemoth, spanning 3 discs and approaching 3 hours in length its a comprehensive collection of emotions and motifs related to love, naw 💕. If you've done the math, you would have realized these songs must all not be very long, which they aren't! And that's absolutely perfect! Spanning genres like folk, rock, electronic, experimental and punk this album surprisingly doesn't get old too fast. Now I'll admit, you'd be ambitious to tackle all three discs in one sitting, but the album provides enough variety that it's probably feasible.

A lot of the songs on here preach to the classic Americana aesthetic, twangy guitars, gloriously accented vocals, hell, songs like Papa Was a Rodeo aren't exactly subtle. Adding to that, the songs on here are just so easy to listen to, it's like ear candy. I was hooked the moment I heard the opening to the very first song, Absolutely Cuckoo, which is just the sweetest little love song played on the ukulele, accompanied with hilariously dark lyrics. Whether in or out of love, this album has something for you!

Кино - Группа крови (1988)

Кино (Kino) are a Soviet-era band hailing from Leningrad, Russia. As far as post-punk goes, this is some of the catchiest, most accessible sounding music you'll hear from the era (bar the language barrier). Apparently there isn’t a single Russian man over 30 who hasn’t heard of this band, and to be honest I can see why. If these guys were from the UK they would have been as big as Joy Division or The Smiths I tell you. It’s absolute 80’s new-wave post-punk heaven, complete with bouncy drum machines, Johnny Marr style guitar playing and singer, Viktor Tsoi’s beautiful voice. Попробуй спеть вместе со мной is quickly becoming one of my favourite songs from the 80’s era, and as an album, Группа крови (Gruppa Krovi) is a hidden gem.

Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (1985)

It's rare to have someone actively dislike Rain Dogs, which is fair because there’s so little to dislike about it. Eccentric, gritty, colourful, creative, the album sprawls across several blues related genres along it’s track list. No song is longer than it needs to be either, when Tom has completed exploring an idea, he moves onto something almost completely different. It’s almost impossible not to mention Tom Waits’ wonderfully unique voice. The auditory equivalent to gravel, it perfectly complements the (with plenty of exceptions) bluesy cabaret style instrumentation. Rain Dogs feels like entering a depraved adult version of Disney Land, or drowning one’s sorrows in a seedy back-alley bar. With a generous helping of brass, electric guitar, even xylophone, it’s a collage of weird and wonderful sounds, or in other words, it’s got a tonne of character.

David Bowie - Low (1977)

Coming in at the tail end of Bowies legendary drug addiction, Low is my personal favourite of Bowies discography. I’m not a huge advocate of drugs, but if it makes you create music this good then maybe you’ve gotta bite the bullet for the sake of humanity eh. Of course it helps to have aforementioned Brian Eno as your collaborator, combining to make perhaps one of the best pairings music has ever seen. It may not have tracks with radio fame like “Heroes”, Hunky Dory or The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars have, which means a lot of songs on here feel a little underappreciated to me 😕. I’m talking Sound and Vision, Always Crashing In the Same Car, Be My Wife, the list could go on! It’s worth noting that Low is the first album in Bowie’s “Berlin Trilogy”, the name given to the albums made after he moved to West Berlin in 1976, prompting a shift in musical direction to the avant-garde. With Low Eno brought his trademark ambient/instrumental inspired album second half. The closing track, Subterraneans, is my favourite Bowie track ever.

P J Harvey - Let England Shake (2011)

Let England Shake would see P J Harvey leave behind the gritty alternative-rock of her past albums for a brighter, richer folk-rock sound. It was critically very well received, at the time topping a lot of lists for album of the year. This album really resonated with me when I first heard it. I have a lot of very vivid memories from just a few years ago tied closely to the songs found on this thing. Specifically, the song Written On the Forehead is one of those songs that is able to take me right back to the thoughts and emotions of teenage Buster, which in a lot of ways is rather comforting.

The Smiths - Hatful Of Hollow (1984)

It may be a compilation album, but there aren’t a lot of other albums out there as influential or critically praised as this one right here. Hatful Of Hollow is predominantly made up of singles unavailable on the bands studio albums, and as a result has some of their best ever work. Pretty much every song on here is a bona-fide classic, This Charming Man, Hand In Glove, Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, ugh, the list could go on! I love The Smiths, just like practically every other teenager that has existed since their inception. Practically everything they touched turned to gold, I mean Johnny Marr, Morrissey, the…others. One of my favourite bands ever 😊.

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground (1969)

These fullus sure don’t need no introduction. Spearheaded by none other than Lou Reed and Andy Warhol, The Velvet Underground are one of the most influential bands ever. Their (non-banana and minus Nico) self-titled album is my personal favourite from them. Consisting of some of the smoothest rock songs put to tape, listening to this thing often makes me want to melt into the floor and stare at the ceiling. Songs like Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes, Jesus and I’m Set Free are so gorgeously intimate it should be illegal. Even songs on here with a harder, ‘rockier’ sound such as What Goes On and Beginning To See the Light manage to feel tender at their core. It’s an album that feels like a big furry carpet, or a large comfy chair. The musical equivalent to the word ‘chill’.

Ween - The Mollusk (1997)

GET OFF MY ASS, YA WEE BITTY FUCK
IF I PULL OUT THE CLAYMORE, YOU'RE SHIT OUTTA LUCK
WHO IS THAT GIRL, THAT PRETTY YOUNG THING
AFTER I FUCK HER, SHE'LL GET UP AND SING

AYE, AYE, AYE
SHARPEN YOUR BOOT, AND BLUDGEON YOUR EYE
AYE, AYE, AYE
THE BLARNEY STONE BRINGS A TEAR TO ME EYE

Swans - Soundtracks For The Blind (1996)

It's going to take me a long time to write about this one im afraid.

Electronic

Four Tet - Morning/Evening (2015)

Morning/Evening is an EP split into a morning and evening side, each consisting of a single track about 20 minutes long. The EP features a gorgeous sample of Hindi singer Lata Mangeshkar looped over a classic minimal Four Tet beat. As with many other of Four Tet's works, these tracks have the ability to fade into the background or be the center of attention. It all just works so well. Love it!

Gas - Pop (2000)

This music goes so hard. I mean it absolutely slays. Imagine the a forest in spring. Imagine the light peaking through the foliage and landing on the lush forest floor, everything seems to have a warm glow to it. The birds and insects all bring comfort and life to the scenery. A stream trickles away within earshot. You can't see it, but you're comforted to know its there. Now imagine you brought a set of speakers to the forest floor. Turn them all the way up and slap on the hardest beat ever known to man. Nature is lit.

Aphex Twin - Drukqs (2001)

This is Richard D. James' magnum opus, and yet one of his most frequently criticized works. Drukqs saw the producer experimenting with prepared piano, a process in which objects are placed on or in between the strings of a piano, giving the sound a rather mechanical, percussive character. While not all instances feature the technique, James' piano playing remains pretty goddamn beautiful throughout. And I mean so so so so gorgeous. Many of the songs here feature piano in some form, along with James' typical face melting electronic beats. With a 100 minute run-time, the album is an absolute beast. It feels like every sound from the world of electronic music ends up here in some way or another. This thing means quite a lot to me. It's a 10.

Björk - Vespertine (2001)

Possibly Björk’s most intimate work to date, Vespertine is my favourite of the Icelandic singer’s works. The album had the dreaded task of following 1997’s masterpiece Homogenic, and does so by bringing a more intimate and cosy sound both musically and lyrically. It’s home to some of her most gorgeously written and performed melodies, as well as the best textures and sounds Björk has to offer production-wise. Many of the sounds on this thing feel like the frost found on grass on a cold morning, or icebergs drifting in the ocean, with sparkling icy textures littered throughout. As far as tone goes, this thing is just so comfy to listen to. Whereas the production may be icy, Björk’s singing/song writing brings a level of domestic-like comfort that I feel is rarely felt to this extent on her other records. It’s like a Sunday spent at home with a blanket on a cold winters day. Isn’t that just snug.

Animal Collective - Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished (2000)

Is this thing even good? I think it might be. At the very least, it’s unique in the way nothing else comes close to sounding quite like this thing does. Many of the sounds you’ll find on here are incredibly abrasive and unfriendly to the human ear, especially if one already suffers from tinnitus. Complete with static, harsh noise and freakish electronic synths, from a glance the album may come across to some as unlistenable. It doesn’t take long however for the beauty to be exposed in what band members Avey Tare and Panda Bear are doing here. Where many sounds the album offers could be considered sharp and even at times unpleasant, every song manages to build an ethereal quality which, in turn creates a sort of magic woven into the songs. And I don’t use the word magic lightly here, if I were to describe the album in one word, that would be it. In fact, the album throughout is rather other-worldly, a world filled with evil fairies, enchanted forests, talking animals and wicked witches. Song writing wise, you’ll find Avey singing about phantoms, chocolate girls and spirits, which, in all honesty is probably the only thing that you COULD sing about over this. At times it’s supernatural, cursed, fantastical, bizarre, or even eerie. Whether you like it or not it’s one hell of a listen.

FKA Twigs - LP1 (2014)

Tim Hecker - Virgins (2013)

William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops (2002/2003)

Hip-Hop

Metal

Ghost - Opus Eponymous (2010)

Ghost are a band from Sweden (take note, there’s going to be a trend here) which play a brand of heavy metal reminiscent to the aesthetic of Black Sabbath or Judas Priest. Famous for their dedication to their theatrical, somewhat flamboyant stage presence, Ghost’s folklore comes in the form of Papa Emeritus the hedonistic priest and his nameless ghouls, where the band members are relatively secretive of their true identities. A lot of what Ghost does certainly should not be taken too seriously, as a band they’re just a bit of fun! Worshiping the devil rarely feels so extravagant, while still staying true to the classic rock sound. This is not to mention that Ghost have managed to write some of the catchiest hooks I’ve heard in metal/hard rock for a long time. Unholy ghost, overlord and taker of life!

Emperor - In The Nightside Eclipse (1994)

More from Scandinavia, only this time it’s a little bit darker. Coming straight out of the 1990’s Norwegian black metal scene this album is everything you’d expect. Blast beats, tremolo picked guitars, shrieking vocals, and of course plenty of synths! In the Nightside Eclipse is an album well known for feeling absolutely epic. Every guitar strum sounds like a buzzsaw, every scream is like that of a goblins war cry. In fact, the tropes of fantasy are written all over this thing, from the cover to the song titles (Beyond The Great Vast Forest, I Am The Black Wizards) to the lyrics. Imagine the field of some great battle in middle earth. This is black metal oi, guuuuumon.

Bathory - Bathory (1984)

We return to Sweden, this time for the birth of black metal. This is where it all began really. And what can I say, its raw, fast, down-right disgusting, and it freakin kills. The guitar playing in particular kicks ass, thanks for that Quorthon. Old school cool.

Burzum - Filosofem (1996)

It's back to Norway lads. And my word is this one a killer. In my humble opinion this is the greatest metal album ever, and it's probably my favorite album of all time. I could write screeds about this, screeds I tell you. Everything about it is just perfect, the atmosphere, the songwriting, the sound, just, ugh! Now look, I won’t lie, it takes some getting used to. If you’re not familiar with the lo-fi aesthetic of black metal then oh boy this will be diving in pretty deep. On the first few listens it may just sound like someone's amplified the noise of flies buzzing around in a jar, due to the, mmmm, conservative production budget. The mastermind behind the album, Varg Verkins even recorded the whole thing in under 24 hours. Once it clicks though, my word is it good. While black metal as a whole may be my favourite genre, there’s nothing else I’ve found that scratches that itch quite like this thing does. One track in particular, Jesus’ Tod, has a certain ferocity unmatched by anything else I can remember listening to. It’s like being caught in the eye of a hurricane, running from a grizzly bear in the woods, charging into a battle to certain death, you get the idea. I could go on, but I’ll leave it there.

The story behind Varg’s relationship with other bands around at the time like Mayhem and Darkthrone is actually really fascinating. You think the 90’s hip hop scene was hardcore, you haven’t seen anything. In fact, you can read all about it here.

Murmuüre - Murmuüre (2006)

Not many albums can say they had vocals recorded during a cathartic trance in a sacred forest with a portable mini-disc recorder. Murmuüre is an album based off an hour long improvised guitar session complete with digital distortion effects, audio splicing and sampling. It’s the fusion of black metal with the electronic, and can go by in a whirlwind of sound. A lot of the music on here even feels rather sacred in the way where it wouldn’t be out of place in a long forgotten temple located deep in the jungle. In fact at times it can even be relatively meditative in its own way. It doesn’t sound like conventional black metal for sure.

It's 👌👌👌.

Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994)

I mean it couldn't not be on here, it's the infamous Mayhem debut. This is about as conventionally black as you'll get, it's dark, satanic, and most importantly, it's trve kvlt. Behind this album is a wealth of sigificant black metal lore, i.e. in the events surrounding the release. The album was released (albeit heavily delayed) despite the deaths of 2 band members and the prison sentencing of a further member for murder. Believe it or not, one of the deceased band members happened to be on end of the murder. So this album is pretty metal. It has a plethora of classics for the genre, and it has a lot of street cred in the scene, with many fans labelling it as the best of all time.

To put it cleanly, I reckon it rocks!!!

Death - Symbolic (1995)

Who's Buster's favorite death metal band? You got it! Death! This album is absolutely insane, the shear ferocity of it all, it's totally killer. An aspect I feel Symbolic does really well is the ability to make death metal catchy. A lot of the hooks on here are some of the most addictive, memorable hooks I've heard in a lot of metal. Combined with the technical ability of the band (specifically the drumming like omg) the album avoids the issue I have with a lot of death metal, that is all sounding a bit samey. You're looking for variety? This thing has you covered. The songwriting is dynamic throughout, and the band is incredibly creative with the classic death metal sound. It can be speedy, it can be slow, it can be light, it can be heavy, it can be a bit lighter. It's a perfect introduction to the coarse and ruthless pit that is death metal.

Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)

It's the godfather. With every song on here practically being a classic, listening to this thing is really listening to a piece of history. There's not much I can say about it that probably hasn't already been said. The song Planet Caravan is a personal favourite!

Behemoth - The Satanist (2014)

It's another all time favourite! Behemoth started off as a run of the mill black metal band, but with time they departed from their blackened roots to adopt a grittier, harder death metal sound. The Satanist is the glorious culmination of both styles, with the band earning the illustrious tag "blackened death metal" from the metal scene. Everything Behemoth were working towards in the two decades prior to The Satanist comes to fruition on this record. The riffs are killer, the hooks are catchy, the drumming is ferocious, and frontman Nergal's vocals sound better than ever. As a result, a lot of the songs on here are particularly blood-curdling, it's easy to hear the pure fury come through in every facet of every track on here. The last track in particular, O Father, O Satan, O Sun! could be one of the best closing tracks I've ever heard in my life. As far as conclusions go, just, ugh.

Behemoth here explore their own rendition of satan himself, i.e. their own interpretation. That is to say, this album is pretty sacrilegious. To me however, I feel it is foolish to take a lot of what Behemoth (or black/death metal bands in general) have written as anything other than art. They're not actually satanists, you know. Well, probably not anyway.

In conclusion this thing is killer, absolutely killer I say.

Suffocate For Fuck Sake - Blazing Fires And Helicopters On The Frontpage Of The Newspaper. There's A War Going On And I'm Marching In Heavy Boots (2008)

Whew! Get a load of that title amirite?? The bands criminally minimal output can be summarized with the songs found on this album, and it's absolutely devastating. With each song one here more crushing and full of dread than the last, it's easy to label this album as being "depressing" or "emo" (in which case you don't know what emo is grrr 😠). That being said, both sadness and anger play a pivotal role in the atmosphere created in the music, where the band often gradually builds up to gut-wrenching instrumental crescendos paired with heartbroken sreeching vocals.

Along with this, the album is actually incredibly cinematic. It's common for the music to take a back seat to the "story" of the record, lengthy samples of voices speaking in Swedish, when translated tell the tale of a woman trapped in a mental institution. It is in these moments the album effectively becomes post rock, not a far cry from something that could be heard from Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

It's beautiful.

Folk

Kiwiana