Another 3's: 2003, 2013 and 2023 releases

Let's see... Michigan - Happy Songs for Happy People - Tomorrow's Harvest - The Beggar - Poil Ueda - O Monolith - The Lamb as Effigy. What number are we at? 7. OK, I skip Swans (Swans appear enough in all kinds of polls) and Poil Ueda (maybe a bit behind the others) and vote for the remaining 5. More good ones are there but I'm not going to make the task even more difficult.

Edited by Lewian - June 13 2025 at 18:27

Thanks Christian and Ian.

I quite often have said that I normally do not vote in my own polls (the ones particularly which are personal favourites) because just by choosing them I already have voted for and acknowledged them, and being all faves, it's super tough and can feel kind of disloyal and wrong, but this time I want to...

First off, I want to mention Woven Hand's Blush Music. It's a sort of gothic country, avant folk music with post-rock qualities, and to me it is just wow. I am listening to it again now.

Second, I adore Sufjan Stevens and his Michigan is one of my very favourite albums by him. I listened to it earlier and I love the album so much.

Third, I love Swans, so Swans is going to get a lot of attention from me and The Beggar is I think a great album. It was my clear favourite of 2023 with Sufjan Stevens' Javelin in second place -- mind you, I'm bigger on Sufjan Stevens now than I was in 2023.

For a fourth mention I will go with the Necks' Drive By. This I have not heard it as much as various others The Necks albums, especially Hanging Gardens which is what made me fall hard for The Necks (stunning album from my beloved 90s), but I have been getting more and more into The Necks of late.

For fifth I first thought to go with Boards of Canada's Tomorrow's Harvest. I have not listened to that album as much as Music Has the Right to Children (an album i adore), Geogaddi or The Campfire Headphase, but BoC (not to be confused with Blue Oyster Cult or Bowl of Cereal) is so special to me now. Broadcast, Pram and Rachel's are all vying for my vote (course I dig everything in the poll very much), that is fave Kayo Dot album of mine, and it is my favourite Chelsea Wolfe album (wrote a five star review for that). However...

I adore Kosmischer Läufer, and think it does the eras it is inspired by so very well. I love volumes one and five but I have been turning much more to 5 in recent times (partially as it's the more recent release). To me Volume 5 is great. So I will go KL's (not to be confused with Kitty Litter's) Fifth.

I would have voted for that live Boris release sometime back, but I am more into the studio album flood.

Edited by Logan - June 13 2025 at 19:14

Swans - The Beggar

^ I wish I felt better suited to recommend something I was confident you would be enthusiastic about. This many years at the forum together I feel I should know your tastes better than I do by now. Maybe' it's just cause it has been a very long day and night.

Mellotron Storm wrote: There's three here I voted for and two are post rock classics from Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky, plus Poil Ueda. That Explosions In The Sky record was one my daughter played a lot while studying in University.

Sounds like a nice memory and association.

My son (youngest child) had his high school grad party last night/this morning (I picked him up at 4 am). He is not into the music I most listen to. He likes to compose for piano, listens to classical, Laufei, Joe Hisaishi, Koji Kondo, various lounge music and Kendrick Lamar. He is going to university in September for computer engineering. Both of my kids were influenced by Legend of Zelda music.

I played Sufjan Stevens' Michigan in the car while going to pick him and his girlfriend up from the event. A link just in case anyone want to check it out: youtube Michigan playlist

Gone into this before, but... The music I most listen to has been a very solitary experience for me, other than I know some people at PA like the same stuff and most of what I am very into now I have not been into for many years, so lacking the nostalgia factor. As a teenager in high school, playing each others music with my friends was a magical time. My time at PA with the forum embers has come closest to that experience subsequently (quite different too, of course)... I do wish I knew more people in person into the kinds of music I really care about, and to be hearing music with others that they really care about (and then I too might really care about that music).