It’s been a while! I stealthily skipped last month’s Musical Box, so newer readers might not know that I usually do a monthly post full of listening suggestions. The holidays are a busy time, especially for students, so here’s some music to cram to.
December is also a great time to be a music fan. All the music journalists are coming out with their top 10 album lists and you get to discover all the cool stuff you missed that year. This is how I discovered Janelle Monáe‘s debut EP Metropolis: The Chase. It caught my eye for exploring science fiction themes with a quirky Blade Runner inspired android love story. Her sound is a wonderful experimental blend of R&B, funk and spoken word, reminding me quite a bit of Outkast (she was featured on two songs off Idlewild.) Altogether a terrific start, I look forward to her first full length album.
I first heard of Max Tundra‘s latest album Parallax Error Beheads You from Chris Dahlen, who has already called it his favourite of 2008. I’ve been on a bit of a lo-fi kick these past few months, so it really hit the spot for me. Composed entirely on a Commodore Amiga 500, I would categorize it as progressive pop (you can’t get away with extended synthesizer solos without someone throwing in the “prog” word.) It may not suit everyone’s tastes, but I love it.
Nav may currently be on blogging hiatus (working on his PhD, which I’m told involves writing long essays and purchasing a tweed jacket), but that hasn’t stopped him from sharing interesting music on Google Reader. The latest is a band called The Happy Hollows, whose recent EP Imaginary is “free” if you’re willing to spam five friends about it. However, the album is so good that it’s almost worth losing respect in the eyes of your peers for. Fitting somewhere between the Fiery Furnaces and the White Stripes, they tell rambling stories and like to mix up the tempo. The Happy Hollows are another new band to watch.
7/10 – The Doyouinverts [download]
Finally, a comedy song about the romantic woes of a video game reviewer that Kieron Gillen described as “my life, basically.” This song is so funny that the very though of some of you not clicking through to listen to it compelled me to transcribe it:
That’s it for December, happy listening!
December 6th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I do *not* own a tweed jacket, thank you very much! I did just get LBP though – does that count for something? As I understand it, all the cool PhD kids are doing it… ;)
December 7th, 2008 at 3:19 am
I hope you take the time to write about LBP over the holidays! I’m sure you’ll have an interesting perspective on it.
December 8th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Wow, you pretty much filled my whole month of music picks. Thanks!