some ideas, some music, some gardening

Top albums and thoughts on music discovery

For posterity: My ever-changing top 10 albums. In no particular order.

I discovered all of these albums during the musically formative years of 16 through 22: those last moments of high school worth trying to make a name for yourself out of what you wear, listen, or watch; my full tenure at a university, where music tastes diverged in experimentalism but converged with definitive house party music.

Nowadays, I primarily listen to ambient or experimental dance music, which is far removed from the sound and content of this indie rock/pop best-of list. While great dance music will move you, the layers and lyrics of rock and pop can sear itself into your soft 16 through 22 year-old brain. Electronic albums most likely follow close behind in my top 20 or 50.

I have recently been re-listening to Menomena's Mines. When I first discovered the album, it quickly became my reference album for new speakers and headphones. The opening track bassline is so warm and organic feeling that I knew all speakers I owned must capture what I feel turning the album on. A lot have, some haven't.

My period of music discovery was no golden age of independent or experimental music. There's so much great stuff being produced now—it's overwhelming. This is why I've shied away from music discovery playlists, and have now started purchasing music on Bandcamp—to limit and cherish the music I deliberately seek out, rather than being passively bombarded by good or great music—my cognitive ownership of the experience is diminished. Let me be the one that hunts for treasure; we're letting the bots have all the fun!

I am happily subscribed to some dance music labels on Bandcamp, so all newly released EPs and albums are released into my collection. I like this affinity with music labels: I get to understand their tastes through the artists they release. My iTunes library is now full of dance music, so I can shuffle between label releases, top albums, and extra purchases of promising artists on Bandcamp.