This is an album that came out in 2005, released by the band Okkervil River. It is their third studio album.


It was a make or break piece of art, crafted by frontman Will Sheff. The band's first two albums were met with little commercial success and they were desperate for something to break through. At the time of writing, Sheff had become homeless and was clinging on to the hopes of stemming the tide of failure. The band was moments away from breaking apart entirely.

That sentiment is made very clear in the music. The sense of rage, desperation, and loss is pervasive. While often churning under the surface, it often is flung to the forefront, providing a wild catharsis.


This is a man and a band raging against the dying light. They stared the end in the face and came out the other side with a wonderful album and I hope you like it as much as I do.

4:03 PM

Asobi Sesku (Play Sex, in English) is a shoegaze/dream pop/noise rock/whatever you care to call it band from New York. I'm kind of an outsider to the whole shoegaze genre other than some of the major albums, and I'm sure some of you are more well-versed in it than I am. Some of you may have even heard this album before since it is thought highly of in the shoegaze community. However, I think this album is wonderful and can be appreciated by a wide variety of people. The main vocalist, Yuki Chikudate is Japanese and sings in Japanese on a decent amount of the songs on this album, so I don't expect you to dissect and absorb the lyrical content. Her dream-poppy singing style is mainly what I find appealing.

I have been listening to this album a lot in the past couple of weeks, and it was kind of a spur of the moment choice, but I think it would be nice to hear your guys' opinions on it!

11:40 AM

First off, this album is not on spotify. Sorry, it's short, you can stream it on the bandcamp app or here. Get over it.

This album is easily in my top 10 albums of all time. It's weird and gorgeous and it creates an atmosphere that I've honestly never felt from any other music. Listening to Verisune is a completely unique experience for me and I'm interested to see if any of you feel similarly or get the same type of reaction at all. It's like the most nostalgia I've ever felt listening to an album mixed with the most contentment and excitement I've ever felt listening to an album. This is gonna sound very cheesy but I kinda of have to make it cheesy to fully communicate how much I love this album- it feels like hanging out with someone I've known my whole life or returning to a place where I hung out a lot as a kid and haven't seen in years. It makes me feel cripplingly 'comfortable' and 'at home' and that feeling has been just as strong the first time I listened to it as the 50th.

I could write probably a whole essay on this album but I restraining myself, just listen because I'm really interested in your responses to this one.

7:50 AM

I initially hesitated to write about this album because think it's somewhat well known in the indie scene. However, I think that even if you know some of the songs from it or haven't heard it in a while, it's absolutely worth revisiting.

The Notwist is German band that has gone through several different sounds over the years. Their first album to gain a real following in the states, Neon Golden, takes influence from a number of different genres. While I would say it is primarily an indie rock album, it has a heavy reliance on drum machines and electronic effects. The album has a surprising amount of hidden variety despite very much having a sound and tone that is largely unique to this album.

The overall tone of the album can be hard to pin down. At times the album can feel depressing, like  singer Markus Acher was going through some shit at the time. At other times the album feels as if it is intentionally trying give a lighter edge to offset the somber tone of itself. The electronics are most often used to set the cooler tones, while violins that appear occasionally throughout bring a more cozy warmth. Overall, this isn't an album that will warm you as the weather gets colder, but it will be right there with you.

One more thing, the last 3 tracks (Scoop, Propeller 9, and Formiga) were added for the American release and were initially part of a separate EP. Go ahead and listen to them, but I do think they're a little different from the rest of the album. It's also good to remember that Consequence is the actual album closer, because it fits that role fantastically.

8:09 PM

I was originally going to go with another album for my pick, but then Solange came through with what may be the album of the year for me. Solange has always been my go-to for feel good alt-R&B music, and this album does not disappoint in that regard. She tweeted a few days ago that A Seat At The Table "is meant to provoke healing & journey of self-empowerment" and that's such a great way to summarize the take-aways from listening to this record. When I think about the records/songs that have come out from the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement (mostly To Pimp A Butterfly, 16 Shots, Black Messiah), they each have a common theme of anger and frustration weaved into their musicality. What A Seat At The Table does differently for me is express what black people should be proud of and to encourage us to take joy in our blackness and history. 

I was reading the review on Complex's site and the writer said "ASATT’s lyrics often read like the Twitter timeline of a smart Black person." which is so real. I've personally only listened to it a few times, but I did listen to a couple of the songs while reading the lyrics and parts were pretty emotional for me. Solange is unapologetic about her art and using her art to encourage the black community to be unapologetically black, and I think she does so beautifully on this record. 

12:22 PM