Along with Opeth, Lacuna Coil are another of my absolute favourite bands and I was extremely excited last year when I saw that they were touring here again, since they haven’t been out since 2016 when I last saw them. Prior to that I saw them (twice) in 2007, then 2008, and 2009, and I…

I went looking for some relaxing background music for the housework and stumbled into a bizarre genre I didn't know I needed. What started as a standard Gregorian chant playlist took a sharp turn when the monks started singing John Lennon.

It’s perplexing that a 52-card deck has more combinations than atoms in the known universe, meaning every shuffle is likely the first time that specific order has ever existed. If you apply that conundrum to a music playlist, even a "Top 10" would result in a distinct playlist from everyone on Earth (if we all made one). My top 10's top 1 was Olivia Dean, and I'm sure many others (it's been her year), but my favorite track of the year is actually "Drink the Ocean" by Gabi Hartmann ...

I’ve written this post for years — comparing Spotify Wrapped with my Last.fm data, exploring how Spotify put together their music data categories and how the results of Spotify Wrapped doesn’t quite capture my music taste, pointing to my Last.fm data instead (I’m especially proud of last year’s deep dive). It’s still relevant to compare these different patterns, but in reviewing my 2025 in music, the reading and research I’ve been doing for years culminated in some continued realizations. Thi...

We attend Thursday night trivia at Hard Road Brewing in Eastern Melbourne. There’s a regular question on these nights asking “On which Melbourne Metro Train Line would you find…?”. We are bad at this question.

Datassette presents a series of mixes intended for listening while programming to focus the brain and inspire the mind (also compatible with other activities).

I was incredibly busy in the second half of the last year, so I hardly had any time to discover new music. Nevertheless, a few new songs did find their way into my QuodLibet library. Part 2 of 2025 Please note: The Bandcamp players below play back the intended songs. However, they continue to play through other songs of the respective release and thus also play back tracks that do not belong to my selection of 2024 favorites. Just so you are aware. You can check out the first part of my 2025…

computational democracy graphics

Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman is another one of those Wu-Tang Clan albums that isn't officially credited to the Clan proper for a variety of reasons, many of them having to do with its production process. An indirect follow-up to the 2017 compilation project The Saga Continues, Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman is also entirely produced by Allah Mathematics, the Wu-Element who also

Blimey, I've been doing these for 12 years! If you like this, then you'll definitely like Simon and Jon's roundups of 2025. I always find something new to add to the pile in their choices. Let's get into it then shall we… Albums I'm on last.fm you know, if anyone else is still using that? Lael Neale - Altogether Strange Marie Davidson - City of Clowns The Limiñanas - Faded Geese - Getting Killed Blondshell - If You Aske...

Whilst Breaking More Waves blog has slowed to the point of being defunct, I hope there’s still a space for yet another end of year album list amongst the multitude of end of year lists – this one only being finally decided at the end of the year. As I’ve said with previous end of year list posts, by now if you’re a music fan you’re probably sick of these things by now and don’t want to read pages of descriptions of why they are my favourites. So instead I’ve just listed my top 25 of 2025 here.…

Cookin Soul’s released WEST COAST XMAS in 2024 but they premiered the full tape via this video a few weeks ago so I’d be remiss if I didn’t put it here too. Every West coast legend you can think of is on this mixtape including Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Ice Cube, Tupac, and Schoolboy Q. … The post Stream Cookin Soul’s “WEST COAST XMAS” on YouTube appeared first on Sampleface.

A playlist inspired by books I read this year

Ekphrasis is defined as the use of detailed description of a work of visual art as a literary device. It is also the title of a collaborative project from Wu-Tang producer Bronze Nazareth and Brownsville criminal poetry influencer Roc Marciano, one where the beats fall on Marcy's shoulders more often than not. The word choice is understandable, given our hosts, as it sounds plausibly pretentious

A number of years ago, when I was beginning to write my own songs, a fellow songwriter confronted me very seriously about my writing, telling me that I should have a go at writing more “traditional” songs. The advice was a little strange, because I think if you look at my catalog, and you apply […]

It's the time of the year, to share my top 5 favorite albums of 2025, meaning, only albums released in 2025.You can see my top 5 of 2024 here.1 - Apple of my eye - NEMOPHILALike I said on my short review of Apple of my eye, this is my "least favorite" NEMOPHILA album. But it's far from being a bad album, and that's why it's my favorite album of the year.After watching NEMOPHILA live for the second time earlier this year in Hiroshima, I got the chance to hear (and see) a live performance of the…

40 Cheekface - Middle Spoon America's local band signal more dispatches from the nerdy, mostly impoverished artist ranks, looking out wryly at the outside world 39 C Duncan - It's Only A Love Song An unexpected turn into romantic chamber pop, ornate swooning and swooping strings flavouring Nilsson-inspired songwriting that borders on the timeless 38 Tulpa - Monster Of The Week Score another for Skep Wax! Ringing guitars and iridescent melodies nodding at US college rock's early 90s golden age,…

Giving Euclidean Rhythms extra flair and building a sequencer read more

We've never gone as far as a top 60 before, but that's how packed out with goodness the year was on an LP scale when even number 60 is something as instant and likeable as... 60 Autocamper - What Do You Do All Day? Janglepop as she is spoke in the modern day, taking the influences of the Glasgow and Dunedin scenes into their own cohesive whole 59 Hannah Frances - Nested In Tangles Fingerpicked folk with emotional and musical complexity, part-produced by Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen touching on…

Well, the coast seems clear this far in so here we go - the hundred most exciting, affecting, thought-provoking, exhilirating, hilarious and/or joyous songs we've heard this year. Your mileage may - no, absolutely 100% will - vary. Sorry about the lack of individual track links below the Spotify playlist but THERE'S A HUNDRED OF THEM. adults - patterns Adwaith - Planed Allo Darlin' - Tricky Questions Amelia & The Housewives - Summer's Over Anna B Savage - Mo Cheol Thú Anna Hillburg - The…

I have become far too distracted documenting my journey towards some ideas, so let’s park that for now and create some designs of a future music player. What is the minimum?OK, so the actual minimum is no visuals, do it all by ear - match the beats of the intro to track two to already playing track one, and mix across. Low tech, high skill. DJ with decks and a simple mixer.In our post-rekordbox, visual waveform world though? Minimum would be something like track one, with some sort of beat and…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrGD6w6n0LABoko Yout is some kind of alien character learning to live in a human world. This is a catchy song!

https://laurajurd.bandcamp.com/album/the-big-friendly-albumLaura Jurd is a UK based trumpet player (Thanks Jason for the tip!). This album is on the playful side of her work, it’s a happy time!