Music
Introduction
There is seldom a mood that doesn't have its music. I listen to music to sustain my mood. I listen to music to alter my mood. I listen to music a lot. And my listening tastes vary a lot. To cut to the chase, the lists below are me exploring music and Circles are what is essentially my favorites.
The exploration of music, to me, is part of the experience. And an important part. One site that helps a lot is Music-Map (https://www.music-map.com/). Put in a band/artist, and get a "scatter-gram" of related bands. Outside of reading about music, it's my go-to place for looking up names.
Another place that I love is Bandcamp (https://bandcamp.com/). Mostly because they treat the artists better than other places. I look to bandcamp.com first to pick up stuff from artists. I'll admit, smaller artists are sold-out on CDs, which I miss adding to my collection. But I'd rather have the tunes than not. :-)
Oh! What about the bands I've been in? Though eclectic in some ways, they have been regular old rock bands. I've moved all that here.
Recent Hits
Below are some bands that I'm into at the moment. They are either new favorites or old stuff I can't put down right now. The bands and the babbling about them will change as often as I get the chance to update this page.
Marmozets: I read this article, threw their releases into my "Random" YouTube playlist, and figured I'd listen eventually. For some reason, I put their debut album on in the background as I read one evening. Wow, it had more of a punch than I expected. Yeah, the article said elements of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Muse, and Paramore; all good reasons to listen. But I often take those comparisons with a grain of salt. (I don't care that I do it too! Shut up! 😛 ). It wasn't just my mood, I've been listening to them quite regularly now for a while. I'm blown away!
Fin Del Mundo: A band from Argentina with a sound that grabbed my attention. I've been digging their vibe for a few months now. And they just released a new album! An Ursual Le Guin reference? Some info/description ..... In an interview, they said they were going to be just instrumental until they heard the voice of their second guitar player. Very ethereal kinda of sound. When my 3 year old nephew asked why I like to listen to them, I said it was like floating comfortably in a warm lake on a beautiful summer day. Even though he gave me a look of not entire comprehension I think he understood that it made me happy.
The Jesus Lizard: These guys just released a new album, Rack. Yeah, it's an album after 26 years. These guys were one of my favorites in the late 90's. I seem to go through phases of listening to them often, and then taking a break for a few months. What about the album you ask? After being cautiously optimistic for a while, this album is really growing on me. It's almost like they picked up where they left off. It does sound "later", but not in any bad forms. Some killer tunes, some that are okay. I wouldn't call any bad, though some wouldn't be on my regular playlists. In the end, almost entirely opposite of what most might expect of coming back after 26 years.
American Draft: Jeff Wojtysiak and Mike Baldwin from Volta Do Mar are in this group. I've been listening to their album The Rescue from 2019. I'm mostly digging it; one could say it's halfway between Volta Do Mar and Elder. There is a bit more to it too; maybe some of The Jesus Lizard (which might be because I'm listening to them a lot more lately). And maybe that quality when 70's rock became epic 80's rock, but with less cheesy-ness. Anyway, I got all their albums and am now working my through them.
Open City: These folks are described as a supergroup. One might say they are punk, more post-punk. I wish they had more albums. I'm thoroughly enjoying listening to them. They are made up of: Daniel Yemin (Paint It Black, Lifetime), Chris Wilson (Titus Andronicus), Rachel Rubino (Bridge and Tunnel), and Andy Nelson (Paint It Black, Ceremony). I'm not that familiar with the artists' origins, and I need to do a better job describing them!
Concertina: Found these guys on bandcamp.com's little marque of bands. There, the band says of themselves: "We are a Phoenix-based stoner rock/heavy metal band with influences including Black Sabbath, Down, Orange Goblin, and The Sword.". Pretty accurate, though I'd add in a bit of Elder too. To be funny, I'd also say if Dave Gilmour grew up in the 90's and started learning from Dimebag Darrell before starting out on his own; and the whole band was wrapped up in one body. Heh! Oh, the singer has some elements of Lane Stanley too. Needless to say, I'm enjoying them.
mr. Gnome: One of the inner circle has released a new album! Their last release wasn't as stellar as their previous catalog, but I felt it was solid. How about this one?
Botch: From that same article that talked about Cave In, I came across these guys. If they are compared to The Dillinger Escape Plan, and are called mathcore and metalcore. So yeah, one would expect me to like them. They are in that genre in my head, but have other stuff going on too. A few tracks like Sudam and Transitions From Persona to Object are great. Oh, and they do this awesome cover of Rock Lobster! I have to figure out how to describe them better too!
{More to come as I load/listen to my current playlists.}
Trending
In Rio's life that is. :-P This is stuff that is on my playlists right now. Either I'm just getting to know them or they've recently resurfaced. More will come and some will go.
David Bowie: I read an article in which Henry Rollins said Black Star was a happy place album. Henry Rollins was an early punk rocker. So that was interesting to me and I did not have that album. Should make it to a new stuff playlist shortly.
Joseph Spence: I'm not all crazy loud music. Joseph Spence influenced a lot of other folks. Definitely take a listen.
Cave In: I first heard of them when I moved to the Boston area. They had formed and started playing a few years before. So, around 1998, they started experimenting and got signed to RCA. They were interesting, but I lost track and was never motivated to go look them up again. Recently, they came up in an article I was reading and it perked my interest again. I picked up some new albums and am now relistening to all that I have of them. Definitely interesting and I'll keep listening.
Zozobra: This is a branch from Cave In. Caleb Scofield, from Cave In, started it. He passed away in 2018. They are pretty cool, but I've got too much other stuff drawing me away. I have a feeling I'll like them more if I find some quiet (lol) time to focus on them.
Negative Approach: A pioneer of early hardcore punk. I don't have anything from them, so when I found the Total Recall album on Bandcamp.com, I picked it up. It has quite a lot of their stuff. I haven't been in the mood for raw early punk, so more will come later.
Unwound: I haven't thought about these guys since college; thank god a friend from college brought them up! And what an idiot I am for forgetting about them! They fit into that nebulous idea in my head. Time to work through their catalog!
Ningen Isu: Another random find from YouTube. A metal band that has been around for a long time. It is said they have a lot of literary references. They dress in somewhat tongue-in-cheek costumes from Japanese culture. I'm loving their Kuraku album.
Otoboke Beaver: They pack a lot in such short songs. Definitely punk, but not like Aburina Town. They are an all female group from Japan. There are aspects that are almost Dead Kennedy like. Not like covers, but wow. The energy and attitude. The I'm gonna do whatever the bleep I want.
Dark Angel: I've since lost the article, but their Darkness Descends album is listed as Max Cavalera's third choice of albums that influenced him. I think I've heard of them, but only just (2024) got anything of theirs.
Chat Pile: Depending on your mindset or where you are from, the name could use an explanation. The term "chat" is the, often toxic, waste of industrial mining. Kinda crazy that there are piles of it still around in the world, especially Oklahoma. Anyway, that's how these guys got their name. They say they play noise rock, others call it sludge metal. I can hear similarities with Cop Shoot Cop and The Jesus Lizard too. I don't know, maybe those bands will be re-genre-ized in retrospect. 😛 I love how Chat Pile has refined their sound/style over time and still are angsty and crazy.
Shai Hulud: A band that I had some, but have been more into lately. They are categorized as metalcore or melodic hardcore. They are a shouty band, and I'd say more of the former than the latter. They are heavy and thick. There is often some speed to them, but it feels constrained on purpose, just on the edge.
(your f'ing) End: These guys are related to Shai Hulud. They are considered metalcore and grindcore. Sometimes I hear some industrial influences as well. Sometimes I'm more in the mood to listen to them than Shai Hulud. They are composed of singer Brendan Murphy (Counterparts), guitarists Will Putney (Fit For An Autopsy) and Gregory Thomas (Shai Hulud), bassist Jay Pepito (Reign Supreme), and drummer Matt Guglielmo (the Acacia Strain). As I listen more to them and re-acquaint myself with Shai Hulud, I'll write more.
Next Up
I used to keep a separate list. But it got way too long. Now all the stuff I've heard about or I want to check out is on this spreadsheet. The point numbers are bands I have but haven't loaded yet.
So Last Year
Okay, that's absolutely just a joke. These artists are not falling off my playlists, so I'd guess the opposite! They may have been new to me or just released an album. Either way, I'm not planning to stop listening anytime soon. ;-)
Rodrigo y Gabriela: This duo from Mexico does some incredibly inventive two-guitar music. They've released some varied compositions, and you can hear the "Spanish guitar" style. That is an overbroad term in my opinion. Even with the "New Flamenco" that they are labeled. They really should not be pigeonholed at all. It is hard to describe exactly how they veer off. That point leads to putting out albums with heavy jazz and metal influences. I now own all they've released on Bandcamp. They are so cool that they are staying here for a while.
Elder: After only listening to their first and last (as of 2024) albums, I bought their entire catalog. After a week of listening to them (a lot), they've "moved way up" on the Rio-like-o-meter. My sister called them "stoner, prog, psychedelic, dreamy, beautiful". I couldn't agree more and so glad my sister gave me their latest. Their earlier stuff is more crunchy/punchy and their latest is cleaner/dreamier. They are prog-y, and they feel like they approach that "genre in Rio's Head", but coming at it from a different angle than those firmly seated in that genre. It's that they have those metal and prog qualities, and them being more prominent.
Meshuggah: A friend mentioned these folks to me years ago. I wish I paid attention. They made it on my list to check out because they are known for "their innovative musical style and their complex, poly-metered song structures and polyrhythms." (I lost the link). Some of their songs are like "wow" and, for most, each listen reveals more to it. They also work listening in the background (meaning hearing on the surface). They are a band that I'm keeping around.
Killer Be Killed / Nailbomb: Two projects from Max Cavalera. I hate to "lump them together", but I don't want to get too wordy at the moment. They are both intense in their own way. Killer Be Killed is said to be more groove metal, and Nailbomb has industrial metal "tendencies". Neither are falling of the current playlists anytime soon.
Tried'n'True
What, favorites aren't first? And on a simple list? I guess the journey is as important as the destination. That, and you don't know me well. 😜
I do put artists/groups into Circles; it is different "levels" of liking bands. There are a ton of artists that I listen to regularly. A lot of different qualities influence where things land too. I can't say I have a favorite mood. And my brain is stimulated by many things in addition to causing different kinds/qualities of pleasure. Now you know why lists might seem quite extensive.
What About...
Check out the Circles lists for more bands and how they fit into my listening habits. Below are bands that I've found on my journey since starting these pages and are worth a shout-out. I wouldn't read too much into the order. I used to tack on bands to the end of the list, but now am doing the front. Also, you don't know when I first started listening!
2024: Shai Hulud, Human Impact, Babymetal, Aburina Town, 1349, TTNG (This Town Needs Guns), Sleep Token, 3TEETH, Riverside (from Poland), Daniel Johnston, Three Days Grace,
2023: Stuck In November, Covet, Punch Face Champions, Soulfly, Hail The Sun, Tomb Mold, HANABIE., Atic, Ataxia, Nuclear Assault, Al-Namrood, Tubelord
Still More?
There is just so much music on YouTube. So I have playlists on my YouTube channel, mostly for exploring. Those are all the "GP" and "AR" lists. They will come and go, basically on my whim.
The Circle 1 - Tracks playlist won't come and go. Maybe stuff on it. It's (or will be) stuff I listen to when YouTube is all I have to listen with. 😉
I'm in the process of getting rid of the "Currentlly Trending" playlists. It is just too hard to manage the tracks on them.
BTW, a little rant. I might use YouTube more, but lists are such a pain to manage. Also, large YouTube playlists act weird. The shuffle doesn't feel like it's shuffling; the shuffle gets turned off randomly. And each time I return to a playlist, it feels like it plays the same songs. I don't like overplaying songs, even ones I love. Oh, and the "similar videos" algorithm isn't that good either. Okay, rant-off.