Since I was on the road a lot recently, and also in the midst of some projects that involve me needing to zone out and focus, I’ve been pretty much listening to music 24/7. Wait – this isn’t really a change from my norm. Carry on.
So what am I listening to as of late? Well, I’ve got two albums on heavy rotation, with a third recently getting added to the mix.
1. Sara Bareilles – Kaleidoscope Heart
Sara Bareilles was actually the soundtrack for the long drive between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, as well as around Laos, but towards the end of the trip I zeroed in on this album. This is not her most recent release (we can talk about the song “Brave” later), but apparently the Spotify music gods felts I needed to listen to it.
Tracks not to miss:
“King of Anything”
“Machine Gun”
“Let it Rain”
2. Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady
This came out while I was in Vietnam, and I was frustrated that I couldn’t find it on Spotify. I quickly realized that with the time change the album wasn’t out yet in the US, so I had to wait a bit longer. I had heard a couple of tracks from this (“Q.U.E.E.N.” and “Dance Apoclyptic”) prior to the full release and was smitten. As with many rap and r&b albums, they should be listened to straight through, and not on shuffle. Seriously – go do this with this album and you’ll see what I mean.
This album was the one I kept coming back to on the trip, and even now. The songs are diverse and amazing, in the way that only Janelle Monae can do.
Tracks not to miss:
“What an Experience”
“We Were Rock & Roll”
“Victory”
3. Haim – Days are Gone
Found this via a tweet from Spotify to follow their playlist “Spotlight on 2013”. Now, I had seen references to Haim from some of my friends, people I follow on twitter, and from You, Me, & Charlie, but never took the time to have a listen. Well, their song “The Wire” was the first track on the Spotify list and I regretted not checking them out earlier.
I will admit, this is likely not going to be something most people like, but I do, so there’s that.
Tracks not to miss:
“The Wire”
“My Song 5”
“Honey & I”
So, anything else I should be listening to? Think these choices are rubbish? Let me know what you think.
