Here’s what I’ve been listening to in 2019 so far:
Future Like by No Honey – Abhilasha Sinha’s beautiful, ethereal vocals are the focal point of this indie pop (I think?) album, with the instruments providing a perfect canvas for her to work her vocal magic.
The Middle by Mree – More indie pop with incredible vocals, this time by Marie Hsiao from New Jersey.
Astronoid by Astronoid – Astronoid’s Air was one of my favorite albums of 2016. 2019’s Astronoid is also great and more or less sticks to the unique sound that they introduced in Air.
One of my goals for 2018 was to read 36 books. I’ve read 12 so far. Some of them were incredible. The others were…not. Here are some quotes from the books I fell in love with this year –
She was like a star, always so distant. Even the light she shone on me was always cold. – The Three-Body Problem
Buddy, when I work at night, if I look up at the sky, the suspect is going to escape. – The Three-Body Problem
For father and son, the silence conveyed more information than words. – The Dark Forest
He didn’t want to sleep, but to wake up from his dream.- The Dark Forest
“When twilight fades, you can see the stars. When dawn fades, all that’s left is…”
“All that’s left is the harsh light of reality.”
– The Dark Forest
Once we know where we are, then the world becomes as narrow as a map. When we don’t know, the world feels unlimited.
– The Dark Forest
The only constant in a world of tremendous change is the swift passage of time.
– The Dark Forest
Maybe she’ll remember that in the sea of stars, there’s one that belongs to her. – Death’s End
It’s stupid. There are maps to show you how to get to the place where you want to be but no maps that show you how to get to the time when you want to be. – A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
She was just perfect, without trying. – Space Opera
The giant panda eats bamboo. The wormhole eats regret. – Space Opera
The universe is a very large and very complicated demonstration of having one’s cake and eating it too. – Space Opera
Where wood has burned, there will be ash. – Space Opera
Oort’s microwave chimed. Their docking procedures had finished defrosting. – Space Opera
People are mostly happiest when they think they’re just about to get the thing the want most. Before and after, they’re all monsters. – Space Opera
Sonder by TesseracT – TesseracT is one of my favorite bands, and I was eagerly awaiting the release of Sonder every since it was announced. This album is fantastic and is quite possibly my favorite of 2018 so far. Dan sounds better than ever (Sonder features some amazing harsh vocals), the musical composition is top-notch, the odd time signatures are delightful, the bass lines bring a smile to my face, and the mix is stellar. My only complaint? I wish it were longer.
Where Owls Know My Name by Rivers of Nihil – A breathtaking modern metal album. Saxophones make an appearance on a couple of songs on this record and do not feel out of place in the slightest.
Esoteric Malacology by Slugdge – A progressive metal album about slugs featuring AWESOME guitar riffs!
Fractured by Lunatic Soul – This album introduced me to the musical genius that is Mariusz Duda.
Migration by Bonobo — This was the first Bonobo album I listened to and I instantly fell in love with his take on electronic music.
Lykaia by Soen — On Soen’s first album they sounded almost exactly like TOOL, but they have since then evolved and created their own unique sound. 2017’s Lykaia is a progressive metal tour de force.
Emperor of Sand by Mastodon — Metal titans Mastodon released another spectacular album this year. The album revolves around cancer and death, and the result is a powerful, emotionally evocative record.
Mesmer by Northlane — Mesmer is Northlane’s second album with vocalist Marcus Bridge and is less heavier than their previous records. 2015’s Node is my favorite Northlane album, with Mesmer being a close second.
The Optimist by Anathema — Another stellar progressive rock album from Anathema. 2017 was also the year I discovered this awesome band.
Planetarium by James McAlister, Bryce Dessner, Sufjan Stevens, and Nico Muhly — Planetarium is a masterpiece. Each of the four artists lend their unique touch to this beautiful record.
Flying Microtonal Banana by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard promised the world that they would release five albums in 2017. And they did! This is an incredible feat, especially when you consider that each of those five albums sound completely different from the others, and they are all great albums. Flying Microtonal Banana was the first album they released in 2017. It features microtonal instruments, resulting in a very unique sound quite unlike anything I’ve heard before.
Murder Of The Universe by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s second album of 2017 was heavier than Flying Microtonal Banana, sounding similar to 2016’s Nonagon Infinity.
Polygondwanaland by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s fourth album of 2017 ditches the heaviness of Murder Of The Universe, and instead embraces a more mellow rock sound.
Gumboot Soup by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s last album of 2017 features their distinctive rock sound, along with vocals unlike anything they’ve done before.
Homey by CHON — This album features CHON’s characteristic happy guitars, with a tiny bit of electronic music.
RARE by Hundredth — Hundredth abandon their heavy music and harsh vocals on RARE, and instead opt for a more ethereal, shoegaze sound resulting in a excellent album.
Add Violence by Nine Inch Nails — 2017 was the year I really started listening to Nine Inch Nails, and this EP was where I began.
Zia by aswekeepsearching — A sublime post-rock album from an incredibly talented band from India.
The Sin And The Sentence by Trivium — This is Trivium’s first album with drummer Alex Bent, and they sound better (and heavier) than ever.
Doom Side of The Moon by Doom Side of The Moon — a re-imagining of one of my favorite albums of all time.
Clairvoyant by The Contortionist — My favorite album of 2017. I wrote a review about it a few months ago.
To The Bone by Steven Wilson — Steven Wilson made an awesome pop rock album!
Mareridt by Myrkur — A hauntingly beautiful album.
False Idol by Veil of Maya — An extremely enjoyable and catchy modern progressive metal album featuring some incredible (and highly technical) guitar work.
The Almanac by Kardashev — Kardashev combine unique and highly technical guitar playing with harsh and clean vocals to craft a unique, ethereal sound.
Forever by Code Orange — Hardcore punk rock + heavy metal + industrial metal = Forever.
The Weather by Pond — An extremely fun rock album from these musical geniuses from Perth.
Malina by Leprous — A gorgeous album (though not as good as 2015’s The Congregation in my opinion) by progressive metal/rock titans Leprous.
I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of The Contortionist’s Clairvoyantever since they released the first single of the album. Each subsequent single got me even more excited, and September 15th (the album’s release date) couldn’t arrive fast enough.
After about a month of listening to Clairvoyant an (almost) infinite number times I’m happy to say that the album has lived up to all my expectations, and it is staggeringly beautiful.
Clairvoyant eschews The Contortionist’s earlier heavy progressive metal sound and instead forges ahead on the journey that they began with Language in 2014 – this album is what I would describe as “minimalist progressive metal”(why yes, I do believe I just invented that term), with some songs being almost progressive rock. This album is even less heavy than Language, and features only a tiny amount of screaming (only one song as far as I can tell).
What this album does feature in abundance though is the musical complexity that makes The Contortionist such a delight to the ears. The guitars are simple, layered, and not too heavy; the drums are complicated yet (somehow) subtle; the bass powerful and perfect; and the vocals are haunting. Mike Lessard’s vocals on this album are nothing short of incredible, and bring a lot of emotional depth (you can read more about the background of the album here) to all the songs. His vocals are perhaps my favorite part of the album, with the guitars being a close second.
Clairvoyant is easily one of favorite albums of all time. With this album I believe that The Contortionist have created their own unique sound, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this immensely talented band.
I leave for my vacation to Thailand in about a month. Before I go I’ve decided to challenge myself and learn at least 50% of “Under Different Welkins” by Novelists. This is by far the hardest song I’ve attempted to learn and I’m looking forward to this challenge. I’ve been playing my seven string guitar more and more lately and this song feels like it would be a lot of fun to play.
Karan Parikh 