Music

Listening Habits

My Music Listening Habbits for 2024

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I have to admit, this is my own personal favorite post for each year, even if no one else cares. Q look back on my music listening for the year, and how it has, or has not changed or evolved, and a round of trying to make predictions, and then working to not make those predictions self fulfilling in some weird attempt to not be wrong about my predictions.

Anyway, lets get it going then, with the 5×5 for albums.

Unsurprisingly, Aurora’s What Happened to the Heart was my most listened to album. And this doesn’t even count time spent listening to the vinyl copy I have. Aurora was number one on my Spotify Wrapped as well. I suppose “unsurprisingly” is bad taste, since last year my too album was actually a surprise with Wolf Alice’s Blue Weekend.

Also not real surprising at number 2 is Lauren Mayberry’s recent debut solo album, Vicious Creature. Being a Chvrches fan, its not real surprising that I was into this album, but honestly, it all kind of “speaks to me” in a way that I am not inclined to post about here. Its good, its all good.

Going on down the list, The Gods We Can Touch from Aurora is still holding on at Number 3, despite being 2 years old now. Its actually my second most listened to album ever (on Last.fm), which is funny because if you asked me, I would tell you its Aurora’s weakest album. Maybe I need to reconsider that stance.

Daft Punk’s Discovery sits at number 4, its just a good classic standby for listening.

One real interesting one is a new one on the list, Disintegration by The Cure. The funny part is, a lot of this being on the list is just listening to “Pictures of You”, most often when driving home from work. It is exactly the same length as my drive home commute, at a little over 7 minutes long.

Getting into more “mainstream” music, number 6 on my list is Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Its full of nice catchy pop music for sure. Its followed by last year’s number one, Blue Weekend from Wolf Alice, and Supermodels by Claud.
Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft is a bit surprising here at number 13. I actually would have expected it to be much higher. I guess part of the reason for that is I didn’t jump on that train until later in the year. But then, my number 2 album came out in December.

Some more oddities along the way, both Shame and Change Shapes in the single versions are in the top 25. I wonder if Vicious Creature would be pushed to number one if I added up the numbers.

A lot of my personal “mainstay” albums as well, Kid A Mnesia from Radiohead, Sucker Punch from Sigrid, Woman on the Internet from Orla Gartland. Step I is the only Aurora album not in the top 25, just missing the cut.

The only other significant newcomer is Karol G at number 17, and I am blaming Fortnite for that. She was featured for the Music Pass in the fall. I even got the Karol G skin from that pass.

I should also give an honorable mention to the popular BRAT from Charli XCX. If i combined BRAT and “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat”, it would almost make my top ten.

On a purely artists view, Aurora and Lauren Mayberry dominated there, with CHVRCHES as number 3, so, just more Lauren. Claud comes out at number 4, which can actually also be blamed on Lauren Mayberry, if I had not gone to Pygmalion last year to see her, I would have never seen Claud and gotten into their music. Billie Eilish makes up a bit for the low ranking of Hit Me Hard and Soft by being my 6th highest for artists.

Albums

Lauren Mayberry – Vicious Creature

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Probably my most anticipated album for this year, it felt like it had ended up delayed and delayed. I was feeling pretty hyped over a year ago, during the initial tour, and managed to keep that hype going pretty strong, thankfully. Being hyped doesn’t always make bias though, I have had plenty of albums I was excited for completely fizzle out.

This is not one of those. If I have any issue with this album, and its not a big one because its something a LOT of albums suffer from these days, its the lack of overall cohesion. Every track is really great. There isn’t really any sort of overall theme or flow holding them together.

And like I said, a lot of albums suffer from this. But, for a related example, CHVRCHES’ Screen Violence did not. It had a theme and a flow. I suppose Vicious Creature has a bit of a theme of nostalgic tribute to a lot of older acts, with some undercurrents of empowerment despite doubt. But it doesn’t really feel as there as it could be.

Anyway, about half the songs were featured during the initial tour set list (Bird and *Under the Knife *did not make the cut). There have also been several singles put out over the last year or so leading up to release. Before getting into the album itself, I am a bit disappointed Bird did not make the but, but Under the Knife was my least favorite from the tour setlist, so I am not super sad it didn’t.

I figure I will just run through the tracks and give some thoughts on each. Something in the Air was the first new single we got that wasn’t already known. I believe in an interview she said it was inspired by an older British musician who had been talking conspiracy thoughts to her at one point. I really like this track, and the low-fi into bit works well as the album opener. I really love the build-up and the chorus riffs. It also feels like there is a bit of an undertone commentary on the world a bit with the whole “screaming through a red white and blue megaphone (the colors of the US and Britain, and “patriotism”) about conspiracy theories, while “I just wanna be someone (someone) who’s happy…”

Like, just leave people alone with your crazy nonsense.

Crocodile Tears is the second track, with themes of toxic masculinity, which kind of carries over a bit from Something in the Air. I really like this track as well and it was one of my favorites from the tour set. I love the thumping beats of this one in general, and the lyrics are fun.

Another tour track, and also one of the singles, Shame comes into slot three. While I do like the break out part near the end of the song, I have actually started to dislike this song a bit over time. I can’t really place why, maybe its just gotten a bit repetitious. Shame is followed by a nice little low key number, Anywhere But Dancing. It almost feels like a bit of a love song but its laced with melancholia in its tones and lyrics.

Next up, two new tracks. Punch Drunk, a song I can’t decide if I really like or really dislike. I feel like I just kind of really dislike the first half, but I really like the back half. The first of two piano ballads comes in with Oh Mother. It’s a sober and personal feeling track about family relationship changing over time. Its probably arguably the best song on the album, but I am not really into this style of song and I mostly skip over Oh Mother.

Things take a sharp turn though with Sorry, Etc, my initial favorite song, and favorite from the tour set. It’s a fast, loud, and angry rock track. Despite what people seem to be thinking, it is NOT some sort of breakup record towards CHVRCHES. Its intended as a commentary on the fame industry as a whole. I want to say I saw one comment that it was a comment on the often actual abuse that occurs with young people in the music and acting industry.

Whatever the case, I love it, a lot. To some extent for my own personal reasons.

Sorry, etc is followed by the pop-bop Change Shapes. I like Change Shapes a lot for its upbeat pop sound for sure, but I kind of feel like over time I may get a bit tired of it from over-listening, like Shame. Mantra follows up next, while I like this track, I can see it being disliked a bit. It’s very repetitious, but also, intentionally so, because, “I will say the mantra, until it is a curse.” I like the increasing distortion on the repeating “I want it” mantra.

The next two are both new again, and definitely my favorite and growing favorite from the album. Work of Fiction is definitely my favorite from the album at this point. I love the quick running lyrics and rhythm. I love the sort of, double meaning of the chorus.

“What if all I want is a work of fiction?”

What if all I want is an unachievable lie? What if all I want is to escape from everything awful into a fake reality?

Maybe I am reading too much into it.

Anyway, the release single comes next with Sunday Best, which is just an all around solid track, but I particularly like the break out moment that has a strong feel of “preaching” to it, in a song called “Sunday Best,” which is a teem used for “Church clothes.”. Then of course the third tier of that with Lauren being the frontwoman for CHVRCHES.

The final track is another piano ballad, and the first single from the album Are You Awake. I don’t have a lot to say about it other than it’s my least favorite track from the album, and I am glad it’s the last one

Listening Habits

Spotify Wrapped 2024

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I usually do a more detailed music post just after the new year based on my Last.fm, which is more reliable, but today is Spotify Wrapped Day, so I figured I’d share them here, for posterity.

Not much surprising here, other than somehow I have two Lauren Mayberry tracks at my top two tracks, and she isn’t in my Top 5 artists list. I am also a bit surprised that Sigrid is still there. I feel like I hardly listen to Sigrid but I seem to, a lot. It’ll be a fun little test on Lauren though because the album drops Friday, finally, and I hope to pic it up.

I don’t know if I will have one of these next year. I dropped my Spotify Plan a week or so ago for financial reasons, and if things stabilize up again, I may use it as an excuse to switch back to Tidal, since Tidal lowered their insane prices. Or maybe I’ll just go back to buying music more often again.

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