Album Recommendations - March 2023
We’re a quarter of the way through the year! 90 albums down, 275 more to go. This month was pretty hectic with midterms and spring break, so I listened to more EPs than I did in the first two months. I also leaned in pretty heavily to my indie sensibilities, and because of that, found a lot of music that is now part of my daily rotation. Spotify has noticed my listening habits and has started to recommend more albums than playlists. If the algorithm has picked up on my behaviors, this album a day thing must be legit. Here are the five best albums I listened to in March.
Prospect Hummer
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Prospect Hummer 〰️
Album: Prospect Hummer
Artist: Animal Collective / Vashti Bunyan
Release Year: 2005
Length: 16 minutes
Why you should listen: You won’t find this connected to her Spotify profile, so I’m letting you know that this EP exists and also, everything English singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan touches turns to gold. The four songs on this joint project with Animal Collective are all beautiful; from the full string arpeggiations in It's You, to the incredibly catchy wordless hook of Prospect Hummer, to the insane, roiling guitar in Baleen Sample, and Vashti's beautiful vocals in I Remember, you’ll be guaranteed to want to put this experimental folk record on repeat.
Vagabon
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Vagabon 〰️
Album: Vagabon
Artist: Vagabon
Release Year: 2019
Length: 36 minutes
Why you should listen: Vagabon, the stage name of Cameroonian-American artist Laetitia Tamko, makes the kind of soft, haunting electronic music that I used to listen to a lot (think of artists like Broods and BANKS). She has a beautiful voice and the production is incredible- a really good mix of light, dreamy smyths, simple guitar, and thoughtful drums. Can confidently say this was a no skip album.
Darwin Deez
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Darwin Deez 〰️
Album: Darwin Deez (10 Yearz)
Artist: Darwin Deez
Release Year: 2010
Length: 49 minutes
Why you should listen: There’s something about 2010s indie music that is just so good. Darwin Deez knows how to write a catchy pop song; danceable guitar riffs with slightly weird lyrics make the songs easy to listen to, but there’s also a few impressively complicated vocal lines in songs like The Bomb Song, Bed Space, and Bad Day; it was through these that I realized I was better off listening than singing along. The 10 year anniversary version of the album also features some great live versions of his best songs.
Illinois
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Illinois 〰️
Album: Illinois
Artist: Sufjan Stevens
Release Year: 2005
Length: 74 minutes
Why you should listen: My first introduction to Sufjan Stevens was hearing his work on the Call Me by Your Name soundtrack, but I’ve had several people rave about this album to me. Listening to this feels like walking through the entrance way of a mystical theme park. Stevens' voice blends wonderfully into the magical soundscape, with help from the Illinoisemaker Choir and a string quartet. It’s almost uncomfortable to listen to some of Stevens’ songs given the brutal intimacy of his lyrics (see Casimir Pulaski Day), but it’s worth it to hear his unflinching portrayal of American life.
Troupeau bleu
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Troupeau bleu 〰️
Album: Troupeau bleu
Artist: Cortex
Release Year: 1975
Length: 41 minutes
Why you should listen: Cortex is a French band that every jazz and/or rap fan should know; their work has been sampled 175 times since their inception. The intricacy of Troupeau bleu is insane; the way the bass dances under the vocalist’s breathy falsetto and the whirly piano is so funky. I can’t tell you what they’re saying, but I can tell you that you won’t be able to help but nod your head along to this album.
Those were my favorite albums of March! Interested in seeing my favorite song from each album I listen to in 2023? Check out the playlist below!
