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Curated > Calculated

   Forget the Algorithm A music blog by someone with too many playlists and not enough time That First Listen Magic You know the feeling— A song kicks in and suddenly everything else blurs out. You pause. You rewind. You hit play again, just to hear that moment one more time. That’s the kind of magic I’m chasing. Note: I’ll no longer be linking to Spotify. Going forward, expect links from YouTube Music and Bandcamp. Why This Blog Exists (And Why It’s Not Just Another “New Music Friday” Recap) Music isn’t just about staying ahead of the curve. Sometimes, it’s about looking back. Or sitting with something until it finally clicks. This blog is a mix of: Albums I’ve lived with—the ones I revisit, recontextualize, and re-fall in love with Deep dives into classics—yes, even the overplayed ones (they’re usually worth it) New finds that feel like old friends And the weird little tracks I stumbled across at 2am and can’t stop thinking about I won’t stick to ...
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Thursday Thoughts: Is Streaming Depersonalizing Music?

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   Up until a few decades ago, you had to actually have a physical copy of an album to hear it in your own home.        Well,  unless you wanted to gamble on whether or not it would be on the radio. But having something physical to hold, it gave a totally different experience than just typing in any album you can think of and having instant access.         Liner notes, extra pictures, lyrics, credits, it all gave music a more special feeling. A tangible proof that you were supporting the artist.          And you could actually show off your music collection, too.          Having shelves full of vinyl, CDs, tapes or 8 tracks was a way more satisfying way of showing people that you were a music buff than pulling up a playlist on your phone, or saying "hey, my music folder is like, 200 gigs!"           Don't get me wrong, I think streaming ...
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Wordcraft Wednesday - Family Tree (Intro)

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     WARNING: This album deals with disturbing topics, such as abuse and cannibalism. Please proceed with caution.     This album, man. It's heavy, dark, disturbing, foreboding, crushing, a tale that sticks with you long after Strangers ends.  Across the next few weeks, I'm gonna be doing a deep dive into the lyrics and themes of the album. We'll be going through song-by-song, analyzing the lyrics and their meaning. So let's get started.    1. Family Tree (Intro)        The beginning of the track starts with a recording of a preacher talking about the importance of a mother, probably Mother Mary. It's a bit hard to make out what he's saying, but some of what I could make out include;  '....a woman, a mother, a mother is the greatest thing on the planet. Other than the lord Jesus Christ, I think that a mother and a woman is one of the important gifts that God gives to this world. A mother is.... and love...a mother is the g...
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(Late) Taste Test Tuesday: Apala

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       Apala (AKA Area, Ewele, Oshugbo, Epo, and Ere Fowo Beti) is an African music genre that originated in Nigeria. It's a mix of traditional Were vocals, Islamic influence, and Yoruba musical styles. You can watch this video or read this article for more information! (It's where I got mine :) ) I guess this would be an appropriate time to mention that I am Caucasian (shocking, I know). But, I do listen to a little bit of African music (see this week's obsession on the main page, or here). And when I say African music, I don't just mean music made by black artists.  Ali Farka Toure , Fela Kuti , Omar Pene , they've all found their way to my ears one way or another. But, as much as I don't like to admit it, Africa is probably the continent who's music I'm least familiar with.  Not for lack of enjoyment, though. They just don't come across my feeds as long as I like. And I know that's my fault, if I sought out African music styles as much as so...
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Mainstream Monday - Three Days Grace is BACK?!?

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 Well, kind of...      As some of you may know, Three Days Grace's original singer, Adam Gontier, left the band more than a decade ago in 2013. He left behind a 4 album run of absolute bangers, and made a permanent impact on every angsty teen from 2003 onward.     The first album I ever head from them was One-X , which was on a hand-me-down windows xp computer i got from my neighbor. I didn't have the internet at this point, so I spent most of my time on the computer playing solitaire, bookworm adventures, and listening to One-X. It became the soundtrack of my teenage depression.     Needless to say, I was very upset when I found out Adam was leaving the band, and of course, being a dumb emo-wannabe teen, I never even thought to start listening to Saint Asonia , so I sulked and delved even deeper into TDG's catalog.      Anyways, I never cared for Matt Walst's iteration of Three Days Grace. Of course, for a while, it was just bitt...
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Slow, Serene Sunday

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  Well, since I start this whole thing on a Saturday, I don't have much to look back on for a week in review. So instead, we'll do a slow Sunday this week.                          Just a nice, short playlist with lots of minor keys to get you feeling moody. Maybe it'll rain and you'll be able to really feel it. What songs feel like Sunday to you?  Any particular memories associated with Sunday? What do you think of this kind of vibe? Let me know if you get a chance. Happy Sunday. We'll be doing something more mainstream tomorrow. -internet goblin
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Sunday Morning - Quiet Coffee

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   Sunday is the beginning of my work week, so I guess in that sense it's more like Monday for me.       I'm not usually the type of person to pick one particular genre at any certain time of day or week (at least not consciously) but sometimes it's nice to dial back and listen to something that's not so demanding of attention.     That's why I've always had a soft spot for ambient. I remember browsing a discussion thread online in my early teenage years (maybe 13, 14?) and someone had linked Music For Airports .       Even back then, in the midst of all my teenage angst and, well, let's call them "questionable" music choices, I still found something to like about it. I'd never really heard anything so stripped back and calm, my dad was a big metal fan and my mom was into R&B and hip hop, so I rarely had the chance to experience something like this.     I decided to revisit ol' Ambient 1 this morning, and it sti...
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Spotlight Saturday - Polly Urethane

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  (This page links to explicit content, please be advised) Click here to check out their linktree! What better way to start of this blog than with my current obsession? Dark, haunting vocals, and so underrated it's frustrating. Who They Are Polly Urethane is a Denver-based artist (from what I could find anyway, the lack of information only makes me more interested) who began releasing singles in 2021 with (P)Light . From abrasive distortion that screams Alice Glass , to new wave covers , to witch house melancholy , she's a force to be reckoned with. What to Listen To Foal This song has been on repeat since I found it. It hits all the right notes for me, ethereal, deep bass, lyrics I can feel cool for understanding ("I don't want to bear witness to you" is a killer line) Altruism The album Foal comes from, a short (maybe too short) 4 track run that's powerful from start to finish. Why You Should Care Polly Urethane, in her short 8 track discography, has al...
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