I did a quick skim through the forum to figure out if there was anything like this already, so if I missed it I apologize.
Anyways, I'm sure we all listen to a ton of music all the time, but at any given stretch there is usually a band or album that I can't stop coming back to. I'll continue listening to other albums by other artists, but something keeps bringing me back to this one album and only after I've memorized all the lines and hooks will I let it rest. For a while. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
So, what band/album or even song have you been totally wearing out for the month? It can be old or new. Something you just found, or something you have rediscovered after a long time of not listening. We can start of January's.
My pick for January is Asobi Seksu.
I have not been able to stop listening to this band. Based in New York and fronted by a pretty hot Japanese singer, their band name is slang Japanese for playful sex. I got into their album Citrus last year and gave it a few listens. I really enjoyed it and this was a band I was happy to be a fan of. Citrus was a good dreampop/shoegaze blend with a few very strong singles. The songs 'Strawberries' and 'Thursday' are truly breathtaking. Yuki's voice is very dreamy and they succeed in creating incredible atmospheric jams during their finest moments. I decided to then check out their debut. Enjoyable, but not as strong as Citrus.
Then last November along came Hush. I'm not sure why I didn't listen to it until last month. Maybe it was because even though Citrus was very good, I didn't see enough skill to think they could top it. Well, I bit the bullet, put it on, and was subsequently mind ****ed. Hush is such a sexy album. Now focusing more on their work as a whole, Hush flows seamlessly from beginning to end. Citrus had very strong individual songs, but Hush begs to be listened to all the way through, only to leave you wanting more. Shifting their focus entirely to dreampop (very few big buzz guitar moments here), the atmospheric moments they achieved on Citrus are fully realized here. The album is consistently interesting not only because of the range of textures they use, but because they refuse to be predictable. Where you think they could continue jamming with the groove they have, they change the beat only to tear you into another world. And it is done with expertise. This is one of those bands that I am proud to have discovered if only because of the level of growth I can see in them. If they can move from Citrus to an album like Hush, I can't wait to see what else they can do.
So, there you have it. The band I couldn't stop listening to for January. And honestly, it has been bleeding into February, but I'm sure I'll have something else by the end of this month.
So, let's hear it, guys. What do you have?