Need music recommendations to get you through the coronavirus pandemic?
I’m using this Work From Home During the Pandemic thing as a chance to do a deep dive into some of my favorite bands/artists, and to discover new ones. I prefer Spotify as my method of streaming music; I love listening to post-rock, post-metal, dark jazz, and classical, and Spotify has a great collection of artists. This list is some of my favorites working in and around those genres. Because I enjoy vocal-free music while I work or write, I chose to focus this list on instrumental music only.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Luciferian Towers
The most recent release from Godspeed You! Black Emperor is one of their best albums, in my opinion. While I love the long, drawn out tracks from their earlier records, and the field recordings that give their music an unsettling atmosphere, Luciferian Towers gets right to the point. Some of their most beautiful melodies can be found in these songs; Bosses Hang, pt. I and Anthem For No State pt. III are my favorite from the record. And it’s oddly uplifting: When the album ends, feel instilled with a hope that things are gonna change.
I would also recommend their record Yanqui U.X.O for these dark days. It seems to be a record that divides fans, but I happen to love its bleak, apocalyptic doom.
Bohren & der Club of Gore – Patchouli Blue
My favorite dark jazz band released Patchouli Blue at the beginning of 2020, and hail satan that they did! It’s my current favorite album of theirs. Their music is cinematic; Bohren & der Club of Gore create these slow, moody songs that could be heard in a film noir or something David Lynch made.
Susumo Yokota – Symbol
I wish it didn’t take me this long to discover the brilliant mind of Susumo Yokota, who unfortunately passed away in 2015. I somehow stumbled upon this album in 2019 and it was a perfect soundtrack to my days of wandering around Central Park. Since I’m currently stuck indoors due to the pandemic, listening to this album draws me back to those summer days of photographing birds in the park. The songs on Symbol are whimsical, fantastical, and dreamy. Fans of classical music will enjoy the sampling of famous works, such as in the gorgeous song, Purple Rose Minuet.
Sunn O))) – Pyroclasts
Nothing like a little foreboding drone metal to get you through your day. This album, released in 2019, is like the soundtrack of conjuring up something ancient from the depths. It kind of scares me, but I can’t stop listening. Some of Sunn O)))’s albums work great for reading music – at least, if you’re like me, and read a lot of horror. If you want more of this same vibe, the band also released Life Metal in 2019, which features my favorite song of theirs, Between Sleepnir’s Breath.
Hidden Orchestra – Archipelago
Hidden Orchestra is composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Joe Acheson’s brilliant musical project, and Archipelago is my favorite album that he’s done. Spoken was the first song I heard by him, and I was instantly in love. The album combines different genres like progressive rock and jazz with sounds of nature. It’s beautiful!
Hopefully, at least one of these albums will create some new fans.
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