---
title: three albums - february 2023
date: 2023-03-01
---

[my monthly playlist for feb 23](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0vk88QNysxGGbPj1G9UPhN)

as the playlist suggests, i listened to quite a bit of new stuff this month. some of it was bad, some of it was reminding myself what noisia sounds like, some of it was my playboi carti friend continuing to try to convert me. i actually had a really tough time narrowing down the list this time, so i squeezed in some honourable mentions at the end. 

### 3. woof woof - arthur
i don't really go for vocals in music as a rule, but woof woof by arthur really brings something a bit out there. i hope that the lyrics represent a bit of a character for the vocalist, because otherwise they have gone through some _shit_. the performance also reminded me of [pinc louds](https://pinclouds.bandcamp.com/album/delancey-st-station) which is always something i appreciate, and the vibe in general doesn't require much introspection into the experience; it's just an exaggerated(?) outpouring of emotion over bouncy instrumentals.
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 320px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3912572000/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://plzmakeitruins.bandcamp.com/album/woof-woof">Woof Woof by ARTHUR</a></iframe>

### 2. hazardous bubble basics - golemm
besides the obvious options ([machine girl](https://machinegirl.bandcamp.com/), [nanoray](https://nanoray.bandcamp.com/), [golden boy](https://gold3nboy.bandcamp.com)) breakcore music can be really hard to recommend due to its low barrier to entry (i want to coin the term "the vaporwave effect"). a lot of it is just crap with overuse of the amen break and boring generic soundfonts, and a lot of the compositions are also really short, sub 3 minutes. this is the case for one of my favourite tracks, [ghost by zaphyre](https://syncoperecords.bandcamp.com/track/ghost-2) but in that case, and this case, i'm happy to give it to them anyway. is it worse to have an eight track album that's barely fifteen minutes, or stretch out a two minute sketch to four minutes just to shut people like me up? 

hazardous bubble basics has an interesting funky vibe on top of the high tempo and punchy beats that i love, which is why it won out against [andromeda by windowshopping](https://djwndwshppng.bandcamp.com/album/andromeda) and [basement popstar by gnb chili](https://noagreements.bandcamp.com/album/basement-popstar) which both had bangers, but also a lot of misses.
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 320px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=96852056/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://golemm.bandcamp.com/album/hazardous-bubble-basics">Hazardous Bubble Basics by Golemm</a></iframe>

### 1. the electric state - simon stalenhag
i was honestly flabbergasted to find this even exists. for those unaware, simon stålenhag has been my favourite artist for a long time. i adore their ability to merge the mundane world with the futuristic / fantastical, as well as their incredible skill in digital rendering. they've written a couple of books, a ttrpg and a netflix original fleshing their worlds out, so it only makes sense they would pull a [burial - streetlands](https://burial.bandcamp.com/album/streetlands) and make the audio equivalent of the gritty, spooky world that they're invisioning. this was a super nice experience that i revisited quite a few times during the month. 
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 320px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=533296537/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://simonstalenhag.bandcamp.com/album/the-electric-state">The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag</a></iframe>

### honourable mentions
#### farveblind - all clubs are bastards
[listen here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ3bccOqB0I&list=OLAK5uy_nfVRZAtqzIUf-L5B2GL5E23UXAtDsNGog)<br/>
a bit of danish electropop never hurt anyone, but this one dodged the list because it wasn't really the most unique experience. i do love lucy love's feature on rock 'n rolla and the general vibe of the whole album is very upbeat, but it's definitely not coming out out at the next experimental night.
#### noise0002 - eldia
[listen here](https://eldia000.bandcamp.com/album/noise0002)<br/>
variety is also the name of the game here, as this is a guest feature album. it's also a breakcore piece, which means that it has the appealing fast tempo and punchy drums, but also the kind of questionable quality on some tracks that you get with genres with a low barrier to entry. the first half of the album has a lot of dreamy """chill""" tracks that i really enjoyed, but the inconsistency of the second half is what kept it off of the podium for me.
#### compositions for piano - the flashbulb
[listen here](https://theflashbulb.bandcamp.com/album/compositions-for-piano)<br/>
this one was a spotify recommendation based on my drill and bass / idm / `genres are stupid experience` with [µ-ziq](https://mikeparadinas.bandcamp.com/album/lunatic-harness-25th-anniversary-edition) and [squarepusher](https://squarepusher.bandcamp.com/). it seems that the flashbulb has heaps of other works in that kind of genre neighbourhood, but compositions for piano is more conventional modern classical, maybe with a little bit of a twist as a result of the flashbulb's pedigree.
