Listening Recommendations!
This page is mostly intended for music recommendations, though I suppose if I have any podcasts I want to share I might include them here someday!
Unlike with books, games and TV, I'm not really sure how to talk about music. I like music a lot, but I think I lack the vocabulary to really dive into why. As such, my recommendations here will be a little less detailed than my other types of media recommendations :^)
Homemade
by Mamerico
This album is a really special one to me! I found Mamerico's first album early in the pandemic. At that point it was almost 10 years old, and I fully enjoyed it as a one-off album by band that never produced anything more.
And then one day, parked outside the supermarket waiting for my wife to come back to the car, I happened to check Spotify's new releases section... and there it was, a brand new Mamerico album!!!! At this point I had been listening to the first album for a couple of years, and I was absolutely overjoyed. I don't know if I specifically remember listening many albums for the first time, but I absolutely recall how elated I felt hearing this music on our drive home.
It's such a joyful and comforting album. My favourite songs are letter, shan-lila shan-lula, and esper (especially esper!). However, this is definitely an album that I prefer to listen to in its entirety, rather than individual tracks in isolation.
Listening to Mamerico feels like drinking the most delicious hot chocolate while wrapped up beneath at least seven incredibly soft blankets. Maybe there's a cake cooking in the other room, too? And also you've just had a really relaxing hot bath beforehand, and your body is all fuzzy and happy. That's what listening to Mamerico feels like!
Baby Bedroom Punk
by Amaiwana
Amaiwana has been my biggest music obsession of late 2024 and into 2025, and the album Baby Bedroom Punk is heavily responsible for throwing me into the deep end. There's just not a bad song, and I love the variety. Now Back and I'm CRAZY are absolute favourites.
These days, when I feel particularly anxious (when driving to a job interview, for example), I just put on a playlist of all Amaiwana's music on shuffle and it always makes me feel more confident and motivated. Her music is so upbeat, creative and fun! (Even when it's sometimes a little melancholic!) But if I had to recommend just one album, this is the one. And if you enjoy it, go and watch a live video of I'm CRAZY because it's perfect.