March Music Picks

This month wasn’t great for music, especially compared to the awesome new releases from Beck, Marissa Nadler, Sun Kil Moon and Nicole Atkins in February. But I still found myself enjoying a few records.

Animals as Leaders – The Joy of Motion (Instrumental; Fusion; Metal)

Until recently, Animals as Leaders were a band that fell through the cracks for me. Having heard more than my fill of generic instrumental progressive metal over the years, I was reluctant to try out another band that might blast me with djenty tones and sci-fi levels of virtuosity. Man, was I wrong. Animals as Leaders aren’t prog metal as much as they are a tasty blend of fusion that combines energy with atmosphere and technique. Tosin Abasi is quick becoming one of my favorite electric guitar players.

Hozier – From Eden EP (Singer-songwriter; Folk)

None of the songs on “From Eden” are as good as “Take Me To Church” on last year’s phenomenal EP of the selfsame title. But this release still displays Hozier’s uniqueness in lyricism and phrasing that should make for an awesome Hozier album in the future. Both EPs are brimming with potential, but I’m still waiting in anticipation for the eventual full-length from the Irish bard. In some ways, Hozier feels to me like a male counterpart to Florence – with a voice that can haunt or uplift in equal proportions.

La Dispute – Rooms of the House (Spoken Word Hardcore)

-Core music has never really been a favorite genre of me, but I found something alluring about the jagged stream-of-consciousness delivery on “Rooms of the House”. The album is tight instrumentally too, but really it’s the words that paint all the pictures – if you can get over the monotone and follow along.

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Well, that’s it for this month. I was hoping there’d be more, but like I said above, this month was weak. Plus, I’ve been doing a lot less desk work, so I’ve been listening to less music overall. Next month looks to be pretty promising, with new releases from Nickel Creek, Cloud Nothings, Devin Townsend, and Manchester Orchestra.