December 2020 – New Album A Day

#239 – Anthems of the Sun by Grateful Dead

Happy new year to all! Let’s all agree to do what we can to have a better year than the last one which-shall-not-be-named. The bar’s pretty low at this point, so it shouldn’t t be too big of a deal.

#238 – Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez by Gorillaz

On the penultimate day of a shitty year, with very little to look forward to in the near future, it seemed to be the perfect day to check in on the current status of Gorillaz, a group that I listened to a decent amount in college. This album is probably not the best to judgeContinue reading “#238 – Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez by Gorillaz”

#237 – Microdosio by Papadosio

This is very fun and entertaining album by a spacey, jazzy jam band from North Carolina. The theme of this album – medicinal mushroom varietals – is certainly fitting for this, a year in which we could all use a little assistance with our coping skills, and microdosing is certainly an effective remedy to manyContinue reading “#237 – Microdosio by Papadosio”

#236 – SAWAYAMA by Rita Sawayama

This was a very conflicting selection for me. It appeared on several “best of 2020” lists, so my expectations were pretty high going into it. I wanted to like it more than I did and, though there were some amazing moments, it was definitely not among my favorite pop albums of the year.

#235 – Manzanita by Tony Rice Unit

Christmas marked the passing of another legendary musician whose work I did not realize I was at all familiar with. Tony Rice was essentially the Jimi Hendrix of bluegrass guitar. Now, as I look at his discography, I realize I’ve heard a good deal of his work without ever learning his name. As always, myContinue reading “#235 – Manzanita by Tony Rice Unit”

#234 – Suddenly by Caribou

This blog project has been quite instructive for me. Not only have I been discovering great new music on a regular basis, but I’ve gotten a little taste of a self-driven project with a daily deadline, however arbitrary it is. It has also been a nice rallying point for my down days and something toContinue reading “#234 – Suddenly by Caribou”

#233 – Christmas Becomes Electric by The Moog Machine

I hope everybody had a good pandemicmas and that you and yours are all safe and healthy. I am not a big fan of Christmas music, particularly its tendency to get rammed down your throat everywhere you go at this time of year, but not during a pandemic lockdown. I hate to suggest that thereContinue reading “#233 – Christmas Becomes Electric by The Moog Machine”

#232 – December by Page McConnell and Trey Anastasio

There are many anti-Phish people out there who will roll their eyes at this one. It was released today and has some great, stripped-down versions of Phish songs. Even if you’re not familiar, it is perhaps a more approachable way to experience some beautiful songs without the elements that put off the naysayers. Not forContinue reading “#232 – December by Page McConnell and Trey Anastasio”

#231 – self-titled by Altered State

I’m fortunate to have friends with such varied musical tastes. Several of them have been enthusiastic about this little listening project and regularly resupply my to-do list. Today’s selection is from probably my most prolific suggester. I’ll have to start cataloguing who has gotten the most picks in naad.blog’s history, if only to incite aContinue reading “#231 – self-titled by Altered State”

#230 – Beyond The Pale by JARV IS…

I am not familiar with the catalog of Jarvis Cocker, formerly of the band Pulp, so this one came to me in my usual haphazard way, from some clickbait article. Jarv Is… was originally founded to play at an Icelandic festival founded by the great Sigur Ros. They meant the project to be an experimentContinue reading “#230 – Beyond The Pale by JARV IS…”