I don’t know if anyone even listens to albums anymore. Music is a necessity when I’m painting or drawing and whilst I like the idea of things like “artist radio station”, nothing beats 45-70 minutes with the same artist who has painstakingly explored their soul and curated a sequence of songs that take you somewhere. Here’s a few recommendations for you if you’re looking for something to listen to.
Gurrumul – Djarimirri
Wow. That’s pretty much it. This album is my personal soundtrack to Queen Celine and it’s a stunner. It’s deeply, sensually Australian. You can almost feel the heartbeat of an ancient country across the whole album. If you’re a fan of Michael Nyman or Phillip Glass, this ones for you. It goes best with doing broad, sweeping washes of watercolour where you’re simply trying to capture the timelessness of the sun going down and rising again each day. 9/10
The Shins – Heartworms
The Shins deliver another brilliant album with Heartworms. If I find myself procrastinating, I’ll turn to this one, dance around a bit and then channel that energy into getting some work done. I’ve seen The Shins live multiple times now and they never fail to disappoint. I catch myself singing all different songs from this album and all times of the day. They’re fun and sticky. So much so that perhaps it could’ve been called “Earworms” and no one would question why. There’s also a brilliant second release of these songs that have been re-intepreted by the band themselves. It’s called Worm of the Heart and it’s no less impressive. 8.5/10
Arcade fire – Everything now
I’m a long time Arcade Fire fan, but this album just hasn’t been very sticky in the studio. I’ll listen to it once or twice and then a little while later I realise the music has stopped and I haven’t missed it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great album, but it hasn’t been on high rotation in the studio, especially compared to the others of late. 6/10
Khruangbin – The universe smiles upon you
Producing art is the easiest way for me to slip into a flow state. Once I get going time goes all elastic and the rest of the world melts away. I’m discovering that artists like Khruangbin help with this. This album has been on repeat since I started Koala Bare over 12 months ago. Playing a genre of music that was born from the US Military’s occupation of Vietnam, Khruangbin makes tunes that have flavours of the east, supported by sideplate of classic american rock. I HIGHLY recommend giving them a listen but be sure to be in a safe place in case you end up in a state of hypnosis. 8/10