Last.fm dark matter
I enjoy being able to keep track of what music I listen to with my last.fm account. After you’ve used it for a while you can get a lot of nice data about your listening habits. I wish more of my friends had accounts so I could follow what they listen to.
I only have last.fm hooked up to my Spotify account, since that’s what I use the most by far for streaming music. I would like to eventually get physical or DRM-free digital copies of all my favorite albums, but unfortunately, the prospect of purchasing my whole library just gets more and more expensive as I find more music to love…
Anyway, I do listen to some music off of Spotify, and unfortunately, this listening is not reflected in my last.fm data. So I thought I might share some of my favorite music I have to go off Spotify to enjoy.
Joni Mitchell
I mentioned Joni Mitchell previously as one of my favorite singers, and when she was on Spotify I listened to her a lot on there. Unfortunately, her music was removed from Spotify soon after I started my last.fm account, so she’s sorely underrepresented on there. But I love her songwriting & singing, and I wish I listened to her more often. My favorite album by her is currently Blue. Some of my favorite songs by her include Chelsea Morning, Help Me, and Carey.
Tetris CD-i soundtrack by Jim Andron
I listen to this one on YouTube* from time to time. I knew immediately when I found this one that it was something special. I was blown away at the time to discover there was a Tetris game released for a console I had never heard of that was this vibey. The soundtrack goes perfect with the blissful proto-vaporwave visuals of the game world, as you play Tetris on monoliths placed in various scenic locations. So on the right kind of day, I love to come back and revisit that awesome sound-world.
Various comfy synth artists
Comfy synth is a microgenre based on dungeon synth, which itself is a microgenre that uses retro synthesizer sounds to create an 80’s-inspired dark fantasy aesthetic. Comfy synth is like the lighter side of that same aesthetic, more out of a story-book than a D&D campaign. The album art and track titles are always twee or nostalgic, and the music follows up in the same vein. I originally learned about it through this Bandcamp Daily post, which is a great place to start if you’re interested. My favorite comfy synth artist is probably Mushroom Village, with Snowy Hill House in a close second. Tiny Mouse and Grandma’s Cottage both deserve honorable mentions, especially for their more recent output.
Do you have a last.fm account?
Do you do most of your music listening on one app?
Do you have some other music off the beaten path you like to come back to?
Let me know your thoughts at my Ctrl-C email: gome @ ctrl-c.club.
* There’s a nice comment on that video from Jim Andron himself, the artist behind the soundtrack!