Hello, 27!
A look back on 27 albums that carried me into my 27th year
Alright, alright, alright, friends.
Today’s Friday. It’s beautifully gloomy here in Atlanta. March Madness is here. I took the day off of work. And someone celebrated a birthday this week 🙋♂️
All around, not a bad week in the neighborhood.
In the spirit of a new age, reimagined rhythms, and extra free time, I want to share 27 albums that helped carry me into this 27th year.
Per usual, no hard rules were enforced here - the albums could be from any year, the concept of an ‘album’ is loose (a few mixes are involved), there is admittedly an absence of some of my outwardly obvious ‘favorite’ bands, and absolutely no rules regarding genre(s)/moods focused on - but the through-line is that I spent an excessive amount of time with all of these records over the past year. Whether through a weeks-long immersion, or consistent listening spread across 365 days, each of these records soundtracked notable moments of my journey to 27.
In the spirit of prioritizing listening-time over online-time, I’m going to keep descriptions short (think like chill tasting notes on a wine) and share a playlist after the rundown that has a notable track from each record. If you like the sound of it, I encourage you to click through and listen to the full record!
Noting that this list is alphabetical - not by order of preference.
27 Records
Excess by Automatic (synth pop jamming)
Music Has The Right to Children by Boards of Canada (electronic world building)
Broken Equipment by Bodega (punchy NY pop punk)
Ambient 1: Music For Airports by Brian Eno (unparalleled ambient record from the master himself)
Feel Good Lost by Broken Social Scene (instrumental 2000s post-rock)
In The Spirit World Now by Ceremony (electro punk from a band that has traversed from hardcore punk to shoegaze)
Troupeau Bleu by Cortex (French jazz masters giving a lot of influence to hip-hop)
Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter (incredible indie-rock/shoegaze record for a long drive at night)
NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD Beck (contemporary jazz from child prodigies with their finger on the pulse of fresh music)
LÉVIATHAN by Flavien Berger (great French electronic/rock record that takes you on a journey)
Surround by Hiroshi Yoshimura (incredibly peaceful ambient record from a Japanese synth master)
I’m Not Sorry, I was Just Being Me by King Hannah (post-punk with off-beat lyricism and amazing music)
Back to Moon Beach by Kurt Vile (more great music from America’s far too-unknown sweetheart)
Odyssée by L'Impératrice (groovy French indie record)
Café Kitsuné Mix by Lazywax (insanely fun upbeat mic from a German DJ duo)
I Got Heaven by Mannequin Pussy (Philly punk at it’s finest)
Strange Desciple by Nation of Language (synth pop greatness from an up-and-coming NY-based group)
Light Up Gold by Parquet Courts (fun skittish punk from a constant favorite)
Charismatic Megafauna by Psymon Spine (another NY-based group putting out insanely fun synth pop/electronic music in the same vein as LCD Soundsystem)
Motomami by Rosalia (if you know you know)
System Exclusive by System Exclusive (self-titled debut by California dreamy synth poppers)
To Be Kind by Swans (noise rock not for the faint of heart)
Wall of Eyes by The Smile (perfection from another band that just refuses to miss)
Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything by Thee Silver Mt. Zion (post-rock from a Godspeed You side project)
Three Bells by Ty Segall (2023 record from arguably my favorite musician of the past few years)
This Stupid World by Yo La Tengo (yet another band that can do no wrong)
Yellow River Blue by Yu Su (very interestingly layered electronic record by a Vancouver-based musician and DJ)
Well, there it is!
As promised, here’s a playlist covering some of my favorite tracks from the 27 selected records - a little sampler if you so choose.
I will say, as years’ tend to do, this one carried a whole slew of different emotions, experiences, moods, and settings. So, while this list and playlist is a representation of the past year, it isn’t necessarily intended to fit my - or your - mood right now. This music is all over the place so don’t hesitate to skip songs, shuffle the playlist, save certain tracks for later, or abandon the whole thing alltogether and find music that represents your current state! This whole thing we all do is just an experiment and finding the right ingredients to make you feel good is solely up to you.
Enjoy!
Cole