The Friday Refrain: A bit of what's new in music...

I used to have a sweet tooth when I was hopped on baby hormones, but now it's subsided a bit. I miss morning cake. Though I also feel that I would continue having morning cake if there was a still a morning nap when I could make such a thing. My new thing is after lunch celery with ranch dressing (always Hidden Valley) and bac'n pieces on top. Mmm... That and I have discovered that I'm not scared of zombies. I can't watch Stranger Things after dark, but zombies? I've been watching Fear The Walking Dead all week and we just started the 2nd season of iZombie last night at 9:00. Not one nightmare yet. I think it's because it's explainable - just another disease, another bacterium run amok. Not scary. So that's pretty cool.

You know what else is cool? Getting back on the writing about what I've been listening to horse. So let's hit up the newbies this week. A longtime favorite of mine (though he was Bright Eyes then) Conor Oberst is back with Ruminations. Continuing with my favorites, math metal or whatever, just amazing in your face music The Dillinger Escape Plan are leaving us with their final album, Dissociation. Two Door Cinema Club have Gameshow. Suzanne Vega has a live album, Lover, Beloved (there's more after a colon but I got tired). Sleaford Mods released TCR. Phil Collins released The Singles. Kings of Leon are back with Walls. Moby & the Void Pacific Choir with These Systems Are Failing. And Mike Doughty rounds up my music news with The Heart Watches While The Brain Burns.

Rocking the listening horse, here's the list.

Counting Releases

(I had to borrow from a week forward or back just a couple times but still)

OneRepublic, Oh My My or Erroll Garner, Ready Take One

Usher, Hard II Love

Phantogram, Three or Third Eye Blind, We Are Drugs

Wild Pink, 4 Songs

Bobby V, Hollywood Hearts (I know it's probably like the letter but it stands in nicely) - not necessarily my cup of music but the cover of this album is just... perfect.

Electric 6, Fresh Blood For Tired Vampyres

7FO, Water Falls Into A Blank

Mouth of the Architect, Path of Eight

Banco De Gaia, The 9th of Nine Hearts or Sonata Arctica, The Ninth Hour

Things I'm Digging

Matt Chamberlain, Prometheus Risen - Drums and piano, this is really interesting. I'm guessing it gets grouped under jazz because it seems anything slightly experimental, loose or created spontaneously seems to get that distinction

Laraaji, Celestrana/Deep Chimes Meditation  - This is really soothing and very nice to have on. I hadn't looked at the title when I was walking back to my computer to categorize it, "Good for meditating."

Georgia Ruth, Fossil Scale - Straight up singer-songwriter without any frills

Bendith, Bendith - From Wales, I'm guessing that's what they're singing in. It's very beautiful folksy music.

Lé Almeída, Todas as Brisas -just the kind of grizzly vintagey rock that Josh and I will probably discuss next week on Half Pints (I hope)

Xylouris White, Black Peak - Rock infused ethnic music. It's crazy awesome.

Julia Jacklin, Don't Let The Kids Win - The category of Singer-songwriter with a band is becoming quite a battleground in my books for which makes it into my end-of-year best-of, this is the newest entry.

Goat, Requiem - I thought this was a metal band. It's not more like that ethnic folk music I've been speaking of.

Gatecreeper, Sonoran Depravation - This is metal.

BROOKZILL!, Throwback to the Future - This one is hard to categorize.

I'll have some more on the playlist for this week but I've got to go do life things. Like vacuum and those socks aren't going to put themselves in the drawers themselves. Plus I've got some tofu bok choy stir fry to get going soon too.