Weekly Recap (July 7th - 13th, 2025)

On Monday I only listened to our Matkamusiikkia (Travel Music) list. We took a trip to Varkaus, Finland, and the "Museum" of Mechanical Music. Photo and video dump from Tuesday coming up in a separate post.

Wednesday

I got a haircut and on my way there, I had time to listen to Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley, 2nd album in the 1001 Albums to Listen Before You Die book.

I liked it. I like old rock music (and new rock music as well), although I prefer 60s over 50s. Can't wait until the book gets to The Doors, even though I've already heard multiple albums by them. This is the first full Elvis album I've listened to.

I also went for a walk later in the afternoon and listened to Alkaline Trio's Blood, Hair and Eyeballs (2024). I don't think I've listened to them before. I know the name but that's it. I've probably seen the album on some list somewhere of Must Hear Albums or something.

It's good. Newer, mainstream rock music.

Thursday

I listened to Kurtis Blow's Kingdom Blow by accident, I was supposed to listen to his self-titled album. I liked it, though. Good old-school hiphop.
I'm supposed to listen to the Kurtis Blow album for Can't Stop Won't Stop, but I think I'll live even if I don't. It's not on Spotify, so I'd have to go the extra mile and search it somewhere else. It's only a few songs and I think I'd be able to find it. But meh. Like... Sure, I like it. But would I listen to more out of my own free will, for no reason at all? No. He's an ok rapper, and an ok lyricist. Back in the day he was awesome, I bet. But it has been done already, so in comparison to rappers of today... Kurtis is just ok. 

Friday

Today didn't have any interesting new releases, so I'll listen to older ones from my backup list. I have errands to run, cleaning to do and I might go for a walk (if it doesn't rain today), I have plenty of time for listening today.

First up, Annie and the Caldwells' Can't Lose My (Soul) (March 2025). It was on Album of the Year's Must Listen list. 

Isn't the piano on the song Can't Lose My Soul the same one as in The Doors' Riders on the Storm?

I like it. You never know what to expect from Album of the Year recommendations, they're usually quite artsy and weird. This isn't weird, it's just good vibes with the music all the way through. This album's timeless. And I don't mind the religious message - I'm an agnostic, but used to be religious. I don't mind messages either way - praising God or saying bad things about him - as long as you respect that other people might not believe what you believe and that's valid. Live and let live. Have your views on religion and morality and let others have theirs.

Then I listened to CURE by ERRA from 2024, a metal album I've been meaning to listen to for the longest time.

It's "softer" than I anticipated. I didn't know the band before this album, I was expecting something along the lines of Whitechapel, not... emo-esque metalcore/octanecore. "Octanecore", or modern metal, IS all the rage, though, in the mainstream. I guess it's good to familiarize myself with this era as well...

This sounds like if Bad Omens decided to do metalcore. Which is not a bad thing per se.

I did enjoy the progressive elements, but a Must Hear album? Nah. It's definitely good, but not, like, a unique piece of art, you know?

Didn't go for a walk, but I'm reading a bunch of magazines, I can listen to music in the background.

In case anyone's curious, today I'm reading Suomen Kuvalehti ("Finnish Picture Magazine", varying topics, but mainly focused on societal issues and politics), Tiede ("Science", but explained in layman's terms), Episodi (movie reviews, I mainly find the 4-5 star reviews and put those movies on my list of movies to watch) and Soundi (music magazine, mainly focused on rock - I read articles of bands I know and put on my album backup list the albums that have gotten 4-5 stars).

aya - hexed! (2025)

Now, this is what I expect from the chronically online music nerds. If she's one of your favorite artists, don't be offended - I, too, am a chronically online music nerd. And you should go listen to Grim Salvo. Both aya and Grim Salvo sound absolutely awesome when you're listening to them alone, and only when you play their music to someone else, you notice how weird they actually are. Chronically online, but awesomely different and unique art.

Benefits - Constant Noise (2025)

Lets see if it lives up to it's name. --

I'm two songs deep and this doesn't really work as background music... I'm gonna let it play, but put all the songs on my Listen To This! playlist. I hope it's fine that I'll re-listen them out of order.

Because it's spoken word poetry, it's technically rap as well. 

Lies And Fear is punk more than rap. I'm more familiar with punk as a tool of spreading a message than hiphop as one, so this message hit me much easier.

Blame is kind of a bop.

Divide is literally hiphop.

betcover!! - 勇気 [Yuuki] (2025)

My Japanese is very rusty, I don't understand a word. (I studied it in 2008 for one high school level course, after which I was able to have simple conversations. My fiancé is an anime geek and he probably understands Japanese better than I do, despite never officially studying it.)

It sounds pretty good, though.

Black Country, New Road - Forever Howlong (2025)

First two songs remind me of the music from the movie Juno. Indie pop rock.

I didn't like Socks. Too much falsetto and weird melody choices overall.

I don't think I'll like this album that much. Indie pop and indie rock ain't my thing.

-- There are things I like and things I don't like. Her falsetto does bother me about half of the time, the other half it sounds angelically beautiful. Two Horses for example makes me feel conflicted - about half the time I love what I'm hearing and what the vibe is, and then another half of the time it sounds awful to me. Same with For the Cold Country. Occasionally it's chaotic and beautiful, other times it's regular boring off-pitch-y indie music.

So if it's awesome half the time and awful the other half, that's 50/100, right?

Blue Foundation - Close To The Knife (2025)

I love the dreamy atmosphere. It's a bit too soft for my personal taste, I prefer a more melancholic/heavier dreamy vibe, but... I did thoroughly enjoy this album.

Saturday

Release Radar

I'm compiling this list thing for another, non-music related project, and thought I'd listen to the entire Release Radar of this week (2h 28min) in the background while I work, excluding new albums that dropped, which I'll listen to in their entirety some other day. -- I went through the list and there are a few albums I've already listened to - Kesha's [PERIOD], Tech N9ne's 5816 Forest and Buckcherry's Roar Like Thunder, plus I watched Kpop Demon Hunters on Monday, so I know those songs already as well. REI AMI is in that movie, rapping and singing <3 Love her.

- VIOLENT VIRA - Burn Me With A Bible (A pretty catchy rock song)

- grandson - SELF IMMOLATION (🔥🔥🔥)

- Istasha - A Curse Does Not Lift For Nothing (THIS GOES SO HARD! My jaw dropped and I got chills, he's that awesome!)

- Samtar - Loss of Control (Those high notes! Whoa! Gorgeous.)

- The Pretty Wild - living ded (Nice screams)

- Paradise Lost - Serpent On The Cross (🤘)

- The Ocean - Sea of Reeds - Audiotree Version (I love The Ocean, but there's something off about this... Idk what, but something sounds wrong...)

- Savage Ga$p x KAMAARA - YOU MAKE THIS AFTERLIFE WORTH LIVING (Surprisingly soft. That's not a bad thing, I just wasn't expecting it. It reminds me of old goth rock, but I can still hear the trap elements they've had in the past. And then it grew into a metal song in the end! Wow. I'm speechless. This is awesome.)

- JID x Eminem - Animals (Pt. 1) (Shit. He is speed. I had to stop making the list and listen to him. I think I need to listen to his album, when he drops next. This is too great to pass.)

- HalaCG x Chira - Sunlight (As much as I love her singing voice, I wish she'd rap more.)

- BABYMETAL ft. Bloodywood - Kon! Kon! (It just works, ok? I love that these two bands love each other. It's so wholesome.)

- PAINLIKESHADOWS x KTHKNG x Deadbloomer - MurderMe (No.)

- Differ_Ant ft. Lex Bratcher & Tres Aurland - No Control (Run It) - Remix (Nice. Followed Tres Aurland, I like his sound. Differ_Ant was pretty good, too.)

- Kanine - Bloodstream (He did it again <3)

- Comaduster ft. Seeming - THE LESS YOU KNOW (This will play in my head later...)

- vianova - Uh Yaya (So weeeeeird, I love it! <3)

- DUST IN MIND - A Faded Star (Korn meets Skandinavian-esque metal. But they're French.)

- Lupe Fiasco ft. Troy Tyler - Palaces (I've already followed Lupe Fiasco. I like him in this song, as well. Don't remember the one I've heard before this, but I recognize the name.)

- Homeboy Sandman x Sonnyjim - Not a Killer (Same thing. I like it, I already follow him, but don't remember the song I've heard before this.)

The weather was too hot for a proper walk, but I walked to the grocery store and back and listened to Mac Miller's Circles from 2020. It's a vibe, has a unified sound. I Can See reminded me of Anssi Kela, weird enough. Both Mac in that song and Anssi have a narrative, story-telling singing style. Languages and genres are completely different but that doesn't stop them. And many Finnish rappers listen to Anssi Kela despite him being a rock artist. RIP Miller, great album.

Sunday

I finally listened to Don Johnson Big Band's debut album, Support de microphones from 1999. It's not online, I've had the CD loaned from the library for the longest time, months at this point.

It's awesome. If you like their 2nd album Breaking Daylight, you'll like this one as well. I do recommend trying to get a hold of it. Their cover of What a Wonderful World is pretty interesting :D The last song is also a cover, the original is Surun pyyhit silmistäni by Kirka. Featuring artists on the album: Punk Anderson (flute), Camel Freedom (bass), Father Metro (rap) and Alfonso Johnson (melodica). Don Johnson Big Band is: Johannes Laiho (piano, synthesizer), Tommy Lindgren (vocals, rap), Pekka Mikkonen (flute, tenor sax) and Kari Saarilahti (guitars, drums).

Capped off the week by listening to The Spin by Messa (2025). 

I love it. I don't think it all hit me yet, on the first listen, but... I don't know, I'm pretty speechless. This is right up my alley, my kinda music.