Everyone was doing the latest Spotify listening meme last week so I went to join in and…well, apparently I haven’t been listening to music this year? I know you’re shocked, but the two top artists that came up for me were Bastille and Luke Westaway, which I think have been my top artists for the past three years?

I have been listening to the Oxventure podcast most days and then audiobooks for the Star Wars Book Club, so music just hasn’t been happening? Usually I have some new albums or artists to listen to by now, but this year has been pretty light with new releases and I haven’t had anything from the Discover list grab me.

Oddly enough, it was YouTube, not Spotify, that made me aware of a couple songs by some of the indie bands I follow.

Communicant – Dylan Gardener’s new band – is starting to drop some new singles, this one has such a strange late 60s vibe, I swear he looks like George Harrison’s clone:

Ricky Montgomery is going back and making music videos from his album that came out a year ago – I guess all of that was put on hold because 2020. His videos are always weird – usually the video is the opposite of what is happening in the song.

And because TikTok – Adam Neely did a video about the song ‘Castaways’ from The Backyardigans, which is all the rage on the site, and then he recorded his own arrangement of the song, which is somehow even more of an earworm? I dunno, I love it though.

Adam has also put out TWO albums so far this year, all done during 24 hour Twitch live streams. They are all over the place – jazz, rock, experimental, pop, EDM. They definitely challange me and my mainstream musical tastes.

What are you listening to? Any artists that you love that wish got more attention? I’m always looking for new people with unique sounds or styles or song-writing! Leave a note in the comments.