<![CDATA[Trial and Error Collective - Collective Collab Blogs & Playlists]]>

<![CDATA[Trial and Error Collective - Collective Collab Blogs & Playlists]]>Sat, 06 Jun 2026 04:36:24 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Trial and Error Collective Presents: Our Favorite Releases of 2025]]>Sat, 27 Dec 2025 03:44:18 GMThttps://www.trialanderrorcollective.com/collective-collab-blogs--playlists/trial-and-error-collective-presents-our-favorite-releases-of-2025

For the final collaborative blog of the year, members of the T&E collective share their favorite releases of 2025. Check out the post to read about the 60+ genre-spanning albums, EPs, reissues and compilations that we loved!

Parisa's Picks

Per my annual year end tradition: here are some of my favorite albums of 2025, in no particular order, reviewed in a haiku. You can also read it in zine format here.

Album: Popol Vuh
Artist: Volahn
Favorite Song: “Dualidad Cósmica”

A Mayan temple
filled with ancestral knowledge
brimming in blast beats

Album: Malignant Worthlessness
Artist: Pissgrave
Favorite Song: “Dissident Amputator”

A grotesque display
of sonic putrefaction
and sheer repugnance

Album: Scapulimancy
Artist: Hedonist
Favorite Song: “Barbarian”

In ‘The Art of War’
Tsu says know your enemies
And bludgeon with riffs

Album: Sametou Sawtan
Artist: SANAM
Favorite Song: “Habibon”

Tradition roots and
experimentation flows
Moving towards pure form

Album: Worldwide
Artist: Snooper
Favorite Song: “Star 6 9”

They call it egg punk
I love it, but I’m vegan
Do I lose scene cred?

Album: Musicial Chairs
Artist: Artificial Go
Favorite Song: “The World is My Runway”

Polka-dot whimsy
Like a dalmatian
wearing hot red boots

Album: Club Tounsi
Artist: AMMAR 808
Favorite Song: “Eddayem Allah”

Revolution is
only possible with strength,
love, and deep bass grooves

Read my interview with AMMAR 808 here.

Album: Eau（オー）
Artist: aus（アウス）
Favorite Song: “Variation II”

Fragile movements
Inhaled organic matter
Synthesized exhale

Album: 2
Artist: Yalla Miku
Favorite Song: “Embeyto እምበይቶ”

Fusion has no map
but the destination is
eccentricity

Singles: Ego Shell/Rub 7”
Artist: Useless Eaters

Blasé attitude
brooding through a scuzzed out wall
of noise and reverb

Favorite reissues/archival releases:

Sister Irene O’Connor - Fire of God’s Love ** for sure my most listened to album of this year!
Takeshi Terauchi - Let’s Go Eleki Bushi
Noah Creshevsky - Hyperrealist Music, 2011-2015 [10th Anniversary Edition]電脳的反抗と絶頂:
Henry Kawahara - エッセンシャル・ヘンリー川原 Cybernetic Defiance and Orgasm: The Essential Henry Kawahara
Freh Khodja - Ken and Habib
Cheb Nacer - Maroc Électronique Vol. 1
Philippos Rountas - Songs and Dances from Free and Enslaved Epirus: Epirotika ca. Early 1960s
V/A - Sweet Rebels: The Golden Era of Algerian Pop-Rai 1986-91
V/A - 808 Xamar: Exiled Digital Somali Sounds from 1990s Saudi Arabia
V/A - All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985

Zack's Picks

Album: Fluid Crystal
Artist: Chelsey Lee Trejo
Favorite Song: “convergent talk”

Chelsey is a good friend of mine and a collaborator on several projects, so her solo record is something I’d been looking forward to for a long time. Nothing is rushed and nothing is out of place, and the textures and soundscapes are gorgeous. It makes me feel like I’m waking up next to the grand canyon and pouring myself a cup of hot coffee in the cold desert.

Album: a little death
Artist: claire rousay
Favorite Song: “just (feat. m sage)”

I got to book and see claire play live this year and I absolutely enjoy everything she puts out and does, from her collabs to her more experimental collage work. “a little death” is everything I enjoy from her all wrapped up in a tight 8 track album. I wish I could make music half as good as this, I would be insufferable from how much I would put out.

Album: Disniblud
Artist: Disniblud
Favorite Song: “Serpentine”

Rachika Nayar and Nina Keith combined to blow my mind with Disniblud. A twisting and thrilling mind blowing aural masterpiece. Incredible production with a number of collabs with artists like Cassandra Croft and Julianna Barwick. It’s hard to write about this album because it’s so dense and complex!

Album: Die In Love
Artist: Greet Death
Favorite Song: “Country Girl”

Greet Death is probably my favorite “band” of the last few years. I was obsessed with New Hell and their last EP, New Low so Die In Love, was an instant classic to me. They place you in their shitty midwestern small town and make you feel like you grew up there with them. Country Girl is the same 2 riffs for 6 minutes and I wish it was twice as long.

Album: Lake Fire
Artist: Loscil
Favorite Song: “Bell Flame”

The ambient master. Every album is an adventure with Loscil and yet unmistakably him. Makes me feel like I’m on the cliffs of Dover and in the eye of Jupiter at the same time.

Album: On a Painted Ocean
Artist: Walt McClements
Favorite Song: “On a Painted Ocean”

Beautiful textures and songwriting. Walt McClements takes the accordion and makes it the focal point of this incredible ambient/drone album. His live show is also up there with one of the best I saw all year. Easy to get to lost in this record.

Album: Bleeds
Artist: Wednesday
Favorite Song: “Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)”

Another band that transports you to their small country town, this time in North Carolina. My favorite lyrics of the year are on Phish Pepsi “We watched a phish concert and human centipede/two things I now wish I had never seen”. I see people complain about the death of guitar music and “rock” bands, well you are dead wrong. Wednesday combine country, rock, and noise, and pair it all with genuinely funny and moving lyrics.

Album: Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You
Artist: Ethel Cain
Favorite Song: “Nettles”

I love Ethel Cain’s music so much. I’ve seen a lot of lists this year including her ambient/drone album Perverts, but I preferred the more gothic/americana vibes of Willoughby. Ethel Cain’s storytelling wraps you in her words and doesn’t let you go. If I was a real music writer this would be 10 paragraphs long that’s how much I listened to this album.

Album: Let God Sort Em Out
Artist: Clipse
Favorite Song: “Ace Trumpets”

Pusha T has been my favorite rapper the last 10 years, his last 2 solo albums were incredible so his return to Clipse with his brother Malice was bound to be special and it is! I love the production on this album, especially "So Be It" and the Middle East sample it utilizes. The synth and 808s on "Ace Trumpets" are nasty. Funny how much I love Pharrell’s production but hate his actual solo music.

Album: Man’s Best Friend
Artist: Sabrina Carpenter
Favorite Song: “My Man On Willpower”

Camp queen Sabrina Carpenter. I don’t think I need to say anything about this album except it’s REALLY fucking good. Highlights include the title track, "Tears", "My Man On Willpower", "House Tour" (obsessed with the 80s vibe), and "Goodbye". Pop music should be fun and that’s exactly what you get.

Honorable Mentions:
Beau Devereaux - Filling Our Hearts With Clouds
Blood Orange - Essex Honey
Chat Pile & Hayden Pedigo - In The Earth Again
claire rousay & More Eaze - no floor
Eliana Glass - E
Georgia Maq - Gods Favourite
Joey Reyes - Spilling Open
Kieran Hebden & William Tyler = 41 Longfield Street Late ‘80s
Natural Information Society & Bitchin Bajas - Totality
POLICA - Dreams Go
Primitive Man - Observance
Skullcrusher - And Your Song Is Like A Circle
Taylor Deupree & The Humble Bee - Re: Case Studies
Tim Hecker - Shards

Favorite live shows:
Rilo Kiley with Waxahatchee - San Diego at Gallagher Square in Petco Park
Rilo Kiley has been one of my favorite bands since high school and I had never seen them (I have seen Jenny Lewis MANY times, always good), when they announced this tour we saw they had Waxahatchee, another one of my favorite bands as support so we decided to take an October vacation to San Diego and this show did not disappoint wow. Also shoutout to the sound system at Gallagher Park.

42 way tie between every Desert Drone show I put on. Support local music!

Andrej's Picks

Album: From the Visceral Abyss
Artist: Teitanblood
Favorite Song: "Tomb Corpse Haruspex"

When one of my favorite bands releases what is arguably their magnum opus, there’s no way it isn’t my AOTY number one. From the Visceral Abyss is Teitanblood at their best: a perpetual stew of the most extreme darkness and evil, an unyielding maelstrom of death/black metal noise spewing lightspeed riffs and blasts, pausing only momentarily to burp up a few seconds of whammy bar abuse that would make Kerry King blush. Yet, what makes this album so good is the greater sense of order and control than with previous efforts, the small strays from the expected and the embracement of new ideas that meld perfectly with their established sound. Most obvious is the much cleaner production, which balances the instrumental chaos superbly, but beyond that it’s the greater dynamicism, more expansive songwriting, and creativity when deviating from their bread and butter. Teitanblood never disappoint, but From the Visceral Abyss exceeded my expectations in a massive way.

Album: Draumsýnir eldsins
Artist: Martröð
Favorite Song: "Sköpunin"

Martröð’s debut album is one of many, many 2025 releases by prolific Skáphe mastermind A.P. But to my ears, it is far and away the best. Draumsýnir eldsins is another collaboration between A.P. and Wormlust’s H.V. Lyngdal, and while the otherworldly Icelandic black metal psychedelia we’ve come to expect from H.V. is heavily present, this record is less Kosmískur hryllingur and more Skáphe4. This is in huge part due to the inclusion of Skáphe³ drummer J.B. in a session role, his machine gun-esque playing simultaneously feral and virtuosic. Still, the bedrock of this album is in its dissonant, hallucinatory songwriting. Equal parts eerie ambiance and chaotic malevolence, Draumsýnir eldsins is a fever dream of the bone chilling, terrifying kind.

Album: Diabolic Messiah of the New World Order
Artist: Omegavortex
Favorite Song: "Limitless Violence"

Omegavortex is the mastermind of Beyond guitarist R., and Diabolic Messiah of the New World Order is just as psychopathic, unhinged, and bloodthirsty as the legendary Fatal Power of Death. Incorporating a touch more black metal, most notably in the shriller leads, this is still unhinged, frantic, and wholly homicidal death metal. Everything going on sonically is launched at your ears with impossible speed and with no concern for your well-being. Listening to this record in one go is genuinely exhausting, and yet I keep doing it. Diabolic Messiah of the New World Order is the Rage virus put to music – put this on if you’re planning to tear your neighbors limb from limb with your bare hands.

Album: Mar da Deriva
Artist: Vauruvã
Favorite Song: "Os Caçadores"

Vauruvã’s third record is an entrancing piece of progressive black metal that is as ethereal as it is otherworldly. Sonically and visually (this might be my favorite album cover this year), Mar da Deriva paints a picture of the unity of nature, the cosmos, and the mystical, embracing the transcendentality of the nonphysical realm and beauty of the natural world. The tone reflects these juxtapositions, weaving together black metal rasps, tremolo riffs, and blasts with dream-like, soaring melodic leads, softer clean vocals, flutes, and a plethora of ambient psychedelia. There’s a lot going on here, but emotionally this album never loses its thread. A mark of a good progressive album is that it uses its plethora of disparate ideas to form a meaningful whole, and with Mar da Deriva, Vauruvã have done exactly that.

Album: Metagonism
Artist: Kakothanasy
Favorite Song: "The Hard Problem of Targeting an Irrefutable Endogenous Transmission in a Somatic Compound"

Metagonism is a relentless whirlwind of technical brutality that is as crushing as it is precise. The closest reference point is Defeated Sanity, and Kakothanasy absolutely nail the interplay of guitar, bass, and drums that their German peers excel in. There is simply an overwhelming number of ideas going on here, with hyperspeed guitar and bass riffs, effervescently brutal gutturals, and unyielding, but surprisingly varied, BDM drumming all masterfully synchronized like some terrifying super-intelligent hive mind. I knew this would be in my AOTY list after the first spin.

Album: Fentanyl
Artist: Morast
Favorite Song: "Aratron"

Fentanyl is a record built upon foundations of crushing misanthropy and disenchantment with modern life. Consisting of slow, monolithic and hypnotizing repetition, every second of this album is a downer. While based primarily in doom/death metal, there is a healthy dose of blackened sludge ratcheting up the disgust and disillusionment. Accordingly, the riffs are massive, the monstrous gutturals equally so, and the bass and drums combine for a suffocating, soul-crushing bottom end that never gives an inch.

Album: Landkrieg
Artist: Scalpture
Favorite Song: "Den mörka nattens lejon"

Scalpture’s latest, Landkrieg, is deceptively simple: Bolt Thrower worship that starts and ends with wave after wave of pummeling, headbanging riffs overtop some German guy yelling about war. But there is so much going on within this particular set of meat and potatoes. The riffs themselves are phenomenal: huge, crushing, and just plain memorable and fun. But the production is what really elevates things – to say this album is bass-forward is an understatement. I’m not sure all metal albums would benefit from this kind of bass and drum mixing, but damn do I wish more did it. The combined low-end bludgeons you repeatedly in the grooviest way, leading to permanent stank face and an uncontrollable urge to headbang. Sometimes we yearn for comfort food, and Landkrieg really hits the spot.

Album: Existentialismus
Artist: Abduction
Favorite Song: "Razors of Occam"

Melancholic, muscular, and aggressive, Abduction’s latest is a fantastic slab of modern black metal. Melding Mgła-esque tremolo-based riffs with a heavy, almost death metal like production, Existentialismus sounds phenomenal. That sound is fully explored by excellent songwriting, which is at times fast and vicious, and sorrowful and somber in its slower moments. Ultimately, there isn’t anything groundbreaking here, but the variety and quality of what is ostensibly a fairly small tool kit is impressive. Like some of my favorite UK bands, the focus here is on writing memorable, emotional music, and at that, Existentialismus excels.

Album: Morbid Ataraxia
Artist: Putridity
Favorite Song: "Morbid Ataraxia"

Putridity’s first new record in 10 years is an absolute bulldozer of a record. Despite being signed to Willowtip, Morbid Ataraxia has a very New Standard Elite vibe. The production is fairly clear, but the rhythm guitars are downtuned and turbulent to such a degree that they meld with the bass into an indistinguishable wall of sound that is only punctuated by persistent pinch harmonic-y leads. The vocals and drums are truly intransigent and double down on the sonic opacity of the entire package. This album has been a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait.

Album: Haragma II
Artist: Exterior Palnet
Favorite Song: "Behind the Veil"

Croatia’s Exterior Palnet (not a typo) play a brand of dissonant and angular avant-garde black metal familiar to fans of Deathspell Omega and Krallice. Like DsO, Haragma II is fast, shrilly, and weird, but what sets them apart from many of their contemporaries is that they crank the riff count to uncomfortable levels. The record is only 35 minutes, but the riff density feels like a compressed version of an album twice that long. More importantly though, beyond the anxiety inducing incessance and frenetic energy, the instrumentation and songwriting are fundamentally interesting. Exterior Palnet fully lean into the weirdness this jagged style of riffing can lead to but never fall into the trap of boredom by way of pointless intricacy. The complexity and abnormality of this music isn’t for everyone, but I found it something I kept coming back to again and again.

Honorable Mentions
11. Ancient Death – Ego Dissolution
12. Qrixkuor – The Womb of the World
13. Coroner – Dissonance Theory
14. Elder – Liminality / Dream State Return
15. Floating – Hesitating Lights

Ghazal's Picks

Album: The Passionate ones
Artist: Nourished By Time
Favorite Song: "When the war is over"

There is always a place where you listen to new music, be it in your car, in your headphones at the park, blasting it in the shower or streaming it alone or with friends. Nourished By Time came to me as one of my sweet musician friends moved to Chicago. This album encapsulated my connection to time & space. Grieving & loving.

Album: Lifetime
Artist: Erika de Casier
Favorite Song: "December"

Infusion of trip hop and R&B Erika de Casier gave us a secret release on youtube before her album dropped in may. An album that I have kept looping & rotating, sent to my favorite lesbians & experienced the vastness of my femininity too.

Album: I remember I forgot
Artist: Yasmine Hamdan & Nicolas Jaar
Favorite Song: "Shmaali"

Stunning collaboration between Nicolas Jaar & Yasmine Hamdan from Soapkills

Album: Portrait Of My Heart
Artist: SPELLLING
Favorite Song: "Waterfall"

Spellling always makes me soar & roar. Artists that pour their heart into their sound make the year unforgettable. This album is life changing!

rusowsky · Johnny Glamour

Single: "Johnny Glamour" (ft. Las Ketchup)
Artist: Rusowsky

I discovered this single in October around my birthday. I watched the tiny desk performance of it and again it illuminated the beauty of sound & experimentation.

Album: Beside myself
Artist: DJ Haram
Favorite Song: "Loneliness Epidemic"

I bought the tape when it first dropped, when it arrived in the mail I listened to it front to back, examining the soundscape, tuning to the textures. This album for me highlighted the DIY culture & mixing middle easter/swana rhythms with contemporary punk-esque tunes.

Album: A Block Away. Deluxe
Artist: REY & RND1
Favorite Song: LM4M (feat. friendzoneshawty)

Tucson’s very own REY, blunt & sharp, a talented rapper, brother, friend, creative director, drops A Block Away Deluxe - a project between RND1 an immaculate beat maker, producer, creative. This track was the summer’s anthem; my favorite part about it was the timelessness of the beats congruent to Rey’s verses & flow.

Omid Walizadeh · Barge Sabz

Mix: Barge Sabz
Artist: Omid Walizadeh

My favorite DJ mix of the year! The most perfect cultural soundscape of the middle east/swana region. What makes this mix perfect to me is the fact that Omid is able to combine historical music with his own style making it the most rare hybrid contemporary mix!

Album: Pleasure, Peace and Pain
Artist: A.Billi Free x Lasso
Favorite Song: "Never Fold"

This electric duo always inspires the deepest fire inside! This project especially is special to me because of Lasso’s synth wave production of beats & rhythms and the way A.Billi Free glides on each track! This is ultimately the best way to introduce yourself to their work! I love when you think your favorite artists are not going to drop then BOOM!

THEM&i · killing the h8 [prod. DJQ]

Single: "Killing the h8" (prod.DJQ)
Artist: THEM&i

La Tusa’s multifaceted artist THEM&i, covering the counterculture of the southwest through astute sound mixture & puncturing lyricism. This track opens up like a storybook of endless struggle between imaginary fights & what conjures out of our anger. Through the verse you can hear THEM&i’s insight on Arizona’s political climate.They cover a lot in a condensed amount of time.

Honorable mention:
Blood Orange - Essex Honey changed my life! The collaboration with Mabe Fratti & every other artist on this album!

Alex's Picks

Album: Tsunami Sea
Artist: Spiritbox
Favorite Song: “Perfect Soul”

After a string of singles and EPs, Spiritbox is back with their first full length since 2021 and this fucker is HEAVY. Lead vocalist Courtney LaPlante sings like an angel and screams like a demon often in the same song. The rest of the band has cooked up some of their most punishing riffs to date that balance out her soaring vocals and slam the listener back down to earth. Also, the addition of ex-As I Lay Dying bassist/backup singer Josh Gilbert brings a sublime new layer of counterpoint through his backup vocals contributions. Spiritbox’s meteoric rise in the metal scene has been a lot of fun to watch, and Tsunami Sea shows why they deserve their success so far.

Album: Volver EP
Artist: Sofia Kourtesis
Favorite Song: “Canela Pura”

Sofia Kourtesis describes this EP as a tribute to the LGBT+ community and the bravery of the trans women that she’s met in the last few years, both in her home country of Peru and her adopted home of Berlin. And in appropriate fashion, this is a short and sweet collection of six heartfelt, yet spicy dance floor BANGERS. This is one of those releases where it’s kind of hard to write about what it’s like - you just need to take about half an hour to throw it on and let it happen to you.

Album: Foxes in the Snow
Artist: Jason Isbell
Favorite Song: “Ride to Robert’s”

I started dating a girl who loves country music this year. She doesn’t listen to Jason Isbell, though, and I can’t remember exactly how I discovered this album when it came out earlier this past March, but it still stuck with me throughout the year. This album has that calm, folky quality that tickles the same part of my brain as the likes of Noah Kahan and Kacey Musgraves. Foxes in the Snow is an album that only needed one guitar and a journal to make (or it at least sounds like it), and Jason Isbell shows that he knows what he’s doing with both and can use them to make something beautiful. This album feels cozy and also makes me want to get out in nature and unplug for a little while.

Album: Blackbraid III
Artist: Blackbraid
Favorite Song: “The Dying Breath of a Sacred Stag”

Blackbraid has become a name in the black metal scene that has captured my attention over the last three years, and his third full length album is another solid addition to his already impressive discography. His brilliant incorporation of Native American imagery and seamless weaving in and out of quieter passages makes for an epic and ethereal listen. My favorite black metal has always been the type that can feel relaxing at its heaviest, and Blackbraid’s ability to do just that through his indigenous twist on the genre continues to make him one of the best names in the scene today.

Album: Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Artist: Bad Bunny
Favorite Song: “Baile Inolvidable”

If you couldn’t tell, I tried to avoid writing about big releases this year and instead decided to spotlight artists that actually have their music for sale on Bandcamp. I’m going to make one exception for Bad Bunny, though, because what an album! Debí Tirar Más Fotos was an early front runner for my album of the year when I first heard it all the way back in January, and it stayed at my #1 for the whole year. Benito’s love letter to his home of Puerto Rico is a captivating sonic journey spanning an impressive number of contemporary and traditional Latino genres of music that is best listened to from start to finish. Bad Bunny had plenty of accolades in the global mainstream spotlight this year, and the quality of this album shows that he deserves it.

Honorable Mentions:
Turnstile - Never Enough
BLOND:ISH - Shout It Out
Addison Rae - Addison
Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power
Deftones - Private Music

Cylus' Picks

Album: Disquiet
Artist: The Necks
Favorite Song: "Ghost Net"

An arduous and worthwhile listen, this album clocks in at just over three hours in length and each track (especially the first two, since they’re over an hour long) feels like an undertaking. I had to spread my listening out over three days with this album, and it was totally worth it. I love this group’s focus on improvisation and repetition. “Rapid Eye Movement” reminded me a lot of “Shh / Peaceful” by Miles Davis, so I was sold on this album immediately. The intentionally near-broken rhythm of “Ghost Net” and the band’s musical tenacity throughout its hour and fifteen minute length are what made that track my fave.

Album: The Big E
Artist: Editrix
Favorite Song: "What’s Wrong"

Honestly this is my top album of 2025. This band has it all for me - they’re from New England, queer-fronted, heavily influenced by jazz, complex, and noisy as hell. Wendy Eisenberg is frankly one of the greatest guitarists I’ve heard in a while, and their ability to pitch-match and rhythm-match with their own super complex riffs is incredible. The whole band is just bonkers, incredibly tight, and super adventurous. I enjoy “What’s Wrong” because I feel it really embodies all of these facets I’ve laid out here, and the drum groove is wild.

Album: Hostile Design EP
Artist: Black Eyes
Favorite Song: "TomTom"

Frankly, Black Eyes could release a hot, steaming pile of garbage and it would make it on this list. I wouldn’t say that any of the tracks on this EP affected me like any of their early work did (I mean, should it? It’s been over 20 years!), but the fact that they’re back together, still super noisy and incredibly groovy is what really matters to me! Truly one of my favorite bands ever, and one of the greatest Dischord bands of the early 2000’s. “TomTom” feels like a perfect synthesis of early Black Eyes and Mi Ami’s crushing grooves, which I like a lot.

Album: Motherfucker I am Both: “Amen” and “Hallelujah” …
Artist: Shearling
Favorite Track: It’s one hour-long track (lol)

When I heard Sprain’s third and final album, I fell in love with what the group was doing and was dismayed to find out that the band had broken up immediately after its release. The long-form, slightly (super?) pretentious noise rock/hardcore songs the band created were right up my alley. Imagine my joy when I found out that their spiritual successor existed and released an even more long-form, and even MORE pretentious song that functioned as their whole album! I had just seen The Holy Mountain for the first time and the frenetic, often spooky energy of this album/song felt awfully similar to what I had experienced watching the film, and I find that that’s the best way I can convey why I dig it. Super noisy, unburdened by convention, and emotionally driven - I love it!

Album: Musical Chairs
Artist: Artificial Go
Favorite Song: "The World is my Runway"

I first heard this album when I stopped into Wooden Tooth and it was popped onto the turntable, and was immediately sold on this band. I love how incredibly fun this album is all the way through, Angie’s highly stylized vocals that sound straight out of NYC in the 60’s, the tight rhythm section, and diverse range of influences that can be heard throughout. Seeing them live a few weeks after first hearing them and getting to chat a little with the band frankly sold me even more on this LP. Great stuff!

Single: "Poke"
Artist: Blue Bendy

This song is insanely groovy, silly, and yet emotional! I love the drum groove especially, and the synths remind me a bunch of Everyone Asked About You’s work. Arthur Nolan’s vocal performance is super compelling as well. Just a really fun, catchy and beautiful song!

Single: "Hit My Head All Day"
Artist: Dry Cleaning

Not only am I 99% sure that I saw this song’s live debut at Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center in September, but I’m 100% sure that this song totally rips both live and in studio.

Album: Birthing
Artist: Swans
Favorite Song: "Birthing"

This album feels to me like a return to form for Swans, particularly in relation to what I consider to be the best three albums of the “big sound” iteration of the band: 2012’s “The Seer”, 2014’s “To Be Kind”, and 2016’s “The Glowing Man”. I found the albums following TGM weren’t anything super special, so I was really happy to hear that “Birthing” absolutely crushes. Seeing them live while touring this album was absolutely incredible as well.

Thank you for reading! We'd love to hear about your favorite albums of the year. Feel free to leave a comment below.

xoxo,
T&E Collective

]]><![CDATA[March Collective Collaborative Blog: Palestinian Music Feature]]>Sat, 23 Mar 2024 23:40:35 GMThttps://www.trialanderrorcollective.com/collective-collab-blogs--playlists/march-collective-collaborative-blog-palestinian-music-feature

For our first collab blog of the year, two T&E collective members share some of their favorite music from Palestine and Palestinians across the global diaspora. From politically-charged hip hop to the revolutionary techno rave scene, we celebrate the creativity and resilience of Palestinian musicians who forge connections through their art.

CBDiabla's Picks

Artist: MC Abdul
Genre: Hip Hop
With strong bars and flow, MC Abdul shares the harsh reality of living under Israeli occupation in Palestine. Through his songs a fiery commitment to spread the message of his people pierces through, and really makes you join in the feelings of anger, sadness, and hope for a better world.

Artist: Loris
Genre: Electronic
Loris is a Mexican Palestinian DJ and producer who combines her cultures to create mystical landscapes that evoke a sense of place and memory in Palestine, as well as banging breaks and polyrhythmic percussions that can bring any dancefloor to life.

Artist: Nicolas Jaar
Genre: Electronic
You might not know it (I didn’t), but Nicolas Jaar is of Palestinian ancestry. The Chilean-American musician’s family emigrated from Palestine in the 1920s, and this heritage has touched on Jaar’s productions. It goes to show that the complex history and tapestry of the Palestinian diaspora has traveled across the world and touched many of our hearts.

Radio Atheer · Christmas In Mourning

Song: Christmas in Mourning
Artist: Sary Moussa (Beirut), Abed Kobeissy (Beirut), Laurence Sammour, Greek Orthodox tenor of the Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem)
Genre: Electro Acoustic
A piece composed to be aired on Radio Alhara in solidarity with Palestinians during Christmas, Christmas in Mourning shows the rich tapestry of religious and cultural heritage in Palestine, mixing Catholic and Muslim traditions in a beautiful and devastating piece. It is one of the most impactful things I’ve heard. I listened to it live on Christmas and I couldn’t stop crying. The piece is such a poignant transmutation of the awe of Palestinian courage and culture combined with the grief of its devastation we are sadly still witnessing today.

[2025 editor's note: this mix has been taken down off SoundCloud and most sites, but is still available to listen to here]

Artist: Shabjeed & Al Nather
Genre: Hip Hop
Palestinian rapper Shabjeed & Al Nather team up in their latest album SULTAN. Al Nather’s crystalline beats combine dreamy Jungle, trap, drill and regional sounds, while Shabjeed skillfully and solemnly raps. This one is a certified banger, and you can buy a flag together with the album to proudly display in your pickup truck. Listen to this NTS broadcast to hear a short interview with Shabjeed before the album gets played in full. Also check out BLTNM records, the label where this album was released, for more Palestinian records.

Parisa's Picks

Artist: Al-Bara’em
Genre: Rock
Al-Bara'em was Palestine’s first rock and roll band. Starting as a Fairuz cover group, they decided to write original music after the Six-Day War of 1967, marking both a symbol shift towards national identity as well as a historical shift in Palestinian music history. There’s not a lot of recorded material that remains today, as so many Palestinian historical records have been destroyed by the Israeli and US military, but this psychedelic, melancholic song above is my one of my favorites from their reissued catalog.

Artist: Shadia Mansour
Genre: Rap
One of the first Palestinian rappers, Shadia Mansour considers her music to be “musical intifada against the occupation of Palestine, conservatism and oppression of women.” Her raps present a hard stance for Palestinian nationalism, and whether or not you translate the lyrics, her fervent passion is evident in her flows. The song above, first released in 2011 and featuring M-1 of Dead Prez, has remained an iconic anthem of the keffiyeh.

Artist: DAM
Genre: Hip-hop
Along with Shadia Mansour, DAM is perhaps the most popular hip hop group of Palestine. A majority of their discography is centered around Palestinian resistance, yet more recently they took a departure from the strictly political lyrics so people could see them beyond being just a political entity (a notion that I’m sure many Palestinian artists must get tired of). Their music is a high energy blend of hip hop with Arab-forward beats and electronic - the kind of hip hop that is guaranteed to make you move.

Artist: Jowan Safadi
Genre: Alternative
Jowan Safadi is a multi-genre encompassing artist from Haifa. His music ranges from a myriad of topics, including Palestinian freedom but also love, heartbreak, social taboos, etc. The album linked above, Ijmad, was one of my favorites of 2021. It mostly revolves about a break up and the loneliness thereafter, and showcases an impressive array of styles from alternative to bedroom pop to hip hop to experimental. Just this past month, he released a new single sung in English called “I Am the Semite” that points out the hypocrisy of people calling the pro-Palestinian movement anti-semetic (“I am the semite, I am the refugee, living in your ghetto, dying to be free”).

Artist: Jazar Crew:
Genre: Electronic
Boiler Room did a Palestinian series about five years ago, and while it’s all worth checking out, I particularly loved this one by the Jazar Crew. They are a DIY collective of artists and musicians that “aim to provide a safe space dancefloor for the Palestinian youth” and have connected the underground music scenes throughout the country. Their mixes blend Arab music with distortion, ambient, techno and house. The segment that starts around 10 minutes in is one of my favorite Boiler Room moments ever. It’s a beautiful showcase of how dance music can weave between these headier, soft and ethereal moments with heavy bass moments, and keep your audience captivated the entire time. I also love to watch Jazar Crew sets because it is so beautiful to see the crowd and Palestinian youth in moments of joy. This is how it should always be.

[2025 editor's note: Boiler Room has now been known to have ties with corporate sponsors that aid in Israeli military and is therefore no longer an advocate of the Palestinian people. I leave this video only in support of the incredible mix from Jazar Crew, but Boiler Room should no longer be supported.

For related listening, I’d also recommend this BBC short doc about the Palestinian rave scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF3vE4Bunt0&t=717s

NTS Latest · Palestinian Sound Archive 180224

Artist: Palestinian Sound Archive
Genre: various
One of my favorite recurring series on NTS is mixes from the Palestinian Sound Archive, aka Mo’min Swaitat, the founder of Majazz Project. This project works to preserve the history of Palestinian music through cassette archives. These monthly mixes hosted on NTS radio feature a mix of vintage cassettes from Palestine, from funk to jazz and rock, intertwined with field recordings. There is a lot to be said about this amazing project, but best to read it from the source himself! Here is a blog written by Swaitat about the Majazz Project and his personal history with Bedouin music: https://thisweekinpalestine.com/the-majazz-project-and-the-palestinian-sound-archive

Artist: Zenobia
Genre: Dabke
Nothing makes me dance harder than Zenobia’s synthy bass-driven dance music. Pure, ecstatic joy. Zenobia incorporates melodies from various Arab traditions - mainly Palestinian and Syrian dabke rhythms - with elements of electronic beats and occasionally dub. Play their music at a DJ set and I promise you will get the entire room jumping.

Their most recent album, Warriors Never Die, delves into Palestinian folk music that’s generally sung by women and explores the evolution of the music’s message. Taken from their Bandcamp: ’Tarweeda’, for example, was used by women ever since the days of the British Mandate in the 1930s, as a way of transmitting encrypted messages between political prisoners and their villages. The encryption involved permutations of letters in the lyrics.

Aside from digging into their albums, I also recommend checking out this great live session they did on a boat coasting through Golan Heights.

Artist: Sama Abdulhadi
Genre: Techno

Considered the Queen of Palestinian Techno, but in my opinion, one of the best techno DJs out there right now period. You could scourge the internet for hours and find dozens and dozens and dozens of her mixes, but this one above always stands out to me.

]]><![CDATA[Trial and Error Collective Presents: Our Favorite Releases of 2023]]>Thu, 21 Dec 2023 21:05:28 GMThttps://www.trialanderrorcollective.com/collective-collab-blogs--playlists/trial-and-error-collective-presents-our-favorite-releases-of-2023

Graphic by Andres Duarte

For the final collaborative blog of the year, members of the T&E collective share their favorite releases of 2023. Sharing over sixty albums, EPs and singles from across genres, it's time to wrap up the year by celebrating the music we love!

Parisa's Picks

Per my annual tradition, here is my top 10 presented in the form of haiku.
(Zine version coming soon)

Album: Mutations
Artist: Faizal Mostrixx
Favorite Song: “Onions and Love”

Afrofuturist
Weaving the past and present
Of Ugandan sound

Album: Abri Cyclonique
Artist: Polobi & The Gwo Ka Masters
Favorite Song: “Okipayason”

Creole expression
The sound of gravel
Running through water

Album: Akousmatikous
Artist: Salami Rose Joe Louis
Favorite Song: “Akousmatikous”

An alien plays
Dystopian space-age jazz.
I want to believe

Album: a.s.o.
Artist: a.s.o.
Favorite Song: “My Baby’s Got It Out For Me”

Moody dub trip hop
For when you’re feeling sullen
But still want to dance

Album: Blackbraid II
Artist: Blackbraid
Favorite Song: “Moss Covered Bones on the Altar of the Moon”

The sound of spirit
Embellished in moss and blood
Sustained in fury

Album: SAVED!
Artist: Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter
Favorite Song: “ALL OF MY FRIENDS ARE GOING TO HELL”

Judgment day hath come,
Let us celebrate in Hell!
In frith we burn bright

Album: Hive Mind Narcosis
Artist: Thantifaxath
Favorite Song: “The Lost Wisdom of Wolves”

To stand on the edge
Of an infinite black hole
Watching it collapse

Album: Noblesse Oblige
Artist: GODSPEED 音
Favorite Song: “強盗スケジュール”

Don’t mind me, I’m just
Sitting on a toadstool top
Watching the world pass

Album: i’ve seen a way
Artist: Mandy, Indiana
Favorite Song: “Injury Detail”

You scream into
An industrial tunnel
You hear nothing back

Album: A Comforting Notion
Artist: Heartworms
Favorite Song: “Retributions Of An Awful Life”

Like a sharp edged knife
It cuts with sheer precision
(But watch your fingers!)

Favorite singles of the year:
Lana del Rey - “A&W” and “Candy Necklace” (Pop)
7F0 - “ヒーリング剣 (Healing Sword)” (Electronic, Dub)
Kabeaushé - “These Dishes Ain’t Gonna Do Themselves” (Experimental hip hop, gqom)
Grian Chatten - ““Fairlies” (Alternative)
Warren of Ohms - “Flowers of Mononoke” (Mathcore, skramz)
Pete & Bas - “Quick 1-2” (UK drill)

Favorite archival releases:
サイケアウツ Cycheouts - Counterattack: Best Cuts 1995-2000 (J-core)
The Good Samaritans - Chapter One: No Taste Without Food If Hunger (Edo funk)
Xiao Yun - Purple Garden (Mandarin pop)
V/A - PRENDS LE TEMPS D'ECOUTER - Musique d'expression libre dans les classes Freinet / Tape Music, Sound Experiments and free folk songs from Freinet Classes - 1962/1982 (Experimental, free folk)
Shizuka - III (Dark folk)
Cheb Djalal - A moi la liberté - Early Electronic Raï (Algérie 1983-90) (Raï music)

Favorite concerts:
Etran de L’air at Hotel Congress, Tucson
Dry Cleaning at Hotel Congress, Tucson
Mayhem, Gorguts and Blood Incantation at The Rock, Tucson

Honorable mentions

Electronic
Jantra - Synthesized Sudan (synth)
Judgitzu - Sator Arepo (experimental, global fusion)
Sextile - Push (big beat)
PÖ - Cociage (experimental)
Yaeji - With a Hammer (house)
Zaumne - Parfum (ambient)
Fever Ray - Radical Romantics (electropop)
DJ K - PANICO NO SUBMUNDO (baile funk)

Rap & Hip Hop
Jeshi - The Great Stink (UK hip hop)
Temps - PARTY GATOR PURGATORY (experimental hip hop)
MC YALLAH - Yallah Beibe (grime)
Spook - No Country II: Hell on Wheels (The Ballad of Isom Dart!) (hip hop)
Apollo Brown & Planet Asia - Sardines (hip hop)

Pop/Rock
Mega Bog - End of Everything (experimental pop)
Annie Taylor - Inner Smile (grunge)
Shame - Food for Worms (post-punk)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation (thrash, rock)
Frog Concert - Slumbering Sounds of the Frog Fellowship (cottagecore, ambient)
Trees Speak - Mind Maze (krautrock)

Metal
Portrayal of Guilt - Devil Music (black metal)
Khanate - To Be Cruel (doom)
ESOCTRILIHUM - ĄSŦRÅÅL ƇOƝSŦELLĄŦIOƝS OF ŦHE ṂAJÏϹKĄL ȤOĐIĄϹ (occult black metal)

Global
Ak'chamel, The Giver of Illness - A Mournful Kingdom of Sand (psychedelic, folk)
Aya Metwalli & Calamita - Al Saher (improvisational free jazz)
Fatima Al Qadiri - Gumar (experimental, ambient)
& all my favorite global releases can be streamed right here on Global Rhythm Radio!

Andrej's Picks

Album: Black Medium Current
Artist: Dødheimsgard
Favorite Song: “It Does Not Follow”

Dødheimsgard’s follow-up to their mind-bending, madness-inducing “A Umbra Omega”, “Black Medium Current”, is every bit as off-kilter and experimental, but in an entirely more beautiful and emotional way. Somehow melding together psychedelic rock, synth-pop, electronica, black metal, and with occasional forays into just about everything else, DHG continue to captivate and surprise. A truly unique and avant-garde band, give this a spin if you want to lose yourself in an altogether otherworldly and magical experience.

Album: Agonal Hymns
Artist: Nithing
Favorite Song: “The Seeping Pus of Ancient Wounds”

Relentless, disgusting, and impossibly dense; it’s basically 24 minutes of non-stop blasts, unintelligible guitar and bass noise, and inhuman vomit-gurgles, but in the best way. It’s a new bar for slam, and far and away the most brutal album of the year.

Album: Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya
Artist: Thy Darkened Shade
Favorite Song: “Acausal Current of Thanatos”

Nearly a decade later, Thy Darkened Shade bring us the second installment of the “Liber Lvcifer” trilogy, gracing us once again with their unique brand of over-the-top technical, melodic black metal. It’s grandiose, ridiculously finger-shreddingly technical, perfectly produced, and it’s the best written black metal album of recent memory.

Album: Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags
Artist: Hellripper
Favorite Song: “Mester Stoor Worm”

The best of the slew of modern black/speed metal acts expands its sound to incorporate longer, more intricate songwriting, stronger melodic leads, and a plethora of new ideas. It’s ambitious, filled to the brim with riffs, and it absolutely rips.

Album: War Remains
Artist: Enforced
Favorite Song: “War Remains”

Perfectly fusing the aggression and death metal leanings of late ‘80s Slayer and Sepultura with a groovy crossover sensibility, Enforced’s approach to brutal thrash remains as vicious and visceral as ever. Their last album was 2021’s AOTY, and this no-nonsense, headbanger’s delight is 2023’s best thrash album.

Album: Hive Mind Narcosis
Artist: Thantifaxath
Favorite Song: “Surgical Utopian Love”

Dissonant, atmospheric, and as unsettling as it is esoteric, Thantifaxath’s second album continues these mysterious Canadian’s fixation on metaphysical claustrophobic anguish. The band’s knack for using ascending and descending guitar lines to create a sense of falling, both physically and existentially, makes a return, but this time as part of a much wider and weirder arsenal of guitar and songwriting ideas. Like the abyss that stares back, it’s engrossing in its bleakness and incomprehensibility.

Album: The Enduring Spirit
Artist: Tomb Mold
Favorite Song: “Will of Whispers”

Tomb Mold continue their evolution and sonic refinement, this time around mixing equal parts technical, precise death metal, and serene, flowing prog. With their most intricate songwriting to date, a greater melodic emphasis, and their continued atmospheric excellence, “The Enduring Spirit” is a bold and fantastic new direction.

Album: Typho-Tantric Aphorisms from the Arachneophidian Qur'an
Artist: Tetragrammacide
Favorite Song: “Intoxicated Bees of Sekhet-Aarhu Circumambulate the Abode of Self Beheaded One Who Forever Danceth in Her Shaktisexual Ecstasy”

In their second outing, Indian war metal duo Tetragrammacide scale back the noise, adding more structure, variety, and conventional metal ideas to their cabalistic chaos. Their fondness for creating a sonic blender remains, but it’s more precisely integrated into the clearer, more calculated traditional songwriting. The kvltest among us may balk, but this refinement is a welcome evolution of these unhinged experimental misanthropes.

Album: Om hundrede år
Artist: Afsky
Favorite Song: “Stormfulde hav”

Afsky’s gorgeous, impassioned black metal graces our ears once more and picks up right where Ofte jeg drømmer mig død left off. Operatic in its despair, it weaves delicate acoustics, pummeling and punctuating drums, and soaring, epic leads into a rich tapestry of Danish sorrow. You certainly have to be in the mood for it, but this bittersweet masterpiece will pierce you right through the heart.

Album: One Nightmare unto Another
Artist: Profane Order
Favorite Song: “In the Shadows of the Past”

Sepulchral, foul, and a tad cleaner than 2019’s “Slave Morality”, Profane Order’s latest trades in some of the predecessor’s tenebrosity for heavier, more visceral death metal. Returning listeners will pick up on the immediate differences, like the higher pinch-harmonic tone and face-punchingly forwardness of the vocal mix, but Profane Order’s character remains unchanged; this is feral, uncultivated war metal espousing hatred and calling for death.

Honorable Mentions
11. Dying Fetus – Make Them Beg for Death
12. Fen – Monuments to Absence
13. Wayfarer – American Gothic
14. Imperium Dekadenz – Into Sorrow Evermore
15. Spectral Damnation – Extra Æcclesiam

Alex's Picks

Album: Sting
Artist: Emarosa
Favorite Song: “Cinnamon”

I don’t know what Emarosa were thinking when they decided to drop an extra toasty album of the summer back in an extra wet and gloomy January, but I’m glad they did so. I have kept this album on repeat all year long and in my opinion, no other release this year was able to top it. It’s hard to remember that Emarosa started off as a metalcore band now that they’ve fully embraced their new synthwave identity. Lead singer Bradley Walden puts his 80s and 90s R&B influence front and center, and his vocal lines in the choruses for songs like “Preach,” “Cinnamon,” “INLA,” and “Rush” are a big part of why the choruses for these songs are where the album shines the most. If, deep down, you know that in a perfect world you’d be cruising around Southern California in a red convertible, this is the album for you.

Album: Would You Miss It?
Artist: Koyo
Favorite Song: “51st State”

Long Island’s legendary post-hardcore scene is still proving to be fertile and conducive to producing great bands in 2023. Koyo are a new group from Stony Brook who came out swinging this year with a fantastic debut album that hits like a breath of fresh air in a scene that can feel too steeped in nostalgia at times. The hardcore-tinged pop-punk five-piece has a knack for creating big, memorable melodies that will stay stuck in your head for days, and playing them with earnest intensity that hits hard without trying to be heavy. Some might compare Would You Miss It? to The Story So Far’s earlier work, but I’m personally reminded of bands like Planes Mistaken For Stars when I listen to this. Koyo made a statement for the next generation of Long Island hardcore, and the scene is better off with them in it.

Album: Ecos del Rio
Artist: Los Bosques
Favorite Song: “Soy La Lluvia (feat. Vicky Ripa)”

Los Bosques is a side project consisting of Uruguayan hip-hop DJ Tejo Mattioli and indie rock guitarist Diego Traverso. These guys have made a name for themselves within the Montevideo music scene as members of Latejapride* and Sante Les Amis, respectively, and as Los Bosques, they make chill downtempo electronic music with sounds inspired by their home country. Ecos del Rio (“Echoes of the River”) is an appropriate name for Los Bosques’ sophomore album, because these songs have a certain aquatic quality to them. It’s a blissful album that’s perfect to listen to through headphones whenever you want to just vibe out in bed for the afternoon and imagine yourself under the tree canopies of a lush tropical forest.

Album: PERMANENT.RADIANT
Artist: Crosses
Favorite Song: “Day One”

I was originally going to write about Crosses’ newest full-length album, Good Night, God Bless, I Love U, Delete, but I decided that I like their December 2022 EP, PERMANENT.RADIANT better. Good Night, God Bless… is a solid album with plenty of moments that I liked, but that album as a whole is very brooding and claustrophobic and stays that way for its nearly-full-hour length. PERMANENT.RADIANT is pretty dark too, but it has more pop influence that I think complements and lifts up Shaun Lopez’s electronics and Chino Moreno’s vivid lyrics and cool vocal delivery extremely well. Crosses also pull off a wide range of styles on this EP. “Day One” is something you would hear over the speakers during the daytime at a trendy cocktail bar. “Vivien” is an alt-metal track that could have been the lead single from one of the Blade movie soundtracks back in the 2000s AND has a self-professed nod to Britney Spears in the chorus. “Procession” would sound at home on a Tame Impala album. It’s only a little over 20 minutes long, but when all the songs are bangers, 20 minutes is all you need.

Album: Hot Moms Go To Heaven/Simp Party/Scorpio
Artist: Backseat Vinyl
Favorite Song: “Hot Moms Go To Heaven (feat. Club Coward)”

I’m lumping all of Backseat Vinyl’s singles/EPs from this year together since they collectively amount to six songs. The Denver three-piece are really good at making rad vibey hipster punk. They’ve been around for a while, and this year they hit their stride with “Hot Moms Go To Heaven.” The title track was one of the songs that I kept on repeat this year, largely because of its earworm chorus that draws you in and doesn’t let go. Backseat Vinyl are the band that I’m most grateful to have discovered this year.

Album: Godlike
Artist: Thy Art Is Murder
Favorite Song: “Anathema”

I was just going to put this in my honorable mentions because I don’t really listen to deathcore anymore, but this album is hella heavy and I want to give Thy Art is Murder an opportunity for monetization after they used this album’s release to take a stand against transphobia in the pettiest way possible.

Honorable Mentions:
Paramore - This is Why
Boygenius - The Record
Noah Kahan - Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever)
Waterparks - Intellectual Property
Odesza - The Last Goodbye (Expanded Edition)
Lana del Rey - Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

Randy's Picks

Album: Hazard of Love
Artist: Keiichi Sokabe
Favorite Song: "Futsu no Hi"

Keiichi Sokabe is one of my favorite artists currently making music. He began as the founding member of Japanese folk-pop band Sunny Day Service and has been making music non-stop ever since. His solo output is incredibly prolific, and he dropped two albums on the same day this year (the other album is a rap album titled Heaven 2, also worth checking out). Hazard of Love is my favorite of the two, and it’s ten solidly crafted pop tunes. The last track is my favorite, but his sense of melody shines throughout every minute of the album.

Album: Paint My Bedroom Black
Artist: Holly Humberstone
Favorite Song: "Cocoon"

Holly has a great voice and her songs all have great melody and texture. I came back to this album a lot. Great for night drives.

Album: Silence Between Songs
Artist: Madison Beer
Favorite Song: "Envy the Leaves"

This album blew me away upon the first listen. Madison has a very keen sense of song structure and her voice elevates it even more. The beat switch in "Envy the Leaves" gave me goosebumps. The transition from the song 17 to Ryder was another moment that took my breath away. Very much worth listening front to back.

Album: Selva
Artist: Marta Del Grandi
Favorite Song: "Chameleon Eyes"

These are great Italian pop tunes. Marta Del Grandi isn’t too well known in the states but look no further if you’re looking for some masterfully crafted melodies.

Album: Think Later
Artist: Tate McRae
Favorite Song: "Guilty Conscience"

Tate will likely get bigger and bigger as the years pass. The songs are all earworms. Don’t let pop music scare you away- embrace it.

Album: Mud On My Superstars
Artist: Keni Titus
Favorite Song: "If U Want"

Intimate songs sung with grace. The songs have warmth to them that feel like hugs. Keep an eye out for her future releases.

Album: Special Occasion
Artist: Emily King
Favorite Song: "Home Now"

One of my favorite current R&B singers. Emily has a great voice and the songs are all beautifully composed. Very pleasant on the ears. Home Now has been on repeat- that melody is absolutely sublime.

Chelsea's Picks

Album: This is Why
Artist: Paramore
Favorite Song: “The News”

Paramore is back with a powerhouse of a record that demonstrates exactly what it looks like when emo grows up. After 5.5 years without new music, the band comes together to create something brand new, showcasing the skills they’ve gained in that time. It’s clear that Hayley Williams vocals from her solo records have heavily influenced her vocal stylings in this record. (If you haven’t listened to Petals for Armor or Flowers for Vases / Descansos, yet, I highly recommend doing so as soon as possible.) The sound is very different from their old stuff, but still distinctly Paramore.

The moment I finished watching the video for “The News”, I knew this record would launch the Nashville natives to the next level. The video felt like an old school horror flick, and I was eager for more! The lyrics clearly point at the Ukraine / Russia conflict, opening with the word “war”, Williams says things that I think a lot of us have been feeling in the past few years. Even the video for the title track, “This Is Why”, feels a little off, in the best way possible. It all made sense when I learned that Williams had been watching American Psycho throughout the writing process. This record contains a beautiful blend of dancy tunes, provocative stances, and dreamy ballads. I am obsessed with this record, and I’ve been spinning the vinyl non-stop. Each time I listen, my favorite song changes.

I love to listen back to older Paramore, like “Pressure” and “Hallelujah” comparing the changes and growth in their sound and message. I’ve never been mad about a band changing their sound. Humans change constantly, it only makes sense that music does, too.

Album: The People’s Champ
Artist: Quinn XCII
Favorite Song: “Backpack”

This album was the album of the summer, for sure. It’s upbeat, dancy, and positive. All the things you want from a summer anthem, but it’s the whole damn record. There are some impressive features on this record, too, with Big Sean, AJR, Adrian Cota, and Chelsea Cutler all listed. For a guy who sings about never doing drugs, he sure seems to sing about doing a lot of drugs. “Backpack” is a favorite for just that reason. Every song just flows, showcasing the Michigan native’s expert lyricism. “Bartender” opens the record with catchy beats, but when you listen to the lyrics, they’re the same issues we’re all dealing with. The whole record is about the daily struggles we all deal with, even the pop stars we admire, hence the title The People’s Champ. Lyrics like “But I try, I don’t know if I’m a good or bad guy,” in “Black Porsche” remind us that we’re all human, and we’re all going through it. Closing the record is “All That You Need”, a piano ballad of self-love. “Cause all that you need is what you can’t see, but you’ve always had it,” reminds us that anxiety can hit all of us, and we can make it through.

Click here to check out a photo gallery I shot of Quinn XCII for Local Spins in Michigan.

Album: Portals
Artist: Melanie Martinez
Favorite Song: “Evil”

Melanie Martinez returns with her first record in three years, and the third and final installment of the Crybaby trilogy. This character first showed up in her debut album, Crybaby, then moved through K-12, and finally, the character dies and continues into their afterlife in Portals. The album is a reflection of years learning about hypnosis and reading others experiences, as well as her own experiences. This record still embodies the energy and sound of Martinez’s music, while growing up with her. She enters a more spiritual side, as she wrote almost half the album in a room she called The Portal Room. When sitting in this room, she would connect with the spiritual realm, helping to guide her songwriting. In the opening song, “Death”, there is a deep vocal track repeating “Dead, dead, dead” that was inspired by a voice Martinez heard while singing in The Portal Room. “I heard a spirit with a completely different tone than mine repeat a melody I had sung out loud in the silence and it sent a chill down my body. I was really scared at first.” But she used that as a confirmation from the other side to continue on. Lyrically, sonically, and visually, this album is complex and intriguing. I highly recommend listening to this record from top to bottom the first few times, in order to really understand the story. Every track is great in its own way, but some of my favorites are “Void”, “Battle of the Larynx”, and “Evil”. “Evil” is especially fun, with its rock and roll intro and catchy hook. I feel like everyone knows a narcissistic person who can relate to this song. The entirety of the album confronts death, grief, and the afterlife. While this could be an incredibly heavy record, it's light and dancy, teaching us to accept that death is inevitable, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Click here to check out a photo gallery of Melanie Martinez I shot for T&E!

Album: Weedkiller
Artist: Ashnikko
Favorite Song: “Moonlight Magic”

Ashnikko’s debut album is experimental, dynamic, and interesting. Blending the worlds of anime and video games with that of hip hop and pop music. The songwriting is clever and witty, with funny bits weaved in. While writing this record, Ashnikko looked to Hans Zimmer for inspiration, telling her producer, Slinger, that she wanted the record to feel like it was scored for a sci-fi film. This came across brilliantly with the vibrant and visceral storytelling. She experiments sonically with organic sounds, stereo sound play, and unexpected dynamics. The way she manipulates the texture of sound and the sonic experience is so fun and playful. There is a strong dichotomy of hope vs hopelessness throughout the album. When talking about “Cheerleader”, Ashnikko says “there is a place for eroticism” in this dystopian world, showcasing that there can be hope. While writing “You Make Me Sick”, and talking to her producer, they both felt that she “really just needed to rage” during the writing process, showing some of the foreboding and hopelessness on the other side of the coin. She brings in themes of climate change and environmentalism in a fresh way that isn’t typically found in pop music. Overall, the record is cohesive, tells an incredible story, while experimenting with sound and texture.

Album: Take Me Back to Eden
Artist: Sleep Token
Favorite Song: “The Summoning”

In case you aren’t aware, there is a fair amount of lore behind Sleep Token. The vocalist goes by the moniker of Vessel, as he is merely the “vessel” for Sleep’s teachings. “Our identities are irrelevant,” Vessel explains, feeding into the occult-like nature between the band and its fans.

In the only interview Sleep Token has offered, Vessel says “Life is dark. Life is bright. Life is ugly. Life is beautiful. Don’t get lost in genres, they’ll only disorientate you. Music is for everyone.” And I feel like that is incredibly powerful. As we navigate through this life, music has evolved and changed and will continue to do so. Genres are beginning to disappear, boundaries are being broken, and artists are given the freedom to express themselves more fully. For Vessel to have recognized and expressed this way back in 2017, just shows that they aren’t afraid to break those boundaries and blend sounds together in a new and interesting way.

Their latest album, Take Me Back to Eden, is groovy, funky, in some ways poppy, and oh, so heavy. Demonstrating their seamless ability to blend and distort genre past recognition. There are songs that make you cry while others make you want to dance. The absolute beauty of duality and dichotomy in this record shines through. “The Summoning” is probably my favorite track on the album. It has this insane bassline that gets really funky towards the end of the song, and it has me grooving. Every. Single. Time. The imagery within the lyricism is so clear, with lyrics like “We were tangled up like branches in a flood” from “Chokehold”, I can see exactly what he is describing in my mind. “Are You Really Okay” feels kind of like a sneak attack. About half way through the record, this song begins so gently. When listening for the first time, you don’t expect for these lyrics to absolutely rip you apart, but by the first “Are you really okay?” I'm a weeping mess on the floor. You can feel the emotion in his voice, with breakdowns in the perfect places.

I was lucky enough to get to see Sleep Token during their latest U.S. tour at Riot Fest in Chicago. Aside from being thirty minutes late to take the stage, they put on a hell of a show. Hearing the songs from this record performed live was a real treat.

Album: Rush!
Artist: Maneskin
Favorite Song: “La Fine”

This band came out of nowhere and kind of took over my brain. My first introduction to Maneskin was a video of them smashing their entire stage and all the instruments. I was immediately horrified and intrigued. They seem like the epitome of a rock band. Or at least they front it really well. Their music very much reflects that lifestyle.

This album is so rock and roll. It’s catchy and dancy. It’s silly and weird. The album begins with “Honey (Are You Coming?)” with rich guitar riffs and catchy vocals. I’m immediately dancing. The whole album feels fresh and new and interesting, but also familiar and recognizable. Maneskin are from Rome, so it only makes sense they would sing in Italian. But they also do a lot of songs in English. And they blend the two so beautifully. There’s something to be said about listening to a song in a language you don’t speak, yet still feeling it. That isn’t the easiest thing to do. One of my favorite songs on the record is “La Fine”. Do I know what they’re saying? Absolutely not. But do I still feel the energy they’re giving? A thousand percent.

At the beginning of the year, I predicted Maneskin to be my artist of the year. I don’t know if they took that title, but they are definitely in my top 5.

Album: The Surface
Artist: Beartooth
Favorite Song: “I Was Alive”

I’ve been following Beartooth for quite some time. And most of the music they’ve made in the past is based on hurt, trauma, and pain. This is the first record where vocalist Caleb Shomo began to write happy songs. Shomo has stated that The Surface is kind of the polar opposite of their last studio album, Below. The pandemic hit hard for Shomo, just like it did for most of us. And it opened his eyes to his lifestyle and what needed to change to live a better life. He hits the nail on the head with the lyric, “I might die if I stay in this cold” in “Sunshine”, referencing his move from Ohio to California. In an interview, Shomo explained that the song is meant to capture the frantic state of feeling like you want more from life while also feeling stuck where you are.

Sonically, the album is classic Beartooth, with a fresh twist. The structure of clean vocals to gritty screams calls back to early Beartooth. While the sound is still quite heavy, there’s a lightness to this album that we haven’t seen before in Beartooth. You can feel that Shomo has pulled himself out of the darkness and is now returning to The Surface.

Check out a photo gallery I took of Beartooth for Local Spins in Michigan here.

Favorite Concert:
Fit For a King - The Hell We Create Tour
The Intersection - 3.1.23

At the time of writing this, I have already photographed 100 shows this year and attended a handful, so choosing one singular show as my favorite is an incredibly difficult task. I got to mark a lot of things off my bucket list this year, seeing a ton of bands that I truly love and admire. Some of my top shows from the year include Dayseeker, Beartooth, Bilmuri, Melanie Martinez, the Jonas Brothers, and Meshuggah. But the one that I am giving the title of best show of 2023 is going to Fit For a King on The Hell We Create Tour. Prior to this day, I had photographed FFAK about a half dozen times, almost entirely by accident. What I mean by that is I’ve photographed them as openers on other tours quite a few times before finally shooting their headlining tour. I love this because I was able to get to know their music organically through that, and it got me even more excited for their headlining tour. This was my first time ever shooting in the big room at the Intersection (aside from the Jammies), and I decided to begin my crowd-surfing journey at this show, as well.

Noa's Picks

Album: Something To Give Each Other
Artist: Troye Sivan
Favorite Song: "One of Your Girls"

No one can deny the infectiousness of this little British twink’s pop songs. I dare you to try.

Single: "ACTIVATE"
Artist: COBRAH

An absolute high-energy heater from our Swedish queen, COBRAH. This song has the ability to make you do unforeseen things. For example, I once put this song on at eight o’clock in the morning and suddenly a shaken shot of tequila appeared in my hand.

Album: I Don’t Want You Anymore
Artist: Cherry Glazerr
Favorite Song: "Soft Like a Flower"

Another solid Cherry Glazerr release. Soft Like a Flower is undoubtedly the highlight of her 2023 album. As a steady bassline kicks things off, her ethereal vocals elevate alongside the energy of the song perfectly.

Album: Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
Artist: Yves Tumor
Favorite Song: "Meteora Blues"

Experimental, alternative, singable… Yves Tumor never fails to produce an interesting listen. They always put out something digestible that is, at the same time, just a little bit different.

Kurt B. Reighley (aka DJ El Toro)'s Picks

Album: I Play My Bass Loud
Artist: Gina Birch
Favorite Song: “I Will Never Wear Stilettos”

Album: Little Pieces
Artist: Cidny Bullens
Favorite Song: “Little Pieces”

Album: Fuse
Artist: Everything But the Girl
Favorite Song: “No One Knows We’re Dancing”

Album: The Ones Ahead
Artist: Beverly Glenn-Copeland
Favorite Song: “Stand Anthem”

Album: Happy Ending
Artist: HiFi Sean & David McAlmont
Favorite Song: “All In The World”

Album: Raven
Artist: Kelela
Favorite Song: “Happy Ending”

Album: Nuevo South Train
Artist: Larry & Joe
Favorite Song: “Larry’s Cachapa”

Album: Provincetown
Artist: MAN ON MAN
Favorite Song: “Take It From Me”

Album: The Omnichord Real Book
Artist: Meshell Ndgeocello
Favorite Song: “Virgo”

Album: Proof of Life
Artist: Joy Oladokun
Favorite Song: “Taking Things For Granted”

]]><![CDATA[October Collective Collaborative Blog: Satanic Panic!]]>Tue, 24 Oct 2023 20:01:40 GMThttps://www.trialanderrorcollective.com/collective-collab-blogs--playlists/october-collective-collaborative-blog-satanic-panic

It's spooky season, which means it's time for pumpkin spice lattes, cozy fall sweaters, and of course, candlelit black masses to worship our hellish underlord, SATAN! For our October collaborative blog, the collective conjured up a Satanic Panic playlist paying homage to the big man downstairs, from blasphemous black metal to deep Delta blues and beyond.

Playlist curated by Andrej, Parisa and Alex.

T&E blogger Parisa on her pick "Faustian Echoes" - Agalloch:

Perhaps one of my favorite concept albums (or EPs, rather) comes from Agalloch's sonic interpretation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's play Faust. "Faustian Echoes" is a single twenty-one minute track that takes literal and interpretative inspiration from the tragedy, with the lyrics taken from the English translation as well as a selection of samples from Jan Svankmajer's 1994 film adaptation, to create a backbone for the song's storyline. Agalloch creates several distinct movements to interpret the mood of each major passage. ebbing and flowing from catastrophically tense black metal to more melodic, open passages, as we listen to our hero Faust debate on selling his soul to Mephistopheles. It's so beautifully executed and remains my favorite Agalloch song to date.

For related content, check out our podcast that talks all about the devil's role in musical history here. From backmasking, artists who've sold their soul, the battle of church vs. rock 'n roll, and so much more! Stream it on our website or on any major podcasting streaming app under The Melody Feed podcast.

]]><![CDATA[September Collective Collaborative Blog: Music Trivia Crossword Puzzle]]>Thu, 21 Sep 2023 00:05:00 GMThttps://www.trialanderrorcollective.com/collective-collab-blogs--playlists/september-collective-collaborative-blog-music-trivia-crossword-puzzle